The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-08-07
Germans In Do
 Or-Die" Struggle
Continued from Page D

slugging match with the Russians clamping Praga, it's east bank su- burb, in a tight siege are an' chored on the Vistula river north and south of the suburb.
 Mobile Russian and German ar. tillery poured torents of steel and explosives into each others lines al close range, while Germany's rein' forced Luftwaffe sought to chal' lenge the Red Air Forces suprem' acy in the skies. A constant pal of smoke hovered over both War saw and Praga from the ceaseles' round of bombings and shellings
 The Soviet advance along the north bank of Vistula toward Kra- kow in southern Poland also was slowed by stiffening enemy resist ance some 35 miles from Krakow and 30 miles from the borders oi Germany proper. but a Russian break-through along the southern bank in the San river triangle posed a pincers threat against the strong hold.
 DrohobycE Captured
 The 4th Ukrainian Army, 10th So- viet Army to join the the Russian summer offensive, was driving through the Carpathian foothills to- ward Czechoslovakia on a widening front in a new assault after captur- ing Drohobycz. next to the last ma jor source of oil for the German war machine.
 Latest front reports placed Col- onel I. Y. Petrov's 9th Army only 25 miles from the Czechoslovak frontier and the Wyszkow Pass through the carpathians into Hun- gary.
 The 4th Army dashed out in a new offensive southeast of Przemysl as the battles for Warsaw and East Prussia to the north were mounting to a new high of fury with the Ger mans throwing in all available re- serves in a desperate effort to stem the avalanche.
 Petrov's forces. taking over the Carpathian front from Marsal Ivan s. Konevs list Ukrainian Army. seized Drohobycz, l4 miles southeast of Przemysl and pre-war Poland's biggest oil center, in the initial stages of their new offensive yester- day.
 Drohobycz, with a population of 32.600, is the key to the great Cali elan oil fields and it's capture leaves the Germans only the Ploes1 oil fields in Romania with which to fuel their once mighty mechanical army. The Galician oil fields nor- mally produced 100000 tons of pet- roleum annually.
 The Germans brought up large forces in an effort to save Droho- bycz, but were thrown back with huge losses in men and equipment. the Soviet high command reported in its Sunday midnight communi- que.
 The new offensive was aimed at the Carpatho- Ukraine, the eastern part Of czechosloyakia Topped oft by Germany in l940 and given to Hungary.
 Koney's list Army, meantime, threw its full weight into the cam- paign to libeFate Krakow, last Ger man stronghold before the south- eastern borders Of the Reich itself, after clearing another 40-mile stretch of the southeast bank of the Vistula river in the San River tFt- angle opposite the Russian brldge- head on the northwest bank,
 suTewa Captured
 Crossing the Wisloka Little Wis., tula) river on an Ii-mile front be- tween Melee, 26 miles northeast Of TaFnoW, and OstFowee, the SoYtets captured Surowa. 25 miles south- west of TaFnobrzeg. on the south east bank of the VistuIa and nuDlr Der of other towns and villages, The Germans were said { have suffered enormous losses" in a vain attempt to hold the Russians along the Wis., loka.
 The forcing of the Wisloka set the stage for a drive on Krak0W along both sides Of the Vistula, which passes through the city k0pey's troops on the northwest bank were 25 miles or less from Krakow,
 Front dispatches said the GerS mans have committed all available troops, including eDglpeeF and road guard battall0ps, to the 6gbt to protect the eastern bOFdeF Of East Prussia, Germapy's easteFnmost home province, Some reserves joined the defense straight from the march,
 General Ivan D, cbeTniakh0ysky's 3Hd White Russian Army was being forced to blast the defenders from frontier villages individually, Red Air Force b0mbers flew 2,b00 seFs ties in three days oyer the German lines, smashing enemy columns moving up to the front and knock ing out strong points,
 Thousands Of C0Epses
 Thousands Of German eoFpses and wrecked trucks and tanks litter the approaches to the frontier, alss patches said,
 There still was no confirmation the Russians had crossed the boz der, though they were believe only 2 few miles away along 2 front of 100 miles,
 North Of the Niemen river, which runs into the northern tip 0f East Prussia, General Ivan Q, BagTapaE ianis Ist Baltic Flny forced Che Dubya river, Q tributary, and caps tuFed Juadaieiai, be miles east of lle big PFnselan railway junction 0g Tllslt The Revlete 0VeFFan three lines Of trenches in their advance ana Killed ahnilk ao0 Oermara.