Evening star., 1942-05-21
Jops Invade Major China Port;
Key Nozi Stronghold Crushed
On Khorkov Front, Reds Say
Smile Push Carries
Fighting Through
Defense Lines
~ the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, May 2l.-The Red
Army's drive toward Kharkov
was reported today to have over
run a key German stronghold in
smashing Smile advance
which carried the fighting
through Nazi defense lines into
open country where only enemy
troops and pillboxes blocked the
way.
Red Star, the army newspaper,
said that after the advance in which
the garrison of the Nazi strongpoint
was wiped out in a fierce 40-minute
fight the battle was carried for the
most part into open fields and
populated places unprotected by
any Notifications"
Reporting the success Of the sud-
den new surge in this sector, Red
Star declared that the strong
point was one the Germans had
sought to hold at any cost.
Artillery, planes and tanks were
used in a concerted dawn battering
of the strong point, clearing the way
for an infantry charge which took
the position. Red Star said.
It reported that the Germans had
held the fortified village for three
months, developing an intricate
system of defense works, surround
ing it with deadly minefelds and
clearing zones for point-blank fire.
Five Nearby villages Taken.
The Russians also captured five
surrounding villages and repulsed
reserve troops hurled forward in a
German counterattack, Red Star
said.
Meanwhile the Russians reported
fighting off German f1anking as
saults aimed toward Izyum and
Barvenkova, 80 miles southeast OF
Kharkov. and holding on grlmly at
the eastern tip of the Kerch PENN
sula. barring the shortcut to the
Caucasus.
Red Star reported that the Ger
mans heavy tank losses in the des-
perate fight for Kharkov had caused
them to change their tactics, giving
up mass mechanical counterattacks
and relying instead on charges by
infantry battalions or regiments
supported by only 10 to Is tanks.
The gigantic battles of tanks
against tanks which characterized
the start of the fight are continuing
only in one sector and there the
issue has not yet been decided, the
army publication reported.
Guerrillas Grow Stronger.
The growing strength of organized
Russian guerrillas behind the Ger
man lines was said to be dinnlng
an ever louder challenge to the Nazl
grip on once-conquered Soviet soil.
Pravda reported that guerrillas
had recaptured one important city
of several thousand inhabitants deep
in White Russia, driving out Ger
mans who had held the community
for four months and beating of
strong German force which at
tempted to re-occupy positions there
In a dawn-t to-dusk battle.
The Importance of the city-its
name was undisclosed-was indi-
Gated by the fact that it is the
center of 10 collective farms, each
a community comparable In size
to the average American country
village.
In contrast to Red Star, Rus
sian communique made no spe-
cific claim of further Red Army
gains in the drive to recapture the
Kharkov industrial center, but de-
clared that during the night OF
MAY 2O-21 our troops continued
offensive battles in the kharkov
direction"
Nazis Counterattack.
It said the Germans, disregarding
enormous losses nave made counter
attacks attempting to hold up the
offensive of our troops but added
that these attempts OF the enemy
are being defeated
"a London military commenta-
tor said the northern wing OF
Marshal Timoshenko's army con-
tinued a slow advance despite the
German counter measure, but
the southern wing of the Russian
attack seemed to have been
checked, perhaps by the German
thrust in the Barvenkova sectorD
In one sector alone" it said, SO
Wet troops annihilated over TOO
Germans and captured one tank.
eight guns, IS machine guns, % NOR
tars and large quantities of ammu-
milton. Prisoners were taken"
On the Leningrad front Russian
troops cut a road between two
enemy centers of resistance and slew
600 Germans to repulse Nazi coun-
ter-attacks intended to restore the
line, and Red Army artillery and
mortar fire accounted for 300 more
on northwestern sectors, the infor-
nation bureau reported.
Nazis Rush Up Reserves.
Tass declared the Germans had
been forced to rush up fresh re-
serves on the Kharkov front. Fields
and roads of the Ukraine are lit
tered with the wreckage of their
machines the news agency said.
Northward. tank-supported Ger
man infantrymen made vain at
tack on Russian lines in the Smo-
lensk area, the Information Bureau
said, and were driven back to their
original positions with loss OF
450 killed.
In the Barents Sea-" it was re-
ported, "a Soviet warship sank three
enemy transports with a total dis
placement of $4,000 tons"
Cono&or Wkoaler Pnnke