The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-14
IN KIEV BULGE
Guerrilla Forces Behind
German Lines Aid Rus
sian Troops
GREAT TANK BATTLE
Other Units In Southeast
Report Spectacular
20 Mile Drive

LONDON, Tuesday, Dec. 14-R
Russian troops aided by powerful
guerrilla forces behind the Ger
man lines gained ground for the
third day in succession Monday
in the great battle of the Kiev
bulge, while to the southeast other
Soviet forces expanding the Krem-
enchug bridgehead advanced a
spectacular 20 miles westward in
"a hours in a dash aimed at re-
lieving e1nbattied Russian units at
Cherkasy.
The great tank and infantry bat
tie west of Kiev ragged furiouSly
throughout the Gay, and Gen. Nj
kolai Vatutin's Soviet forces. after
absorbing seven German attacks
made lone after the other"
struck out in a commensurate and
improved their positions, Moscow
announced in its daily commune
que.
About a battalion of Nazis were
wiped out ia this action, said the
midnight bulletin, recorded by the
Soviet monitor from a broadcast,
while 300 more were left on the
battlefield on another sector of this
front.
Back May Be Broken
The Moscow announcements in
dictated that the Russians may
have broken the pack of the great
German commemorative, which
already had gained 80 miles from
Korosten and carried to the re-
gion below Malin, about SIS miles
west of Kiev, with the Germans
throwing into action nearly 1000
tanks ard rushing in reserves as
the Red army destroyed the ma
chimes by the hundreds.
Greatly aiding Gen. Vatutin's
forces were several guerrilla de-
tachments which, combining their
forces II days ago, captured two
railway stations in a sudden at
tack in the region of Zhitomir, 40
miles to the southwest of the main
action. At one Of these stations
the guerrillas destroyed four Ger
man trajnloads of troops with mill
tary supplies which presumably
were being rushed to the front.
The guerrillas, declared the So
Wet cornmunique, ever since have
held these two stations, resisting
repeated attempts Of the Germans
to win them back.
Places Captured
Troops under Soviet Gen. Ivan
S. Koney, striking westward from
Kremenckug, captured several
strongly fortified places Monday,
among them the town of Grushev-
ka, 20 miles beyond Chigrin, taken
Sunday, and only % miles south
Of Cherkasy.
These Russian forces are driv-
ing to relieve Soviet bridgehead
established in the Cherkasy region
several weeks ago and which has
been under terrific German as
sault since. The Russians, al
though not retreating under this
attack, nevertheless have failed to
expand the bridgehead materially.
The troops which established
themselves at Grushcvka are be-
Geved to be within Is miles of
the neal esr Cherkasy bridgehead
forces, and dining of the Krem-
enchug and Cherkasy forces ap-
pears near.
Berlin Preparing People
The Berlin radio already is be-
ginning to prepare its audience for
such an event, declaring Monday
that the Russians hac managed to
establish footnold in the town Of
Cherhasy itself, which had been
by-passed in the first crossing of
the Dnieper, The fighting in this
entire area, Berli1 said, is grow
ing more intense by the hour.
In a second main drive expand
ing the emenchus salient the
Russians continued to advance to-
ward the industrial city of Kirovo-
grad, beating of several tank
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