Evening star., 1944-01-18
In
On Rovno, Nazii
Rai|wayCenter
Drive on Northern
Leningrod Front
Also Rolls On
MAP on Page Az
BY the Associated Press.

MooCOW, Jan. lo.-lTOOpS OF
Gen. Nikolai Vatutin's 1st
Ukrainian Army were reported
closing in today on Rovno Gin
old Poland), key German COM
munications center ITO miles
south of Pinsk, another main
objective of the Russian forces
on the northern edge of the
frozen Pripet Marshes.
Fall of Rovno, junction of the
Berdichev-Warsaw and Sarny-Lwow
Railways, would imperil the German
grip on a vast area of Southern
and Southwestern Russia, already
threatened by Gen. Vatutin's left
wing driving toward the Rumanian
frontier.
Gen. Vaoutin's center, based on
Novograd Volynski, so miles east of
Rovno, was driving on the rail hub
from the east, northeast and north,
constituting triple threat which
made its early capture a possibility
One column moving in from the
northeast already has occupin Tu-
chin 13 miles away, and is steadily
beating down savage enemy resist
ance, Russian communioue said.
Engineers Called In.
Soviet engineers were called in to
provide equipment for the crossing
of the Horyn River, which flows
westward through Tuchin's outskirts.
and which was not frozen sufl-
ciently for transport on the ice. Be-
yond the river there was a formida-
BILE 4-mile-Wide swamp barrier ex-
tending to the village of Goringrad.
strongpoint of Rovno's outer defense
system 10 miles to the north. which
also has to be negotiated by the
Russians.
Meanwhile. the five -day-old Rus
sian offensive on the Leningrad
front continued to roll forward with
the occupation of five additional
localities north and northeast of
Novosokolniki, a rail junction on
the line connecting Velikie-Luk
and Riga Cthe old Latvian capitaD
Towns captured yesterday, the Rus
sian war bulletin said, included
kurova, seven miles northeast of
Novosokolniki Kiselevichi, 10 miles
to the north; Alkhimovo - miles on
the northeast, and Sloboda, IS miles
to the north.
The German high command
said the Russians were attacking
north and northwest of Newell,
north of Lake linen. south of
Leningrad and south of Oranlen-
baum, with growing intensity"
Berlin broadcaSts said the Red
Army was using 250000 men on a
-mile-long front below Lenin-
grad and acknowledged Russian
breakthroughs north of Newell,
north of Lake linen and south
west of VitebSk, White Russian
base which has been under siege
by Gen. Ivan Bagramian's Baltic
Army for weeks
Advance Units Move Ahead.
The Red Army communicate made
no mention Of the situation in lower
White Russia, where Gen. Kon-
stantin .Rokossovsky's forces were
last reported battling their way
through the frozen Pripet marsh
land toward Pinsk. 100 miles to the
west. Advance columns of Gen.
Vatutin's right wing, meanwhile,
operating out of Sarny to the north
along the Horyn River, were said to
be within At miles of Pinsk.
In the lower Ukraine. Gen. vi
tutin's left wing repulsed fierce
German counterattacks yesterday,
the Russians said. Main fighting
centered north of Uman, IL miles
south of Yarovatka, where the Rus
slams previously had cut the Smela-
Khristinovka railway, a minor Nazi
escape route from the Middle Dnie-
per bend. Uman is 80 miles south
east OF Vinnitsa. where reinforced
German lines have temporarily held
up the Red Army spearheads.
Eighty German tanks, 16 armored
cars. 6 big guns, 200 trucks and
other war gear was destroyed by the
Russians in the Uman action, the
communique reported, adding that
on all fronts yesterday 1900 Ger
mans had been killed, 1900 of them
on the Leningrad front.