. 7

12

Soviet Cossacks of the Guards receive an assignment for reconnaissance in the Kuban
region, where intense fighting has recently flared up.

How Guerrillas Seized
A Rail Head Near Kiev

By L. KOROBOV
MOSCOW.

ALL came as a complete
surprise to the Germans.
Moving through the forest
paths and evading inhabited
points, the guerrilla detach-
ment reached the Teterev
River and occupied the vil-
lage of N. There was no Ger-
man garrison in the village and
the elder had left a day before
to go to the district center.

We enter the local administra-
tion premises, linked by tele-
phone with the district center
and- several villages. Not bad.
perhaps useful information can
be learned from German tele-
phone conversations. . .

For 36 hours the telephone of
the local administration was deaf
to the district authorities. Sus-
pecting something ‘wrong, the
Germans summoned a police com-
pany from Kiev. But Kovpak
lost no time. His scouts recon-
noitered the approaches to three
bridges on highways leading to
the village. The destruction of
these bridges would deprive the
Germans of the possibility of
quickly bringing up punitive de-
tachments.

HE main aim of the guer-

rillas, however, was to strike
a blow at the Kiev-Korosten rail-
way line and a branch line lead-
ing to a German military ob-
jective. There were two railway
bridges on these lines which were
the guerrillas’ objectives.

By the evening of the second
day our groups had reached the
railway bridges. At midnight the
roar of the first explosion re-
sounded and was echoed by a few
more in the distance. On the
following day not a single Ger-
man, not a single fascist hench-
man was left in the two nearest
district centers ,all of the local
authorities, police and gendarmes
having fled to Kiev.

Some of the enemy garrisons
were isolated, the communica-
tions between them haying been
cut by the guerrillas. The de-
tachment reached the railway
Jine but the Germans had al-

ready taken some precautionary

measures. Two battalions of in-
fantry had been transferred to
the station of Teterev-Korosten.

UERRILLA scouts, disguised

in German soldiers’ uniforms,
rode past the station of Teterev,
inspecting the preparations made
by the German garrison for de-
fense. The bridge was becoming
impregnable, with seven guns and
40 heavy machine guns trained
from the direction of Zhitomir
and Korosten.

L. Korobov, a war
correspondent for
newspaper Pravda,
is now with the
guerrilla detach-
ment headed by
Hero of the Soviet
Union I. Kovpak.
This dispatch is sent
from behind the
Nazi lines.

Kovpak took this into account
and one-third of the detachment’s
strength, after their march
through the forest, suddenly
closed in on the bridge from the
east, Tommy gunners and ma-
chine gunners opened fire at the
German patrols from the rear
and flanks. Surprise caused panic
among the Hitlerites and they
took to flight. Several cannon
and heavy machine guns were
immediately turned against the
enemy.

Taking adyantage of the Ger-
man panic, the guerrilla sappers
rapidly blew up the bridge. The
Germans launched an offensive.
Four times they tightened a ring
around one group of guerrillas,

and four times the guerrillas
broke the ring and lured the Ger-
mans into the forest. Finally,
fearing encirclement, the Hit-
lerites withdrew.

Apa blow struck by the guer-
rillas at this point caused
dismay among the German guards
at the second bridge near the
military objective. Soon this
bridge also ceased to exist. The
operation was completed. Five
bridges were blown up and the
communications were cut along
the railway and highway leading
to Kiev. In the fulfillment of this
task the guerrillas lost five killed
and 12 wounded. The Germans
lost 160 soldiers and officers in
killed and wounded.

The Hitlerites were seriously
alarmed. Everywhere the guer-
rilla scouts began to meet Ger-
man companies, battalions and
mobile groups of 20 to 30 soldiers
on trucks. Soon a clash occurred
between the detachment and a
company of police which was
smashed up by the guerrillas in
90 minutes. Some of the police
were driven into the river.

eS

Toe the Germans
| dispatched two battalions
against the guerrillas. After half
a day's battle the Germans re-
treated in disorder. That even-
ing the trophies brought to guer-
rilla headquarters included 14 ma-
chine guns, a mortar, 102 rifles
and 13 tommy guns.

The guerrillas were not de-
ceived by the lull which set in
after the battle. It had become
known that the Germans brought
up to the district four battalions
of infantry with ‘cannon and
mortars.

