The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-07-11

(DV1nSK) nlgnWay ana Lne WlIlo. Kaunas railway.
 Soviet cavalry, tanks and motor ized infantry, advancing as much as 35 miles in 24 hours, were rolling across the flat Lithuanian plains al- most at will. Vanguards at last re- ports were 40 miles inside Lithuania and only 9 miles from Kaunas, its pre-war capital, and had out- flanked the Lithuanian stronghold of Daugavpils from the southwest.
 Elsewhere along the embattled 35O-mile eastern front, other Red Army forces drove to within 60 to 70 miles of the 1889 border of East Prussia, as well as II miles southeast of Pinsk, 108 miles east of Brest Litovsk, 90 miles east of Bialystok and 62 miles east of Grodno, all of them strongholds guarding the approaches to Poland and the reich itself.
 (Radio Berlin said the Russians were using 140 divisions-about 100000 men-in their central front offensives. There was no Soviet confirmation of German re- ports that a new Russian offensive had heen launched north of Iasi in Romania on the southern front)
 Cherniakhovsky's 3rd Army com- pleted the encir:lement of Wilno with the capture of Pikelishki, 12 miles north, Shilany. nine north west, and Landvoro, nine southwest and junction of railways radiating to Kaunas, Daugavpils and Bialy- stok.
 While street fighting went into its fourth day with the Germans suffering enormous losses" inside Wilno, the Soviets pressed on nearly half way to Kaunas and captured Stasillay. 9 miles southeast of Kaunas.
 The Germans rushed huge rein- forceIhents by plane and train to the Wilno sector, but were thrown out of more than 200 towns and villages north. west and south of the Lithuanian capital by the powerful Soviet offensive. The Alpine Jaeger brigade, parachute regiment and a Luftwaffe regiment were brought all the way from Germany, while panZers and other infantry units were drawn of from other sectors.
 Bagramians lst Baltic army seiz- ed Daugailai 34 miles southwest of Daugavpils and li6 miles southeast of Riga on the Baltic, in an al- most record-breaking 35-mile ad- vance. Utena, 12 miles southwest of Deugailai, also was captured. sev- ering the Daugavpils-Kaunas high- way.
 Another Baltic army column drove to within 20 miles south of Daugavpils with the capture of Drisviaty in a l3-nile advance that carried the Soviets into open coun- try for an attack on the stronghold. two battalions-2,000 men at full strength-of Germans were killed.
 Farther south, Marshal Konstan- tin K. Rokossovsky's list White Rus sian army forced the Seczara river on a 37mile front and seized slonim in a frontal advance on Bialystok. 90 miles to the west and main northeastern stronghold guarding Warsaw.
 On the southeastern approaches to Warsaw. Rokossovsky's forces swept through Luniniee. in the heart of the Pripet marshes and 25 miles northeast of Pinsk. and Lopatino, Il miles southeast of Pinsk and lOe miles east of the fortress city of Brest Lityosk.
 Premier Marshal Josef stalin's or der Of the day to Rokosgovsky on the capture of Luniniec and slonlm indicated that the ist Army coEl- prised the greatest single army in Russia, The long list of generals commended by staIin included four major generals commanding Kuban cossacks alone.
 Everything pointed to prepaFa- tons for a smash into Poland for an assault on Warsaw. Once on the open Polish plains. Rokossoy- skys mechanized. motorized and cavalry forces could Outmaneuyeg