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ON FROM STALINGRAD
LIQUIDATION COMPLETE
NEW RUSSIAN THRUSTS
REPORTS FROM BERLIN
LONDON, Jan 28.— Moscow has announced the final discrediting of
Hitler's repeated assurances that Stalingrad would be captured — a task
for which he detailed an army of 22 divisions totalling over 200,000
men — in a special communique of a single dramatic sentence: "The
liquidation of the German Sixth Army before Stalingrad has been
completed."
Correspondents estimate that the Stalingrad adventure cost the Axis
more than the British lost in the evacuations from Dunkirk, Norway,
Greece and Crete combined.
They comment also that the end of the campaign there has freed
powerful Russian armies for offensive service elsewhere, and has restored
railway communication from the Urals to the Black Sea and from
Moscow almost to the fighting fronts.
Heavy fighting is reported in the regions of Leningrad and Velikiye
Luki, with new Russian activity in the Volkhov and Rjev areas. Berlin
also refers to new mass attacks by the Russians near Schlusselburg.
A later broadcast from Berlin announced that the. Russians were
attacking north-west of Voronej, in a sector not previously mentioned,
simultaneously with increasing pressure south and south-west of that
city.
Moscow correspondents also refer to Russian progress towards Rostov
and in the Caucasus.
Reuters Moscow correspondent
says: "With the completion of the
liquidation of the German armies be-
fore Stalingrad thousands of battle-
hardened Soviet troops today are
preparing to move from that city
to other fronts. Crack infantry divi-
sions, tanks and air squadrons will
be flung into action on various fronts
from Voronej to the south of Rostov,
where the Red Army is steadily ad-
vancing."
Vital Communications Restored.
The representative of "The Times"
at Moscow writes: "The victory at
Stalingrad not only releases an im-
portant group of Russian armies but
unites the chief rail knot between the
Urals and the Black Sea. Trains
may be expected to run within a
few days direct from the Russian
capital and the main sources of
supply to within a few miles of the
active battle fronts.
"The German forces are becoming
congested on the railways of the
western Caucasus, with the Russians
in the immediate approaches to the
Kavkaskaya and Tikhoretsk railway
junctions," comments the Stockholm
correspondent of "The Times."
"'The barrier which the Germans
hope to defend apparently does not
include the arc drawn from Tik-
horetsk with Rostov near its centre.
It is unlikely that the Germans really
expect to stem the Russian offensive
so far eastwaird, but hard fighting is
certain before the Russians over-
come this delaying barrier and surge
into the heart of the Donets basin."
Voronej and Farther North.
The most important other opera-
tions on the southern front are west
and south-west of Voronej, where the
Russians again are demonstrating
their superior winter mobility and
the German and Hungarian troops
are doomed to suffer further encircle-
ments before their lines are short-
ened by retreat.
Heavy fighting continues in the
Velikiye Luki and Leningrad regions,
though no fresh changes are reported.
New activity is recorded in the Volk-
none Help
hov and Rjev areas. Berlin admits
a new Russian offensive in the
Velikye Luki and Rjev areas and
also says that new mass Russian
attacks have started near Schlussel-
burg.
Moscow Reports Progress.
Last night's Moscow communique
stated:
Our forces on the Voronej front
today captured the large railway
station of Gorschechnoye about 80
miles south-west of Voronej on the
Yelets-Valuiki railway, also five
large populated places. In one
area an encircled enemy group
numbering 5,000 surrendered after
a short battle.
On the southern front we cap-
tured Egorlyk, 50 miles eastward
of Kavkaskaya, also a railway sta-
tion. On the Caucasian front we
captured Novalekandrovskaya, 40
miles eastward of Kavkaskaya, also
Srednyegorlik, 50 miles north-west
of Salysk and 70 miles south-east
of Rostov and Neftegorsk, 30 miles
north-east of Tuapse on the rail-
way to Armavir.
Night Operations.
This morning's Moscow com-
munique was as follows:
Our troops last night south-west
and south of Voronej, in the
north Caucasus and on the Volk-
hov and Leningrad fronts fought
offensive battles in the same direc-
tions.
We continued to wipe out scat-
tered groups in the vicinity of the
central sector and at Stalingrad.
North of Stalingrad we pursued
the enemy, wiped out his man-
power and captured large quanti-
ties of booty.
The Russians on the southern
front waged offensive engagements
while part of their forces repelled
counter-attacks.
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