The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-25

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 inR forces for Q tremendous spring offensive along Che whole length of the front from Leningrad Co Che Caucasus, German brOadcasts told og "large groups" Of Soviet troops forming in the forests near Khar- kov, perhaps for Q new drive to re capture that important baseO
 Seven more localities fell to Bo- vlet tanks and troops closing in from tho north on Dukhovschlna, only 90 miles north northeast Of smolensk, 0ermany's biggest base on tho central front and once Adolf HitlerS headquarters for the whole Russian campaign.
 A detachment of ski troops cap. tured one Of the villages, Zhugny, In Q surprise blow.
 "Our guardsmen saved over a sixth of the local inhabitants (of Khugny) from certain death," the Soviet high command said, '"rhe Germans had driven the women, old folk and children itno the cel- lare of certain house and set it afire. Breaking itno the village, our troops extlngulshed the flames and saved the lives of the Soviet people,"
 Tn another sector north of Duk. hovschlna, 200 Germans were killed and five tanks and i4 guns caps tured.
 Another Soviet column striking westward along the MoscoW.Minsk railroad on Q broad front overran six or more towns and hamlets and reached a point only about 50 miles east northeast of Smolensk.
 CThe Nagl Paris radio said the Russians threw nine armored bri- Rades against Axis positions south- west of VyaEma, presumably in the Dorogobuzh area, and lost lO'VOV men and iB tanks in subsequent fighting)
 Safonovo, only 2 Ia miles north of Dorogobuzh, terminus Of . spur line running south from the Mos- cow.MinSk railroad, was among the neWly-seized towns, the high com" mand said. Heavy losses were In. fiIcted on the Germans in the light. ing that led to the fall of Safonovo'
 Elsewhere northeast of Smolensk, the Russians killed 200 Germans in forcing Q water barrier and dislodg- ing the enemy from fortified posi-. ton and slew another 100 with hand Rrenades and bayonets in Q night attack on D fortified town.
 Soviet tanks also bounced on German column approaching the front, wiped out % trucks loaded with troops and routed tho remain der, tho mid-day communique said,
 Though the German assaults on the southern front generally were on a reduced scale, nearly 1000 Axis infantrymen, supported by tanks and self-propelled guns, stormed and captured Q height north Gnu gueV, 2B miles southeast of Khar- kOv, only to lose 1t to the Russians in Q counter.attack,
 "In the fighting for the height, the Germans lost six tanks, four self-propelled guns and upwards Of 200 officers and men," the mid-day communique said.
 The midnight communique had reported the slaying of 100 German troops and the destruction of nine tanks in the repuIse of enemy at- tempts to reach the upper Donets north of Chuguev.
 A German infantry battalion also was thrown back with the loss Of i5O officers and men and two tanks in the Belgorod area, north north- east of KharkoV. Some 200 troops were killed in the repulse of attacks on ncighboring sectors.
 Tn the northwest Caucasus, the Russians squeezed the German pocket still tigher on the Taman Peninsula with the capture of the district center and railroad station at Abinskaya, 20 miles northeast Of the Black Sea naval base of Novo- rossisk,
 Thirty.two German planes were shot down yesterday on the Lenin- grad front, the midday commit nique said.