Evening star., 1942-11-20
Reds PURSUING
Fleeing Nazis
In Caucasus
Four Divisions
Routed in Bottle
For Grozny Oil
By EDDY GILMORE,
Dy IDDA oAANAORL,
Associated Press War CORRESPONDENT,

ASSOCldIeQ HIeSS w ar Correspondent,
MOSCOW, Nov. 20.-Red Army
units pressed hard after fleeing
Germans in the deep Caucasus
today, following up a major VIC
tory which eased Nazi pressure
on the great Grozny oil fields
near the Caspian Sea and on the
military road leading south into
the rich Transcaucasus. 49,
Latest front line reports bore out
the earlier impression that a major
Fascist force - possibly four divi-a
sions of $4,000 men-Was routed in
a battle of several days on the ap-
proaches to Ordzhonikidze.
(The German high command -.
admitted that strong counterof-
fensive blows had been struck by X
the Russians in the Alagir and &
Mozdok sectors of the Caucasus ~
northwest and north of Ord
zhonikidze-but claimed they had
failed) ="
special communique brought
first news of the triumph last night,
reporting 5000 of the enemy killed.
several times that many wounded
and vast military booty captured.
Todays added details confirmed or
revised upward all these figures and :
spread JOY among the Russian peo-
pie, whose hope and confidence have
been rising as temperatures have
fallen under the impact of early
winter. - .-
Today's m i'd day communioue-
brought more good news from far:o
to the north where the German
casualties were set at 5000 over a-
three-day period of futile attacks,
in an attempt to retake a recently
captured town of the Volkhov sector
Of the Leningrad front.
Ammunition Dump Blown Up.
In continuation of a reconnais-
sance operation in that sector, the
communicate said "one ammunition
dump was blown up and 10 artillery
batteries and seven mortars silenced.
After completing its main task
our unit fell back to its former posi-. =
| ton" ;ri
This communique said that in the
Stalingrad area last night in one
sector German infantry and tanks
broke through to the rear of two
Russian units but fierce counter
thrust restored the lines, killing ITO
Germans and destroying five tanks.
The rest of the overnight picture
was one of stabilized lines and rela-
lively little activity except near
| Taupse along the Black Sea coast ,
where the Germans were reported
driven back in efforts to retake posi-
tlons recently won by the Russians. ,
News Cheers People. -
AS the news of victory spread
around the capital today it pro-
duced smiles, handshakes and back
slappings along the streets as the
people accepted it as conclusive
proof of an offensive strength in the
Caucasus which had not been shown
before
The Germans for weeks had been
eyeing Ordzhonikidze, which lies at
the northern end of the Georgian
military highway, winding south
through the Caucasus Mountains to,
Tif1is. From it they could have
struck southwark toward the Trans
caucasus or eastward toward Groz- r
ny's oil. g.
While one German Army sought :
to smash through southeast from
Nalchik to Ordzhonikidze, another 2
tried to drive from Mozdok SOUTH
ward to the coveted city.
Piling up large forces of men and
machines southeast of Nalchik, the
Germans and their allies finally :
opened an offensive that wedged
deeply into Red lines and reached
the actual approaches to Ordzhoni~'
kidze. s.-
Reds Turn on Invaders. ro-
At this point the Red Army turned =
on the invaders and halted them, +,
with heavy losses. but the Ger :
mans persisted in their pressure on
the military highway terminus.
While the Russians were tearing
into the advanced Nazi ranks in de-
fensive counter-thrusts, Soviet COM
manders prepared another blow in
a nearby area.
The army newspaper Red Star
said that when this force struck out
large German group wa. cut off
and forced into fight for its ex- p
istence. The Germans converted
three settlements into strong points
of resistance but were quickly OUT
flanked and driven up on the slopes
of lofty mountains where Soviet ar
tillery and trench mortars blasted
them for five days. -
Pressed against the mountains.
the Nazis lost heavily and then the
Russians rushe done of the strong
points from the north and another
from the northeast and the Axis
forces hastily retreated toward Nall
chik, :.
Occasionally the retreating Ger.
mans and Rumanians tried to make
stands but were hurled back by corr
slant Russian pressure and the pace
Of the retreat was accelerated after
the main battle was over with many
of the disorganized Fascists fleeing
into the mountains and forests. r.
The bounty count included 40 :.
tanks, 7 armored cars, 10 guns, 95,
mortars, "a machine guns, 1850, Is
trucks, 1873 motorcycles, million or.
more cartridges, 2 ammunition,
dumps, supply dumps and other
trophies. r.-