The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-10-25
Red Raiders Range
Approaches To Crimea
Continued from Page ~

Krivoi Rog from the north, another
wheeled around It, hy-passing 1t to
the west. The double strain Of
the frontal assault and the thanking
squeeze was expected to bring quick
results.
Soviet field artillery, moving
close behind the armored vanguard,
was Smelling Krivoi Rog, center Of
the richest iron mines in European
Russia, and military experts said
the capture of the city could not
long be delayed.
Shells also were falling in q steady
rain on the railroad from Krivoi
ROE to the big industrial center Of
Dnepropetrovsk, 30 miles to the
northeast, effectively cutting that
next-to-the-laSt escape railroad from
the German garrison still resisting
at Dnepropetrovsk.
General Konstantin K. Rokossov-
sky's forces rolled into the north
ern suburbs of Krivoi Rog after q
general advance that cut more than
six miles deeper into the enemy
flank and liberated some so towns
and villages, including Lozovatka,
only six miles north Of the mining
town.
With Krivoi Rog considered COM
paratively easy prey to the Rus
SLAMS, the Red Army's next objective
In that sector presumably was Kas-
terovo, 20 miles to the east and
the only railroad over which Ger
man armies remaining in the east
ern portion Of the Dnieper Bend,
including Dnepropetrovosk, could
flee.
Fierce Resistance
The Germans were putting up
fierce resistance in the Dnieper
Bend, but official reports and front
dispatches said they everywhere
were overwhelmed. On one sector
aolen, the Russians routed O Nazi
infantry regiment and set fire to 80
tanks. Twenty-four Germans planes
were shot down in air combat.
The Red Army also was eXacting
heavy toll Of Germans In a bat
tering-ram advance from newly.
captured Melitopol across the No
gaisk Steppes along the railway
running into the Crimea from the
northeast and toward the Perekop
1sthmus, only land bridge into the
Crimea..
The capture Of three strongly
fortified defense bases along the
northeastern railway carried the
Russians five miles south Of Nell
topol on the northeastern railroad
to the Crimea. More than 1000 Ger
mans have ben killed in the past "a
hours and SO tanks, "a huge self
propelled guns and IS field guns
were wrecked.
Assault Planes
Soviet Assault planes, roaring out
ahead of the ground forces to blast
a path Of advance, destroyed 200
trucks, three locomotives and more
than 40 freight and tank cars.
Melitopol fell Saturday after a
3l-day battle. Front dispatches said
the streets, rooms, at les and base
ments of the city's battle scared
buildings were choked with tens of
thousands Of bodies of German SOL
oilers and Russian civilians.
Dead women and children were
found in almost every house on
Kakhavsky street, main street Of
Melitopol.
In the central and northern Sec
tons of the city, the Russians had
to fight for every room Of every
house. Front reports told Of Rus
slams occupying one room and the
Germans an adjacent one. The two
groups fired tommy guns at one an
other, exchanged hand grenades
and then fought hand to hand.
One Man Army
In one case, German grenade
throwers killed all the Russians but
one In a room. The survivors rushed
the German-held ROOM, knitted
tommy gunner in the chest and,
unable to extract the blade,
strangled a second German with his
bare hands and smashed his skull
against the stone floor.
Russian trops In White Russia
enlarged their bridgehead southwest
Of Gomel with the capture of six
strongly-fortified towns after beat
ing of 20 counter attacks In "a
hours. More than 1900 Germans
were killed and IA tanks, u guns
and "a 11oorkare daekrax,ad