Evening star., 1942-11-25
Escape Corridor
From StoIingrod
Cut to 80 Miles
BY EDDY GILMORE,


MOSCOW, Nov. fisherman
losses in dead and captured
alone had rocketed close to 1OO,-
600, as the Russian counterof-
fensive gained momentum and
squeezed the invaders escape
corridor from Stalingrad down
to a width of 80 miles, battle
front dispatches reported today.
From the long -besieged city the
Russians reported rolling back a
Nazi wedge to the Volga, clearing
another avenue for supply and re-
enforcement of the garrison, which
already is lashing out from its de-
fensive positions and beating back
the Nazis street by street.
Northwest of the city the Rus
sian offensive penetrated 80 miles
into the depth of German defenses
within the great Don bend, and to
the southwest the Russians had
stabbed IS miles into the invaders
lines. The jaws of the nutcracker
still were closing.
$4,000 Killed in Six Days.
A communique added 3,40O more
German dead overnight to the toll
IN the Stalingrad-Don bend sector
alone, raising the official count of
the killed to "A 400 in six days, and
battle front dispatches said the
tally when all reports were in would
be close to $4,000.
The communique gave no specific
fgure on Germans captured over
night, but dispa ,ches said the pre-
vious total of $4,000 now, too, was
probably close to $4,000.
(No official figures were given
on the number of Nazi wounded,
but in London a Reuters dis
patch from Moscow estimated by
the traditional ratio of three
wounded for every soldier
killed that the wounded totaled
100000
Soviet communiques reported both
rail supply lines to the siege forces
cut early in the drive which started
seven days ago and todays 'front.'
line dispatches indicated that only
a narrow strip running through
the Don River elbow north of Ka-
ZACH and south of Trekhostrovskaya
remained open to an estimated
100000 Germans and their allies for
moving supplies, or escaping.
More Cities Fall.
The fall of Kalach on the Stalin-
grad-Kamensk railroad, was re-
ported Sunday and Trekhostrovskava
fell yesterday to forces pushing
down from the north.
(The official communicates have
not made clear the paths being
followed by the several Russian
offensive columns, but the loca-
tion of the Germans escape
avenue north of Kalach would
indicate that the same Red Armv
which cut the Stalingrad- -Novo-
rossisk railroad southwest of
Stalingrad swung part of its
forces northwestward and cap
tured Kalach, which lies about so
miles due west of Stalingrad, and
then swerved west to take Suro-
vikhino, another IS to 40 miles
west.
Earlier Russian communicates
reported penetration to Cher
nyshevskaya, about IS miles west
OF Trekhostrovskaya, and this
gives the picture of a German
held corridor stretching some 12O
miles west from Stalingrad with
IN narrow confines before it
spreads out into relative security
for the invaders)
Adding to the troubles being built
up behind the Axis siege armies. the
Russians reported yesterday that
they had showed column down the
Volga from the north to effect a
Junction with Stalingrads tough
garrison in the northern part of the
city and clear out a wedge that the
invaders had driven between this
sector and the main part of the
town.
Rail Line Menaced.
battlefront dispatches reporting
gains OF Is more miles yesterday in
the Chernyshevskaya area within
the Don bend indicated that Rus
sian advance in this sector was
reaching menacingly close to the
Nazi-held southern section of the
main Moscow-to-Rostav rail line.
The drive southwest of Stalingrad
also continued. and it was indicated
that the Russians were moving up
into striking distance of Kotelni-
kovskl. the rail station 80 miles
southwest of Stalingrad from which
the Germans launched the southern
arm OF their pincers attack on the
Volga citadel last summer.
South of the railway which runs
(Coaa fis,.aoi