Evening star., 1942-03-12
Nazis' Southern
Lines Reported
Broken by Reds
Russians Endonger
German Positions
North of SmoIensk
Rs the Associated Press.

2, the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, March l2.-The Red
Army has broken through strong
ly held German lines at several
places on the southern front,
killing 1000 Nazis and seizing
two large junction points, 'front.'
line dispatches reported today.
The Germans rushed up reserves
for counterattacks which failed In
two days Of violent fighting, the
accounts said.
This success in the south followed
Red Army reports of hard-hitting
Russian offensives which endangered
German positions in the whole vast
central front area north of Smolensk
and cost the Germans tremendously
in lives, munitions and supplies.
Sleds powered with airplane en-
gines and propellers SKINNED
through the German positions so
quickly that they caused great
panic" said the central front reports
4S.70o Killed in Month.
A special communique listed 40, TOO
Nazi troops killed in the Kalinin
sector alone between February S
and March 8. But the dispatches
from the front asserted the 18th
German Army, which already had
suffered $4,000 casualties in the
Staraya Russa trap. had lost addi-
tional thousands In the last few days,
while the advancing Russians have
captured IL new settlements, in
cluding two district centers, in this
area.
RUSSIAN sources in London re-
ported two important break
throughs-one north Of Lake
linen where Red Army units
shattered strong Nazi defense
positions, and the other in the
German lines guarding the direct
approaches to Smolensk, 230 miles
west OF Moscow
Further Air Successes Reported.
Even the desperate attempts of
the Nazi high command to throw
in reserves did not appear to be
strengthening the German lines ma
terially. One dispatch quoted a
German prisoner from the 10th
Army as saying he had been drafted
from Lubbock factory, together with
1000 other workers, less than two
months ago.
Oondon sources reported con-
tinued success for the Soviet air
force in blocking German efforts
to bring in reinforcements by
transport planeD
Continued raids on German COM
munication lines also were said to
have contributed to putting the Nazi
armies in possibly their worst plight
of the entire winter campaign. The
Nazi troops In the Staraya Russa
trap. it was reported. have been
forced to bolster their dwindling food
supplies with horse meat.
The communicate detailing opera
tions on the Kalinin front claimed
recapture Of 16l communities and
destruction OF 277 German planes.
Nine Warehouses Destroyed.
Destruction of nine warehouses
full of German munitions and
seizure or demolition of vast stores
OF war supplies were credited to
Kalinin front fighters in addition to
slaughter of invaders at rate of
1900 daily in the month ended last
Sunday.
Captured materiel included 78
tanks, 172 field guns, 200 mortars,
LIT motor vehicles and 2 locomo-
tives, the Soviet Information Bureau
said. Two locomotives. 104 cars, an
armored train, 80 tanks, 142 guns
and 2,629 motor vehicles were among
the property reported destroyed.
Dispatches from the Starays
Russa sector said Red Air Force
attacks had left forests and air
dromes from Riga, Latvia, to Lake
linen Uttered with the burned
wrecks of transport planes by which
Hitler is attempting to ferry REIN
forcements for the 18th Army.
Tass said suicides were increasing
among the beleaguered men, soldiers
and officers alike.