Peak Of Fury And Bitter Savagery

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 1, 2 January 1945, Page 5

Peak Of Fury And Bitter Savagery

BATTLE FOR BUDAPEST

Awful Plight Of People In City's Dying Agony

N.Z.P.A.—Copyright.—Rec. noon : LONDON, January 1. ; The struggle for Budapest is touching the peak of fury and the bitter savagery of battle through the streets of the city is transcending even Stalingrad, says Reuters Moscow correspondent. The inhabitants of Budapest are living through the city's final agony. They are without water and electricity. Minute quantities of bread are being distributed at irregular intervals. The German garrison at Buda is launching desperate counter-attacks with its remaining panzers in an effort to stave off the inevitable collapse. The Associated Press correspondent says that with the heavy fighting inside Buda entering its fourth day, the Red Army has brought up virtually every weapon known to modern warfare in the fight for the city. Russian guns have kept up a furious bombardment of the enemy from all sides. Smoke from oil reservoirs set on fire by the enemy have laid a black pall over the city. The enemy in the last 48 hours alone is estimated to have lost more than 6000 killed. !

The Exchange Telegraph correspondent says the Russians are chopping up the city block by block and isolating the defenders then destroying them. The Germans on the whole are refusing to surrender and there is a ceaseless noise of exploding shells, bombs and mines as the Russians worked their way towards the last few streets still uricaptured in Buda. They are also battering their way to the heart of Pest. There are 2,000,000 civilians, twice the normal population of Budapest, trapped in the burning city, states the British United Press Moscow correspondent. It is probably the first time in history that the population of any great capital has been increased by refugees before its investment. They poured into the city from the countryside, never dreaming? it was going to become the last great battlefield of Hungary. All hope has now gone f Europe's most beautiful capital from destruction. Firestare blazing in all parts of the city. A red glow, the reflection o£tfce»flames on the pall of smoke overhanging the city all night, shines down on the streets lighting up men fighting from house to house. Moscow radio says grimly that "fires are lighting the way to Berlin." The German positions «were whittled down considerably in the past 24 hours, says Reuters correspondent. The end is approaching of Buda, where the Russians have crashed through the last German defence strip and reached the river at new points. Fierce battles are now going on in the low-lying western section of Pest. The Berlin radio commentator von Hammer said: "Despite incessant Russian pressure, the defenders of Budapest are still holding out, substantially helped by the Luftwaffe." v