Evening star., 1943-11-15
MAP on Page A-5.)
Ey the Associated Press.

LONDON, Nov. 15.-The Ger
man high command announced
today that Russian Cossacks and
tanks, in a sweeping drive west
OF Gomel, had driven to Rechitsa,
about 80 miles to the southwest
on the railroad linking Gomel
with Poland, but had been beaten
back in attempts to capture the
town itself.
RechltSa's seizure would sever one
OF the two remaining rail lines over
which the NaZi defenders of the old
fortress of Gomel might fall back
TO escape the encircling Soviet
movement.
The advance along the northern
edges of the vast Pripet Marshes
also threatened to split off the
Northern German armies from the
forces of the Central front.
Another Berlin broadcast acknowl-
edged the German evacuation of
zhitomir, rail junction on the Nazis'
last north-south railroad artery east
OF the old Polish border, whose fall
threatened to cut the central Nazi
forces off from the Southern Ger
man armies. Moscow said the Rus
slams were 80 miles west of Zhito-
mer.
Renewed Red Attack.
The broadcast reported renewed
Soviet attacks northwest of Kerch
in the drive against German and
Rumanian forces sealed off in the
Crimea, and fresh Soviet attacks in
the Dnieper bend.
The German controlled Paris ra-
dio said Russian assaults in the
Krivoi Rog area in the Dnieper bend
were developing into large-scale
offensive on broad front
An earlier Berlin broadcast said
that big battle was raging in the
Dnieper bend after the Russians
hurting nearly 100000 men, against
the German defenses, had broken
through between Zaporozhe and the
area north and northwest of Krivoi
Rog.
The Paris radio in broadcast re-
corded by Reuters also said the Rus
SLAMS had attempted new crossings
of the Dnieper on both sides of
Cherkasy, about 10 miles northwest
Of Kremenchug.
so Towns Captured.
A Russian communique announced
that so towns were swept up in the
continuing drive toward the old
Polish border, now less than go
miles away.
While troops on the right flank
of Gen Nikolai F. Vatutin's first
Ukrainian front pushed ahead after
capturing Chepovichi, IS miles
southeast of Korosten, central units
drove directly west past zhitomir.
This force yesterday took Bara-
novka, 30 miles west of Zhitomir,
exceeding the pace of more than
10 miles a day which has been made
between Kiev and Zhitomir.
Gen. Vatutins striking force is
composed of tanks, cavalry and
motorized infantry capable of press
ing closely on the heels of the re-
treating Germans. The Soviet COM
munique said the swiftly moving
Russian troops had liberted 1000
civilians whom the Germans were
driving to slave labor in Germany.
Counterattacks Repulsed.
On the left flank Gen. Vatutin's
men were reported to be meeting
and overcoming repeated German
counterattackS. On one sector the
communique reported that Russian
troops broke through enemy resist
ance and captured populated place.
The Germans then launched four
fierce counterattacks in swift sue
cession, but were thrown back after
500 of them were wiped out.
Close-locked fighting which has
marked all the combat in the
Crimea continued in the Kerch
Peninsula. Northeast of Kerch, the
Germans launched II counterat-
tacks with infantry, tanks and self
propelled guns, but all were re-
pulsed. The communique said the
Russians captured two strongly
fortified points near Kerch, killing
300 Germans.
The broad lines of the Red Army S
next move has not yet emerged from
the smoke of the battlefield, but it
is believed the Russians are likely
to fasten flank against the Pripet
Marshes and swing southwest, driv-
ing the Germans toward the Bug
r:.,a~ o,,L