Evening star., 1943-09-14
bNansk' STALL
Breaches Lines
Before Dnieper
Reds Take Pivot
Of Central and
Southern Fronts
Ey the Associated Press.


troops captured the fortress city
of Bryansk last night, preaching
the Germans main defense line
before the Dnieper River by
seizure of that pivot of Central
and Southern German battle
lines and center of a railway net
work serving both fronts.
Evacuation of the keystone city,
held by the Germans since October,
1941, was acknowledged today by
the German radio soon after Mos
COW reported that the Red Army
was closing in on the city on the
west bank of the Desna River.
Disruption of the rail network
vital for German winter transport
heightened belief in London that the
Nazis would not be able to halt
their retreat now before reaching
the west bank of the Dnieper.
The speed of their withdrawal. to-
ward Kiev and Dnieperopetrovsk on
the lower reaches of the river, where
only three inadequate bridges and
ferry crossing are available, raised
hopes that large forces of Nazis
might be trapped on the east bank
of the Dnieper or even be overtaken
while attempting to cross it.
Troops Not Encircled, Nazis Say.
The German broadcast by DNB
declared Bryansk, which has a nor
NAL population of $1,000, had been
evacuated in good order, and the
troops had not been encircled or IN
jured to "a considerable degree"
Again Berlin preceded Moscow In
announcing the victory for Russian
arms.
Bryansk lies some 80 miles west
of Orel.
Its capture removes bulge in the
German line toward Moscow and
throws open the front from Smol-
ensk southwark to infiltration and
hanking attacks by the Russians
which may accelerate retrenchment
OF the whole enemy line.
From Bryansk railroads radiate
out to several key bastions in the
next Nazi line of defense. One
runs northwest to Smolensk, main
supply base and headquarters of
the whole central front. Another
reaches southwest to Gomel, rail
junction where two lines cross the
Sozh River, tributary of the Dnieper.
Still another line pushes deep into
the Ukraine to Kiev, overlooking
the broad waters of the Lower
Dnieper.
Alternate Route.
Use of these railroads and their
branches can be turned to REIN
forcing and supplying the advanc-
Ing Red Army up and down the
Dnieper plains.
Bryansk also eventually will give
the Soviets an alternative route to
the main Moscow-Kharkov line be-
hind their own front.
DNB said the Russians were "fol-
lowing only very cautiously" and
that yesterday "it seems they ap-
peared ignorant about the facts of
the situation, because up to the
evening they had only occupied the
suburban railway stations on the
eastern bank of the Desna."
TN the area north and northeast
of Bryansk ITSELF" the broadcast
added, the Russians stopped in
front of strong German covering
forces"
Berlin also reported heavy street
fighting at Novorossisk in the
Kuban.
The Germans attempted to make
the Soviet victory sound hollow by
emphasizing the physical emptiness
of the city.
The city of Bryansk," the broad
cast said, which first became known
in this war by the great twin battle
of Vyazma and Bryansk in the au-
tumn of 1941, in the course of which
German troops surrounded and cap
tured several Soviet armies with
their entire materiel, was evacuated
by the Germans during Monday
r,iohf %