Show Russ Closing In 1 For Kill on Trapped Nazis MOSCOW Feb 16 UP UP The The red army closed in for the kill Wednesday on the survivors of ot 10 German divisions ns packed into a square mile Ukrainian pocket and far to the north encircled a a. a number of nazi rear guard units on the approaches to As the bitter battle to the death raged toward a Russian victory along nong the tle middle soviet I forces of ot the north northern rn front raced in converging columns column for ov the gateway to Latvia and deployed deployed deployed de de- de- de before belore Narva Nana for an assault on the Estonia stronghold Front dispatches indicated that the red army was stepping up the intensity of widespread blows against the nazi nazig and an imposing array of triumphs might be in the making Breach Dreach Nazi Nad Positions A German Germa reported report report- ed that the Russians were attackIng attacking attack- attack Ing lag repeatedly and fierce fighting was in progress southwest of oC voi Rog Ukrainian mining center which appeared to have been bypassed bypassed bypassed by by- passed to the south and set up for tor attack from three sides Several breaches In the German positions were acknowledged by the nazis who claimed they had been sealed by counterblows A Moscow report quoted by the British radio and recorded by C CBS B S said the Germans had begun the mass evacuation of civilians from Estonia the northernmost of the Baltic states into which the Russians Russians Russians Rus Rus- had poured between Lake and the Gulf of ot Finland Russian detachments driving over the approaches to were reported to have swung around a number of laggard German units falling behind the general nazi retreat on that front cutting them off In the swamps and forests for eventual extermination Occupy River Bank an To the north the Soviets occupied occupied occupied pied the entire ast bank of the Narva river and strong forces faced Narva itself The assault on the city presumably was delayed de- de in order to move up reinforcements reinforcements reinforcements rein rein- and supplies after a mile advance from Leningrad General Nikolai F. F s 's artillery artillery ar ar- ar tillery and infantry pinned down downa a 8 German rescue spearhead that had wedged into the soviet lines northwest of ot dispatches dispatches dispatches dis dis- dis- dis patches said and farther north reduced the encircled pocket to 35 square miles The Germans attacked seven times Tuesday in a futile effort to widen their rescue wedge only to be thrown back with a loss of more than io 1000 o men men Another Germans were killed inside the pocket where the Russians Russians' seized a number of heavily fortified strongholds in a night attack and beat off ocr morning counterattacks Week Two Toll Toil The toll of enemy dead Tuesday boosted to more than the number of ot Germans officially re reported reported reported re- re ported killed in the past two weeks in the battle of the Cher Cher- kasi pocket including in inside inside inside in- in side the pocket and in rescue attempts from the southwest Nearly German tanks have been destroyed A London broadcast estimated that about half of the original men inside the pocket had been killed or captured On the approaches to Estonia General Leonid A. A Leningrad Len Len- ingrad armies scored new advances along a mile 15 front toward towan key highway and railway junction guarding the main northern northern north north- ern cnn gateway to the Baltic Capture Soviet troops troops' gained another seven miles mUes along the main highway highway highway high high- way from Luga to with the capture of Novo Selye 15 miles southwest of Luga am and 12 miles southeast o of Luga also were seized Front reports said the speed o othe ot of the Russian thrusts into the German German German Ger Ger- man flanks had forced the en my to divert his supply convoys over ove dirt tracks and roads creating great traffic Jams which made mad easy targets for tor soviet gunners gunner and airmen Nearly 1600 Germans were killed kille and motor vehicles 80 railway cars loaded with supplies and 1 11 buses carrying infantry were destroyed destroyed destroyed de de- de- de Tuesday |