While the enemy was busy with
preparations for their offensive,
the guerrilla detachment crossed
to the opposite bank during the
night and withdrew deep into the
forest. One day after their with-
drawal, bombers raided the vil-
lage, after which the Germans
attacked and broke into ...
deserted ‘streets. By this time
we were far away. We passed
Kiev and vanished in the rear
of the enemy in a direction un-
known to him. :

A Story of the Soviet Front

One Man

~A German Tank —

By L. NIKITIN a

Soe GROMOV was born and grew up in Trans}

In the taiga he had occasion to measure his stren
the bear. He comes from a line of gallant fighters
Siberia has been giving to our army for scores of years,

The taiga hunter Gromov is at
the same time a splendid horse-
man. But can you imagine a
cavalryman, a horseman, strad-
dling an enemy tank in action?
This is precisely what Guard
Lieutenant Gromoy did.

Lieutenant Gromoy was lying
on a village street firing from
his tommy gun at enemy in-
fantry, when a tank suddenly ap-
peared in front of him. Gromov
had no anti-tank grenade, no
bottle of combustible liquid at
hand. In another few seconds
the armored monster would crush
him.

Other Red Army men saw the
tank racing towards Gromoy and
thought him lost. Suddenly they
saw Gromoy leap on to the tank
and hang over it. With his left
hand he caught the gun barrel.
He bent over to one side to avoid
being hit by a burst of machine
gun fire.

©

HE Germans did not im-

mediately realize what had
happened. The hatch was thrown
back and a German started to
creep out. Gromoyv, holding his
tommy gun in his right hand,
fired and sent the German
crashing down. The tank came
to a halt. The Germans were
clearly disturbed by a man fight-
ing a tank single-handed.

Gromoy jumped down and
crouched near the Caterpillar
tread. Again the turret was

opened. The second German was
more careful—only a hand hold-
ing a grenade appeared. Gromov
fired at the hand and the grenade
went rolling down the ground.
The tank driver then tried to
erush Gromoyv. But Gromov re-
turned to his former place and
again straddled the tank. The
Germans closed all the apertures.
They were no longer concerned
with attacking the Soviet posi-
tions and ceased to fire from
their guns and machine guns.

Again

HIS was only the be

of the duel between tt
and the armored machi
duel that lasted twenty
The tank roared back ar
turned sharply, raced
speed, came to an abrupt —
still. It was like a bronco
to throw off its rider.
was just as if Stepan €
was glued to the tank —

The German tank flung
like an enraged beast an
denly dashed toward the
Gromoyv immediately 1 §_
what the drive intended #
The tank made straight
tlegraph pole. The pole ¢
and the impact shook fi
chine. a

Gromov swerved, but
caught in telephone wir.
flung to the ground. Th }§
made for him. Gromoy, hi }
managed to get away and (©
behind a cottage. The tank @&
ing at top speed, crashes §|
it, reducing it to a heap af
But again Gromoy escape
time taking cover behind}

The tank came to a sta
The motor ceased to Td)
beast wanted to catch his”
What is more, the hunt
disappeared. In the da -
Gromov saw a Soviet an
gun which was firing 8! :
the other enemy tanks. ¢
dashed to the gun and
Lieutenant Lozovsky, the
mander of the gun crew, ¥
prised, tc say the least,
sight of the panting lieute

“Hire on that shed,” §—
Gromoyv. The gun openet
on the shed. A shell cutt
the wali and hit the
armor. It was with a fee
satisfaction that Gromov 5
tank against which he he
tled in a 20-minute duel’
into flame. B53]

Labor News reports.

mician Trofim Lysenko.

than doubled.

Soviet Trade Unions Plan
Nation-Wide Victory Gardens

The All-Union Central Council of Soviet Trade Un |
has set up a Truck Gardening Commission headed
Secretary Claudia Nikolayeva to promote the plan
of individual vegetable gardens by trade unionists, =}

Among others on the Commission are Solomon Bi
man, also a secretary of the All-Union Trade |
Council, and the famous agricultural specialist, Ae

The make-up of the commission indicates the imp
ance Soviet trade unions attach to vegetable garde
as a means of meeting the country’s food and transpo
tion shortage. Vegetable gardens are now one of the®
important mainstays of Soviet food production. Last }
more than 5,000,000 union members cultivated 25
acres of potatoes and other vegetables. This year, ¥
a more systematic campaign embracing every local in
country, it is expected that these figures will be ™

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