Evening star., 1943-07-20
Red Army Crushing
German 0re| Base
From Three Sides
Russians Take l30 Towns
In Advance; RepeI II
Nozi Attacks in Day
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
MOSCOW, July 2O.-The Red
Army, moving closer to its goal of
encirclement of Field Marshal
Guenther Won Kluge's forces in
the Orel area, has captured 130
villages in an advance on three
sides of that Nazi bastion on the
central front 200 miles south of
Moscow, the Russians announced
today.
tSeveral dozen more populated
places have been captured on the
Orel front where Russian armies
are advancing on the German
base from three sides, the Mos
COW radio said early tonight.)
Front line dispatches declared So
Wet troops were sweeping everything
before them. although they ac-
knowledged that the Germans were
resisting bitterly and said the ter
rain made operations difficult in
some sectors.
The Soviet midnight communique
said the Germans were rushing re-
Inducements into the battle and
were counterattacking the advanc-
ing Russians as many as II times
within single day in some sectors
without success.
The Russians announced the cap
ture of Ilinskoye, 80 miles west OF
Orel. This represents the most
westerly advance in the area north
of Orel From here the Russian
line swings back east and then cuts
south around Orel and runs west
along the old line to Sevsk.
1linskoye is only 8 miles north o1
the important Orel-Bryansk Rail-
way and only 1S miles northeast OF
Karachev, an important railway
junction which has been heavily
bombed in the past, the Russians
said.
The Russians also reported the
capture of Lgovo near Ilinskoye or
the east bank of the Vytebet River
and 30 miles northwest of Orel
Kudriavets, another town taken by
the Red Army, is II miles northwest
of Ilinskoye. the Russians reported
Russian dispatches indicated that
their forces have considerably ex.
panded" their breach in the Ger.
man lines although they admitted
that the Nazis were giving then
considerable trouble at severa
points. One particularly fierce en-.
gagement was fought on the out.
skirts of Frest, where German artil.
lery halted the advance for time
until Russian guardsmen filtered
through in small detachments unit
they had outflanked the garrison.
East of Orel, the bulletin said
the Russian Army advanced ovel
hilly country across bitches ane
water lines to recapture 40 towns
In one action it was reported thai
Russians forced their way into 6
town and ousted the Germans only
after bitter hand-to-hand struggle
10 Villages Regained.
To the north Red Army men were
said to have regained 70 villages
while from the south came wore
that the Nazis had withdrawn from
20 towns.
The Russian communique sale
counterattacks were costing tn,
Germans heavy losses. An addi
tional u German tanks and 81
planes were reported to have beer
knocked out in the fighting yester
day, bringing the 15-day total Il
3,516 tanks and 1904 planes.
The Russian drive around Ore
was being assisted by guerrilla &C
tivity. The irregulars, the communi
que said, launched a surprise at
tack on one German garrison ant
captured large village A compan.
OF Germans was annihilated in tn
fighting and the guerrillas seize.
q Eumber of guns and other wa
material, the bulletin added.
The bulletin also credited Sovie
engineering units with playing ,
large part in the present advance
The detachments have blown VI
hundreds of tanks and about 20'
motor trucks in the Orel sectiol
since July S, it said.
The communique reported con.
tinuation of light scouting activity
In the Belgorod sector at the south.
ern end Of the 165-mile battle line
The sector was the scene of som,
OF the heaviest fighting when tn.
Germans first launched their of.
fensive on July S, and it was her,
alone that they were able to hacl
out q few small gains before tn,
Red Army counterattacked.
Northeast Of Noverossisk in tn,
Caucasus the Russians said the,
blocked a German counterassaul
launched in an attempt to gain hill