Evening star., 1942-12-20
10000 More
Nazis SIain,
Soviets Claim
10000 Men Declared
Captured in Third
Offensive in Month
Ry the Associated Press.

The third great Russian WINTER
offensive within a month has
struck deep into German de-
fenses along the Don in the
Voronezh area, and 10000 Ger
mans have been killed and TO-
900 captured, the Soviet Infor-
nation Bureau said in a special
communique today.
Striking from the northwest four
days ago, Russian forces southwest
of Moscow opened breach in
German lines so miles wide, while
another army in the Voronezh re-
gion chopped a hole IL miles wide
and advanced to the west.
The two spearheads advanced
from 30 to 81 miles after the hard
est fighting, capturing more than
200 populated places and a great
array of enemy fighting equipment,
the communique said.
The new offensive patiently threat
ened the extended German flank
which has reached from the region
of Kursk to Stalingrad.
Lower End Of Flank Dented.
The lower end of the flank already
had been dented by a series OF
sailents driven across the Don bend
and from southwest of Stalingrad
in the offensive launched Novem-
ber 10.
Now the Russians are striking at
| the upper flank, while continuing
to bear down still farther north, in
the Velikie Luki and Rzhev regions
northwest of Moscow where sec
ond offensive was started Novem-
| ber 25.
In the three offensives, accord
ing to special announcements of the
| information bureau, 189, 900 German
| and satellite soldiers have been
killed and S4,5OO captured-a total
of 273 500, including the 10000 killed
and captured in the latest double
barreled thrust.
THE offensive is in two direc-
tions,' said the special communique,
from the northwest in the sector
of Novaya Kalitva and Monastris-
china and from the east in the area
of Bokovskaya.
Having pierced enemy defenses
in the sector of Novaya Kalitva and
Monastirschina over a distance of
so miles and in the area of Bokoy-
skaya over a distance of IL miles,
our troops in four days of tense
fighting overcame enemy resistance
and advanced a distance of 80 to
81 miles"
Nazi Infantry Mauled.
In the advance nine infantry
divisions and brigade were shat
tered and thrown back in retreat.
while four other infantry divisions
and tank division were severely
mauled.
Captured booty included "a tanks,
1,102 guns, 508 mortors and 2.72O
trucks, while destroyed equipment
included "a planes, 88 tanks and
120 guns, it was stated.
The breakthrough was carried
out by the forces of the southwest
front under the command of Col.
Gen. Vatutin and the forces of the
Voronezh front commanded by 1t,
Gen. Golikov,' the communioue
said.
Triumphantly it concluded, THE
offensive of our troops continues"
Col. Gen. N. Vatutin fought earlier
in the war before Leningrad.
/ 1t. Gen. Flip Golikov headed a
Russian military mission to London
and Washington shortly after the
Russian-German var began. While
in Washington he conferred with
President Roosevelt and American
diplomatic and military chieftains.
Later he returned to the Russian
front and took part in the fighting
in the South.
Advance Lines Taken.
On the central front where Cen
eral Frost is becoming more pow-
erful ally of the Russians every day,
the Russians cut through barbed-
wire entanglements and captured a
few more German advance lines.
Embittered fighting also took place
southwest of Stalingrad On all
these old fronts the Germans were
attacking strongly with large groups
OF tanks and masses of infantry and
dive bombers.
The regular communique early to-
day said the Germans succeeded in
pressing back Red Army detach-
ments somewhat in one sector SOUTH
west of Stalingrad, but "by a flank
ing blow Soviet forces surrounded
the enemy group and in a violent