Evening star., 1943-03-07
Nuzi Stronghold
Of Gzhotsk, 100
Miles West, FuIIs
BY EDDY GILMORE,

MOSCOW, March 6.-The Red
Army stormed Gzhatsk, 100 miles
west of Moscow, today to wipe
out the biggest threat to the So
Wet capital and one which the
Russians had been trying to re-
move for a year and a half. A
special communique announced
the fall of the town.
When Gzhatsk was in German
hands, the Russian high command
always had to consider seriously the
chances of German break through
toward the capital while the Red
Army was. engaged in prodigious
offensives on other fronts.
Now the strong hedgehog has been
removed, and the Russians can
heave sigh of relief and spare
troops for other operations.
The next objective is vyazna, IS
miles southwest of Gzhatsk, and
then Smolensk, $50 miles west of
Moscow.
Battling Toward Vyazma.
Gzhatsk is 60 miles southeast of
recaptured Rzhey. Russian shock
troops fighting south and southwest
of Rzhev had captured 80 more
towns during the night and morn
ing. including the railway station of
Osuga, SO miles north of Vyaxma.
German reports also have told Of
Russian troops battling toward
vyazma from the Kaluga sector in
the southeast.
Later q midnight Soviet COM
munique reported the Red Army
had killed 1000 more Germans and
captured several dozen populated
places In the continuing sweep
southwest Of Rztev toward point.
on the road between vyazma and
Smolensk.
Gzhatsk was by-passed by Rus
sian units on the north and south
before 1t was stormed, this bulletin
said. and a German infantry regi-
ment was wiped out after fierce
fighting.
n The south the Russians re-
ported further gains west OF sevsk
IA "a a10tt 70 cut the main
Dryansk- Kiev railway which links
the eentrAl and southern froasts.
One unit was credited with captur-
Ing i've localities and killing 400
Germans In an offensive carried
out despite deep snow and q
storm"
Nazf battalion Wiped Out.
In the Donets Basin, the mid
night bulletin said, 4 battalion of
enemy infantry was wiped out and
81 German tanks destroyed or
damaged southwest OF Voroshilov-
grid, and west Of Rostov Red Army
units consolidated themselves in
newly occupied positions" after de-
stroying one enemy garrison in an
unidentified German strongpoint.
Above the central front, field dis
patches said Marshal Tmoshenko's
troops were fighting toward Staraya
Russa below Lake linen after the
smashing break-through at Dem
yansk.
Gzhatsk had withstood a terrific
Russian pounding since the Ger
man failure to take Moscow In the
winter Of l94l. When Soviet troops
threw back the Germans from the
Soviet capital, Rzhev, Gzhatsk and
WANNA held firm. Now only
Vyazma remains to be cracked by
the Russians before they can stride
on toward Smolensk.
Area Heavily Fortified.
Swinging southwest OF Rzhev, the
Russians apparently were aiming at
an early encirclement of Vyazma
which is girded with the typical Nan
hedgehog defenses-steel and con-
crete pillboxes, anti-tank traps, and
miles Of barbed wire.
The Germans had used their Todt
construction workers to fortify all
these points and their artillerymen
had charted the whole area for
mathematical firing system.
When Velikie Luki, $50 miles west
OF Rzhev, fell to the Russians early
IN January the German garrison at
Rzhev became imperilled. Berlin
early this week announced the
evacuation according to plan" of
Rzhev, although the Russians said
the town fell only after violent
fight.