On October 18, to the northwest of the town of JELGAVA (MITAVA), our forces continued an offensive, crossed the river LIELUPE and secured the following settlements: PIKSTNIEKI, TEMERI, BRANTJUCIEMS KAIGUCIEMS, VAL-GUNTESCIEMS, GAILISI, MEZAMUIZA, VEGAINI, and the railroad stations of TEMERI, LIVBERZE, and BUDAS.
Units of the 4th Ukrainian Front, continuing their offensive, crossed the Carpathian Ridge to secure the passes of LUPKOVSKY, RUSSKY, UZHOKSKY, VERETSKY, VYSHKOVSKY, YABLONOVSKY, and TATARSKY, and advanced in the territory of Czechoslovakia by 20 to 50 kilometers deep and 275 kilometers wide. During the offensive the Soviet forces took the Czech towns of KEREMSEZE (JASINA), RACHOV, the important settlements of CERTIZNE, VELKA POLANA, RUSNE, LIUTA, UZOK, DOLNI VERECKI, ZALOMISKA, PILIPEC, GOLATIN, TORUNA, NAD BOCHKO, and in North Transylvania took the town of SIGET.
In North Transylvania, our forces, together with the Romanian forces, took the town and railroad junction of VALEA-LUI-MIHAI, the town and railroad station of SIMLEUL-SILVANIEJ, and secured over 50 other settlements, including the major settlements of OKNA-SUGA-TAG, BUDESTI, KRECESTI, DUMBRAVICA, HIDAGA, BIRSAUL DE SUS, URMENIS, MIRESUL MARE, ODORHEI SOMES, SELETIG, KILIOARA, BOKSA, NUSFALEU, GALOS-PETRE, SIMIAN and the railroad stations of OCNA SUGATAG, HIDAGA, FERSIG, MIRESUL MARE, BENESAT, and SILINDRU.
Our forces, together with units of the People’s Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, continued to push the enemy out of BELGRADE. To the southeast of BELGRADE, our forces encircled a strong German force and began successfully terminating it.
Bulgarian forces, fighting the Germans together with units of the People’s Liberation Army of Yugoslavia and our forces, secured important settlements of BLACE and KURUSUMLE.
Reconnaissance operations and local fighting were reported elsewhere on the front.
On October 17, our forces destroyed 58 German tanks on all fronts. The Soviet air and air defense forces downed 69 enemy aircraft.