Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-18
Red Armies Sweep On,
.Wiping Out Remnants
OF Retreating Nazis
Russians Push Advances
In Khorkov, Kursk and
Rostov Regions
BY the Associated Press.

| BY the Associated Press.
The Red Army is smashing
westward and widening its
wedges in the Kharkov and
Kursk regions at the northern
end of the active Russian Ger
man battlefront, and it's columns
have pierced deeper into Donets
Basin territory in drives threat
ening the Germans retreating
from Rostov, the Russians an
nounced at Moscow today.
Some of the actions were de-
scribed as cleaning out the remnants
CT German strongholds left in the
rear of Soviet troops which had
swept around them for spectacular
gains
"WesG of Kharkov our troops con-
tiEued their successful offensive, in
f1icting heavy blows on the remnants
Of routed German units" the Rus
slams said. The Hitherto path Of
retreat is covered with the bodies of
Gead enemy officers and men as we'll
as with abandoned German heavy
ano light arms"
The German high command an
nounced today, two days late, that
KharkoV had been evacuated after
systematic destruction of war-im-
portant installations.
Drive on Past Kharkov.
The Kharkov offensive carried in
to Bogodukhov. SO miles to the
nol Invest on the railroad to Sunny:
to Zmiev, % miles southeast of
Kharkov and Alekseevskoe, 80 miles
south Of Kharkov, just east Of the
rail line and north of Lozovaya.
The destruction of 100 German
tanks and other enemy war gear in
town north of Kharkov was re-
counted today in the Russian noon
cCmmurique as recorded by the
London Soviet radio monitor.
Russian units previously had pen
! y L.
which lies about 10 miles northeast
of Dnieperopetrovsk.
Between Kharkov and KurSk, a
column apparently operating from
! the neWly-captured base at KurSk
/ took Graivoron, only 20 miles north
/ of Bogodukhov, the Russians said
/ and then advanced into another
unidentified city after beating down
. fierce counterattacks.
North of Kursk a number of towns
were captured and northwest of the
city and west of Fatezh Soviet units
forced a water crossing and StOrmeC
into another large town, it was an
nounced.
Under the blows of our units en-
envy troops are retreating with
heavy losses" the Russians said.
Possibly the latter city was Dmi.
triev, which lies across a tributary
of the Seim River. The offensive ir
this region threatens to fashion 6
pincers from the south about Orel
the last remaining German strong
hold on the line from which they
launched last summers offensive.
In London the offenSives in thes,
areas were regarded as q race TO
the upper reaches of the Dniepel
River, with the Red Army Strikin,
from kharkov 10 Kiev, 260 mile
west, in an effort to turn any Ger
man defenses based on the river.
Southwark, it was considered like
" that ZaporoZhe, As miles Soutl
of DnieperopetrovSk and 100 mile
west of Stalino, would be the tar
get for the southern camp on tn
river valley.
Rail Center Taken.
On the southern front, menaCin!
the Germans, left in the Donet
Basin, the Russians announced tn,
reCapture OF SlavyanSk, a rail cen.
ter about 80 miles north of the DO
Sitions where Russian units pre-
viously had thrust 20 KramatorSk
Other towns also were taken il
the KramatOrsk sector, extendin,
clamp to be laid about Stalino.
Elsewhere on the arc drawn abou
the DonetS Basin Russian troop.
took II villages southwest of Voro.
Shllovgrad, and guerrilla units wert
aiding the regular army in flank at.
lacks on the retreating German
columns in the Rostov area, the Rus
slams said.
One Of the towns taken in the
Voroshilovgrad sector was Slavyano-
serbSk, on the west bank Of the
) Donets River SIS miles east OF
Slavyansk.