Evening star., 1943-09-26
Soviets Push on
Westward After
Seizing Big Bose
By the Associated Press.

A0No0N, OuliUdy, o6QI. Z0.-
Soviet columns pounded on past
captured Smolensk, the Red Ar.
my's greatest 1943 victory, in pur-
suit OF the fleeing Germans, Mos
COW dispatches said today. The
headwaters of the Dnieper were
crossed in taking Smolensk and
some reports said Russian spear
heads had cracked the great
Dneiper River line at half
dozen points from Smolensk to
tottering Kiev.
An Associated Press dispatch from
Moscow said Gen. Vassily Sokolov-
sky's troops which battered down
the last. German defenses OF
Smolensk and Roslavl, 66 miles to
the south, pressed on Immediately
along the Moscow -Minsk highway
which Napoleon travelled in and out
of Russia.
They were aiming now at Orsha,
IS miles beyond the fallen central
front bastion, and also at Vitebsk on
the highway to Latvia. At Vitebsk,
IS miles northwest OF Smolensk, the
Germans have erected powerful de-
fenses around the Vitebsk lakes.
224- Gun Salute Fired.
Moscow shook with the thunder OF
224 guns saluting the victory and
crowds cheered the broadcast of
Premier Stalin's order of the day
calling Smolensk 'the most impor-
tant strategic center of German de-
fenses in the western direction"
A brilliant display of fireworks lit
up the capital as crowds shouted
"Smolensk is Soviet"
The Moscow communique, record
ed by the Soviet monitor, said Gen.
Sokolovsky's troops dislodged the
Germans from the fortifications
covering the approaches to Smo-
lensk and then broke into the
northern outskirts of the once vital
Nazi stronghold on Friday.
Pierce street fighting ensued. BY
the end of the day the whole north
ern part Of the city had been cleared
of the enemy. This morning (Satur-
day. the city was carried by assault.
In this way Smolensk, the most
important enemy center of resist
ance, has been liberated from the
Germans"
Northern Flank Turned.
The capture of Smolensk turned
the northern flank of the Dnieper
River line the Germans once expect
ed to hold as an east wall deep in
Russia.
No natural obstacles bar Rus
sian westward drive in the area
and the Soviet Army can continue
its advance without risk of a Nazi
counterattack because the left flank
will be protected by the Pripet
marshes.
Henry c. Cassidy, Associated Press
correspondent in Moscow, cabled
that the highway leading west from
Smolensk, the finest in the Soviet
Union, was reported Uttered with
beaten German troops and broken
machines.
The communique also announced
Soviet advances northwest of Smo-
lensk where 60 towns and villages
were captured and over 600 Ger
mans killed. A break in German
morale in this area was indicated
when IS Germans came over to the
Red Army with their weapons.
Battling Across Dnieper.
Meanwhile, London newspapers,
quoting Reuters dispatches from
Moscow, said Russian troops were
fighting their way across the
Dnieper at several points. They did
not make clear, however, whether
the west bank had been reached and
held. The capture of Smolensk in
volved a crossing of the Dnieper at
its headwaters where the stream
was narrow and its strategic value
as barrier was less important than
in the South.
The communique reported ad-
vances toward Dnepropetrovsk, Kiev.
Kremenchug and Gomel.
In the Dnepropetrovsk fight the
Germans were resisting fiercely from
previously fortified positions. Pet
rikovka, 10 miles from the river
and % miles northwest of the river
city. was captured, in addition to
Elizavetovka, only miles from the
river and 10 miles north of Dnepro-
petrovsk.
In the -Kremenchug sector the
Soviets captured Kobelyaki, 35 miles
east of Kremenchug, and sent the
Germans retreating in disorder,
abandoning large quantities of arms.
Kiev. prize almost as rich as
Smolensk, appeared ready to fall
into Soviet hands soon as hard
driving Soviet columns pounded into
Brovari, 10 miles east of Kiev. The
communique told of violent engage
ments there, ending in German de-
feat and the death of about 1000
Nazis.
Other Russian forces were SIS miles
(See RUSSIA, Page ABB