Evening star., 1943-11-22
Reds Try Thrust
To Divert Nazi
Ukraine Attack
Latest Russian
Assault Directed
At Krivoi Rog
MAP on Page A-4.)
BY HENRY C. CASSIDY,

poSlClOIlS dI hTlVOl roy, Key city
inside the Dnieper bend, were
menaced today by a new Russian
offensive thrust apparently de-
signed to divert Nazi forces
fiercely attacking the Korosty-
Shev sector on the Northern
Ukraine front.
Front-line dispatches said the
latest Russian assaults south OF
Kremenchug, one Of the original
Soviet bridgeheads on the west bank
of the Dnieper. had smashed enemy
resistance yesterday and overrun
eight Nazi defense bases there
About 5000 Germans were reported
slain and 60 tanks knocked out in
the fighting.
GA Reuters dispatch from Mos
cow said the Russians had scored
a new 20-mile advance in the
Dnieper bend after breaking
through German defenses east of
the Kremenchug -Znamenka rail-
way.
The thrust added to the diff
culties already confronting the
Nazis, but they continued to press
their attacks in the Korostyshev
area west of Kiev, though they had
nothing to show for their efforts
but heavy losses in men and ma
chimes since recapturing Zhitomir.
Attacking in Narrow Sector.
A familiar scene thus was once
more being enacted, with the Ger
mans attacking with a large con-
centration of troops, tanks and
planes on a narrow sector while the
Russians absorbed the blows with
widely distributed forces and struck
back in other areas.
There was no disposition. however
to minimize the strength of the Ger
man assaults at Korostyshev. Soviet
dispatches last night frankly said
the situation there was serious and
the Russians no longer referred to
the enemy operations as mere
"counterattacks"
A front line dispatch to Pravda
said the Russians had reached the
Berezina River at its juncture with
the Dnieper in their drive through
White Russia toward the Polish
border.
The advance to Is miles north OF
Rechitsa put that Soviet column
less than $50 miles southeast of the
White Russian capital of Minsk
which lies only about Is miles east
of the prewar Polish border.
Rail Line Threatened.
This push also threatens the
Minsk- -Gomel rail line, last raj
escape link remaining to the Naz
garrison in the partly encirclec
stronghold Of Gomel.
A Russian communique said yes.
terday that in one sector of tn.
Korostyshev area the German!
launched three consecutive tank at
tacks which were hurled back BY
artillery fire. A wave of infantry
was also smashed with heavy losse!
and another attack cost the Nazis
1000 dead, the bulletin said.
The Korostyshev sector is so mile.
west of Kiev and 20 miles east Of
Zhitomir. which the Red ARMY payf
up Friday.
(The German high command
said that Nazi forces driving back
eastward from west of Kiev had
broken through Soviet defense
points after beating off counter
attacks and had captured i'm
portant ground" west of Kiev.
CThe Berlin broadcast also ac-
knowledged new Russian break
through near Cherkasy, Dnieper
rail junction northwest of Kre-
menchug. but said the breach
had been closed.
Un new attacks aimed at en-
circling Krivoi Rog the Berlin
odAo 0OtlCU u1ttCS
both north of Krivoi Rog and
near Nikopol to the southeast had
been beaten off,
Reds Push Own Offensive.
Southwest of Dnepropetrovsk II
the Dnieper bend the Russians con-
tinued to push their own offensive
capturing several heavily fortified
German strongholds and the railway
station of Nezabudino. In the battl.
for the station 900 Germans wer,
declared to have been killed.
In the Cherkasy sector, north o.
kremenchug and below Kiev, Rus.
sian artillery which had moved
across the Dnieper River to a new
bridgehead was reported shelling thu
enemy lines as the Red Army grounc
steadily through thickly fortified DO.
SitiOnS on the outskirts IF Cherka sv