Evening star., 1944-01-04
Reds Driving Across Old Poland
After Capturing 150Mi|es
From Point of Nozi Al Invasion
Hundreds Of Germans
Throwing Down Arms,
Russians Declare
MAP on Page A-f2.)
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, Jan. 4.-Red Army
forces under Gen. Nikolai Vatu-
tin, liberator of Kiev, were roll
ing over the fiat terrain of old
Poland today after capturing the
former frontier town of Olevsk
and smashing their way across
the preWar Russian Polish
border.
The fall of Olevsk and Novograd-
Volynski, az miles to the south, was
announced last night in a Russian
communique which declared that ITO
villages had been recaptured in the
swift Soviet advance
Front line dispatches disclosed
that Russian vanguards, pushing on
rapidly from OlevSk along the Kiev-
Warsaw railway, had crossed the old
frontier short time later.
The spearhead advancing from
Olevsk, a former customstation 1876
miles northwest of Kiev. was sup
ported on the left by another column
which had occupied Emilchino, %
miles TO the southeast.
800 Miles From Warsaw.
The point at which the Russians
crossed the old prewar Polish border
is approximately $50 miles east of
the frontier from which the Ger
mans launched their invasion of
Russia in l94l after the partition of
Poland. and is about 800 miles from
Warsaw.
tThe Russians made no official
comment on the crossing of the
old border, which no longer is
recognized by Moscow as an in
ternational boundary line.)
Meanwhile, the southern wing of
Gen Vatutin's army was plunging
on from captured Dzerzhinsk, 35
miles southwest of Zhitomir. in a
drive which Marshal Fritz Won
Mannstein's rearguards have ap-
peared unable to check ever since
eight Nazi tank and 13 infantry
divisions were defeated in the battle
OF the Kiev bulge
The Stockholm newspaper
Svenska Dagbladet, in a dispatch
from Moscow, said the Russians
also had captured the town of
Gorodnika on the Slucz River, 30
miles southwest of Olevsk.)
5000 Reported Slain.
At no point along the 60-mile- wide
~, O1I 1,,
Marshal Won Mannstein able to rally
his fleeing, demoralized troops for a
stand against the Russian offensive. |
More than 5000 Germans we're re-
ported slain yesterday-the 18th day
Of Gen. Vatutin's unchecked on
slaught.
The Nazis, the Russian communi-
que said, were surrendering by the
hundreds, throwing down their
arms and going "over to the side of
the Red Army" by entire companies
Tremendous quantities of war
equipment of every description were
gathered up by the advancing Red
Army forces.
While Premier Stain signalized
the Red Army advance by an order
of the day announcing the capture
of Novograd-Volynski, other spear
heads of Gen. Vatutin's army were
pushing toward the Rumanian bor-
der. slightly more than 80 miles to
the southwest.
Railways Severed.
They slashed the Kazatin-Zhash-
koV and Kazatin- Uman railways
serving the 100000 Germans believed
still to be in Southern Russia, in
cluding those now threatened with
enlightenment in the Dnieper bend.
Front dispatches said these spear
heads were within 35 miles of the
main WarSaW-OdeSSa trunk railway
feeding the Dnieper bend, and were
driving for Vinnitsa. % miles to the
southwest, and Zhmerinka, in their
sweep to seal off the German forces
to their east, Berdichev, Marshal
Won Mannstein's headquarters until
the present offensive, was reported
to be half surrounded.
On the Baltic front in the far
north, Gen. Ivan Bagramian con-
tinued his advance toward the Lat
Wan frontier The Soviet war bull
letin reported capture of 10 more
towns north of Newell, with 1000
Germans slain at the end of the
days fighting, which left the Rus
slams within as miles of Latvia.
Here, too, the Nazis we're abandon
ing huge stores of war gear. the
communique added.
At the same time VitebSk, major
stronghold of the Germans White
Russian defense system, was slowly
being invested by Gen, Bagramian's
troops, dispatches said.
Below Vitebsk, the Germans re-
ported a new Russian drive in the