The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-01-16
Bloody Fight Sees
 Nazi Defense Crack
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turned 6 relentless, never-easing bombardment on them, flattening their emplacements and anti-tank obstacles. and enabling the tanks and infantry to storm the river, spread out northwestward and southwestward and clear an area of 900 square miles.
 Thanking attacks forced the Ger mans from strongholds after strong hold, and then came 6 general re- treat to the railroad and the north- ern DonetS river.
 The gigantic operation, perfectly timed, enabled Colonel General Konstantin Rokossovski, command ing the Don Front, to effect wheel ing movement southward, aiming at the envelopment of the German forces at the western end of the Lower Don area.
 RokoSSovsky'S success in execut- ing this difficult movement was at- tested by the fact that he is now a Colonel General. Premier Josef Stalif1, supreme commander, an- nounced his promotion to that rank, from lieutenant general, today.
 By co-ordinating their drives, Vatutin and Rokossovsky fianked the main German defenses and forced 6 retreat.
 Dispatches indicated that despite increasingly desperate resistance the German attempts to check the Red Army drive in the Lower Don area was nearing its end.
 Advancing below the Don, Colonel General Andrei I. Yeremenko drove down the Stalingrad-T T1khoresk railroad to capture Dvoinaya, 4O miles from the Salsk junction, and IS other towns, village and district centers yesterday.
 Lieut.. Gen, Ivan Maslennikov's army with Maj. Gen. Ivan Krichen- kos crack Cossack cavalrymen ad- vanced 10 miles in the North Cau- casus to capture the railroad ter- minal of Blagodarnoe, whence 6 rail line runs westward to join the Ros- tav-Baku railroad at Kropotkin, 135 miles south of Rostov, along with Alexandrovskiya, 30 miles up the Rostov-Baku line from Mineralnye Vody, and six other towns.
 Vatutin's Donets army presented a new and grave threat to Rostov, on which Russian armies already were advancing from east and south. and to Likhaya junction, 28 miles to the south, where the Rostov- Moscow railroad meets those extend- ing from Stalingrad to the east and to the stalino- Ordzho honikidze- -Kam- eevka industrial area to the west.
 Yeremenko's army was advancing steadily on the German defense line based on the Manych river. 20 miles northeast of 6aisk, and there was every indication that he would crack it. take Ealsk and keep on down the railroad to the RostovsBaku june. ton ct Tikhoretsk.
 Mashiennikov and KTichenko in addition to clearing out the entire North Caucasus area east of the railroad and advancing northwest ward, were clearing the foothills area to the west, where yesterday 8e@S k>f&9 eN0IAtA88a01 ~ eAssAeN WY of Ainarelnye Vody.
 New Gains Reported
 The noon conlmuniaue today told Of new gains on ell three southern l fronts.
 On the Donets front general pro- gres swas reported during the night.
 On the lower Don, the Russians advanced swiftly to take several ad- dltional inhabited places between dark and dawn, the noon commit nlque said. capturing prisoners and spells from c fetFeating enemy. Ger man sacrifice troops were oVeTs whelmed. At one point, where the enemy had put powerful defense none in the Red Army path, Msasalan nhock units Olilfianked the German positions, attacked simultaneously and. the noon communique sald, tore them up. iniilctlng heavy ioasss.
 Likewise sn tho Northern Call- casus, the Ruaslaais ms6r Euhatau- tlal progress during the night. 0na Nl.asias snA stazmea c boEn cad