The Wilmington morning star., 1943-08-12
NEAR ENEMY BASE
Latest Red Advance Puts
Them Seven And Half
Miles From City
CORRIDOR IS NARROW
Nazis Hurriedly Bring Up
Tanks To Stem Rus
sian Offensive

LONDON, Thursday, Aug.
12.-P)-Russian forces ad-
vanced to within 7 1-2 miles
of Kharkov yesterday and
shot a column southwest of
the almost encircled city to
cut one of the last German
escape railways in a sudden
wheeling movement that car
ried them to within SO miles
of the Dnieper river bend.
By cutting the Kharkov-
Poltava railway at Vodyan-
ava, 40 miles west of Khar-
kov, the Russians thus mar
rowed the escape gap from
Kharkov to about 60 miles in
the south, a special Moscow
communique indicated.
The advance toward the
Dnieper threatened to drop
down behind the Germans in
the Donets basin, where large
Nazi forces are deployed from
100 to 200 miles southeast
ward of the new thrust.
Capture of the hamlet of
Cherkasskie Tishki, brought
the Russians nearest to Khar-
.kov from the northeast. Rus
sia's third largest city, Khar-
kov, lying on an open plain,
appeared doomed, for the
Russians were now 71-2
miles away on the northeast,
20 miles away on the east, IL
miles on the north, 80 miles
on the west and % miles on
the southeast.
Russians Crash Through
The Germans hurriedly brought
up several tank divisions in an
attempt to break the Soviet drive
or Kharkov, the Moscow midnight
conmunique recorded by the So
vet monitor said.
But the R S n S crashed
through capturing so populated
places IN 12-mile advance.
One unit burst into the large
town of Akhiy rka, AZ miles south
Of Sunny, and captured it after
heavy street fighting in which 1000
Germans were killed, SO tanks de-
troyed and 260 trucks wrecked.
Almost zoo trucks and other war
material were captured In tn is
area, SIS miles northwest of Khar-
xcv.
In cutting the Poltava railway
he Russians sent the Germans
nto head-long retreat. Typical Of
re fignting was a night attack
oy Russian automatic riflemen,
Who stole silently into a village
nd wiped out $50 Germans, cap
.uring the village and large
of war material.
Moscow dispatches said that Pol
ava itself was heavily battered
Tuesday night by Russian bomb
srs. The conmunique said that
| total ef 127 German planes were
brought down in two days of fight
ng.
The pattle, raging along a 400
nile front from north of Smolensk
o south of Kharkov, saw other
RUSSIAN gains
One column reached to within
0 miles of Bryansk by capturing
despite stiff resistance
I'D c1everly-placed German mine
ields.
Seventy populated places were
captured in this area and one Rus.
ian formation wiped out about
1000 Germans and captured
torres, guns and trucks. South Of
his area, near Krolni, 1000 Ger
mans were killed and 5000 Soviet
citizens about to be sent to Ger.
many for forced labor, rescued
rom their captors.
The southwestward wheeling
1ovement toward the .Dnieper
end disclosed last night recalled
he Russian strategy in last win.
er's dramatic Soviet westward Of
ensive. Once more the Russians
rere pushing westward at such
ate that German forces in the
>onets basin faced the dilemma
f remaining to be trapped or re-
reating to the Dnieper.
The German forces in this area
re lar5e and are arrayed against
arge Russian forces but action,
5 reported in recent couirnunioues