Evening star., 1944-07-28
Russiu
Continued From First Page.)

arm of the Baltic Sea-to the Car
pathians. Both northeast and south
east of Warsaw, the Russians were
on broad plains leading into the very
heart of the Reich, and there were
no major natural barriers between.
More than 1852 towns fell to
more than 100000 marching men
in the front ranks of the eight
great Soviet Army groups. The ad-
vance was 2 miles an hour in places.
Moscow made no immediate esti-
mate of fresh German Casualties
Earlier in the week, Moscow an
nouncement listed $4,000 Germans
killed or captured since June % by
five of the eight army groups alone.
London estimated that at least 5O,-
900 Germans had been besieged in
the newly captured fortress cities;
the final count may exceed that by
many thousands.
Vistula Situation Obscure.
The position on the Vistuia River,
which flows through Warsaw, still
was obscure. The Russians had
reached it on wide front yesterday,
and a Moscow dispatch said the
600-foot stream had been spanned.
German broadcasts said several
Soviet spearheads had reached the
western pank. The series of off,
cial announcements from Premier
Stain last night however, did not
specify that the Vistula had been
crossed.
Besides the great bag of Russian
victories, others we're in the making.
Red troops were IS miles south of
the Latvian seaport capital of Riga
population 393,2OO at Pusalotis.
At Lipsk, the Russians were
within miles of the Suwalki tri-
angle, annexed to East Prussia from
Poland in 1889. and within Is miles
of the old East Prussian border.
Przemysl. in the extreme south of
Old Poland. just north of the Car
pathians, was invested from three
sides. The Berlin radio said the
city of $1,000 had been hotly con-
tested for the last "a hours"
Przemysl is on the Bucharest
Breslau-B Berlin Railroad, 220 miles
northeast of the newly bombed
Hungarian capital of Budapest, but
the Carpathian Mountains shield
that shaky and German-occupied
capital.
Radon Imperiled.
Still other Russians we've within
Is miles of Radon, in Poland. IS
miles from the second largest Polish
city of Ldz population, 665 ,200), SO
west OF Polands fifth city Of Krakow
population, 254 60O) and at the very
gates of Kolomyja. in the Carpa-
THAN slopes in the south. They
invested Jaroslaw, rail center, which
the Germans said they had evacu-
ated nearly week ago.
Along the Gulf of Finland troops
who took Narva we're less than 100
miles from the Estonian capital of
Tallinn, largest Estonian city, with
146,500 population. They neared
Tartu, second city of Estonia, with
10000 population.
Cossacks, tanks, infantry and ar
tillery all pushed toward Warsaw
from several sides. The nearest ap-
proach within 80 miles of its an
cient gates was on the east side
of the Vistula. where Russian troops
turned abruptly northwest from
captured Deblin.
The German communique said
German forces were Withdrawn
from front salients in some sectors
to concentrate troops. In the ambit
of these operations the front towns
of Lwow, Brest Litovsk, Bialystok
and Daugavpils were evacuated.
In Galicia, German troops
detched themselves from the enemy
according to orders and Withdrew
to new positions in the forefield of
the Carpathian Mountains"
The fall of Kaunas was an
nounced later by the Berlin radio,
after the communique asserted that
local Soviet attacks were foiled.
Retreat to New Line.
The German announcement of
wide retreat Ito new defense line"
made no suggestion where a new
stand would be attempted.
Przemsyl, great fortress in South
Poland, about to fall, was the scene
of one of the Cars greatest tri-
umphs in the World War. There his
army captured 10000 Austro- Hun
garians on March %, 1915. It's fall
will open the path to Krakow, an
cient seat of Polish culture.
Faint hope was expressed in Lon
don that the Germans, if they are
certain they will lose Warsaw, might
declare it an open city. About Is
per cent of the, city was battered
badly in the 1889 campaign.
In face of the great defeats in
| f1icted on Germany, a German mill
tary spokesman was quoted thus by
the Berlin radio:
The German command now is
conducting mobile warfare which is
offensive defensive. The tactics of
withdrawal afford greater possibili-
ties for thrust into flanks of the ad-
vancing Soviets than stubborn
maintenance of a solid line"
HosnifnI (7ets Oil Pn;nt;no