Evening star., 1944-07-23
Soviet Forces
Only I IS Miles
South Of Riga
~ the Associated Press.

S4NOA~, oAAldoy, SuAy 6o.
Gen. Ivan C. Bagramian's 1st
Baltic Army, racing into the
heart of Lithuania in an effort
to trap 80 German divisions an
chored along the Baltic coast,
yesterday captured Panevezys,
only IS miles south Of the Lat
Wan capital of Riga on the Bal
tic Sea.
Premier Stain in an order Of the
day termed Panevezys IAN impor-
tant stronghold in German defenses
covering the main road from the
Baltic to East Prussia" It's fall
placed Soviet columns within 80
miles of East Prussia, and within
40 miles .of the rail junction of
Siauliai, whose seizure would trap
perhaps 100000 German troops in
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Three hundred miles to the south
Marshal Konstantin K. Rokossov-
skys 1st White Russian Army
toppled the rail junction town of
Chelm, only 80 miles from the big
city of Lublin and 200 miles from
German Silesia, in another power
full drive into the heart of Poland,
Premier Stain announced in an
other order of the day.
Reds Break Into PskOv.
The daily Russian communique
also announced that Soviet troops
attacking in Finland had reached
the Finnish Russian border recog-
nized by Moscow after the 1s39-4o
winter war, and also said Russiax
troops attacking in Northwestern
Russia had broken into Pskov, gate
way to Southern Estonia and North
ern Latyia.
- Street fighting now is going on In
Pskov, the bulletin said.
The capture of Suchawa, Is miles
north of Chelm, placed Russian
troops driving on Warsaw from the
southeast only l10 miles from the
Polish capital. Seizure of other
points along the Bug River northwest
of Brest-Litovsk put the Russians
within rs miles of Warsaw.
German escape routes into War
saw East Prussia. and German
Silesia in the south were being
heavily attacked by clouds of Soviet
planes, including American-made
Bostons, Mitchells and Airacrobas.
II Miles From Escape Line.
Capture of Oleszyce in Southern
Poland put the Russians only II
miles from the Lwow-Krakow es-
cape railway, and the fall of Liko-
vets put the Russians 18 miles from
Przemysl on the same line.
Thus the Germans, torn by an in
ternal revolt in their army, also were
being hammered back in broken
fragments on a front of more than
300 miles.
Capture of Panevezys represented
a 45-mile westward advance from
Skopiskis. taken Wednesday by Gen.
Bagramian's forces which cut of the
German supply railway leading to
Daugavpils, IS miles east of Pane
vezys. The seized city is 135 miles
east of the German East Prussian
Baltic port of Memel.
Chelm was the first sizeable town
In German occupied Poland to fall
in the Russian march toward War
saw and Central Germany. The
Moscow radio in announcing its lib
Grafton played the Polish national
anthem Immediately after the So
wet anthem.
Race Through 1,178 Towns.
Racing through a total of l,l78
towns and villages, many Of them
great strategic prizes, eight Russian
armies scored their greatest string
of victories in the 30-day- -old Of
fenSive.
A total OF more than 5000 Ger
mans were captured of the REM
nants of four or five Axis divisions
surrounded northeast of Lwow in
Southern Poland That encircled
enemy group now has been COM
pletely smashed. Moscow said.
By-passing the stronghold of
Lwow, the Russians captured Lyu-
baczow, only 20 miles from Jaroslaw
and only 1872 miles from German
Silesia. The capture of Jaroslaw
would cut the main German supply
railway from Silesia to Lwow, A
miles southeast of Lyubaczow.
The Russians were less than 10
miles north and south of Brest-
Litovsk Northwest of Brest-Litovsk
they captured Siemiatycze, near the
Upper Bug River only rs miles from
Warsaw, Polish capital taken by the
Germans in September, 1889. -.
Situation by Sectors.
The situation by sectors as an
,nounced by Moscow:
Finland-North of Lake Ladoga
Gen. Kyril A. Meretskov;s Karelian
Army captured Londonvara, north
west. OF Suojarvi, reaching the
state border with Finland" estab-
1iShed after 'Finlo nd 1ne% %1,n INN An