Evening star., 1943-02-04
Soviets Tighten Ring
Around Rostoy;; Sever
Nonh-South Rail Line
Block Sea Dunkerque
Faces Nuzi Force Held
In Narrowing Corridor
gy the Associated Press.

| By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Feb. 4.-The Red
Army, stepping up It's gait all
along the front, has cut the
MOSCOW to : Crimea railroad
north of Kursk, captured the
strategic Ukrainian city OF
Kupyansk, narrowed the circle
about Rostov and poised the
threat Of q Black Sea Dunkerque
over Axis armies being pushed
into q thin escape corridor
around Novorossisk, Soviet au-
thorities announced today.
Two communiques, recorded here
by the Soviet radio monitor, de-
tailed how the Russians had
smashed to Zolothukhino, ~ miles
north OF Kursk on the railway to
Orel. thus reaching . point On the
line where the Naxis launched the
1o47 spti1g offensive which carried
Them % their military can+ruphe
at Staltngrad.
The advance represented i no.
mile gain IN the winter Offensive
from the Soviet starting point north
Of Vorunexh.
The Germans 1sl7 battlefront
also was cut In the Ukraine with
the capture Of Krasny Linman, .
railroad junction about 5 mikes
southeast of Kharkov and Is miles
- sSnsskhVu,n~f ~ Hyns.c~e>2 21ov,Svrm -. kAan
railroad that connects the two large
cities.
Six Towns Captured.
Todays noon communique, also
recorded here by the Soviet monitor,
said six strongly fortified towns were
captured in the continuing offensive
about Krasny Liman, with about
300 Germans killed in the, night
for one Of the places, while two
cities identified-were occu-
pied by units west Of Voronezh.
South Of Rostov, where the cap
ture Of Kushchevka was proclaimed
last night, the Germans were said
to be sending tanks and motorized
infantry into battle in an attempt
to halt the advance north alone
the railroad to Rostov. Kushchevks
Is 43 miles southeast of Rostov..
| The Russians said q battalion ol
Germans was routed and 10 tank.
destroyed in that area and that
in another sector Of the same front
they had killed 100 German auto.
matte riflemen who tried to cu1
through the Soviet position.
The Russians also have announced
that they occupied Kagalnitskaya
30 miles southeast Of Rostov on the
railroad from Salsk.
Last Rostov Barrier.
Kagalnitskaya is on the Kagalnil
River, the last natural barrier fol
the defenders of Rostov to use.
Thu6 the trap about Rostov mar.
rowed. with other columns perchee
56 miles east and 10 mills north O.
the city. There were indication,
that Soviet artillery now was II
positions to begin shelling it.
The remainder of the Caucasus
armies of the Axis was being further
compressed against the Black Sci
coast, with the fall Of Krasnodal
apparently imminent and tn,
escape alley north from Novorossisl
menaced by the Russian Black Sc,
fleet and the Red Nays air force.
There were reports that Russian
warships and planes already wer'
smashing at German transports be
tween the Taman Peninsula and tn
Crimea.
The Berlin radio told of tw'
bridgeheads established by tn
Nazis, one opposite the Kerch Strai
and the other near the mouth o
the Don below Rostov.
The capture of Kushchevka,
rail hub, and Of Leningradskaya, ,
town on the railway running. from
Tikhoretsk to Yeisk on the Sea o
Azov, drove wedges that threatened
to split the Axis army, estimated
to number more than a quarter Of ,
million men.
Hit Encircled Nazl Force.
The Russians also told Of slash
ing further into the $4,000 Axi
troops encircled between Voronezf
and Gorshechnoe, asserting tina
more than 400 OF the enemy wert
killed and 1900 captured In twt
clashes.
The seizure of Kupyansk, 6s mile.
| southeast of Kharkov. was still an.
other blow at the Germans north
south rail communica tions and pusf
the left flank Of the Russian Army
there closer to the ancient Ukraniar
capital which has been q strong.
point Of the German line.
Other Russian armies are withir
~ miles east cf Kharkov, at Va.