The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-10-18
Liberation
Of KievSoon


slons from Poland and western Eu-
rope.
The achievements arrived hy
train, and aerial transport TO plunge
at once into counter attacks, Of
which II IN Q single day, supported
by nearly 100 tanks, was typical.
The battle won and Zaporozhe
captured, one wing Of Maiinovsky's
army was pushing down the rail-
road toward Melitopol to menece
the left flank Of the German forces
battling fanatically IN the streets for
time to evacuate the Crimea.
Melltopol was described as e Stall
tagrad in reverse--a scene Of tntis-
ual carnage. The Russians method
lcally cleared street after street and
house after house, although the
Na2is still threw In reiSlforcements
in desperate bid for q few precious
hours to alleviate the critical situa-
ton Of the Crinnean forces.
German Forces
German forces, ordered Adolf Hit
Ter to hold Melitopol at ell cost,
were reported battling from the cell
lars, amidst the debris Of balconies,
In the ditches-and with gestapo
machine gun attachments barring
their retreat.
Thousands Of German corpses
clogged the streets Of Melitopol
Pravda said, and the mounds are
growing hourly. A Soviet commander
who was at Stalingrad said he had
never seen so many German dead.
Binding winds whipped clouds of
cudst over the ruins of Melitopol,
making more difficult the tasks OF
the riflemen and tommy gunners
The infantry often had to attack
With hand grenades because the
dust clogged the gun barrels.
Matching their success, other Red
Armies hammered out new gains
looking toward the enlightenment of
Kiev, Russia's third city, and forced
the Dnieper 100 miles farther north
to outflank Comet, southeastern
hinge Of Germany's White Russian
defenses,
The street battle inside Melitopol
entered its seventh day with fight
ing reaching pitch rivaling that OF
Stalingrad. The Germans were
contesting every building and front
reports said that the Nazi command
appeared determined to pay any
price to hold the city, gateway to
the Crimea.
(Radio Moscow said that fighting
spread to the western part of Melt
topol after the Russians cleared the
Germans from the Cathedral and
Cathedral Square In the center OF
the town.
Break Through
But q Russian break. through to
the Black Sea from the area SOUTH
east Of Kremenchug would isolate
not only the German garrison in
Melitopol, but also Nazi forces in
Dnepropetrovsk, the iron and steel
center Of Krivoi Rog and dozens OF
other strong points In the big bend
Of the Dnieper
The Russians cracked the Ger
man defenses on the west bank Of
the Dnieper opposite Kremenchug
in q two-day battle and rolled the
Germans back 1914 miles, killing
more than 1000 enemy troops and
wrecking II tanks, including eight
Cotton tigers.
Popelnastoye, 10 miles south Of
the Dnieper, and Likhovka, ~ miles
south Of the Dnieper and 10 miles
from Popelnastoye, were among the
towns and villages liberated.
The Germans rushed reserve units
to the front in q frantic effort to
stem the Russian drive, but all
counter attacks were beaten off.
Supporting Red air force planes
shot down 80 German aircraft dog
fights.
(T1ne German transocean agency
said the Russians were using Is div.
isions- -226, 900 men--250 tanks and
200 artillery batteries In their drive
from the Kremenchug area.)
Fight In MelltOpak
Front reports and communicates
indicated that the Russians and
Germans had fought virtually to O
standstill in the streets Of Nell
topol, 10 miles northeast Of the
Crimea and the Germans eastern.
most stronghold In Russia.
Gen. Rodion Y. Malinovsky's
forces killed 1000 Germans and
knocked out 80 tanks four self-pro-
PEELED guns yesterday in repulsing
German counter attacks, many Of
them backed by achievements
shifted from other fronts.
In one block. German tommy
gunners advanced slightly, but were
wiped out to the last man in hand.
to-hand fighting. German armored
losses were described as the largest
in any street battle since Stain
grad.
fastening to the aid Of the Rus
slams was another Soviet column
pressing down the railroad from
zaporozhe, 10 miles north Of Nell
topol. Here, the Germans were
yielding town after town under So
Wet blows that killed more than
600 Germans and wrecked five
heavy tanks.
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