NAZI FORTUNES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 135, 5 December 1944, Page 5

NAZI FORTUNES

Decline In Hungary

SWIFT RED ADVANCE

■ _ . . . . LONDON, December 4. Tonight s Moscow communique reports more Russian successes in southern Hungary. The Soviet drive from the bridgehead over the Danube has flooded forward and has captured more than 100 places. This advance on a broad front is bringing the Russians near to the great inland sea of Lake Balaton, and the Germans admit that Soviet spearheads have actually reached the south-eastern shores of the lake.

One correspondent says that the German situation in Hungary is deteriorating swiftly. The enemy is giving way to'two main Soviet threats. One Eed Army column is driving hard up the west bank of the Danube.

It was last reported little more than 50 miles from Budapest, and at the present rate of progress it will soon take the city defences in the rear. Then the whole German line-stretching into north-east Hungary will have to give way.

The second major threat is also coming from the new bridgehead across the Danube. This is the thrust down southern Hungary towards Austria. .

, It has been made by self-supporting mobile columns well supplied with tanks, mobile guns,, tractors, and armoured troop-carriers, with trucks bringing supplies along. This drive, according to Moscow, has less than 60 miles to go to the Austrian border. The German radio bears this out today by reporting that Russian spearheads had reached Lake Balaton.

The countryside lends itself to defence, but the correspondent says the Germans do not have enough troops. In the last four weeks they have-lost 21,000 men on this front.

The Soviet communique says the Rus* sians in Hungary north-west and south of Kaposvar from December 1 to December 3 took prisoner 3000 Germans and Hungarians. The Red Army in Yugoslavia, between the Danube' and Sava Rivers, captured the railway station of Mitrovica.