Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-03-20
Reds Fighting to Hold
Donets Defense Lines
BY EDDY GILMORE,

Army still struggled today to hold
it's defense lines along the twisting
Northern Donets River east and
southeast of Kharkov against the
increasing number of German tanks
men and planes being poured into
this area. many of them apparently
being brought up through Kharkov
At one unidentified place, the Ger
man grouped Is tanks with a large
infantry unit to force the Russians
to withdraw. The noon communi-
que said the Soviet troops managed
to reform their lines and counter
attack, hurting the Nazis back to
previous positions.
GA German high command
communique broadcast from Ber-
lin said German troops had
captured 1884 Red Army men
and inflicted other heavy losses
in the COMPREHENSIVE between
the Dnieper and the Donets
Rivers since February 10. Fifty
thousand were declared killed.
On the Smolensk front the Rus
slams reported that, despite unfavor-
able weather conditions, they had
driven steadily forward and had
gained another town after vicious
street fighting in the Staraya Russo
area.
Advance Along Dnieper.
Dispatches to Pravda, the Com
munist Party newspaper. declared
that advances along the Dnieper
River front now had virtually
cleared the enemy out of every Sec
tor along the river from its source
down toward the Vyazma -Smolensk
railway and that, driven westward
the Germans now were laying mines
over wide area to stem the Red
Army push.
With spring mud begging down
the entire area, however, it was
thought that soon only air forces
would be able to function normally
The Soviet noon communique did
not disclose whether the Germans
had been able to cross the Uppe.
Donets where the Russians still held
some positions on the western shore
But as the Red Army continued its
slaughter of German infantrymen
and rapid-flre rif1emen who charge
across the thin ice of the still frozen
Donets, the Germans brought more
and more men to the battle line. it
was reported.
Nazi Toll Mounting.
The German death toll was said To
be mounting steadily.
Both sides are aided in the night
fighting by the present full moon
which lights 10 the ice over the
Donets and aids the Red Army in
blasting the Germans many noe
turnal efforts to cross the river and
dig In on the eastern bank.
On the other hand, the German
air force makes night flights bv it's
light, bombing Russian positions.
The midnight communique had
acknowledged that two villages were
lost to numerically superior enemy
force at the cost of heavy losses"
and it was believed these were in the
Chuguev area, along a battle line
described as being Is miles east of
Kharkov.
The Germans were reported to
have big guns ranged along their
river positions and heavy firing duels
across the waterway were frequent.
200 Germans Exterminated.
The Russian advance toward Smo-
lensk was described by the noon
bulletin as being Waged in drives
across the Upper Dnieper with more
than 200 Germans exterminated in a
battle for one stronghold and a
German infantry battalion encircled
and completely annihilated" in an
other sector.
Earlier, the Russians had indicated
the Germans were Offering stubborn
resistance from previously prepared
positions south of Izdeshkovo, about
IS miles east of Smolensk on the
main railway to Vyazma.
The Russians said they brought
down at least Is enemy aircraft on
the Lake linen and Donets River
fronts Yesterday