Evening star., 1943-02-11
Reds Rel ported
Driving Nazis
From Kharkoy
Artillery Pounds
Key City; Nearby
Towns Captured
BY EDDY GILMORE,

settlements between Belgorod
and Chuguyev. the Red Army
formed a 50-mile long assault
front just east of Kharkov today.
and the fighting was reported
mounting in other sectors of
Southern Russia.
The capture of Chuguyev. %
miles southeast of Kharkov, and
Volchansk, 36 miles northeast. was
announced by the Russians early to-
day, along with the seizure of Pech-
enegi, which is IL miles northeast
OF Chuguyev. and Belikolodez, "a
miles northeast of Kharkov.
Red Star. the Soviet Army news
paper, said furious battles took
place at Chuguyev and Volchansk.
A dispatch to Pravda, the Com
munist party newspaper, said that
after taking the two towns the Red
Army continued it's advance west
ward
Nasis Split, Then Routed.
Pravda said the Germans at
tempted to hold the Volchansk Sec
tor with force of 80 tanks and two
regiments of infantry, but large
Soviet tanks led the attack that
split the defenders, who were
routed by infantry and automatic
rif1emen.
Below Belgorod the Russians were
reported advancing down the big
kharkov highway.
"a dispatch in the London
Daily Express from its Stock
holm correspondent reported to-
day that the Germans were evac-
uating Kharkov as Russian artil-
lery shelled the city heavily, and
1t was indicated that the swiftly
moving Red Army troops had
slashed to within to 10 miles of
the city,
In the Caucasus. the Russians
have announced the recapture of
Akhtari, ITO miles southwest of
Rostov and 80 miles northwest of
Krasnodar, with which it was con-
nected by a railroad that the Ger
mans might have used in an attempt
to escape by way of the Taman
Peninsula.
The coast Of the Sea of Azoy
from the mouth of the River Don
to Akhtari has been completely
cleared of the enemy" the early
communique said today.
The encirclement of Rostov con-
tinued with Red Army unit slash
ing across the Moscow -Rostov rail-
way line below Novocherkassk,
Reds Expand Wedge.
There was no immediate explana-
ton of what forces had thus cut to
within less than l8 miles northeast
of Rostov, already under artillery
fire from the massed Soviet guns
on the south shore of the Don
River. with huge armies that
stormed up out Of the Caucasus and
down from the lower Don Valley
closing the siege from the south
and the east.
The Soviet troops continued their
attempts to expand their wedge
southwark in the Kramatorsk area
between Kharkov and Rostov, in the
face Of German tank and infantry
counterattacks.
"a Red Army tank sped full
tilt into a German infantry COL
umn south of Kursk and
churned more than a company
to death with it's caterpillar
tracks, the Russian midday COM
munique as recorded by the So
Wet radio monitor in London
said today.
Fighting in the Kharkov sec
tor was not specifically men,
toned but the episode was in
that general battle area. A
company of Germans was figured
at 200 men at the beginning of
the Russian war.
Below Kharkov and northwest
of Rostov, the Russians an
nounced that hundreds of
enemy dead remained on the
battlefield" after the Red Army
repulsed three waves OF counter
attacks and drove into more
| towns TO expand their south
| ward pointed wedge in the
| Kramatorsk area
North of Kursk, too, the Russians
Widened their circle of conquest with
! the capture of more towns and
! enemy equipment. it was reported
| in a campaign that guarded the
| f1anks of the Kharkov encirclement
and pointed Russian menace to-
ward Orel and other German bases
northwest of Kursk and Belgorod
the TWO key spots that fell within
43 hours of fighting
In addition to the capture of Vol
chansk and Chuguyev the Russians
said that they had taken the large
town and railway station of Bell
kolodez "a miles northeast of
Kharkov.
"a Berlin broadcast blamed
heavy snoWfalls from Orel to the
Donets Basin for slowing up the
German defenses and for per-
mitting the Russians TO slip
/ through their lines.
"a Rome broadcast said the
Russians had landed new forces
on the Black Sea coast to attack
at the rear of the remnants of
the Axis army in the Western
Caucasus, The Russians never
have commented officially on the
truth of similar previous reports
from German sources.p