Current Events December 29, 192; RUSSIANS RETAKING KEY RAILROAD CENTERS / SOMOLILAND JOINS FIGHTING FREE FRENCH / BOMBS FALLING ON RABAUL AND FINSCH HAFEN:

San Mateo Times

SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1942

Russ Near Rostov;

Somaliland Ally

Soviets Within

80 Miles of

Caucasus Key

MOSCOW, Deo. 29.—(U.P)—A

special Soviet communique said

tonight that Russian troops had

taken Kotelnikovski, important

rail center southwest of Stalingrad.

MOSCOW, Dec.-29^—(UP)—

The Red army developed a pincer

movement against Rostov

today by driving southward

down the Voronezh railroad to

within less than 80 miles of the

city and breaking into the Rostov

administrative district from

the northeast.

Russian forces all but surrounded

Kotelnikovski, the princible

German base southwest of Stalingrad,

and swept 56 miles to the

south, entering the northeastern

tip of the Rostov administrative

district and reaching Kichkino on

the border of the Kalmyk republic.

Last of Vichy

Africa Domain

Quits Petain

LONDON, Dec. 29.—(UP)—

French Somaliland, last stronghold

of Vichy on the African

continent, has joined the Fighting

French, Gen. Charles De-

Gaulle headquarters announced

today.

The Cross of Lorraine, the

Fighting French flag, marking

the adhesion of French Somaliland

to the allied cause, was hoisted

last night over Djibouti, capital

of the territory and terminal of the

railroad to Addis Ababa, capital ol

Ethiopia, the communique said.

Agreement Signed

JAP CRUISER

IN HARBOR OF

RABAUL SUNK

GEN. MaeARTHUR'S HEADQUARTERS,

Australia, Dec. 29.—

(UP) — The Japanese have lost an-

ther cruiser to the allied air force

in New Guinea, and failed in an

attempt to shell Gen. Douglas Mac-

Arthur's ground forces out of Buna

village, it was revealed today.

While Liberator bombers of the

allied force were blasting the

cruiser in the harbor of Rabaul,

New Britain, and bombing Japanese

air bases at Finsch-Hafen, New

Guinea, and on Timor Island, Mac-

Arthur's ground forces deepened

heir wedge into the Japanese

beachhead below Buna.

A headquarters spokesman said

;hat in the beachhead fighting Sunday

night and yesterday, the Japanese

suffered "considerable casualties"

in their first attempt to

meet the allied forces outside prepared

positions since the siege

began.

Americans Shelled