Evening star., 1943-10-12
Reds al Gone|
Threaten 10 Split
Drive Could Sever
White Russian and
Ukraine Positions
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, Oct. IL. Russian
troops, firmly established on the
left bank of the Sozh River, op-
posite the strategic rail hub of
Gomel, were threatening today
to rip wide open a corridor to the
west which would completely
sever the German positions in
White Russia from the hard
pressed Nazi armies in the
Ukraine.
'Moscow dispatches said some
suburbs of Gomel, including
Novo Belista on the east bank of
the Sozh, already have been
taken and bridgeheads have been
Established on the west bank
The Soviet juggernaut apparently
was functioning smoothly on all
sectors of the winding 1.2OO-mile
front. A Soviet communique broad
cast by the Moscow radio indicated
the Russian war machine was fan
ming out from three main bridge
heads on the west bank of the
Dnleper River in the Ukraine above
and below the fortress city of Kiev;
was pounding its way nearer Vitebsk
northern anchor of the Nazi de-
fense line in White Russia. and was
menacing the German garrisons in
the Crimea with imminent invasion
from the north and the east.
Many Nazi Dead Left on Field.
The Germans left more than $500
dead on yesterdays battlefelds. the
Russian war bulletin said. Fifty
eight enemy planes were shot down
by Red Army airmen, while scores
OF tanks and guns were DESTROYED or
captured, together with huge stock
piles OF other war material
The enemy battled desperately to
stem the Russian advance. especially
at the Dnieper bridgeheads. Moscow
said more than 1000 Nazi troops
were slain on these salients alone in
"frultless" counterattacks. And the
Red Army vanguards fought their
way forward step by step" Over
head, Soviet planes were supporting
the swelling ground offensives be-
vond the bridgeheads, knocking
down at least l9 enemy planes and
obllteratlng Nazi gun emplacements
(CBS in New York recorded a
London broadcast which said
Soviet forces already had "pene-
trated the outer defenses Of
Kiev.")
Announcement of the capture OF
Novo-Belitza, rail junction suburb OF
Gomel on the east bank of the Sozt
threatened the early f1anking of the
200-mile German line in White Rus
sla and the rupture of the already
weakened connections with the en-
emy forces farther south.
Gcmel Big Rail Center.
Gomel's main rail arteries radiate
to Vitebsk, Minsk and Warsaw, cap
ital of Poland It's fall would pave
the way for Soviet columns to thrust
at Mlnsk and west to the frontier OF
old Poland, fanking movement
that would, if successful, make the
whole German defense system to the
north untenable.
On top of this threat Soviet COL
umns battling their way toward
Vltebsk routed enemy detachments
as they raced through 40 towns, the
Russians said. Here 1900 German
dead were counted and more stores
OF abandoned war gear were added
to the Russian bag.
Here, too, the Moscow war bulletin
declared, the Red Army rescued
10000 Russian civilians whom the
Germans were forcibly driving tc
slave abor in Germany" Soviet
spearheads were within 20 miles OF
Vltebsk last night, the bulletin added
Far to the south. Black Sea fleet
Warplanes struck "a blow at an en-
emy port" possibly in the Crimea
and sank 2,000-ton German trans
port and II barges and cutters" the
communique said, adding that many
other ships standing in the port were
seriously damaged"