Show Russians Russians Take Gate Gale to 10 Crimea Fall Appears Near as Reds Cut Railroad By United Press The red army captured Melito Melito- pol gateway to the Crimea Saturday Saturday Saturday Sat Sat- after 12 days of the most savage fighting since Stalingrad shattering the powerful defense line between the bend and the Sea of Premier Josef Stalin announced the capture of in an order of the day describing it as the most important strategic German defense center barring the approaches to the Crimea along the lower course of the Thus he sounded a warning that the triumphant army of Colonel General Fedor I. I now flow was poised to spurt the miles across the steppes to the isthmus and cork the bottleneck of the Crimea Military observers noting the significance which stalin attached to the conquest of leaped to the conclusion on that he now considered the south end of the German line on the as doomed in effect opening the road to Odessa and the Balkans Russia's highest decoration hero of the soviet union will be awarded award award- ed to soldiers soldier who distinguished themselves in the breakthrough breakthrough breakthrough break break- through Sta Stalin in said in hailing the victors and ordering that they be saluted with 20 salvos from Moscow's Moscow's Moscow's Mos Mos- cows cow's guns Meanwhile Russian troops were closing against from the re rear r overrunning th the the un undermined 1 defenses inside the per river bend and arid the f fall ll of the big military stronghold appeared near Two o red army columns driving against along the river bank and the truck railway to the west joined outside and struck out together together together to to- gether for the bigger city on the nose of the river bend some 30 miles mUes away Front dispatches reported the direct threat to said the Germans were counterattacking counterattacking counterattacking tacking strongly but were giving ground steadily under the Russian blows Last Railroad Threatened Military observers believed that fast was becomIng becomIng becoming becom becom- ing untenable as the Russians advanced advanced advanced ad ad- almost within artillery range of the last railroad to the west and moved in against the city itself In the heart of the bulge soviet forces were striking directly at Rog flog key railroad junction junction junction junc junc- tion and major mining center The Rog railroad railroad railroad rail rail- road already was was was' cut The British radio said the fighting fighting fight fight- ing at Krivol Rog flog was especially intense and heavy tank and infantry infantry infantry try reinforcements had been thrown into it as the Germans counterattacked repeatedly The fate of was believed all but sealed Friday when the Russians cut the line the only railroad railroad railroad rail rail- road from the city still in Germ German n hands Red Rea air force planes hammered the line with hundreds of tons of bombs in an effort to disrupt disrupt disrupt dis dis- dis- dis rupt any evacuation attempt Widening and deepening their bridgehead a across across' ross ross- the bulge the Russians captured more than 50 towns and villages Friday Including only 30 miles west of and 10 miles mlles west of ot the st steel el town 0 Of j and 18 miles n north rth of Rog nog In the heart of a rich Iron iroz mine area Nazis Hurled Back The G Germans rushed several additional additional ad ad- tank and infantry divisions into battle in a desperate attempt to seal off th the soviet penetration but everywhere were hurled backwith backwith back backwith with what were described officially as great losses Thirty-eight Thirty German planes were shot down in aerial combat Front reports report said the Germans were fighting to the last man in inso so some e sectors Comparatively few prisoners were being taken |