Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-12-31
Won Munnstein's
Routed Forces
Split by Reds
BY HENRY C. CASSIDY.

N@e'Nu ASSo wal SUlEespOnueNt.
MOSCOW, Dec. 31.-Russiap
forces streaming through the
greatest hole yet torn in Nazi
oetenses have broken into the
outer Bug River defenses in a
driving offensive which has
split the routed remnants of
Nazi Gen. Fritz Won Mannstein's
leglons and carried to within 80
miles of the river itself, 'front.'
line dispatches said today.
The Russian column sweeping
toward the Bug, Germanys next
line of defense along the south
central front west of the Dnieper
River, thrust down the Kiev-
Zhmerinka railway to open a deep
wedge in the Nazi Army.
Vanguards of Gen. Nikolai Va
tutin's LIST Ukrainian Army were
reported to within 43 miles of the
old Polish border and within 90
miles of the Dniester River, which
forms Rumania's old eastern boun-
Diary
With the Warsaw-S mela Rail-
way severed at captured Kazatin,
only one supply line remained
open to the retreating Nazis be-
fore the main OdeSsa-LWoW line
itself is endangered. That one
supply line from Poland winds
southeastward through the Ukraine
and the Red Army advance has
carried to within 20 miles of the
supply link.
Cutting of this line would mean
that all supplies for Nazi forces in
the Dnieper bend and west of Kiev
would have to move over the
Odessa-Lwow railway.
30 Miles from Vinnitza.
The advance column sweeping
southwestward toward the old bor-
ders of Poland and Rumania was
only 80 miles from the provincial
center of Vinnitza on the Upper
Bug River. Vinnitza lies only 60
miles from the Dniester.
(Today's German communique
also indicated the Russians were
on the offensive again north of
Kirovograd, in the Dnieper bend,
where German forces were re-
ported to have been counterat-
lacking yesterday,
"A gap in the German lines
north of Kirovograd has been
closed" the announcement said
tersely, adding that numerous
prisoners and extensive booty
were taken.
Another arm of Gen. Vatutin's
army was striking westward in a
hard hitting mobile advance out
fanking Zhitomir.
This arm was reaching for Shepe-
tovka, 10 miles west Of Zhitomlr
and the biggest railway junction
of the Ukraine. and Novograd
Volynski, a junction for two main
highways about IS miles northwest
of Zhitomir.
The Russians were about 20 miles
west Of Zhitomir and Korosten at
several points and the great break
through, now almost 200 miles wide,
was affording the Red Army great
new area of operations.
Draw Close to Marshes.
Cavalry and motorized infantry,
strong units of which were pushing
forward, were far behind the shat
tered German front in some places
and drawing close to the lower Pripet
Marshes. Hundreds OF German
tanks lay abandoned behind the
fast-moving troops, Soviet dis
patches said.
The spearheads knitted through
the remnants of Marshal Won Mann
stems % defeated divisions-per-
haps 100000 troops-on the eighth
day of this greatest Soviet offensive
Of the winter that already has swept
up total of 1900 communities.
On the northern end of the big
gest breach ever made in German
lines, Red Army troops were plung-
ing west of Korosten toward Poland.
At the southern end, Soviet units
were driving southwest of Kazatin.
"a Berlin broadcast heard by
Reuters said the Germans had
announced withdrawal of the
Nazi line on the Zhitomir front,
Nazi line on the Zhitomir 'front.'
Moscow Halls ROut.
The German debacle came just
six weeks after Won Mannstein's
army had been ordered into coun-
teroffensive, seeking vainly to re-
capture Kiev and regain control of
the Dnieper River basin at all costs.
The trout" of his army-so labeled