Evening star., 1942-12-23
Moscow Reports
Seizure Of 1900
More Prisoners
BY EDDY GILMORE,
associated Press War Correspondent

hNsCC4dltQ freSS war correspondent.
MOSCOW, Dec. %. Russia's
Middle Don offensive has thrust
to within 1872 miles of Rostov.
and, despite the counterattacks
OF reinforced Nazi armies, has
moved into the Eastern Ukraine
along strengthening front some
200 miles west of Stalingrad, the
Russians reported today.
The midday communioue added
more than 1900 prisoners to the
10000 previously reported captured
in the last week between the Don
and Donets Rivers.
The latest gains brought several
dozen towns and villages back un-
der the Red banner, and eight of
these were described in battlefront
dispatches as of high military value
Some had airfieldS from which the
Nazis had been flying troops and
supplies to the Stalingrad area.
Others were links in the communi-
cations system along the Rostov-
Moscow rail line between Millerovo
and Voronezh.
These largest towns were Koles-
chatoe, Nikolske, Morozovka, Ver-
khne-Grachevsky, Popovka. Kamen-
sky, Grekov and Fyodorvka. Some
are east of the Rostov- Moscow line.
northeast Of Millerovo, but others
like Nikolske. Koleschatoe and
Morozooka, lie inside the Ukraine.
IL Miles From Millerovo.
Dispatches reporting that the
Russians had pushed to 1872 miles of
Rostov indicated that they were
some II miles north of the impor-
tant rail junction of MllleroVo Mil
lerovo is l20 miles north of Rostov
Altogether, on the middle Don
front and the central front west and
northwest of Moscow, the Russian
ofenSiveS were said to have won
back more than 900 miles of vital
rail lines from the Germans.
Nearly $50 miles OF this total was
said to be in the Don bend, middle
Don and Stalingrad sections.
There, despite heavy snow and
hampersing drifts. the Russians re-
ported advancing at such speed that
they captured Nazi winter ware
houses. One advanced group mes
saged back. We are distributing
Dutch chocolate and Rhine wines
to our fighters
Following up the battering attacks
of tanks, Russian infantry was said
to be Strengthening the whole mid
die Don line.
One dispatch said the Russians
now held not merely a series of
populated places, but formed a long
straight front deep in machine-gun
positions, mortars and heavy ar
tilery.
Nazis Throw in Reserves.
The Germans managed to throw
reserves into the fighting in an at
tempt to halt the Soviet advance
in the area between Voronezh and
Mlllerovo, but the troops of Col
Gen. N. F. Vatutin beat down their
resistance and stormed to new sue
cesses, the Russians said.
A dispatch to Pravda, the Com
munlst party newspaper. said the
Russian soldiers seemed to pick up
new tempo in the increasingly bad
weather
The noon war bulletin related that
in capturing one of large number
OF populated places. one unit took
ZOO prisoners. along with many
heavy guns. trucks and tractors. In
another sector. Soviet tank force
ploWed into a town and took ITO
prisoners.
Another Soviet tank group at
tackled Germans who had entrenched
themselves in thicket," the COM
munlque went on. The tankmen
overwhelmed German defenses and
killed about 300"
In all, the noon communiuue listed
more than 2,l00 of the enemy killed
on all fronts and 20 tanks destroyed.
800 Germans Killed.
A battalion of about 800 Germans
was killed and 16 tanks we're lost
when they struck at Russian posi-
ton in a railway area southwest of
Stalingrad during the night, the
communique reported.
On another sector of the same
front a force of 10 tanks, f1anked by
automatic machine gunners, moved
against a town occupied by the
lSee RUSSIAN, Page A-16.)