Evening star., 1943-03-05
Soviets Clear Railway
Between Moscow
And Velikie Luki
By EDDY GILMORE,

MOSCOW. March 5.-Striking
out from Rzhev, the Russian
forces have recaptured So towns
southwest of the fortress city
and have completely cleared the
270-m -mile-long railway between
MoscC.y and Velikie Luki with
the occupation of Olenino, 35
miles due west of Rzhev, it was
announced today.
Coupled with new gains by Mar
shall Semeon Timoshenko's forces on
the northwest front and with ad-
vances by Red Army columns north
west OF Kharkov, the Soviet sue
cesses increased the immediate
threat to German positions at Orel.
Bryansk, Gzhatsk, wanna and
Staraya RusSa. The potential men
ace to German key bases at Smo-
lensk and Konotop was intensified.
At Velikie Luki, the Red Army
was only 80 miles from the Latvian
border and a short distance from
north and south railway lines over
which the Germans supplied the
northwest front in the Lake linen
sector. In other announced gains
the Russians drew near railways
over which the Germans have shut
tied supplies between southern and
central front bases.
cine German high command,
IN communiQue broadcast by
the Berlin radio and recorded by
the Associated Press, asserted
that on the Donets front, south
east OF Kharkov, the town of
Lisichansk, 81 miles east north
east Of Slavyansk, and other
places had been recaptured The
Germans claimed Slavyansk two
days ago.
tThe war bulletin also said that
the Sd Soviet Army had been
cordoned off south of Kharkov
and is about to be wiped out.')
More Towns Taken.
The Russians maintained their
drive In yesterdays fighting, the
midday communique announcing that
AZ more towns had fallen to the
army pressing southwest and south
OF Rzhev, through stream-cut forest
land.
With the southern army fighting
It's way In the direction of Brvansk
the Russians have two bodies moving
toward each other now about $50
miles apart and threatening to crush
between them the remaining German
salient before Moscow that stretches
from Gzhatsk, 100 miles west of
MOSCOW, through Vyaszma and
southwark to Bryansk.
Holding the 15O-mile stretch of
railway between Rzhev and Velikie
Luki, the Russians have a strong
force both north and northwest of
Smolensk, l30 miles southeast of
Vellkie Luki. Smolensk has long
been Hitler's base for operations in
North Central and Northwestern
Russia.
Steel Horseshoe" Formed.
The capture of Olenino a dispatch
to the Communist Party newspaper
Pravda said, was accomplished after
the Soviet troops had formed a
steel horseshoe" about the railway
city, declared to have been one of
the strongest German defense junc-
tions in the West.
The midday war bulletin said the
Russians plunged southwark from
Olenino and captured 10 more towns
below the railroad.
The army newspaper Red Star re-
ported that Soviet forces were max
ing large-scale crossings at three
points on an unidentified river
southwest OF Rzhev 1probably the
headwaters of the Dnieper River,
which rise IS miles southwest of
Rzhev).
The paper said Rzhev was silent
with many German corpses in the
snoW-covoered streets. The city's
prewar population of $1,000 had al
most completely disappeared. Be-
fore retreating, the Germans blew up
a great bridge over the Volga at
Rzhev, and Pravda said this prob
Co.