MENACING VIENNA

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 145, 2 April 1945, Page 3

MENACING VIENNA

RUSSIANS NEAR RAILWAYS. j TRIPLE UNK-UP PREDICTED. 1 WITH ARMIES FROM WEST. j ! (N.Z. Press Association- —Copyright.) \ I Rcc. 11.20 a.m.) LONDON, April 1. The Red Army is expected to j reach Vienna in a week, despite many rivers, lakes, forests and dense industrial settlements that protect the approaches to the city, | states the British United Press correspondent at Moscow.

The Russian forces are less than 10 miles from the first of two railways linking Vienna, Wiener and Neustadt with Graz.

Marshal Tolbukhin’s forces, which are well across the Austrian border, are described as “a. powerful army.” The destruction of the greater part of (he German armour in the course of 10 days’ futile counter-attacks, left the enemy little for the defence of the Austrian capital. Reuter’s correspondent at Moscow reports that Russian spearheads are to-day within 20 miles of Bratislava. 35 from Veinna, 15 from Wienerneustaclt and 35 from Graz.

Large formations of Soviet planes, backed by tanks and mobile guns, are blazing a path for the advance in warm weather which has already dried some roads. Marshal Tolbukhin’s- front, in Austria or flush with the border, is more than 60 miles long. The immediate .aim of the Russians appears to be to cut Vienna’s communications with the south.

Marshal Malinovsky, advancing north from the Danube, has long-range guns pounding the outer defence arc before Bratislava. He appears to have smashed a big hole in the German front protecting the city from the east. His tanks and motorised assault troops are out in the open with little to check them. According to the “Red Star” the battle is becoming a pursuit in some sectors.

Operating in close co-operation with the Red Army in its sweep into Austria, bombers based on Italy blasted railway yards and bridges along lines leading to Vienna. They struck at SI. Polten railway yards, 3o miles west of Vienna, and battered a railway bridge at Maribor, 35 miles south of Graz.

The British United Press correspondent at Moscow says that Marshal Malinovsky's men advancing toward Bratislava, are less than 30 miles ahead.

Marshal Kornev, by the capture of Katibor, cleared the way for a thrust into Czechoslovakia from the south.

Tiie correspondent says he considers that the development of the Russian offensives foreshadows a tripie link-up with the armies of the western allies from Western Germany and from Italy.

Von Hammer admitted that the Germans have lost Westerplatte, in Danzig harbour. He said that the Germans withdrew thither after the fall of Danzig two days ago.

Another German source stated that (lie 3rd White Russian Army Group, fresh from the campaign in East Prussia, is taking up, positions in the Kustvin sector before Berlin. The “Daily Mail” correspondent at Stockholm states that the Red Army opened an assault against Stettin with 30 divisions. -f

It was announced by the German radio to-night that this may be the start of an offensive to envelop Berlin. Stettin would be an excellent jumpingoff place for the right wing of the offensive. The left wing may he launched from Glogau. Marshal Stalin, in a second order of the day, announced that troops of the First Ukrainian Front, after a sustained siege and stiff fighting, completed the liquidation of the encircled garrisbn at Glogau and to-day occupied the town and fortress. During the lighting the Russians captured more than 8000 Germans and a large amount of armaments and equipment.

In a third order of the day, Marsha! Stalin announced that troops of the Second Ukrainian Front, continuing their offensive, to-day captured the towns of Trnava, Hlohovec and Senee, targe road junctions and important enemy strongpoints at. the approaches to Bratislava. Senee is 14 miles north-east of Bratislava, the, nearest point the Red Army has yet reached to Bratislava. Trnava and Hlohovec are 2S and 37 miles respectively north-east of Bratislava.