Show Red Army Draws Noose Tighter On Nazi Forces By Harrison Salisbury MOSCOW March 15 Red UP-Red UP Red armies of ot the Ukraine Wednesday tightened their encirclement of tens of thousands of ot German troops above and broke through to the middle Bug r river ver one of thelast the thelast last ast possible natural defense lines In n southern Russia on a mile 40 fron rent front t. t German acknowledged acknowledged acknowledged edged that several Russian spearheads spearheads spearheads spear spear- heads already had crossed th the Bug river and said the Niko laev defense line was only intended to be temporary Th The Germans also reported new Russian attacks at the northern and eastern ends of the isolated Crimea Plunging through nazi defenses seemingly at will the Russians also pushed to within 21 miles mUes east cast of the Black sea naval base baJc of Niko- Niko laev and threw a siege arc around who whose e fall faU would all but split the Ukrainian front in two Complete Circle Two columns of General Rodin Y Malinovsky's Ukrainian army joined forces near 30 miles mUes north of Tuesday to complete the second encirclement encirclement encirclement encircle encircle- ment of a German army since Sta Sta- The other enemy pocket was liquidated below last month Several German divisions perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps totaling or more men were rere trapped in the square mile pocket roughly 28 to 60 miles north of ot The enemy counterattacked repeatedly in an attempt to escape but was beaten back with losses of killed and captured More than German guns also were captured Soviet troops are pressing to together together together to- to gether the encircled German divi divi- divisions divisions divisions and are Inflicting enormous losses In men and material the soviet high command said in its midnight Malinovsky's veterans of Stalingrad Stalingrad Stalin Stalin- I grad also advanced at the rate of nearly a mile an hour through mud to capture 21 miles east I of ot and more than 60 i iother other towns including some 33 miles northeast and 28 miles southeast southeast south south- I south south-I east of ot the Black sea port next major objective at the southern end of the front Engulf 60 Towns The Second Ukrainian army under under under un un- un- un der General Ivan S S. S Konev engulfed engulfed engulfed en en- gulfed another 60 towns in extending extending extending extend extend- ing its hold on the north bank o othe of the middle Bug river where the Germans were expected to make their next stand to 40 miles Front dispatches said the Russians Russians Rus Rus- were advancing toward the Bug at an extraordinary ordinary pace race runnIng running running run run- ning roughshod over enemy attempts attempts attempts at at- tempts at rear guard action Advance Advance Ad Ad- vance guards appeared on the point of entering northern Odessa province provInce province ince on a wide front The Germans also were reported retreating hurriedly over the eastern eastern eastern east east- ern and southeastern approaches to where 30 localities were overrun by Konev's forces Tuesday One column captured Komarov 12 miles southeast of and only nine miles mUes from the railway linking that city with junction on the Warsaw Odessa-Warsaw lifeline out of the southern Ukraine With almost all aU of Vin Vin- nitsa's communications vin in In soviet hands the severing of ot this line would doom the German garrison defending the hinge between the First and Second Ukrainian armies |