LATEST WAR NEWS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 13738, 23 April 1945, Page 3

LATEST WAR NEWS

RUSSIAN DRIVE INTO BERLIN TWO MILES FROM CENTRE Link-up With Americans Almost Achieved More Eighth Army Gains In Italy London, April 23. The approach of the American link-up in central Germany has and Russian armies ; nearing a steadily narrowed the corridor between them. Where the gap is narrowest every square yard of German soil is dominated by longrange guns from one side or the other. Moscow reports to-night place Russian troops two miles from Unter Den Linden in the heart of Berlin. Earlier, battles were reported in the suburbs to the north-east with Russian forces sweeping in from the east and others attacking from the south, while more forces were swinging round from the north-west, in a vast bid to encircle the Rhine garrison. While mass Russian artillery pounded the centre of Berlin yesterday, Goebbels broadcast a speech to the people to brace them in what he called the hour of their supreme test. Goebbels stressed the need for iron discipline. He told the Berliners that he himself would be staying on with them. Telephone confmunications between Stockholm and Berlin were cut this afternoon, but one correspondent in Stockholm has sent a picture of Berlin as given by three correspondents by telephone last night. He says the air is filled with the thunder of Russian guns and the noise of their shells. The general atmosphere in Berlin, the correspondent says, seems to be one of confusion and panic and many of the people have fled. Those who remain are said to show no enthusiasm for the* fighting, in spite of the appeals by Goebbels and other Nazi leaders. They spend most of their time in air raid shelters. Fighting in Dessau Inside Dessau on the west bank of the Elbe fighting is still fierce, but one correspondent reports that the town is steadily coming into the hands of the American First Army.

Between Dessau and Leipzig the American line is now bulging towards the Elbe.

The American Seventh Army has crossed the Danube in a new advance in the direction of Augsburg and Munich. Just before noon they captured a bridge across the Danube intact. •' ■ At the southern end of the front French troops are also across the upper reaches of the Danube on a front of nearly 40 miles. They ’ have reached the Swiss border north of Zurich.

The Germans say to-day that American Ninth Army troops have, tried to force another crossing of the Elbe, this time north of Magdeburg. There is no confirmation from the Ninth Army whose left flank is now pushing along the left bank of the Elbe towards the British Second Army. British troops, in their turn, are driving towards the Americans. Hold Strengthened General Dempsey’s men have today strengthened their hold along the lower reaches of the River Elbe right to a point opposite Hamburg. In this sector the Seventh Armoured Division captured a district headquarters of the German Navy, complete with an Admiral, as well as his staff and 500 women auxiliaries. Strange Order Captured A strange German army order attributed to Hitler himself has been captured by the British Second Army. In this order the Germans are told that they must use the same kind of guerilla attacks on the Allies that the Russians employed, along with their partisans against the Germans between 1942 and 1944. Soldiers arc urged to make their way to the Allied rear and disrupt communication lines there and on the flanks. Attacks on Bremen British tactical bombers were called in to-day to help in reducing strongpeiuts in the outer defences of Bremen. The naval base of Em den is threatened by a new drive by Polish tanks. Gains in Italy British Eighth Army forces in Italy have almost- reached Ferrara. A late communique from Italy says | they are within two miles of the city. | A - correspondent who has seefl 'Ferrara to-day says it appears that 'the city is not strongly held, and ' explosions suggest the Germans are 1 carrying out demolitions there. Beyond Bologna armoured colums of both the Eighth and Fifth Armies are relentlessly driving on twoards the River Po. Fifth Army troops have forced crossings over ■ two rivers and are closing, in on M’oena, north-west of Bologna.