Evening star., 1944-03-02
Russians Closing in
On ) Nazi Bastions
On Northern Front
-,
Red Forces Reported
In Pskov;; Norvo and
Vitebsk Also PeriIed
PRESS OF FINLAND attacks Rus
sian armistice proposals. Page Az

PRESS OF FINLAND attacks Rus
sian armistice proposals. Page Az
By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Mar. 2.-Red Army
forces are closing in relentlessly
on the three great German
strongholds of Narva, Pskov
and Vitebsk, key defense bases
on the -mflexlong northern
front, Moscow declared today.
CA dispatch from Moscow said
field dispatches had reported that
Red Army tommy gunners had
fought their way into the suburbs
OF Pskov, Baltic gateway city,
In Estonia units of Gen. Leonid
A. Gcvorov's Leningrad Army threw
a bridgehead across the Narova
River south of Narva, cut the only
German escape railway leading west
ward to Reval, and are threatening
the city from all four sides. q Rus
sian communique announced.
One hundred and 10 miles to the
south, another Russian Army
smashed closer to Pskov, capturing
several heavily fortified strong
points covering the approaches to
the town, the Moscow bulletin said.
10 Towns Captured.
More than 7c towns, including
Nevaditsy, 10 miles to the southeast,
fell to the advancing Soviet troops,
who cut the railway leading south
from Pskov to Polotsk at Russaki, SIS
miles below Pskov, the bulletin add
ed. Other Red Army forces pre-
viously had been reported less than
6 miles from Pskov on the north.
Two hundred miles southeast of
Pskov, Gen. Ivan G. Bagramian's s
1st Baltic Army was marching on
the White Russian base of Vitebsk.
The Russians said they had cap
tured more than sc towns and viii
lagos in converging movement
which drew a moose tighter around
the key German-held fortress city.
Towns captured included Selyuty,
miles south of Vitebsk; Skulovichi,
9 miles to the east, and Pekary, IL
miles to the north.
Vitebsk has been under siege by
Gen. Bagramians army since late
last year, when all rail lines into the
city except o." running to Orsha,
so miles to the south, were cut.
(The German Transocean News
Agency, in Berlin broadcast last
Friday, reported the evacuation
of Vitebsk and said German
troops were falling back to the
old Polish border. The German
high commands communique
later the same day failed, how
ever, to make any mention of vi
tebsk.)
Attacks Increase in Tempo.
Acknowledging the increased tenn
po OF the Russian attacks, Berlin
broadcasts advanced the suggestion
that the Red Army was striving to
achieve its objectives, especially
Pskov, before the expected thaw
turns the front into morass.
German commentators said tenn
peratures on the northern front were
averaging less than degrees above
zero (Fahrenheit) and that "the
Russians are trying to cross with
tanks and heavy transport the ice
OF the swampy forest regions east
Of Pskov as quickly as possible"
1t has been much warmer In the
south, the Nazis declared.
Crossing on 22-Mile Front.
Moscow said the Narova River
crossing was made along 22-mile
front south of Narva and penetrated
8 miles beyond to the rail station of
Auvere, on the Narva- -Reval trunk
line. This placed Gen. Govorov's
troops approximately Is miles inside
Estonia.
The Russians met powerful Ger
man resistance in the Narova cross
ing, the Moscow bulletin said, but
Gen. Govorov's infantry and artil-
lery smashed through, killing 1,20C
Na1 troops and routing two regl-
ments In the bridgehead battle and
capturing Is big guns. together with
other abandoned war material.