Evening star., 1943-05-23
Russians Bring Down
IS German Planes
Attacking kurk
S. Destroyed by Pilots,
And 9 by Anti-Aireroft;
Lond Fronts UNCHANGED
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Sunday May 23.-
Russian airmen and gunners de-
stroyed 65 German planes out of
a large formation which attacked
Kursk, a main base supplying
Red Army troops threatening
Axis-held Orel, 80 miles to the
north, Moscow announced early
today.
A broadcast recorded by the Soviet
monitor said Russian fighter pilots
shot down 56 OF. the enemy planes
yesterday morning on the outskirts
Of the city, and anti-aircraft men
downed nine others. This broadcast
was revision Of an early announce
ment which placed Axis losses at a
planes.
Ten Russian planes were lost in
the action.
10 German Tanks Bagged.
The midnight communique also
announced that the Red Air Force
destroyed or damaged approximate
ly 10 German tanks, mofe than so
trucks carrying troops and supplies,
and three railway trains in Fridays
operations in various sectors. In
addition three artillery batteries
were reported silenced, an enemy
patrol ship and two motorboats
sunk, and an ammunition and fuel
dump blown up.
German dispatches have predicted
. major Russian offensive soon in
the Orel sector, and the heavy at
tack on Kursk apparently was
prompted by that Axis nervousness
over its positions at the hinge of
the central and southern fronts.
only an insignificant number of
German planes broke through to
Kursk and dropped bombs. haphaz-
ardly, causing some damage to
apartment houses and some casual
ties among civilians" the Moscow
announcement said.
No Change In Land Front.
Sporadic artillery fire punctuated
the long Russian fronts at q number
Of widely separted fronts, but there
was no general change in the land
front as reported in the midnight
Moscow bulletin.
Russian dispatches said stern
silence" generally characterized the
huge front where both sides were
piling up stores OF ammunition,
tanks and men for an approaching
summer battle expected to be the
most decisive OF the war.
Time alone will tell which side
takes the offensive, and London
military observers say a German
push is overdue, perhaps delayed
by Allied invasion threats in the
west and south.
The midnight communique did
not mention the embattled Cau-
casus, although yesterdays noon
communique said heavy Russian
artillery continued to assault Nov
orossisk's inner defenses.
German dispatches also have pre-
dicted a big renewed Russian push
at Novorossisk and in Kuban VAL
ley area to the north
Three hundred Germans were re-
ported killed yesterday on the Smo-
lensk front west OF Moscow. This
was in addition to 300 declared slain
in overnight fighting. -Four anti
tank guns were destroyed. nine arti-
Jerry and mortar batteries silenced
and six, blockhouses and pill
boxes demolished, the communique
said
The only other fighting of any size
and 1t was termed of local i'm
portance"-was in the Lisichansk
sector southeast of Kharkov The
Russians said battalion of German
infantry was wiped out and the
enemy driven from several fortified
positions in this area where the
Russians have established strong
bridgehead on the west bank of the
Donets River.