Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-22
Capture Of Large
Town Reported
By Soviets
MAP ON Page A-2.)
BY EDDY GILMORE,


MOSCOW, Dec. 22.-German
resistance, marked by increasing
counterattacks, stiffened against
the Red Army today in the mid
die Don drive, which the Rus
slams reported had resulted in
the capture Of a large town as
they smashed on southwestward
toward Rostov, Black Sea port.
(The midday communique did
not name the town taken but
the next large populated place"
In the path Of the Russians was
Millerovo, important railroad
junction 120-odd miles from
Rostov)
The Germans were rushing re-
serves to the Middle Don front in
an attempt to halt the swift pace
Of Col. Gen. N. F. Vatutins legions
which had stormed to within 20
miles OF Millerovo yesterday.
The front southwest of Stain
grad also was boiling anew in fierce
struggle as the German armies,
bolstering reserves with large tank
units. brought heavier pressure
against the Russian thrust down
along the Kalmyck steppe.
Increasing Tempo Foreseen.
The increasing tempo of German
resistance was foreseen here once
the Axis troops found place that
they were allowed to stand and
fight.
The communique acknowledged
stiff defense at what it called the
large populated place" on the
Middle Don front.
The communique said Russian en-
gineers removed more than 1000
mines before the main force struck
at the town.
TN the fighting for this popu-
lated place about 400 Hitlerites were
killed and SO taken prisoner" the
war bulletin said. 1t listed more
than 100 trucks as we'll as guns, am
munition and food captured by the
column striking down the railroad,
far within the loop of the Don,
with Rostov as its ultimate goal
Picturing the disorganization that
has attended the withdrawal of Axis
armies before the gigantic new
Russian offensive, the communique
reported that in another sector of
that front, Red Army artillery gun
ners dispersed and partly wiped out
an enemy infantry unit which had
retreated in disorder"
Soviet Gain Of Is Miles.
The early communique told of the
pursuit of an enemy in disorderly
retreat and gain of Is miles on
the route south, bringing the Red
Army near Millerovo, junction on
the Moscow Voronezh Kamensk
Rostov line and the Stalino railway.
Until now, the pace of the ad-
vance Of Gen. Vatutin's forces and
those of 1t. Gen. F. I. Golikov has
been so swift that the Germans
have been unable to stand and fight
except at few places.
There was feeling here, how
ever, that they will soon attempt to
resist at a fixed line and the in
creasing tempo of Axis counter
attacks is seen as an indication Of
that.
A dispatch to Pravda, the Com
munist party newspaper, said the
weather was warming in the Don
steppes.
The advance in the middle Don,
besides threatening all of the COM
munications and supply lines of the
German hosts before Stalingrad.
has blocked airdromes which based
planes used to supply the % divi-
sions Field Marshal Gen. Fedor Won
Book has in the Don-Volga Stain
grad area.
Fear Of Encirclement.
Some of the fury of the German
counterattacks southwest of Stain
grad were attributed here to the
Nazis' fear of enlightenment.
Those attacks, in the region of
Kotelnikovski, have been some of
the sharpest the Germans have
been able to mount against the
Red Army's winter offensive. Large
numbers Of tanks and reinforce
ments, presumably moved up from
.,, ro-. A IN