Evening star., 1942-01-25
Red Armies PLANNING
Drive on SmoIensk as
kazis Still Retreat
Fall of KhoIm Breuks
Hitler Line in North;
Huge Stores Token
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, Jan. 24.-RuSsians
declared tonight that Red Arm
les beating the Germans back
with increasing momentum
have cracked the northern an
chor of Adolf Hitler's winter
line at Kholm, and cut deeply
into his winter reserve supplies
as we'll, in the farthest advance
of a brilliant general offensive
conceived and directed by Jo-
seph Stain himself.
With achievement of this stun
ming victory, which imperiled the
Germans south of Leningrad and
on the central fronts, the newspaper
Pravda said the Russians now would
concentrate on clearing the Nazis
out OF occupied southern areas be-
tween Kursk and Orel and at Smo-
lensky, west Of Moscow.
The Soviet midnight communique
said the advance up and down the
front continued today and that nu-
merous localities were reocccupled.
but 1t gave no clue as to where
they were located. 1t said three
German planes were shot down on
the approaches to Moscow during
the day.
Most of Losses Regained.
1t took just over a month for the
charging Soviet forces to cancel out
some two-thirds OF the invaders
gains between Moscow and Lenin-
grad ana send them reeling back
to Kholm, only 120 miles from The
Latvian border
Furthermore. Pravda boasted that
the Russians have regained up and
down the entire front territory as
large as England and Scotland Put
together.
In driving to Kholm Red forces
were credited with drawing the Ger
mans out of position by tricky teint-
ing maneuvers, then smashing them
one by one.
Not only was this northern anchor
OF the German line seized, but the
RUSSIANS found evidence in town
after town that the Germans had
stocked up for a winter stand,
Izvestia declared.
Warehouses packed with food and
military supplies were reported cap
tured. At recaptured Andreapol
alone it said large stores of French
wine, 1000 barrels of gasoline.
10000 cans of Norwegian food and
$50 freight cars laden with war
supplies were taken.
News is lacking of such sweeping
advances on the southern front as
in the northwest, but there have
been indications of heavy engage
ments similar to those preceding
yesterdays announcement of the
recapture of Kholm and numerous
strategic centers in that area.
Another 10-Mile Advance.
A 10-mile advance farther along
the road beyond reclaimed MOI
haisk toward SmoIensk was an
nounced today with the recapture
of Borodino, where Napoleon won
his last great victory.
Warfront dispatches from sectors
farther south said Soviet forces
were continuing their advance, lib
Grating numerous places and in
f1icting tremendous losses on the re-
treating Germans. Nazi counter
attacks with tanks were declared
utterly defeated.
In one undisclosed sector the Rus
slams announced a 13-mile advance
in the last "a hours.
The whole of the Tula region,
100 miles south of Moscow, has been
completely freed from the German
hooligans, Pravda said. The free
ing Of all districts in the Moscow
region now is approaching COM
pletion.
"A large part of the by-passed
Kalinin region, 80 miles northwest
of Moscow, is being freed. Liber-
alton of the territories of Smolensk,
Orel Kursk and q number of other
regions now has begun"
Premier Stain, who personally
took over the defense commissariat
last July, emerged meanwhile as
the brains of the victorious Red
Army sweep.
Military observers credited him
with the Soviet plan of attack, based
principally on surprise
Col. v. Derman of the Red Army
said the offensive was carefully
worked out to the minutest details
and dates from the day the Russians
stopped the Germans cold.
Moved During Darkness.
The Stain plan called for artil-
lery and infantry to be moved up
during darkness. Whenever it was
necessary to bring up these units
by day they were camouflaged.
If a big operation had been ac-
complished by day the occasion
was chosen when flying weather was
bad, making it impossible for Ger
man aerial scouts to see what was
happening.
The grand strategy worked out
by Stain in his Kremlin Office, Col
Derman said, called primarily for
outfianking the Germans from the
west. This has been best accom-
plished by ski troops shaking deep
into the Nazi rear and causing
great confusion among the Ger
mans.
The Soviet chieftain received
daily reports from Red scouts on
German fortification groupings
Weather conditions we're studied
closely and Russian troops dressed