Evening star., 1944-01-03
Soviet Army 10 Miles
From Border; Other
Advances Scored
MAP on Page A-3.)

LONDON, Jan. 3.-Russia's tri-
umphant 1st Ukraine Army sped
on today virtually in sight of old
Poland after the capture of Poy-
aski, last main fortified strong
point on the Kiev-Warsaw rail-
way, 10 miles from the border.
In some places Gen. Nikolai Va
rutin's forces have been advancing
as much as II miles day, a pace
which If continued in the Poyaski
sector would place them inside old
Poland today.
At the same time other units of
Gen. Vatutin's advancing army
surged southwestward toward Zhme-
rinka, key rail junction on the
Odessa Warsaw rail line serving
the lower Ukraine, less than so
miles from the Rumanian frontier.
Line Appears to Be Crumbling.
The whole German line from
Korosten south to Berdichev ap-
peared to be crumbling before. the
RED Army onslaught and the eX-
hausted remnants of Marshal Fritz
Won Mannstein's once imposing army
of % divisions were being slashed
to ribbons.
Go the southeast of Korosten.
Gen. Vatitin's advance columns
have smashed into the ap-
proaches of Novograd- -Volynski.
railway center about Is miles
from the old Polish border and
last important obstacle between
the Soviet forces in the Zhito-
mir sector and the prewar boun-
Diary, Premier Stain announced
in Moscow today.
(Red Star, the Russian Army
newspaper, declared the situation
is very serious" for the Ger
mans, who were counterattacking
with large tank and infantry
forces.)
Material Abandoned.
The Russian communique told of
tremendous stores of Nazi war ma
terial being abandoned-fleets of
tanks, parks of field guns, armored
carriers, trucks. rolling stock and
huge ammunition dumps-and re-
ported that more than 1000 Ger
mans were killed yesterday on this
front alone.
Prison cages behind the Russian
lines were filled to overfowing and
long lines of German prisoners,
uhderfed and gray from privations,
and many suffering from frostbite,"
a Moscow broadcast said in empha-
sizing the desperate plight of the
retreating Nazis.
CThe Moscow radio, in a broad
cast recorded in New York by the
Federal Communications Com
mission, quoted Stockholm
sources as asserting that Gen.
Kurt Zeitzler, chief of the Ger
man army general staff, and Gen.
Alfred Jodl, Adolf Hitler's per-
sonal military adviser, had ar
rived at Marshal Won Mannstein's
headquarters on the Russian
front.
Gen. Jodl, the broadcast said,
had been given very great pow-
ers" by Hitler, including author
lty to remove army commanders
from their posts.)
As Miles From Latvia.
The rampaging Soviet forces also
were reported advancing far to the
north in White Russia. There, the
1st Baltic Army was said to be less
than As miles from Latvia after
storming 40 villages and killing 5000
NaziS north and northwest of Ne
val, in drive helping to encircle
the German-held bastion of Vitebsk.
In the drive on Poland west of
Korosten, Gen. Vatutin's northern
wing yesterday swept up more than
$50 towns and villages for a gain of
II miles, the Moscow communiuue
reported.
Other fast striking spearheads
swept through areas northwest of
Berdichev, former Headquarters of
Marshal Won Mannstein, and fall of
that strategic center Is miles below
captured Zhitomir was expected
hourly, dispatches from the front
indicated
Below Berdichev, now outfanked,
(See RUSSIA, Page A-3)