FRESH OFFENSIVE BEGUN

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 19, 23 January 1943, Page 5

FRESH OFFENSIVE BEGUN

LONDON, Janaa^ 22. Soviet forces have captured Salsk in tne northern Caucasus, the big railway junction through which passes much of Hitler's supplies for his southern armies. Salsk is 100 miles south-east of Rostov and its capture will mean that the position of Hitler's armies in the Caucasus is even more precarious. The Soviet troops which captured Salsk drove down south of the Don along the railway from Kotelnikovo. While Stalin's armies continue to roll back the Germans on all sectors of the great fighting fronts, there is news tonight of a big Soviet, drive being developed. One correspondent says the new Russian attack is in progress somewhere to the northwest of Voronezh, and is aimed at the railway junction of Kastornoe where many important railway lines intersect. It is on a lateral line which runs from Voronezh to Kursk and also on one of the main lines leading from Moscow to the south. The Germans say that an offensive here had been anticipated. • ■ ' Moscow, so far, has. nothing to report about it. Most of today's fighting news centres in the great battle area stretching from south of Voronezh right around to the Black Sea.

The main development is down in the Caucasus, where the Soviet forces which took Voroshilovsk have made more progress towards Armavir, 40 miles to the west. Armavir is close to the Maikop oilfields and is the main railway centre for the transport of oil. The Soviet columns which crossed the Donets River are now thrusting on. This drive is being carried out by Soviet columns which form the eastern arm of a great pincer movement which is gradually threatening the big German army in the Don bend. The western arm is now converging on the industrial city of Voroshilovgrad, about 50 miles to the west. .

Further north, the Russians have tightened the ring around the big Axis