Evening star., 1943-01-22
Berlin Issues
Wars GIoomiest
Communique
BY the Associated Press

]
The German high command
for the first time today acknoWl-
edged that its army before Stall
ingrad had been trapped by the
! great Russian offensive and was
fighting for its life against far
superior forces, which yesterday
broke through the German lines
, from the west to a depth Of sew
eral kilometerS.
In COmmuniQue broadcast by the
Berlin radio and recorded by the
| Associated Press, the high command
tacitly admitted the full extent of
the Russian onslaught on the eastern
front. 1t probably was the gloomiest
communique issued from Berlin in
this war.
The German group in the Stain
grad area, which is closely encircled
by the enemy and which is Offering
! tenacious resistance to strong enemy
pressure. had to wage heavy fighting
yesterday against the Soviets, who
are storming with far superior
forces" the communique said.
Nazis Retreat
Despite heroic defense, the de-
tenders of Stalingrad Germans
could not prevent the enemy from
| breaking in from the west. which
compelled withdrawal Of our own
positions by several kilometers, the
broadcast continued.
In man-to-man fighting a large
number of Soviet tanks were
destroyed"
The Berlin correspondent Of
Mffan's Corriere Della Sera, in a
report received at Bern, Switzerland,
last night, said atmospheric condi-
| tions had reduced to the minimum
the flying of food SUPPLIES to en-
| circled Axis troops before Stalingrad.
The last authoritative estimate
of the number of Axis soldiers
penned up before Stalingrad was
$4,000, these from % or more divi-
| sions which at the outset totaled
/ 100000 men.
Meanwhile. Russian authorities
declared at Moscow that new ham
mer blows by the Red Army along
huge arc centering on RostoV-
on-Don had carried Russian forces
into Voroshlovsk in the Northern
Caucasus. laying open the strategic
oil-rich region south of Rostov TO
the fast-moving Soviet legions.
Evfapde Ear Nortb
The arc extends up through the
Don and Donets River basins into
the Voronezh sector, whence the
| Russian high command has pointed
its offensives south and southwest
toward Kharkov, Voroshilovgrad,
Likhaya and the north shore of the
Sea Of Azov west of Rostov.
! All along that arc, it was indicated
in dispatches from the front and in
official war bulletins, the Red Army
/ is carving out chunks of the defense
/ lines the Germans originally estab-
lished in 194l. No sooner is a majo
/ gain noted in one sector than a
! Complementary success is registered
far on its flank along that arc.
ROstov so Miles Distant.
/ Along the middle portion of the
/ curve, IN the Lower Don Valley,
/ there has been little reported lately
OF Russian success. Here the Red
Army spearhead is poised about go
| miles east of Rostov.
| But in the Voronezh area and
! through co-ordinated offenSes aimed
ultimately at Rostov. the Russian
columns were reported thrusting be-
! tween Kursk and Kharkov at the
north end Of the arc, within 20 miles
! OF the Donets Basin industrial and
rail center of Voroshilovgrad, toward
/ the rail junction of Likhaya, less
/ than 10 miles north of RoStov, and
/ toward Salsk, rail center 100 miles
southeast Of Rostov.
/ The Soviet midnight communioue
/ recorded by the Soviet radio monitor
/ IN London told of the capture of
| Golofyeevka on railway 85 miles
/ southeast Of Kursk and only 10 miles
below Staraya a communica-
tons center which also is menaced
by Red Army column at Sini Lib
| yagi, 80 miles northeast.
The capture of Staraya -Oskol
would give the Russians control of
/ another section of the rail network
(See RUSSIA, Page A-5)