The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-02-12
Germans Squeezed Into
PerilOus Triangle North
east of ROStOv
PICK OF NAZI TROOPS
SUFFERS HEAVY LOSS
Members of Crack Reich
Division Prisoners; Fall
of KharkOv Certain
BY M. s. HANDLER

ANAe Ne AAkAANOAASAb
UNITED Press Staff Correspondent
Moscow, February IL. -
CUP - Four Russian col
umns today drove on Khar-
kov, now within range Of
artillery, and the Red Army
was squeezing the Germans
into a small and perilous
triangle northeast Of Rostov.
"a BIC broadcast heard by
United Press in New York
said Russian long-range guns
already were Smelling the outskirts
Of Kharkov and that five Of the
eight railroads radiating from the
city had been cut by the Soviets.
(BBC also reported that Red
Army artillery was pounding Rostov
from the south while Soviet troops
were exploiting their bridgehead
across the Don and were tanning
out from Novocherkassk.)
Russian troops routed a power.
full force Of IS combat troops, pick
Of the German Army, in savage
battle southeast Of Kharkov and
inflicted heavy losses.
Colonel General Nikolai r. Vatu.
tins southern column had advance
"a miles north from Lozovaya ant
occupied Belaevka, 50 miles south
Of Kharkov. Other Soviet columns
were at Andreyevka, % miles SOUTH
east of the Ukranian industrial cap
ital, at Chuguyev, % miles south Of
the city and at Belgorod, a. miles
otthe north.
Although the Soviets still were
outside the range Of their standard
four and siX-inch guns, which can
throw shells ~ to IA miles It was
possible that 10 or l2-inch guns
might be brought up to shell Khar-
kov.
Sidings Essential
Observers believed, however that
extensive use would not be made Of
the siege guns, which require rail-
road sidings and are used primarily
IN poSitional warfare. The nature
Of the extraordinarily mobile Soviet
offensive was such that widespread
use Of the big guns was expected to
be unnecessary.
The Red army was developing an
offensive against Rostov, tanning
northeastward from Novocherassk
% miles northeast of the Caucasus
gateway city. 1t continued to ex-
pand its wedge into the powerful
enemy Notifications along the RIOS.
-Novocherassk railroad, which
defend Rostov's eastern outskirts.
One column had crossed the Dom
cts river and cut the Likhaya-S tal-
ingrad railroad short distance east
Of Likhaya. 1t occupied Bougarev
station and advanced halfway to
Shakhty, between Likhaya and
Rostov. Another crossed to the
Don's western bank and occupied
Kerchik and Melikovskaya, north
east of Novocherassk.
This double attack drove the Ger
mans southwestward into a small
triangle formed by the Rostov-Nov-
ocherassk railroad and the Don. q
position already under heavy attack
from the south and doubly danger
GUS for the enemy.
The newspaper Pravda said the
Kerch strait and the Taman penin-
sula were the only means of escape
left for the Germans in the north
ern Caucasus. Its correspondent,
AleXei Tolstoy. said the next few
days will show whether the Ger
mans will succeed in this sea opera
ton"
(Radio Berlin reported renewed
attacks on the northern
front btween Volkhov and Lenin-
grad. 1t said SO Russian tanks had
been destroyed. BIC quoted the
official German DNB news agency
saying that gunfire could be heard
In Riga, Latvia)
The German command, in a des-
perate attempt to stop the steam
roller drive of Colleen. N. r.
Continued on Page q