VIENNA BATTLE DRAWING TO CLOSE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 85, 11 April 1945, Page 5

VIENNA BATTLE DRAWING TO CLOSE

SPARING CITY'S RUIN Red Army Thrusting In From Five Suburbs N.Z. Press Association—Copyright Rec. 12.30 p.m. LONDON, April 10. The battle for Vienna, the first capital that the Germans swallowed up, is drawing to a close, declares the British United Press Moscow correspondent. The Free Austrian radio stated that Red Army columns were thrusting into the heart of the city from five suburbs, and that the Russians were fighting into Vienna as quickly as possible to spare the city as much ruin as they could. The Russian advance has been so swift that it is expected the city will not suffer many scars. The Germans so far have been prevented from carrying out extensive demolitions. Berlin, however, to-day stated that numerous parts of the city were ablaze. Reuters Moscow correspondent says that even if resistance does not completely collapse it is estimated in Moscow that three-quarters of the city by to-night will be cleared. Marshal Tolbukhin in some sectors has driven right through to the south bank of the Danube. It is thought that some of his troops have already crossed preparatory to linking up with Marshal Malinovsky advancing along the north bank. Breslau Thrust Renewed Commenting on the report from Berlin that Marshal Koniev had renewed the offensive against Breslau, the British United Press Moscow correspondent says that Breslau is to Koniev's front what Posen was to Marshal Zhukov —a hedgehog with which the Germans hoped to stem the flood of Russian troops westward. Koniev may intend to liquidate Breslau before launching his great attack from positions south-east of Berlin.

. .Troops of the Second Ukrainian Command, north of Bratislava, captured Trencin and 30 other places. Russians north-west and west of Bratislava, advancing along the north bank of the Danube, captured several places including Gaenserndorf, 16 miles north-east of Vienna, and nine miles from the Vienna-Brno escape road, and Deutsch Wagram, eight miles east of Vienna's outskirts.