Evening star., 1944-09-20
Russians Report
TanksDeepin in
Riga Defenses
New, Massive Drive
Nay Clear All Foe
From BoItic Area
Ey the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, Sept. 20.-A massive
Baltic drive, first phase of a
supreme Russian autumn offen-
sive, today rolled the Germans
back steadily over the Latvian
front, menacing Riga and threat
ening to bring its fall within a
short time.
Front dispatches said advance
tank and motorized infantry units
had pushed deep into the city's de-
lenses. The ofiicial communique an
nounced an approach to within 6
miles as the Red Army edged in
from three sides and brought artil-
lery to bear.
In four days the Russian Baltic
armies have captured nearly 5000
communities in their attack, which
promises to clear all the Germans
shortly from Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania and pave the way for the
remaining steps of the autumn
offensive, expected to be bigger than
anything to date. Developments may
be expected from the Gulf of Fin
land to Yugoslavia.
Russians Fury Mounts.
The fury with which the Red
Army is attacking on the Baltic
front seems indicative of the way
Premier Stalin's forces finally will
tear into the Nazis on every sector
The present northern campaign ap-
pears aimed at driving out, killing
or capturing the last German in the
Baltic region before the nrst SHOWS
Of winter.
The heaviest Russian attack in
Latvia occurred southeast Of Riga,
with Gen. Ivan Bagramians forces
smashing forward rs miles on . 75-
mile front, sending the Germans
reeling back into the Latvian cap
ital. More than 1000 places fell in
that area within four days.
The closest approach to Riga
oficially disclosed came with cap
ture of Kekava, on the west bank
Of the Daugava Dvina) River, 8
miles south Of the city. A Soviet
communique said the Germans there
had orders mot to retreat single
STEP" but they lost more than 5000
men. In five days on the whole
front the Germans have lost $40
tanks and 800 planes.
NaZi Armies Pace Split.
On the Estonia-Latvia frontier,
Gen. Ivan Maslennikov's Sd Baltic
Army captured Valga, so miles east
of the Gulf of Riga, in a drive that
threatened to divide the German
armies in Estonia from those to the
south. Through Valga run five i'm
portant railways.
East of Riga the Red Army seized
another important communications
center, Plavinas. as part Of drive
which engulfed more than 600 COM
munities.
The Germans attempted q coun-
terattack west of Jelgava below
Riga to protect the coastal corridor
connecting their forces in Eastern
and Western Latvia, but the Soviet
communique said the attacks were
repulsed.
The Russians cut this corridor
August l by plunging to the sea. but
the Germans managed to reopen it
three weeks later. At that time it
was estimated that 20 German di-
visions. possibly 100000 men, re-
mained along the shores of the
Baltic to the north.
Forces in Romania Gain.
Southwark in Romania combined
Romanian-Russian forces captured
Timisoara, 20 miles from the Yugo-
slav border and 73 miles northeast
of Belgrade. Yugoslav capital.
There was no official Russian word
on action on other fronts, but Red
Army artillery kept firing at Warsaw
from across the Vistula River.
German broadcasts said the
Russians had bridged the swift
and wide Vistula north of War
saw
There was reason to believe that
the long siege of Warsaw was going
according to schedule and that Mar
shall Rokossovsky was tightening
pressure by the hour.
After capturing Timisoara, sew
enth largest Romanian city of 90
600, the Russians pushed the Ger
mans and Hungarians back onto the
broad, wheat-clothed Hungarian
plain within 148 miles of Budapest
Fog Covers Baltic.
The main immediate objective in
the Baltic states was the division
and liquidation of Col. Gen. Georp
Lindemann's 10th and 18th German
armies, comprising more than 20
divisions.
A dense autumn fog lay over the
Baltic. The Russians reported great
confusion in German ranks with
many large units hopelessly lost and
wandering in the Riga forests.
1zvestia said the tanks of 1t,
Gen. Obukhov, who captured Jel-
gava. "are breaking through to
Riga" Before the war 393, 900 per-
sons lived in that Baltic seaport
3l2 miles southwest Of Leningrad.
The capture of Valga in Estonia
on the Latvian frontier was a ma
jor strategic victory which Izvestia
said opened the route to the Gulf
Of Riga"
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