Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-09
Jap Forces Leave Guada|cana|,
Resistance Ended Knox Reports;
Reds Press On After Takinq Kursk
Russians Smash at
German Lines in
Three Sectors
By EDDY GILMORE.


MOSCOW, Feb. 9.-The Red
Army smashed anew at sagging
German lines in three sectors
today after storming into Kursk,
an enemy anchor point on the
Moscow-to-C rimea rail line, and
destroying the German Kursk
army, commanded by Gen.
Schneider.
Front line dispatches and COM
muniques told of the Red Army
sweeping in on the German citadel
from several directions to over
whelm a garrison that had held
kursk since November II, 194l.
Germans Counterattack.
One story said the Russians
found Kursk to be IAN enormous
cemetery"
Advance units pursued the Ger
mans west and south of Kursk.
Kharkov, another important Ger
man bastion on the same rail line
lbs miles south of Kursk, was men
aced by similar enlightenment tao
tics. Kharkov has been in German
hands since October, 1941.
Col. Gen. N. F. Vatutins mobile
units and ski troopers pressed on
from Kramatorsk southwark into
the Donets Basin and toward the
Sea Of Azov.
About Rostov the Germans were
communicating in an attempt to
hold that city. said the first news
dispatches from that Don River
port since the Russians drove to
within three miles of it.
East of Rostov the Soviet troops
took large unidentified place.
Pravda, the Communist party
newspaper, said the "Kursk army.
as it called itself. does not exist
any more"
Its dispatches said Gen. Schneider
told his garrison as the Russians
approached: Keep on; relief will
come"
But ,Pravda said the memory OF
Stallngrad was too frightening
factor as the Soviet troops swept
nearer.
The Germans had hoped that
their lines before Kursk would hold
near Shchigri and Tim. When they
were smashed last week, anxiety
mounted within the garrison. s~FI.t
Railroad Cut, BY Reds. 49,. 20
The Red Army troops then took
the station at Zorino, cut the rail-
way at Kursk-Lgov and stormed
into the village Of lie Biazhie. The
Kursk army's advanced posts were
knocked back, the Russians said.
and at dawn yesterday the Russians
reached the subuKis.
The first heavy thrust at Kursk
was delivered from the northeast.
bitches and ravines in that Sec
ton offered considerable problem
and the Germans pushed reserves
into the area, including a motor
cycle battalion and several infantry
battalions, which reached the gar
rison from Lgov before the railway
was severed.
The Russians, however, drove into
the Yamskoy district. broke into the
street OF the Young Pioneers, fought
their way into Gorsy street, the
main artery, then stormed across
the Tuskar River into the heart of
the city after fierce battles, the dis
patches said.
The far side Of the Tuskar River
Is an elevated bank and the Red
Army troops had to scale it under
heavy machine-gun and mortar fire.
Pravda said the Russian soldiers
used bayonets, and even rifle butts,
to batter the garrison into submits
sion.
City Nearly Demolished.
Another Soviet column, mean
time, broke through from the south
east and crossed the River Seim,
occupied the railway station and ad-
vanced into Proletarian Square.
One last counterattack by the
Germans was beaten down.
The city was reported to have
been practically demolished, with a
priced museum and picture gallery
destroyed and numerous fine build
ings burned.
Pravda reported that $4,000 in
habitants had been removed by the
Germans since its occupation.
1zvestia, the government news
paper, said the Red flag was raised
over Kursk at pm. yesterday.
1zvestia's story said the Germans
used every reserve they had in try
ing to hold Kursk, even forming a
regiment of soldiers hurried from
hospitals on the eve of battle.