The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-12-14
The War On
Many Fronts

Triumphant Russian forces seized
the last German stronghold on the
Lower Dnieper River and masset
inside their Kiev salient for win
ter drive on Poland and Rumanis
today, as news from London anc
the Middle East limited strongly thai
decisive blows are impending tt
speed Germany's final defeat.
Allied troops in Italy pounded
deeper into the Adriatic flank Of
the Nazi line, but rains and freez-
ing mud again slowed the Anglo
American advance to a near stand
still on other sectors.
Radio Berlin acknowledged a
major defeat in the months-old bat
tie of the Dnieper Bend, announc-
ing that German troops last night
abandoned Cherkasi, key posi-
ton on the west bank of the river
Soviet armies had encircled the city
| for more than a week, suggesting
that large Nazi forces might have
been trapped there, but Berlin in
sisted the garrison had been with
drawn without loss.
The fall of Cherkasi was eX-
pected to clear the way for an
| assault on Smela, q strategic rail-
way junction Is miles to the south
whose capture would complete the
collapse of German railway COM
munications in the northern half OF
tht Dnieper Bend.
Weakened Foe
To the north, Red Army troops
! beat off weakened German coun-
ter attacks against the great salient
west of Kiev and poured fresh
troops and armor into the battle
lines for what appeared to be the
start of new westward drive.
Front reports said the Nazis were
attacking with only small tank
forces, in contrast to the hun
dreds of panzers thrown into the
great counter-drives of the past
month, and that thus far the So
viets had used only a small part
Of the forces massed in the Kiev
salient.
For the second consecutive day,
the Russians improved their pcSi-
tons in the Malin sector of the
salient, killing 1000 Germans and
Wrecking a number of enemy tanks
and armored vehicles.
On the italian front, Canadian
units of Gen. Sir Bernard L. Mont
gomerys 9th Army advanced
through Nazi tank counter-a attacks
On the town of Ortona, coastal an
Choir of the German Adriatic line.
At last reports,-the Canadians were
within two miles of Ortona and
held dominant hill positions over
looking the town.
Indian troops thanking the Can
adams on the inland side of the
line scored limited advances and
broadened the 9th Army's positions
! south and southwest of Ortona.
Bad Weather
On the western side of the Ital-
ian battlefront, bad weather lin
tied operations to patrol clashes
and artillery exchanges. German
mortars maintained an incessant
fire on American and British lines
atop the Camion-Maggiore heights
dominating the main road to Rome
Allied attack planes pounded the
Nazi rear lines despite the weather
handicap, and medium bombers
ranged across the Adriatic to bat
ter oil installations at Split and
railway yards at Sibenic, on the
Jugoslav coast.
Raj Mosquito raiders bombed
western Germany during the night
for the fourth straight night, at
lacking without loss in the wake of
powerful American forays against
Nazi airf1elds in Holland and uni
Identified targets in northwestern
Germany. Nine American planes
were lots in the daylight raids. but
the Fotresses, Liberators and Thun-
derbolt fighters that struck at Ger
many downed IS eneby planes.
RxitSh Foreign Secretary Anthony