Evening star., 1944-09-05
Ronldnians Join
Reds in Advance
In 7ransy|vania
Russians in PoIond
Drive Deeper Into
Nuzi Defense Belt
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, Sept. 5.-Russian
and Romanian troops stormed
down the mountainous eastern
watershed of the Hungarian
plains today while Red Army
units In Poland drove an ar
mored battering ram deep into
the Warsaw-East Prussia de-
Tense belt.
Soviet successes in Transylvania
along the historic invasion route to
Hungary and southwest of Lomza
between Warsaw and East Prussia s
southern border were being exploit
ed with new attacks against fierce
resistance. front dispatches said.
(The German radio said Rus
sian troops have crossed the
Narew River in their full -fledged
offensive toward East Prussia.
The exact point of crossing was
not specified.
cat its nearest point Just west
OF LomZa, the Narew flows within
IL miles of the southern frontier
of East Prussia.
(The push in the Narew River
sector threatens invasion Or OUT
flanking of East Prussia and also
menaces Warsaw from the north.)
Head for Mures Valley.
Russian and Romanian divisions,
officially operating in coordination
for the first time, pushed forward
against a combined German and
Hungarian force. They were head
ing for the Mures River Valley,
which runs westward into Hungary.
One supporting column veered
southwestward toward Sibiu, which
controls the northern exit Of the
Turnu Pass through the Transyl-
vantan Alps.
Capture Of Brasov, which was an.
nounced yesterday. assured com.
plete possession OF the Predeal PAS
through the Alps, and 1t was 4
downhili fight from there to Hun.
gary.
Sibiu, second In Importance only
to Brasov as center of Transyl-
vanian rail communications, was
within 10 miles of the leading Rus
sian and Romanian units. It's fall
would signal the beginning OF the
battle Of Hungary.
Romanian peasants helped guide
Russian scouts on the mountain
trails and reported the location oil
enemy units, front dispatches said
Gap Is Closing.
The gap between Russian forces
and those OF Marshal Tito's Parti-
sans in Yugoslavia was closing.
A Soviet communique said the
Russians had captured 100 populat-
ed places southwest of Lomza, Ger
man stronghold 20 miles below the
East PrusSian frontier.
On the southern front Russian
troops employing Romanian units
drove deeper into Pennsylvania from
north of Brasov. In the push toward
Yugoslavia they captured Gaesti, q
miles from Pitesti, rail town about
125 miles from the Yugoslav from
tier.
associated Press Correspond
ent Joseph Morton, flying up the
Danube River from Bucharest,
declared Russian columns were
well west Of Craiova," which is
ITO miles west of Bucharest and
within so miles of Yugoslavia.)
60,0Oo Germans Captured.
The joined armies of Gen. Rodion
Y. Malinovsky and Gen. Feodor I
Tolbukhin captured $4,000 Germans
near Calarsi, about 10 miles from
the Northern Bulgarian frontier
The Soviet communiQue said these
troops had been sent from Bulgaria
as the Red Army was approaching
Bucharest.
German broadcasts said Rus
sian troops have set up bridge
heads" on Bulgarian territory.
There was no confirmation from
Moscow
The Russians mopped up the last
Of the encircled Germans south OF
Chrisinau in Romania, capturing
$500, including Maj. Gen. Won Gel
zen, commander of the 370th Infan-
try Division, and killing 5000
others.