The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-24
$1,000 GERMANS
RECENTLY KILLED
Moscow Radio Gives Data
on Fight Between DOnets
and Dneiper River
BY HENRY SHAPIRO

UNITED Press Staff Correspondent
Moscow, March 24.--(UP) - The
Red Army today stormed and cap
tured a neutrality-suspicious. defense
line above Dukhocshchina, only 30
miles northeast of the German CEN
trail front bastion OF Smolensk.
(The Moscow radio said $1,000
Germans were killed in the recent
fighting between the northern
Donets and the Dnieper in South
Russia.)
The Germans launched two futile
counter-attacks In an effort to re-
gain the lost position, but were
thrown back with a loss Of 400 Of
ficers and men, two guns, tank, %
machine-guns and "a trucks loaded
with war supplies.
Dukhovshchina is only IL miles
northwest Of Yartsevo, German
strong point northeast Of Smolensk,
and controls roads leading to both
cities. Some eight to 10 miles to
the south lies the important Minsk-
Moscow highway.
The Soviet advance into the de-
Tense line overran several towns and
Hamlets, the Soviet midday COM
munique said. The midnight com.
munique had reported the staying
Of 500 Germans in the repulse Of
particularly violent German coun.
ter-attacks north Of Dukhovsh-
china.
The high command also an
nounced the capture of a number Of
additional villages in companion
drives toward Smolensk and Yartse-
vo from the east and northeast, but
indicated that the Germans were
fighting desperately to stall the
Russians until the spring thaw
halts operations.
The Soviet bridgehead on the west
bank Of the upper Dnieper is being
widened steadily despite fierce re-
sistance from German artillery and
mortar batteries and heavy coun-
ter-attacks, the midnight commune
que said.
More than 200 German troops
were killed in one sector of the arc
fronting Smolensk, while In another
a detachment Of German automatic
riflemen was surrounded in for
est and wiped out.
The Germans forced the northern
Donets river east Of Belgorod at
considerable cost yesterday, the
high command said, but Soviet
counter-attac threw them back
across the river. More than 200 Ger
man dead were counted on the bat
tlefield, as we'll as seven tanks, IL
trucks and many infantry cars.
In another sector of the Belgorod
area, the Germans hurled a tank
supported infantry division against
the Soviet lines, but this, too, was
repulsed with the killing Of 400 Of
the enemy.
The midday communique also re-
ported the gripping Of four German
tanks and IS trucks in other en-
gagements in the Belgorod area.
German troops gave UP their Of
fensive north Of Zhizdra, 38 miles
north northeast Of Bryansk, yester-
day after losing 1000 men, 140
tanks, So guns, 1O2 machine-guns
and 81 mortars in four days Of futile
attempts to dent the Russian lines.
In the northwest Caucasus, the
Russians hammered out q new adj
vance and captured the district CEN
ter of Slavyanskaya, 40 miles north.
east Of the Black Sea naval base Of
Novorossisk and 80 miles from the
Sea OF Azov, thus narrowing still
further the German bridgehead on
the Taman Peninsula.
Sudden intensification OF aerial
warfare was reported on the Lenin-
grad front, where Is German planes
were shot down by Russian aircraft
and anti-aircraft guns yesterday.