Show RUSSIANS DRIVEl GO 60 MILES FROM Reds Spear Ahead In Two-Pronged Two Caucasus Drive MOSCOW Jan 8 UP UP UP- Russian forces smashed forward in two directions in their Caucasus Caucasus Caucasus Cau Cau- casus offensive Friday driving one spearhead to wi within hin 60 O miles of and the other 56 miles from important axis defense point General Nikolai F. F Vatu tins tin's two pronged two pronged offensive was advancing advancing ad ad- from 73 miles due east of on the Sal river One arm reached 63 miles east of and th the advance continued The Theother Theother Theother other drove into 16 miles east of and 56 miles north of the junction of the Stalingrad-Caucasus Stalingrad railroad and the line The German position was becoming becoming becoming be be- coming increasingly desperate the gateway to the Caucasus Caucasus Caucasus Cau Cau- casus was threatened by both of these drives while a third Russian force was driving southward on the city and another pushed in from the northwest Garrisons Mopped Slopped Up Northwest of between the Stalingrad railroad and the southern arm of the big bigDon bigDon bigDon Don bend small bu but strong enemy garrisons were being mopped up swiftly The army newspaper Red RedStar RedStar Star reported particularly fierce fighting at the rail station station sta sta- tion miles northeast of Rosoy The re reoccupation of 12 inhabited points in this sector Thursday released released re re- re leased soviet strength for Intensification intensification of the red army anny drive southward and westward Soviet reports said the Germans were suffering enormous enormous normous losses in men men and material along the lower Don A captured commander of ofa a German Infantry regiment said only men of ot his unit survived and that many of those were frost frost- bitt bitten n. n A German r regiment normally nor nor- mally mally- includes to men Loses All Artillery The commander said his regiment regiment regi regiment regi- regi ment had lost all its artillery and mortars Although the axis troops encircled encircled cled clod in the Don offensive appeared doomed the enemy showed no in in- Continued on Page Pale Two Column One 2 Pronged Pro 2 g g d Russ Drive cri e Gains in en Caucasus sus Co Continued from Pap Page Oo On to surrender Instead he was battling fiercely and frequently frequently frequently fre fre- counterattacking in ina a vain effort to halt the Russian ad ad- vance vance In In the eastern Caucasus the Russians continued their western I drive approaching the Geo network which links the Baku railroad with and l Is miles southeast of Kostov In Inthis Inthis Inthis this drive the Soviets had cleaned up their right flank as far as Step- Step noye 37 31 miles from the outpost of the oil fields which they recaptured last week e Drive Toward Junction f The eastern Caucasus forces presumably were driving toward a a junction with forces moving southwest of Stalingrad In the re region re- re 1 gion glon of the Manych canal f r Hostilities appeared to be diminIshing diminishing dimin dimin- fishing on the central front northwest northwest northwest north north- west of Moscow where the RussIans Russians Rus Rus- consolidated their positions southwest of Luki and repelled repelled repelled re re- counterattacks Although they admitted the frequency and strength of German c counter counterattacks o 0 u n t e r- r attacks were growing dally daily front reports said all enemy attempts to recapture lost positions had been thwarted with heavy casualties Great German armies w were e ere r e fighting des desperately per ate 1 y against threatened d destruction b below low th the Don bend and in the Caucasus they were burning burning- villages blowing blow clow- blowing i ing g up bridges and m mining ng roads dugouts and blockhouses in hi a futile futile futile fu fu- fu- fu tile attempt to stop the stop the Russians leaving picked men behind them themas as s sacrifice it units its Take 18 Stations The midnight announced announced an an- nou ced the capt capture e Thursday of 18 railroad stations district centers centers centers cen cen- and other populated places in inthe inthe inthe the lower Don and 40 inhabited places of various sizes in the northern Caucasus 1 In the lower Don region the Russians took two towns during the night the noon said and several towns and villages villages villages vil vil- lages In th the north Caucasus The Germans threw tanks and motorized infantry i into to repeated counterattacks in the lower lower- Don fighting during the night only to I. I have them utterly smashed their men killed and their equipment destroyed while the Russians the noon said swept on The Russians threw dive bomber planes into action in one Don sector where the Germans made an especially determined stand The planes shrieked down hurling bombs on the enemy field guns and trench mortars Battery Battery Bat Bat- tery after battery was silenced Massed Russian tanks followed up the plane attack destroyed eight remaining guns and captured captured cap cap- the village which the enemy enemy enemy en en- emy sought to hold Russ Take Tale Prisoners In another lower Don sector the Russians stormed an inhabited inhabited place took oo German survivors prisoner and captured four field guns seven trench trench mortars mort rs and anda I a wireless transmitting station the noon sai said 1 Red army tanks tommy gunn Bunn gunners gun gun- n ners e rs r s and Infantry attacked throughout the night In the north Caucasus developing their new tactics of sending assault parties through to the e enemy rear to cut off e escaped apel apelIn In one sector shock troops crept close to the enemy trenches Unnoticed unnoticed unnoticed un un- noticed under cover of night while others went around to the rear At the same instant the Russians Russians Rus Rus- attacked from front and andrear andrear andrear rear killed more than Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans and took the remainder prisoner along with war spoils Fighting in in Stalin Stalingrad grad Storming parties in in Stalingrad city capt captured red 11 dugouts and sev sev- en blockhouses in the northern factory district during the night killed about Germans and destroyed destroyed de de- de neighboring fortifications the noon reported Northwest of Stalingrad patrols patrols patrols pa pa- snaked into the German trenches k kill killed i 11 e d 60 Germans around the sector and took prisoners prisoners prisoners pris pris- back to the red army lines with them Southwest of Ve ikie Luki on the c central front the Russians smashed a big German counterattack counterattack counter counter- attack destroyed 14 enemy tanks killed about 80 Germans Germa s and sent the rest reeling back in defeat the noon reported In other sectors the Russians broke brok local count counterattacks and consolidated positions gained in Iti their offensive operations Thurs Thurs- BP |