Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-02-04
Russians HurI Reinforced Nozi Armies Back
On SnoIensk and Advance in Donets Basin
Germans System
Of Defenses' Pierced
In Khurkov Area
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, Feb. A fierce re-
newal Of the Russian power drive
west of Moscow is hurting rein
forced German divisions back on
the key invasion base of Smo,
lensk, 230 miles west of the cap
ital, the government newspaper
Izvestia reported today.
1t said heavy fighting was in prog
ress in several vital towns In the
central sector, where front dispatches
reported many villages and towns in
Smolensk Province already cleared
Of the invaders.
The powerful Red Army counter
offensive into the DonetS Basin at
the same time was said to be pro-
crossing without check, with the
Soviet high commands strategy Of
constant thanking and outdanking
maneuvers keeping the German d.
visions of balance all along the line.
The Kuibyshev radio announced
that "the German system Of de-
tense" in the Kursk-Kharkov area
of the southwestern front had been
pierced both in north and south"
and that "the enemy is retreating.
with Soviet troops in close pursuit"
(The German high command
summed up the Russian war in
single sentence today: "On the
eastern front, there was lively
fighting.~
Reds Advance In Kharkok Area.
Russian troops which captured
Petrovskye, a district center IS
miles east Of Kharkov, the Russion
Pittsburgh, were said to be pursuing
the remnants of the 18th and 68th
German Infantry Divisions south
westward. Mobile units knitting for
ward south of Kharkov were re-
ported to have swept into Krasno-
pavlosk, 16 miles north of Lozovaya.
A high Russian military authority
just returned from the front said
that in many sectors the Germans
appeared to have reached some sort
of Notifications and were throwing
fresh reserves of men and machines
into desperate stand, discardtng
their earlier tactics of withdrawing
and at the same time rescuing as
much material as possible.
Izvestia proclaimed that in trying
to stop the pressure Of the Red
Army, the enemy Is introducing new
reserves into the battle and is I'M
dertaking counterattacks. Our glo-
rious fighters are repulsing these
attacks, causing heavy losses, and
are continuing their offensive"
$500 Nazis Killed.
Without geographical details. q
midnight communique said the Red
Army continued its westward move
ment in most areas of the long
winter front and levied a heavy toll
Of casualties.
More than $50 German officers
and men were killed in two recent
engagements aground and single
air unit has dispersed and destroyed
$500 Nazis in attacks incident to
destruction OF invasion material, the
Russians said.
(The Berlin radio said Rus
sian troops in the Eastern Cri-
mea-presumably all now based
at Kerch In view Of their aban-
donment of Feodosiya-had coun-
terattacked severely against the
Germans peninsular lines, but
were driven back with heavy
losses.
"a British military commen-
tator in London expressed belief
the Russians position In the Cri-
mea remained favorable and that
their hold on the Kerch Pen
hsula has not been shaken.")
Ofncial dispatches indicated that
Adolf Hitler had reinforced his east
ern front to some extent, but only
at a heavy cost from guerrilla and
air force raids on their transport
facilities.
Tass said German resistance on
the Kalinin front northwest of Mos
cow was stiff, but futile. Soviet
their artillery bat
terieS into assault lines with the
1nfantry-were declared to be ef-
fectively overcoming defense forces
despite repeated counterattacks, gun
and mortar barrages and aerial op-
position