The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-12-14
Russian Drive Nets
 Important War Gains
Shock Troops Penetrate Second Line of German De-
 lenses in Outskirts of Stalingrad

Russians had broken through the first line of German trenches and were now fighting in the second line.
 In further advance, the noon communique reported, assault troops captured about l50 Germans and de- stroyed three field guns and four machine guns.
 Attacking strongly in the north- ern factory districts, the Russians were said to have dislodged the Ger mans from II pill boxes and several fortified buildings with the loss of l80 men, one field gun. five machine guns, l7 sub-machine guns and other equipment.
 Continuing this attack, the noon communique reported, the Russians smashed a series of dugouts and block houses.
 On the northwest-Stalingrad and southwest-Stalingrad fronts the Ger mans were counter attacking strong ly but vainly, the non communique reported, after the Russians stormed and captured 0 series of important heights northwest of Stalingrad and destroyed 50 dugouts.
 The famous Red Army artillery opened heavy bombardment against the Germans northwest of Stalingrad, aiding the infantry to throw back two counter attacks in which about 25o Germans died.
 Tn another sector northwest of Stalingrad, the artillery destroyed two trench mortars and i6 gun em- placements and killed many of 1000 German troops holding the positions bombarded.
 Yesterday the Russians captured 26 machine guns, many sub-ma- chine guns and rifles and nine motor trucks northwest of tSalingrad and took 49 prisoners.
 Southwest of Stalingrad the noon communique reported, the Russians, in throwing back an enemy counter attack by infantry and tanks sup. ported by artillery, destroyed 10 tanks and dispersed a big force of lnIantry men.
 Two hundred Germans were killed in futile counter-attacks in another southwets-Stalingrad sector, 1t was reported.
 Yesterday the Germans had at- tackled fiercely southwest of Stalin- grad and succeeded in wedging into the Russian lines in one sector. But Russian artillery and tank busters killed about 800 Germans and dam. aged or destroyed seven tanks.
 Northeast of Tuapse, on the Black Sea port of the Caucasus front, the noon communique said. Russian ar- tillery and trench mortar men of a single unit destroyed 68 enemy dugouts, IS machine guns, four field guns and eight anti aircraft guns in A hours.
 The Russians continued on the offensive in some sectors of the cen- tral front while in others they re. pelled strong enemy counter-at- tacks.
 Southeast of Rztev, lS5 miles west of Moscow. one Russian unit in four days captured several enemy base points killed about 700 Germans, took 75 prisoners and captured five tanks. l6 field guns, 25 trench nor. tars, 72 machine guns. a munitions dump and many sub-machine guns and rifles, the noon communique re- ported.
 In another sector a Russian unit, pressed back by an attack by more than 1000 German infantrymen sup ported by tanks. regrouped and, in a counter-drive, drove the Germans back to their own lines.
 In yesterdays fighting west of Rzhev the Germans threw thou sands of men and many tanks into counter-attacks without gaining ground.
 It was admitted that the Germans had pressed back the Russians in oen sector of the eVlikie Luki sec. tor. near the Latvian frontier.
 The Russians by skilful maneuver- ing surrounded the Germans, 1t was said, and were now proceeding to wipe them out.