The Wilmington morning star., 1944-04-09
Continued from Page One)

mans and their satellite troops,
and Benes' own declaration would
indicate that the Red army intends
tn force the mountain passes, If it
has not already crossed the from
tier.
Marshal Gregory K. Zhukov's
first Ukraine army reached the
Tatar pass at the pre-Munich Cze-
choslovakian border and sent his
tanks and motorized infantry crash
ing IL miles inside northern Ru-
mania on combined 124-mile
front, Stains first order of the
day disclosed.
Zhukov's men captured a total of
800 towns and villages, 80 of them
inside Rumania, the others in the
southwestern corner of the Rus
sian Ukraine which includes Blu
covina, and the southeastern cor
ner of former Poland, Among the
captured localities was Siret, II
miles inside Rumania and "a miles
south of Czernowitz, Bucovlna
capital.
The capture of Enable, Is miles
southeast of the Tatar pass, put
the Russians only 20 miles from
Hungarian-held Pennsylvania.
The troops under Zhukov, whose
leadership saved Moscow in 1871,
also captured several localities in
the pocket west of Skala, 40 miles
north of Czernowitz, as they con-
tinued the liquidation of the rem
nants of Is encircled German d1-
visions That area above the mid
die Dniester river now is far be-
hind the Russians attacking along
the Czech and inside Rumania.
The surprise announcement by
Stain after days Of silence on the
developments in that area was
followed closely by another order
of the day which said that Marshal
Ivan S. Konev's second Ukraine
army had smashed into Eastern
Rumania on 106-mile front north
of Iasi, Rumanian rail center,
captured more than $50 localities,
and reached the Siret river on
53-mile front.
Among the towns overrun by Ko-
news troops in the westward strike
across the Prut were the farm
ing centers of Dorohoi on the il
jia river, and Botosani, 10 miles
southeast of Dorohoi and q miles
inside Rumania.
Outflanking Rail City
The troops reached the Siret
river between captured Tudora,
81 miles northwest of Iasi, and Var
ful-Kampului,- 10 miles southwest
Of Dorohoi. The southernmost Ru-
manian village named in the COM
munique was Fokurilo, % miles
northwest of Iasi, indicating the
Russians were outflanking that key
rail city.
Zhukov's troops took three dis
trict centers Of the Stanislau area.
In addition to Zhabye. the nearest
to the Transylvanian border, they
were Pechinezyn and Yablonov,
respectively % and 40 miles south
east of Stanislau. Also seized were
four district centers of the Czerno-
WITT region, including Voskovtsy
WascautD, 20 miles northwest of
Czernowitz, and Vizhnitsa (Vijni-
tai, 80 miles west Of Czernowitz.
The capture of Seletin, 80 miles
west of the town of Siret, put one
Russian column only II miles from
the border of northern Transylva-
mia, taken from Rumania by Ger
many and Italy in 1910 and given
to Hungary.
In the fight around Odessa the
Russians under Gen. Rodion Y.
Malinovsky captured Gildendorf,
eight miles to the northeast; Alex
androvka, nine miles to the north
east; Ilyinka, IL miles on the
north between the two big lagoons
which are part of Odessa's defen-
SEES: and Ostradovka, II miles on
the northwest
A number of other villages on
the east bank Of the lower Dniester
in 25-mile area above captured
Mayaki, which was taken Friday,
also were seized. No further prog
ress was reported beyond Mayaki
where the Russians were only 10
miles from Ovidopol, through
which runs the last escape route
from Odessa across the four-mile.
wide Dniester mouth into Rumania.
A midnight Soviet bulletin said
Russian units cutting be-
hind German and Rumanian units
outside Odessa were inflicting hea.
Wy casualties, and that in one sector
alone a battalion of 300 to 1000
Axis troops was wiped out dur
ing the day.
In the Razdelnaya pocket the
Russian slaughter of trapped Ger
man troops ended when they tried
TO flee across the Kuchurgan riv.
er, the communique said. When