Evening star., 1944-02-20
Russians Reveal Vast
Nazi Armory Seized
In Korsun Trap
Commander of Germun
9th Army Reported Dead
Losses Reach 1920
BY the Associated Press.

bS lne hSSoclateC press.
LONDON, Sunday, Feb. 90
The Russians announced last
night that they had not only
killed or captured 73,200 Ger
mans in the l4-day battle of the
Korsun trap but had seized an
immense armory of Nazi equip
ment, including 10000 trucks
Glib guns and 116 tanks. The
Nazi 9th Army commander s
body also was declared found
among the dead.
The announcement said thai
10000 more Germans had beer
counted since figures on German
losses in the great Dnieper Bene
debacle had been made public frs
last Thursday. Among these were
5000 dead, making a total of SIS OO(
slain and 1900 additional prisoners
for total of lS,2O0 captives.
The announcement was made in a
statement broadcast by Moscow
radio and recorded by the Soviet
monitor.
Later, Moscow midnight bulletin
gave details of steady Russian ad-
vances in the north, where 100 more
communities were captured in the
three-way drive on Pskov, gateway
to the Baltic States.
Many Slain at Plyussa.
The rail station of Plyussa, 5e
miles northeast of Pskov on the
Leningrad-Pskov railway, was taken
after a tense fight which cost the
Germans hundreds of dead, the late
bulletin said. Much war material
was captured on that front and
many prisoners taken. Ski troops
were active.
To the east the Russian forces
which captured Staraya Russa tore
a great Semicircle of territory out
of German hands to the west and
southwest of Staraya Russa. The
rail station of Tuleblya II miles west
OF Staraya Russa on the railroad
to Pskov, was captured and Kharino
2l miles southwest of the ancient
city, also fell, the Russians said.
Moscow also announced that Rus
sian planes bombed Pskov Friday
night as dozens of German army
trains were being loaded. Eighty
fires broke out and the entire juno
ton was wrapped in flames.
Dead Commander Found.
In statement broadcast immedi-
ately after the short daily communi-
que, Moscow said that the German
general, Wilhelm Stemmermann
commander of the encircled Nazi
9Th army troops, was among the
dead counted in the Korsun trap.
The Russians have never given a
figure for wounded, but in London it
was unoficially estimated at 10000
which would make total German
losses 103, 900. The Russians also had
announced that Germans outside the
ring had lost 10000 men in trying
to break through to the encircled
groups. 1t was never made clear
however, whether these were in
cluded in the announced totals.
The Moscow statement, summar-
izing the German losses in ma
terial in the 14-day battle, said 43(
German planes, $50 tanks, 376 guns
So self-propelled guns, 269 mortars
and 900 machine guns were de-
stroyed.
Material declared captured in
cluded Al planes, 1l6 tanks, 80 ar.
mored cars, 618 guns, 81 self pro
PEELED guns, 267 mortars, 789 ma
chine guns, IS armored tank trans
ports, 10000 trucks, 7 locomotives
AIS railway fuel cars, 1850 carts
loaded with war material, more than
5000 horses and ga food dumps.
Berlin, meanwhile, continued tc
deny that the encircled troops were
erased, contending the bulk of the
forces had forced a corridor ano
reached the main German forces.
Over 30 towns and hamlets were
taken by the Russians coming dowr
the rail line from Luga on the way
to Pskov, the communique said
Eastward, south of Lake linen, the
Russians captured over 100 popu.
lated places.