The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-01-14
The War On
MonyFronts
BY United Press

BY United Press
Key German fortress towns were
tottering in Russia and Italy today
while strong American air fleets at
tackled four major airfields in the
suburbs of Rome.
Accelerating their new winter
advance into German lines In White
Russia, Gen. Konstantin K. Rokos-
sovsky's Russian shock troops blast
ed a wideninf1 gap into the forti-
fications between Mozyr and Kahn
kovichi, twin bastionS guarding the
Pinsky Corridor through the treach-
erous Pripet marches.
Paced By ski battalions and
saber-swinging cavalrymen n, tn
Russian veterans made short Shrift
of the miniature Siegfried line of
steel and concrete which the Ger
mans had erected to protest Mozyr,
on the south bank Of the Pripet
River ITS miles northwest Of Kiev
and Kalinkovichi, six miles away
on the north bank.
In a series of lightning advances
from the north, east, south and
southwest. Russian KIN e n,
armor- busters and hand grenade
throwers charged into the German
defenses after a terrific aerial and
artillery barrage had knocked an
initial gap in the nine mile enemy
line.
Gaining ground steadily, the Rus
slams widened the breach until the
enemy arInor broke and fed west
ward into the Pripet Marches, where
hundreds were maSsacred. The
Soviet forces then smashed to the
very walls" of the beleaguered
cities, whose fall was believed
foregone conclusion.
To the southwest, 40 miles inside
pre-war Poland, Gen. Nikolai F
Vatutin'S LIST Ukrainian army adj
vanced rapidly along the Kiev-
Warsaw railway to capture the
village Of Tutevichi. IL miles west
Of Sarny. Vatutin's westermost
spearheads also engulfed Malnsk
II miles south of Sarny and IS
miles northwest Of Rovno, German
administrative capital Of the
Ukraine.
In the central Kiev salient, other
1st army elements swept up go To-
calities southwest of Novograd Vol
ynski in driving to within IS miles
Of Shepetovka, rail junction guard
ing the traditional invasion route
into southern Poland.
Desperate Attempt
In a desperate attempt to fend
off the Soviet threat to the Odessa
Lwow railroad parelleling the Bes-
sarabian border, the Germans
launched a series of furious coun-
er-attacks, ard several localities
exchanged hands number of times
in fierce see-Saw fighting. However
the Russians announced that the
enemy gained no lasting success in
his efforts to keep open the only
practical escape route for his forces
trapped in the Dnieper Bend.
Striking at the heart OF the Luft-
waffe's fighter strength in Italy,
powerful formations of American
Flying Fortresses, Mitchell medium
bombers and Marauderc plastered
the chain of airfields just south OF
Rome with augmentation bombs
and high explosives.
Not a single heavy bomber was
lost while eight German fighters
were shot down in the Rome attack,
which highlighted series Of wide
ranging assaults against German air
bases and communications in Cen
trail Italy
Lightning escorted fortresses
opened the aerial offensive with
strong attack on the Centocelle
Guidonia airfields and Marauders
wound up by ripping the Centocelle
airdrome and attacking the two
1mnHIiio fields, nine miles south Of
Rome.
u S. Liberator bombers hammered
another important German airfield
at Perugia, 80 miles north of Rome,
but overcast weather precluded an
accurate report on the results. Al
together, five Allied planes were
missing after the days operations
compared with 10 enemy planes shot
down.
Ground Front
On the ground front, American
mountain troops converged on the
key stronghold on Casino from
both sides of the Via Casilina, the
valley invasion road to Rome. Re-
polling a savage German attempt to
recapture Cervaro, four miles to the
northeast, the Americans concen-
trated their effort against Mount
Trocchio, last natural barrier held
by the enemy south Of Casino.
Meantime, French troops, partici-
pating in their first major fighting
In Europe since the fall Of France,
drove as much as two miles into the
enemy flang north Of Casino, driv-
in the Germans from three strategic
heights on that side.
On the Eighth Army's Adriatic
front, British and New Zealand
troops improved their positions in
patrol action north Of Ortona.
Informed sources in London re-
ported, meanwhile, that the toll of
enemy planes destroyed by Amer
lean bombers and fighters in Tues
dav'a raid far axeaadAd the 1k2 0f.