Evening star., 1943-01-02
Naziis Deny Fall
Of veIikie Luki,
Concede E|ista
Reds Announce Coins
On Wide Front; Claim
Much Booty Token
By the Associated press.

BY the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, Jan. 2.-The cap
ture Of two major Russian objec-
tiveS 900 miles apart, Velikie
Luki in the north and Elista in
the Southern Kalmyck steppes,
was announced ofncially by So
Wet authorities today as the
newest successes Of the hard
hitting Red Army winter ofYen-
Sive.
Velikie Luki was reported taken
after a long, bitter siege which saw
its hedgehog fortifications slowly re-
duced. The Russian reports indi-
Gated its final seizure was bloody.
The German garrison in the
town, which refused to lay down its
arms, was wiped out" the regular
early communique said.
(The German high command
denied today that the>Russians
had captured Velikie Luki)
Elisha Reported Destroyed.
Elisha, capital of the wind-swept
desert-like Kalmyck steppe region,
was gathered in by Russian columns
which had speared swiftly south
from the Stalingrad-K d-Kotelnikovski
battle line. Little towns in their
path tumbled into their hands as
they sped southwark to provide
new threat behind the German
forces busted with the frontal as
sault of the Russian offensive in the
Caucasus.
(Elista has been evacuated by
German troops after complete de-
struction of the place, authorita-
tive German quarters announced
in Berlin today)
In that offensive the capture of
Chikola, district center southeast
of Nalchik, and of the towns of
Kaznedo and Saldun, also was an
nounced in the communique. The
Russian Caucasus army has thrown
units across the Terek River in a
flanking attack to insure further the
safety of the Grozny oil fields.
War Materials Seized.
The ponderous but closely-meshed
Russian campaign moved ahead on
other fronts, the third war bulletin
of the day said. The Soviet midday
communique reported that large
quantities of war materials were
seized in the capture of Velikie Luki
Enemy counterattacks were beaten
of in sectors of the central front,
tho lofocf nm, v,o,,vin,,o co;l aso>
cially in the arear west of Rzhev,
where it reported that large enemy
formations supported by tanks sew
eral times attempted to attack our
positions"
Southwest and south Of Stalingrad
number Of villages were reported
taken, but they were not identified.
In their retreat the Germans were
abandoning large quantities of arms,
raw materials and supplies, the
Soviet authorities said.
The capture of another town in
the Middle Don area also was
claimed.
Violent Engagement.
Northwest of Stalinerad. the mid
day bulletin announced, Red Army
units clashed in violent en-
gagement which carried them into
dozens of the enemy's trenches and
dugouts, while in Stalingrad itself
Red Army shock troops kept up
their plodding task Of pushing the
Germans out of the ruins of the
city's buildings.
Advices from the front yesterday
pictured the Germans, part of the
force of % Axis divisions reported
pinned before the city, as suffering
from the lack of water, food and
ammunition. and living in under
ground dugouts like moles."
First reports of the Russian
New Year communique late
Thursday, detailing the successes
of the vast Soviet Stalingrad-
saving campaign, said the Ger
man Army in Stalingrad is
liquidated completely" This was
based on a recording made in
London Of broadcast of the
special communique Inspection
of the text which became avail
able later revealed that the
phrase was not in the official
communique and the error was
traced to faulty reception and
translation in London.)
Important Rail Sector,
The reported capture of Velikie
Luki laid open the heart of large
transportation system over which
the Germans have moved reinforce
ments.
The town is 260 miles northwest
of Moscow and only 80 miles from
the Latvian border. Westward a