Evening star., 1943-01-11
Russian Forces
Take Is More
Settlements
Peril to Rail Center
Of Georgievsk Rises
In Caucasus Sweep
By HENRY C. CASSIDY,

MOSCOW, Jan. 1.-THE Red
Army has seized 13 more settle
ments from the Germans In the
North Caucasus, where the Ger
man-held railroad junction OF
Georgievsk was threatened with
encirclement, and has broken a
German salient thrust into Rus
sian positions on the central
front far to the north, the mid
day communique said today.
The advance down the Lower Don
continued despite desperate German
efforts to block it some go miles
northeast Of Rostov. the key Nazi
supply center in Southern Russia, it
was reported. Another German
held community was gathered into
the Russian lines in the Lower Don
area.
Bitter fighting preceded the tenn
porary success of the Germans on
the central front. west Of Moscow.
The communique acknowledged that
wedge had been driven into the
Red Army's positions, but said a
heavy Russian counterattack forced
the Germans back to their original
positions.
(The German high command
said yesterday that a German
shock troop division on the GEN.
tral front had captured rs Rus
sian strong points and destroyed
their garrisonsD
Nazi Position More Precarious.
The capture of the 13 more settle.
ments by the Russians appeared to
make the German position at
Georgievsk still more precarious. An
earlier communique had reported
the city was half encircled.
The Russians said they had cap
tured Georgievskaya, 4 miles south
OF Georgievsk, and other small towns
forming semi-circle around the
railroad junction. Vast stores OF
German mines, ammunition and
other equipment fell into Russian
hands, it was said.
The Germans, who had advanced
down the Rostov-Baku railway last
summer in quest of the oil of Grozny
and Baku, already had withdrawn
Is miles from Mozdok to Georgievsk
and they apparently faced a new
withdrawal along the railway lead.
ing to the northwest.
Particularly fierce fighting was re-
ported at river position where the
Germans had concentrated a large
number of their six-barrel mortars
and tanks. The Russian troops were
said to have succeeded in crossing
the river and throwing back the
Germans in hand-to-hand fighting.
More German prisoners were sent
streaming to the rear, it was added.
Resistance Mounting.
The lower Don offensive was re-
ported rolling forward over mount
ing German resistance with another
populated place falling to the Rus
slams along with large ammunition
dump and other materiel.
The Germans counterattacked and
attempted to recapture the COM
munity, the war bulletin said, but
withdrew, leaving more than 100
dead on the snow in the face of
Soviet machine-gun fire. In an
other sector of this important front,
Russian tanks were said to be lum-
bering forward after routing two
enemy battalions.
Describing the Lower Don fight.
ing, the Russians midnight COM
munique said one Red Army unit,
forging ahead in the course of the
day beat of six enemy counter
attacks"
"The Hitlerites suffered heavy
losses and were unable to force
back the offensive of the Soviet
troops" the war effort said. "By the
end of the day our detachments
with sudden assaults attacked the
enemy in the flank. More than
600 Germans were killed and eight
German tanks were destroyed"
More Places Captured.
Farther south along the railway
line from Stalingrad to Tikhoretsk
and Novorossisk on the Black Sea,
the Russians said they had captured
several more places in the area Of
Zimovniki, about 100 miles SOUTH
west of Stalingrad.
The Germans suffered heavy
losses in both manpower and mate
riel there, the Russian communique
reported.
In one of the encounters on the
central front, west of Moscow, the
midnight communique reported,
German infantry forces southwest
of Velikie Luki we're cut of from
their supporting tank and armored
car detachments and were facing
annihilation. A company of Ger
man infantry was reported wiped
out in another sector.
Red Star said that life in the re-
captured city of Velikie Luki was re-
turning to normal and a train from
the east was expected to arrive soon.
(The German high command,
which has steadfastly refused to
admit the loss of this important
city, announced yesterday: THE
garrison of Velikie Luki yester-
day offered heroic resistance to
strong enemy attacks)
The midnight communique said
Russian guerrillas were operating
in Latvia. some 80 miles ahead Of
the Red Army In the Velikie Luki
region, and had derailed three Ger
man troop trains, smashing many
cars.
1t also reported that 3l3 enemy
aircraft were destroyed in the week
ending Saturday for the loss Of 90
Soviet planes.