The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-09-07

cover their retreat by sporadic and desperate delaying actions.
 Red Star, the Soviet Army organ, said that many of the captured in- dustrial towns such as Kramatorsk, Konstantinovka and Artemovsk were found ablaze as the Nazis ap- piled the scorched earth policy.
 Front Reports
 Front reports said the Red Ar Force dominated the Donets skies. It hammered necessarily at the NaA escape routes, aiming It's heaviest blows yesterday at Krasnoameisk and Volnovakha, companion june ton southwest of Stalino. Stormovik assault planes also pulverized l2 German motor columns on the roads west of Stalino.
 What may have been the last German defense position east Of the Dnieper river bend collapsed yester. day with the fall of the key rail. road stations Of Slavyansk, Krania- torsk, and Konstantinovka, along a line stretching 60 miles north from Stalino.
 More than two-thirds of the Donets basin, Russia's richest agri- cultural and mining area, already has been freed and Stalino, 12th city fin the Soviet Union and the Basins industrial capital, was al. most within the grasp of the Red Army following the apture ot Makeevka, only 1-2 miles to the northeast.
 (A Swiss report published in the Stockholm newspaper IVA Dagligt Allehanda said the Germans already have begun to exacuate Stalino, while a Moscow broadcast heard in London placed Russian troops with in four miles of the city0
 eoals "Eiastic" Withdrawal
 (The uncontrolled Scandinavi- an Telegraph bureau reported from Berlin that the Germans were continuing their "elastic" with. drawal along the entire length of central and southern fronts in Rus sia, but quoted a German military spokesman as saying that autumn rains within a few weeks would im- pede operations in Russia. Winter, 2 he said, would find the Germans in well-prepared positions0
 with the smashing of the Stalino- Slavyansk line, the Russians surged out across open plains In close pur- suit, of the enemy. More than 100 towns and villages were cap- tured in the Donets basin came yesterday, while nearly 200 more fell in advances at other strategic points along a 700-mile front from the sea of A0ov to Smolensk.
 Midway on the vast front. the Russians seized Konotop, one of the main defense bastions guarding the German stronghold of Kiev, 127 miles to the southwest and he cap- ital of Ukraine. The communist newspaper Pravda said the rumble of artillery already could be heard in Kiev.
 5000 Killed
 More than 5000 Germans were killed in the fighting for Makeev- ka, a city of 24o,000 persons and site of the gigantic Kirov Iron Works. Forty mine German tanks were knocked out and 62 field and l4 self-propelled guns destroyed, while considerable booty and 8 large number of prisoners were cap- tured.
 The capture of Makeevka doomed Stalino, for Makeevka virtually is . suburb of the larger city and controls most of the railways radi- ating from it. The German garri- son already has fired Stalino in ap- parent preparation for evacuation.
 On the Konotop front, the Rus sians were pushing along the Kursk- kiev railroad to the key junction of Bakmach, IS miles southwest of Konotop and from which lines rad fate to Gomel, Bryansk and Odessa.
 Konotop itself, a junction for railroads from Kiev and Bryansk, was captured by the Russians fol- lowing a fierce battle on the banks of the Siem river to the north. The Germans rushed large infantry and tank forces to the front in futile effort to stem the Sovie drive, but were thrown into retreat.
 100 Towns
 More than 100 towns and villages also were liberated on the Konotop front in advances of up to i2 i.2 miles.
 Another % localities were re- occupied south of Bryansk. where a Russian flank attack in one sec- tor sent the Germans rereating. Ihs soviets killed nearly 1000 in pursuing the Germans from newly captured Khutor Mikhalloysky, a railroad junction s3 miles south Of NFgansk.
 Several towns and strong points also were captured in advances toward polEava, southwest of KhaF- knH. and Amnlanak. 0nnnGllA Mns.