THE Red Army has torn open the gateway to the historic Masurian Lakes area on East Prussia's southern border by the capture of Osowiec, a mere 18 miles away.
This victory, announced by Marshal Stalin in an order of the day, suggests that the battle for the soil from which German militarism sprang is about to open in earnest.
Earlier, the Germans announced the withdrawal to the River Bobr beyond the town. Once over this river, the Russians will be able to strike through the marshlands associated with the Battle of Tannenburg in the Great War into East Prussia itself. A Berlin broadcaster stated: "The offensive against Germany has started if appearances do not deceive us."
Vichy government 'totters'
DISSENTION and probably fear of Allied retribution have so split the Vichy Government that it is almost non-existent, French travellers said today. They told of government departments in Paris which completely disregarded the Vichy Premier, Laval's instructions, of the Paris press ignoring his censorship instructions, and of heightening conflict between Laval and Doriot and Deat, two leading collaborators who still seek a declaration of war against the Allies.
Child's death at Nazereth House
"AFTER having visited this home, I can say I have never seen a better regulated place." So declared the Belfast City Coroner, Dr H P Lowe at the inquest yesterday on Rosaleen Millar (10 months) who died at Nazareth Lodge, Ravenhill Road, Belfast and upon whom a verdict of accidental death was returned. The evidence showed that the child had attempted to climb out of her cot and fell with her neck on the edge. A night nurse had attended to the child 20 minutes before.
Northern eel trade
SOME idea of the extensive eel trade in the North was given by Mr J A S Stendall, curator of the Belfast Museum yesterday. The British Minister of Agriculture, he said, had stated that 47 million eels were exported from Northern Ireland annually, most of them to London.
Each day 10,000 eels were caught at Toomebridge. The eel, apart from being a most nutritious food, was an economic factor. Giving interesting facts on eel migration, the speaker said that for 2,000 years there was a mystery about the eel and even today there were a lot of things unknown about it. Many people believed that eels came from horses' hairs that dropped into the water. Years ago, before Belfast had a harbour, as many as a ton of eels were caught where Queen's Bridge now stands.
Edited by Eamon Phoenix e.phoenix@irishnews.com