The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-12-22
The War On
Many Fronts
(By United PreSs)

The Red Arrny's winter offensive
smashed deep into the heavily
reinforced German lines guarding
the approaches to the Baltic states
today, as American, British and
French troops advanced slowly in
bloody, close-quarters fighting all
across the Italian battlefront.
Russia's LIST Baltic army, driving
to the south and west along a So
mile front below Newell, swept up
more than 100 towns and villages in
within less than 20 miles of the
junction town of Vitebsk - the
immediate objective OF the Soviet
drive.
One London report placed the
Russian spearhead only Is miles
rom Vitebsk, and Moscow dispatch
es indicated the NaI defense belt
protecting the Baltic States was
crumbling rapidly.
The German high command
hurled large numbers of tanks and
thousands of shock troops into the
Newell front in an effort to halt the
onrushing Soviet armies, but Mos
cow reported that all counter at
tackS were beaten down.
Swiss and Swedish reports said
the Nazis were preparing to meet
an imminent Russian break through
on the Baltic front and were rush
ing construction of an emergency
defense line running from Riga,
Latvia, down through Poland.
Counter Attack
South of the Newell battlefront hte
Germans also counter-attacked in
great strength against the Russian
lines suohWest of Zhoblin, near
Korosten in the Kiev salient, and
in the Krovograd sector, in the
northern half of the Dnieper Bend.
A Russian communique reported,
however, that the Red Army held
its ground everywhere and improved
its positions on some sectors Of
these fronts.
Moscow confirmed a Berlin an
nouncement that German forces
had withdrawn from the east bank
of the Dnieper ESTUARY opposite
Kherson, and reported that 1000
Nal troops were killed in the final
stages of that battle.
Allied forces also were on the at
tack in Italy, beating down stub
born enemy resistance along the
Adriatic coast and in the snow
covered Apenrines on the central
front.
American and French troops on
the right wing of the 5th Army
line slogged forward two miles
through the central mountain peaks
in thanking thrust aimed at Cass-
no, anchor point of the German de-
lenses on the main road to Rome.
Second Threat
Other American units poised
second threat to the Rome road in
the San Vittore sector, just west OF
the Franco American forces. U. S.
troops and artillery began knocking
out enemy pillboxes guarding San
Vittore but front reports indicated
that the NaZis were rushing up
mortarS and heavy machine guns
for desperate stand inside the
town.
At the Adriatic end Of the battle
line, a fierce tank battle ragged
through the sire is Of Ortona, IL
miles below Pesos "a and the main
lateral highway to Rome.
British 9th Army tanks biased
away at German armored units in
side Ortona, turning the town into
a shambles, and the announcement
of its CAPTURE was expected mo-
mentarily.
Raj Mosquito bombers carried the
air war back to Germany again dur
ing the night after "a hours of rec
rd-breaking aerial bombardment
in which American and British raid
ing fleets dropped almost 1000 tons
of explosives on enemy targets. Brit
ish fighter planes swarmed out
across the Channel by daylight to-
day, and observers speculated that
German rocket fun emplacements
along the French coast night have
been brought under attack.
Meanwhile, the 9th U. s. Air Force
revealed that more than 500 Flying
Fortresses and Liberators, escorted
by the largest fighter plane forma-
ton ever dispatched over Germany,
participated in Mondays daylight
raid on Bremen. The American
heavies dumped more than 1900
tons of bombs on the battered port
oifU