Evening star., 1944-08-13
Russians Reach
Last Barrier 10
East Prussia
Trap Is frightened
On 300, 900 Nuzis
Pinned Against Baltic
BY the Associated Press.

A's hAic fAnooSioted tCos.
LONDON. Sunday, Aug. 13.-
Gen. G. F. Zakharov's 2nd White
Russian Army yesterday smashed
6 miles through strong German
Notifications northeast of War
saw, and reached the Biebrza
River marshes. last big obstacle
separating the Russians from the
famous World War battle-ground
of the Masurian Lakes inside
East Prussia. This drive carried
the Russians to within q miles
of the East PrusSian border.
In the north, three other powerful
Soviet armies tightened their trap
on possibly 100000 German troops
pinned against the Baltic Sea, and
one Of these Red armies suddenly
lashed out westward toward Liepaja,
West Latvian port, and toward
Memel, German seaport at the
northern tip of East Prussia.
A Moscow communique announced
the capture of 610 towns and viii
lagos, more than half of them by the
adjoining armies of Gen. Zakharov
and Marshal Konstantin X. Rokos-
sovsky's 1st White Russian troops.
The latter army was within 4
miles of the Warsaw-B w-Bialystok rail-
way on a broad front between the
Polish Capital and beyond the Bug
River as the Russians wheeled to-
ward East Prussia.
Two Columns Press Forward.
Driving northwest along both
sides Of the Bialystok-Lyck railway
leading to East Prussia's s southeast
ern corner, Gen. Zakharov's troops
captured Klewyanka, only 7 miles
east of the railway where it crosses
the Biebrza River. Klewyanka
itself is only 18 miles from the East
Prussian border, and other troops
fighting along the Augustow Canal
farther north are within IL miles of
the frontier.
West of Bialystok other units I'M
der Gen. Zakharov rolled to within
20 miles east of Lomza with the cap
ture of Szafranki. and "a miles
southeast of that big German
stronghold with the seizure of
Wnory rail station.
Marshal Rokossovky's troops.
spread out over broad front be-
tween the Bug River and Warsaw,
also were threatening to collapse
the last big German defenses be-
fore the southern border of East
Prussia. Dabrowica, 16 miles north
east of Warsaw. and less than four
miles from the Warsaw -Bialystok
railway, fell to the Soviet forces in
this big wheeling movement.
Other Villages Captured.
Other villages captured on the
battleline extending toward the Bug
River, included Olechny. SIS miles
northeast of Warsaw and only IA
miles southeast of Ostromazowiecka
The latter city along with imper-
illed Lomza are the main German
bastions before East Prussia.
Berlin broadcasts said the Ger
man situation west of the Vistula
River. 100 miles south of Warsaw
where the Russians have estab-
lished great bridgehead pointed
toward German Silesia IS miles
beyond, still was grave" Mos
cows bulletin did not mention any
gains in that vital sector but said
Soviet troops successfully repulsed
German counterattacks by large
infantry and tank forces.
The Germans, threatened with a
splitting of their front between
Warsaw and Krakow in Southern
Poland, were putting up a furious
fight on the sun-baked plains, real
izing that a Soviet breakthrough
here would find the Russians soon
spilling into Germany itself. The
intensity of the fighting on all
fronts was indicated by Moscow's
announcement that II German
tanks had been wrecked during
Friday.
In Southern Estonia Gen. Ivan
Maslennikov's Sd Baltic Army
rolled on westward beyond Petseri,
important rail junction which fell
under the impact of his resumed
offensive Friday. His troops, curv-
ing around Lake Pskov, took Moloz-
va in a 3-mile advance along the
lake, and the units striking due
westward captured Tabina, II miles
(See RUSSIA, Page A-5J