Evening star., 1942-05-16
Red Forces Reported Smashing
Nozis on Outskirts of Khorkov:
Enemy Claims Capture Of Kerch
Offensive Widened,
Russians Sturt
FIonking Move
MAP on Page A-2.)

MAP on Page A-2.)
Bv the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, May 16.-The Red
Army's power drive on Kharkov
was reported today to be crush
ing stubborn German resistance
in one after another OF the
strongly defended communities
on the outskirts of that Ukrain-
ian industrial center, pivot OF
Hitler's invasion of Southern
Russia.
OUnconfirmed advices reaching
London said shock troops had
cracked the inner defense line of
Kharkov itself at two points and
had battled their way into the
northeastern suburbs of the town
while a wide flanking action. 10
miles south of Kharkov, threat
ened the communications net
work for the whole of the enemy's
southern front. 1t was reported
the Russians had preached the
German defenses at Lozovaya,
10 miles south of Kharkov and
northeast of Dnieperopetrovsk,
which was seen as the obvious
objective of the flanking actionD
Nazis Put Up Desperate Fight.
The Germans were putting up a
desperate fight for Kharkov, coun-
terattacking with tanks brought
from the city and with air support
In certain sectors and benefiting
at the same time by rain and mud.
The British radio said that
within the last 36 hours rain
and floods have been added to
the obstacles in the way of the
Russians, but the Soviet sappers.
working "a hours on end, are
said to be rapidly restoring roads,
bridges and advanced airfields"
(Recapture of Kharkov or sue
cess of the flanking drive to the
south of the city may nullify Ger
man gains on the Kerch PENN
sula of the Crimea and possibly
would force the Germans to swing
their line back west from the
Taganrog anchor, on the Sea
OF Azov.
CThe German high command
declared today that the harbor
and town of Kerch, potential
jump-off point against the Cau-
casus, now are in German hands
and acknowledged that the Red
Army still was attacking in the
Kharkov areaD
The Russian communique said to-
day that stubborn battles con-
tinued' on the Kerch Peninsula.
Growing Might Cited.
The Moscow radio declared that
Marshal Semeon Timoshenko's
Ukraine offensive provides a SYM
Dol" of the growing military might
of the Russians, which they count
on for "the complete defeat Of Hit
Ter in 1912" 1t called the coming
months "the most crucial for all
mankind"
The main German resistance be-
fore Kharkov was reported by the
Red Army newspaper, Red Star, to
center on towns and villages which
had been converted into powerful
points.
The Germans employed the same
tactics they used during the winter
sending nearby units to the aid of
any garrison attacked, but retreat
ing as soon as encirclement threat
ened.
When thus forced to retreat, the
Germans struggled to MAINTAIN Or
der in their ranks and to save ma
terial.
An order to the 610th German
Reserve Infantry Regiment falling
into Russian hands, illustrated the
German tactics.
1t prescribed withdraw by night
from the east bank of . river pre-
sumably the Donets). The troops
were instructed to form a new de-
fense line 500 to 1000 yards west
OF the river, carrying their arms and
munitions with them and destroying
bridges and blowing up any material
which could not be moved.
hcATS udTU CapturcO.
Red Star said this unit was pressed
so hard that its rearguard was cap
tured while the rest of the regiment
vas unable to establish the new
line.
(Unconfirmed dispatches to
London said Kharkov, reported
seat of Field Marshal Gen. Fedor
Won Books southern command,
was the focus of a drive, now 10
miles wide, with the Russians
pouring across the Donets River
between Belgorod and Zmiev.
(Ihe Berlin correspondent of
the Swiss newspaper Basler
Nachrichten quoted German
spokesmen as saying the Rus
SLAMS had made local penetra-
tions" in the Nazi line in the
Kharkov sector and obliged the
Nazis to throw in fresh troops.)
Red Star said the German high
command had planned to launch a
spring offensive of its own on the
Kharkov front and was sending con-
siderable reserve forces to the most
menaced points for local counter
attacks. These, it said, had failed
to achieve the expected effect.
The Soviet Information Bureau
announced that "our troops de-
stroyed 255 guns, damaged more
than $50 tanks and brought down
(See RUSSIA, Page A-30
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