Evening star., 1943-02-17
Romme| Forces Advance Is Miles,
Threatening to Split Allied Front;
Reds Pus h On After Kharkov Falls
Nozis Also Pushed
Back in Donets.
Rostov Areas

B! the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, Feb. II. The Red
Army captors of Kharkov are de
livering powerful blows against
desperate German resistance as
they push westward from the re-
captured industrial metropolis
and other Soviet troops are
smashing along a wide front on
the eastern side of the Donets
basin and west of Rostov as the
Germans pull away from their
long-held lines, the Russians said
Today.
Kharkov, in German hands since
October "a, 1941, was entered yes
terday after a fierce assault which
terminated in bitter street fighting
The sudden announcement Of its
fall brought rejoicing throughout
this vast land.
CThe German high command
APPARENTLY was not ready to admit
the loss of Kharkov It's broad
cast communique, recorded by the
Associated Press, said heavy
fighting was continuing around
the city Earlier broadcasts,
evidently preparing the people
for bad news, had said prepara-
tions for evacuation of Kharkov
were in progressJ
neSnerafe Nax; RoS;cf,nc
With mounting faith in the Red
Army that had delivered Stalingrad,
Leningrad, almost all the Caucasus,
Rostov and Kursk during the WIN
ter offensive now on the eve of its
l4th week, the people of Russia had
expected Kharkovs capture but
there had been no hint that it
would come as quickly as it did.
But there was still fighting in the
Kharkov area, an early commu-
nique said. The war bulletin said
THE enemy is putting up desperate
resistance. Soviet units broke up
enemy defenses by powerful blows
and are Wiping out the manpower
oiio SddiPiiiSAlt Va tilc IllIiSlilCo.
TN one sector alone our men in
a fierce engagement destroyed 43
German tanks and wiped out bat
talon of German infantry"
(T'he Russian midday commu-
nique as recorded by the London
Soviet radio monitor said Red
Army troops were pursuing rem
nants Of routed German forces
west of Kharkov.
(The Russians announced that
the successful drive into the city
was from the north, after the
Germans had mounted strong
tank and infantry forces at the
east where they expected the
assault to come. The garrison,
they said, had been ordered to
hold the town at all costs)
Many Germans Killed.
A large number of the enemy has
been killed and large quantities of
equipment have been destroyed or
captured in the area, the Russians
said.
The offensives aimed into the
Donets basin continued successfully
southwest of Voroshilovgrad and in
the Krasnoarmeisk area, against at
tempts by the Germans to stem the
advance.
North of Kursk, where Russian
spearheads are pointed toward the
Axis stronghold of Orel, an encir-
cled German garrison was DESTROYED
when it refused to surrender and
several towns were captured, the an
nouncement said.
dondon observers said Orel
now appeared doomed and that
the Drieper River line, the next
German defense hope, was en-
dangered, with even a possibility
that the sWift-moving Russians
below Kharkov might reach the
Dnieper before the retreating
Germans.
Zone column of Soviet troops
has been reported at Lozovaya,
about 65 miles from the river
valleyD
Bolshe Kripinskaya Taken.
Further light on the Axis retreat
from Rostov was contained in the
early communique which reported
the capture of Bolshe Kripinskaya,
20 miles north of Taganrog Bay and
halfway between the Rostov-M Mos
COW and Taganrog Slavyansk rail-
ways.
South of there Russian columns
had stormed through Chaltyr and
Krym to reach Sinyavka, only II
miles east Of Taganrog. At Sinyavka
the Russians had reached the north
western indentation of the Sea OF
Azov, above the marshes where the
Don flows into the sea.
.Mopping up west of the railway
north of Rostov Soviet columns cap
tured 30 more villages west of Kras-
ny-Sulin, the Russians said.
Col. Gen. Flip I. Golikov was cited
as the leader of the victory at Khar-
kov and seven aides were singled
out for praise.