Evening star., 1944-03-14
Full Collapse of
Southern Flank in
Russia Indicated
MAP on Page A-f4.)
By the Associated Press,

%! Inc Associated RTeSS.
LONDON, Mar. 14.-Every
available ship in Rumania' S
Black Sea ports has been rushed
northward, apparently to Odes-
sa, an Istanbul dispatch said
today. This appeared to fore
shadow complete collapse of the
Germans broken southern flank
In Russia in a large-scale 1914
Dunkerque which would pull the
battle line back into Rumania.
The Istanbul dispatch, based on
information from Sofia, suggested
the Germans were preparing to
evacuate Odessa by sea.
Following up Premier Stalin's an
nouncement last night of the cap
ture of Kherson, 80 miles east of
Odessa, the German high COM
mand's communique today said that
base had been evacuated "in the
course OF planned disengagement
movements after the destruction of
all military installations.
New Reserves Thrown In.
The communique also said both
sides had thrown new reserves into
the bitter struggle on the southern
sector of the eastern front.
Moscow announced $4,000 Nazis
had been killed and captured in 10
days of the broad Soviet offensive in
Lower Russia. Kerson fell to Gen.
Rodion K. Malinovsky's Bird Ukraine
Army, made up of Stalingrad vet
Grams, after crossing the lower
reaches of the Dnieper.
If it were true that the Nazis had
given up all hope of other than a
seaborne retreat from their last
stand in the Ukraine, this would
explain their terrific resistance in
the outskirts of Tarnopol in prewar
Poland, where a seesaw fight ragged
into the sixth day. There the Nazis
were making a grim attempt to hold
an inland anchor of the front shat
tered by the combined Red Army Of
rensives.
The Russians were pounding with
In As miles of the Dniester River
from the northeast. They already
had cut the Odessa-Lwow trunk line
and left the whole German south
flank army with only cross border
threadwork of single-track spur
lines west into Rumania.
Lines Inadequate.
These lines would be neither ade-
quate for the supply of 100000 fight
ing men, nor for their retreat.
The peril to Odessa-last hope of
seaborne escape-already was two
edged, with Col. Gen. Feodor Toll
bukin driving on Nikolaev from cap
tured Kherson and Malinovsky
fanking Nikolaev in his onslaught
from the northeast.
Both these forces likely were
within go miles of Odessa today
and unchecked.
To the north the Red Army was
within so miles of the Rumanian
border at three points after advances
which, a Soviet communique said,
swept up 800 more towns in "a hours.
On the basis of Moscow announce
illtllIS OOU,UUU Stl uldllS nave UeCll
killed and 10000 captured since the
inception of the Red Army winter
offenSives.
Galganovka Taken.
Relentlessly pushing the Germans
toward the Black Sea coast, Soviet
forces under Gen. Malinovsky were
officially credited yesterday with
taking Galganovka on the Ingulets
River, 35 miles east of the important
Black Sea port of Nikolaev, which
is 35 miles northwest of Kherson.
Additional Red Army units were
last reported only q miles north of
Nikolaev.
Moscow said the Germans fed "in
panic" into Kherson, and that when
the Red Army broke into the city
it slaughtered those Nazis who tried
to make a stand The Germans
were even casting aside their light
packs in flight, the Moscow dis
patches added. Gen Malinovsky's
troops alone were said to have killed
10000 and captured $500 Nazis in
q week.