Evening star., 1941-10-25
Nazis Claim Capture Of Kharkov>
Vital Ukraine City; New Drive
Started on Entire Moscow Front
Assaults Against
Crimeu Checked
Reds Report
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Adolf Hitler's high command
today reported the capture OF
Kharkov-Russla'S S "Pittsburgh
in the heart of the Donets
River industrial basin, and 81
simultaneously Russian military
dispatches declared that, despite
the loss of 100000 men in the
first three weeks of the battle
for Moscow powerful German
forces have launched new at
tack along the whole Moscow
front.
At the same time German war
reports said the Soviet capitals
zero hour was near.
Unconfirmed elsewhere. a British
Exchange Telegraph dispatch quoted
the Vichy tFrench) radio as broad
casting German report that Nazl
spearheads were now less than ~
IIlIltS OulSIdS N1OoSo"'
This roundabout report contrasted
with official Soviet dispatches which
described the fighting as more than
SO miles away at the nearest point.
No Indication of Major Break.
In all likelihood the spearheads
we're only sWift-striking tanks which
may have knitted through Soviet de-
fense lines in isolated sectors and
reported back by portable wireless
that they we're within 20 miles OF
Moscow There was no indication
that and major break through had
developed that close.
A dispatch to the Soviet newspaper
Pravda said Gen Fedor Won Book S
central front armies opened the
huge-scale assault yesterday after
intense artillery preparation.
Other German onslauehrs launched
simultaneously against the Crlmea
and at the approaches to RostoV on
the southern front have been beaten
back by Red Army's counterattacks,
the Russians asserted.
Dispatches to Pravda said the new
German offensives were started yes
terdav after intense artillery prep
eration.
In the first hours of the attack the
Germans lost fully two battalions OF
infantry and as many as 10 tanks
smashed by heavy Russian defense
fire, the dispatch said.
c-..L Vrto VIII, 0es
The Germans. repeatedly outnum-
bering defense forces. were said to
have smashed on into several small
villages around Mozhaisk, 81 miles
west of the capital.
German capture OF kharkov, a
severe blow to Russia's war foun-
dries, gave the Nazis control OF al
most the entire Ukraine except for
a tinv corner bounded by the Donets
River from Kharkov to Rostov-on-
Don
The rail town of Belgorod. Al miles
north of Kharkov. also fell IN the
German sweep that now has driven
clear through the Ukraine into Rus
sia proper. the German High Com
mand said in a special war bulletin.
This might indicate that the Ger
man southern armies were turning
north to bolster the right flank OF
the drive against Moscow. since BEL
eorod lies on the main kharkov-to-
Moscow railroad, about $50 miles
south of the capital .,
Soviet front-line dispatches SAID
the entire battle-ground was olan-
keted with snow.
Push Directed at Mozhaisk.
Russian correspondents declared
the Germans big push was directed
at the Mozhaisk salient, but that
heavy fighting also continued near
Kalinin, 95 miles northwest of Mos
COW, where 1000 Nazis were reported
killed in Yesterdays action alone.
The Moscow radio said the Ger
mans attempted to cross the River
Okla in the region of Kaluga, 80
miles southwest of Moscow. but were
stopped by a swift Russian counter
attack
In the Ukraine. the Russians re-
ported increasing Nazl pressure to-
ward the Donets River basin had
been blocked by Red armies under
the new command of Marshal
Semeon Timoshenko, with both sides
suffering enormous losses.
One of the key cities of Soviet war
supplies, Kharkov is the site of big
smelling, engine and tank factories
and a main rail outlet for the basin s
coal and metal production. Six rail
lines radiate from the city.
The city fell yesterday, the Ger
man high command said, while to
the south German and allied troops
were reported driving closer to Ros-
(See RUSSIA, Page A-2)