Show e- e I eRUSSIA RUSSIA REPORTS GREAT VICTORY By Associated Press Russia proclaimed a smashing new victory over Adolf Hitler's battered invasion armies Wed Wednes Wednesday es- es day even as the fuehrer announced that the bitter snows of winter were melting and that he had completed preparations for the final struggle this spring Snow and frost brought to a temporary standstill the series of victories of the German army unique in history Hitler declared in a message to nazi party followers followers fol fol- lowers Our enemy then hoped to in inflict inflict inflict in- in on the German army the fate of the Napoleonic retreat This attempt has collapsed miserably In Moscow Russians celebrated a reporting that the triumphant red armies had crushed Germanys Germany's Sixteenth field army Russa had been a key German base guarding the southern southern southern south south- ern flank of the nazi armies before Leningrad A decisive breakthrough breakthrough breakthrough break break- through by the Russians would gravely endanger the whole northern northern northern north north- ern arm of the German invasion and arid presumably force a hurried withdrawal of the nazi siege forces around Leningrad German military quarters declared declared declared de de- that the Russian claim of Continued on PaRe Pale Four Column Three e RUSSIA REPORTS REPORTS' GREAT VICTORY Continued from Page Pace One wiping o out t the German field army in the Russa area was plain nonsense Soviet front line frontline line dispatches also reported important new Russian gains during the last 48 hours on the southwest front presumably front presumably between Orel and t harkov in the Ukraine with Ukraine with the slaughter of 2250 nazis Forecasts Spring Victory Hitler asserted asserted that the coming spring struggle would be a settling settling set set- up with that conspiracy cy which was hatched in the banking louses houses of th the plutocrats and extended to I the vaults of the Kremlin This was the Hitler who boasted boast boast- ed last October 3 that the Russian army already is broken and will never rise again who blamed the Weather for subsequent reverses reverses and declared that 1912 1942 will wilt again be a year yea year year-of of great victories The soviet information 4 bureau said the Russa action- action alm aimed d at furthering the threat to German lin lines was lines was correlated with a westward surge toward at the center engagements in which Russian troops were reported to have recaptured recaptured recaptured re re- re- re captured four settlements and in inflicted inflicted in- in 2250 casualties on the Germans Germans Ger ter- mans on the southwestern front and with fierce fighting in the Crimea Scorched Earth Hampers Bern dispatches said Russia's scorched earth policy labor shortage shortage shortage short short- age and the flight of t thousands of potential l workers before the German Ger- Ger German German Ger Ger- man army had crippled attempts s. s to o gear the economy of occupied soviet areas to that of the reich Belligerent capitals placed varying varying vary- vary ing ng lights upon the explosion of ofa ofa a a. bomb in Ankara the capital of n nonbelligerent Turkey on a boulevard boulevard boulevard boule boule- vard only about 18 yards from the strolling German ambassador ambassador Franz von and nd his wife The man who carried the bomb was killed Axis reports said there was a general belief in Berlin that British British Brit- Brit ish sh or Russian agents were sible An Ankara dispatch to Reuters British news agency declared however that papers bearing the stamp tamp of the German embassy had been found in the clothing of the victim Von and his wife were not injured |