The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-02-20
SOviets Smash Through
Desperate COunter-At-
tacks of Nazis
GERMANS CALCULATING
TAGANROG STRONGHOLD
Partly-RecOvered WOunds
ed Men Put Into Action
as Rear Guard Fighters
BY HENRY SHAPIRO

UNITED Press Staff Correspondenty
Moscow, February 20. -
CUP - Red armies smashed
through desperate Axis coun-
ter-attacks in their three
pronged advance on Orel to-
day while comrades to the
south wiped out 5000 more
Axis troops and drove closer
to the Dnieper on a 45-mile
front west Of Kharkov.
"a Moscow Broadcast recorded
by the. Federal Communication
Commission reported that the Ger
mans had recently transferred q
minimum of 81 divisions six tank
and Is infantry - from western
Europe to Russia to meet the in
creasing threat.)
Field dispatches reported that the
Germans were rusing fresh units.
including even special Gestapo de-
tachments, from other fronts to
the Orel area in an effort to staye
o ffthe loss Of that northern an
CHOIR Of the now shattered Axis line
In southern Russia.
GarrisOns AnnihiIated
However, swift, mobile Soviet
groups were piercing the enemy de.
lenses, then striking from the rear
and flanks to aI1nihilate garrison
after garrison, dispatches said.
Prisoners said only 20 to 30 men
were left out Of some Axis COM
panies Of 200. In one sector, g
small Soviet detachment wiped out
a whole enemy battalion, including
% tanks.
The midday Soviet communiuue
reported Russian troops advancing
from the south had killed 800 Of
the enemy in q night battle and
were continuing to forge ahead.
Complementing field dispatches said
the forces to the east and south
east Of Orel were uninterruptedly
advancing, capturing town after
town.
"In several sectors, large panzer
and infantry forces. are counter
attacking savagely, but fresh troops.
counter-attacks and snowstorins
cannot stave on the Red army's
offensive thrust" the Communist
party organ Pravda said.
The 5000 German officers ana
men anihilatned In the Kharkov
sector fell In battle near LylIbotin,
II miles west of Kharkov on the
railroad to the Axis Ulrainian
stronghold Of Poltava, the midday
communique said.
16 tanks, $50 trucks and IS self
propelled guns, the communique
said. In another sector near Lyu-
boting, Soviet tanks destroyed nine
enemy tanks, 80 trucks and eight
anti-tank guns.
Lyubotin was captured yesterday
by one Of three Russian columns
rushing deeper into the Ukraine
from Kharkov.
Another column, driving north
west, seized Distant, IA miles west
northwest Of Kharkov, and Per-
IS miles northwest Of
Kharkov on the Zolochev -Bryansk
railroad.
The third column slashed u miles
southwest Of Kharkov and occupied
Visoky, Kamirovka and finally Me-
refa Junction, where the railroads
rom the Crimea and Dnieprope-
trovsk join.
KOnetOp Desired
The northwestern column ap.
oeared to be driving toward Kono-
top, whose capture would undermine
the German defense positions at
0rel and Bryansk by cutting their
supply line from Kiev; the central
column was driving toward Poltava
n the heart Of the Ukraine and
he southwestern column appeared
aimed at Krasnograd.
Some SO miles north Of KhaTk0v,
The Russians yesterday captured
oboyan, the last enemy-heid point
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