Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-10
Threshold Threat
To Major German
Bose Increases
MAP on Page 49,
By EDDY GILMORE,


Associated Press War Correspondent.
MOSCOW, Feb. 10. Strong
Russian Army forces are pouring
through the Belgorod gap in Ger
man defenSes north of Kharkov,
the only point on a 200-mile
front where the invaders still
hold the line from which they
launched their 1912 offensive,
battle front dispatches reported
today.
The great Upper Donets industrial
city, which the Germans have held
since October, 194l, thus was men,
aced by Tightening semi-circle of
assault, with the Red Army roughly
20 miles from its limits to the north,
east and south.
At the same time the Russians
announced the repulse OF desperate
enemy counterattacks against a
second semi-circle closing on Ros-
tov and against the Kramatorsk
wedge to the northwest which, if
carried south toward the Sea OF
Azov. might pinch OF the whole
Roetov defense force.
Advances Made In Snow.
The Russians reported their great
est gains In the snow-piled chalk
hill country between Kharkov and
Orel, where the stronghold of Kursk
and the important rail junction Of
Gelgorod fell in 48 hours of whirl-
wind assault.
Cine German communique re-
ported Tightening of the Nazi
defense in this sector and said
German divisions in many
places not only stopped the en-
envy advance but threw the So
VETS back eastward, inflicting
heavy casualties on them.')
Bedgorod. 50 miles northeast of
Kharkov, was won back by a swift
two-way attack which carried
through scores Of villages which
the Germans had fortified heavily,
Pravda reported.
Meets C0unterattAckS.
It. Gen. Moskalenko smashed
through north of the city where he
encountered German counterat-
tacks. BY noon Monday heavy
fighting had reached the northern
outskirts. Under cover Of darkness
4 second Russian force moved into
position south Of Belgorod and In
surprise dawn attack slasahed into
the southern suburbs.
The German defenses were said to
have crumbled then before the
simultaneous attack from north and
south by monster tanks which
smashed openings through which
ski troopers and infantrymen
svarmed into the city.
lxvestia said most of the defend
ers, virtually cut of from escape,
were killed or surrendered.
The attack was pressed swiftly on
to heighten the menace to Kharkov,
and a second force widened the gap
tn the German defenses by captur-
ing Shebkino, only 40 miles north
east OF Kharkov.
New Gains Above Kursk.
In new gains northwest of Kursk
the Red Army drove westward
through q heavy snowstorm. The
gains In the Kursk -Belgorod sector
also were made over heavy snow, but
in the North Caucasus the winter
was described as unusually mild.
with the steppes soggy and deep
with mud almost as far north as
Rostov.
Below Kharkov, Russian troops
trying to drive southwark around
the Donets basin to the Sea Of
Azov met determined German re-
sistance and the Soviet columns
closing in on Rostov were fighting
OF bitter German tank unit coun-
terattacks, it was reported.
1900 Enemy Troops Killed.
(The Red Army smashed into
q number of towns in the upper
part OF the Donets basin, killing
more than 1900 of the enemy and
and armored cars, the Russian
midday communique recorded by
the Soviet radio monitor in Lon
don said)
The newest Russian gains came on
the eve Of the 25th anniversary Of
the formal Russian withdrawal from
the war with Germany in 1918. 1t
was generally regarded that the fall
of Kharkov would deprive the Ger
mans of any stable communications
center until they could fall back on
Kiev and set up a defense line be-