Evening star., 1941-12-31
Soviet Claims Capture
OF 0f2Crimean Cities;
Nazis Admit LANDINGS
Kereh and Feodosiyo
Retoken, Russians Say,
In Counter Invasion

The Germans conceded today that
Russians had landed in force on the
Kerch peninsula. eastern extremity
of the Crimea. but necessary coun-
termeaSureS were declared to be
under way, the Associated Press re-
ported.
The Russians landed at Kerch
and at Feodosiya, to the southwest,
the German high command de-
clared in Berlin, to relieve German
pressure on Sevastopol, beseiged
Russian Black Sea base.
Heavily defended Russian posi-
tions at Sevastopol were declared
In Berlin to have been taken in
concentrated two-week attack by
German and Rumanian troops.
The Soviet government said both
Kerch and Feodosiya were retaken
men after 48 hours of fighting in
a counter begun with hopes
of ridding the entire peninsula of
Axis troops.
Bitter defensive fighting under
severe weather copditions was re-
ported on the Russian mainland
front.
Stain Exh0rts Crimean Fighters.
Soviet fighting men who smashed
Axis troops in the Crimean pam
handle during a 48-hour battle, re-
capturing two cities. were eXhOrted
by Premier Joseph Stain to rid the
whole peninsula of the Germans
land their Rumanian and Italian
underlings.'
The fortified city of Kerch,
potential gateway to the Oil-rlch
Caucasus on the narrow strait link
ing the Azov and Black Seas which
was occupied by German and Ru-
manian units November 16. and the
Black Sea port of Feodosiya, SIS miles
to the southwest. were regained yes
terday, the Soviet government an
nounced in Moscow.
"Retreating on both these sectors.
the enemy is being pursued by our
units" the Soviet Information
Bureau said.
Red Army and Navy forces
valiant troops and glorious
seamen" in the words of Premier
Stalin-co-operat in the counter
invasion, striking hard and swiftly
against Kerch from the east and
Feodosiya from the south.
Commissar Describes Attacks.
Commissar Shafnin of the Military
Council told the Communist party
newspaper Pravda in Moscow of the
assaults by radio.
Fire from ships accompanied the
attack by land forces and air bomb
ing, he said. The naval forces had
to operate Notwithstanding a strong
wind. SnoWfalls and sometimes pour
ing rain rendered operations of in
fantry and the air force difficult.
Despite this, the Red Army men,
Red Navy men and flyers brilliantly
accomplished their task. They
broke the enemy's stubborn resist
ance and captured the enemy lines
according to plan
He said this plan had been
"evolved personally by Stain"
Stain sent personal congratula-
tions to 1t. Gen. D. T. Kozlov
Caucasian front commander, and
Vice Admiral E. S. Oktyabrsky, COM
mander Of the Black Sea Fleet. He
said their forces, in a drive effec-
lively paralleling the counteroffen-
sive on the mainland. had laid the
groundwork for liberation of the
Crimea.
London reports said German
troops were still hammering futilely
at Sevastopol. Russians earlier had
declared the attacks cost the lives
Of 10000 of the invaders in one
6-day period.
Russian dispatches said LOG set
Elements had been freed of the Ger
mans in the Orel sector in 7 days.
London dispatches said rumors,
chiefly from Turkey, circulated that
some German soldiers were being
moved out of Russia for concentra-
ton in Southern Rumania. 1t was
not brought out whether this move
ment implied war action from Ru-
manias bases or simply use of the
soil of that ally for rest camps.
A military commentator in Lon
don said the German retreat had
proceeded so far in Russia that by
no stretch of the imagination can
1t still be called a mere correction
OF their lines"
First German claims that they
we're correcting their lines might
have had a certain degree of truth"
he said, because deep salients then
existed north and west of Moscow
and south of Tula but the Nazis
have now been pushed back much
farther.
In the Leningrad region he said
the Russian advance had been so
or 70 miles from the point of the
deepest German penetration.
The Red Army is attacking Fin
nish lines along the whole front,
with fighting fiercest in the Svir
River sector between Lakes Ladoga
and Omega, Finnish communioue
said in Helsinki
The Firms reported repulsing the
Russian attacks generally and said
counteroperations by Finnish forces
were under way.