BERLIN BY APRIL 25

Evening Star, Issue 25462, 18 April 1945, Page 5

BERLIN BY APRIL 25

Russian Drive in Full Swing Three Spearheads Aimed at Capital Vivid German Pictures Press Association—By Telfegrapb—Copyright (Bee. 11.15 a.m.) LONDON, April 17. : German sources to-day continued to give detailed!, accounts of Russian movements and progress towards Berlin from the central sector, although Moscow has.not yet mentioned any particular activity in that area. Berlin broadcasts go so far as to enumerate three -main Russian spearheads aimed at Berlin's heart, concentrated in the ' Frankfurt-Kustrin-Zellin triangle (Zellin is 15 miles north-west of Kustrin). The Germans say the most northern of the three drives is around Wriezen, which is 20 miles north-west of Kustrin, and 23 miles from Berlin's outskirts. This is the nearest point the Russians have been to the capital. The second main drive to the west is stated'to be in the Seelow area. The third drive is in the-Frankfurt sector. _ '\ Renter quotes reports from Stockholm which say Marshal Zhukov's armies are converging on Berlin on a 60-mile arc from east of Eberswalde to Furstenburg. Eberswalde is on the main Stettin-Berlin autobahn and is 18 miles from Berlin's north-eastern city limit. Berlin radio to-night, quoting a last-minute report from the front, said: "Russian tanks, in the second day of the double offensive, which opened with a drum«fire barrage, have driven deep penetrations into German positions, both on the ' Berlin and Saxony fronts. Masses of Red air force bombers and-fighter-bombers all through last night and to-day, without interruption, hammered our positions. Violent fighting continued in the Kustrin area all to-day.

Earlier Berlin radio declared: " One thing is certain, this is the final gigantic Russian onslaught aimed at Berlin." It added that prisoners taken state the Russians intend at all costs to seize Berlin by April 25, the date of the San Francisco conference. The British United* Press Moscow correspondent says that while there are no natural barriers between the Oder and Berlin, recent front-line despatches describe the area as almost a solid mass of concrete and other fortifications from the Oder almost to the capital, with apparently everything the Germans could conceive in the way of artificial obstacles to halt the (Russian march.

The correspondent adds that Marshal Koniev's troops on_ the Neisse River front are also fully in action and gaining ground. Berlin admissions relating to the Neisse River front stated that the Russians in the Muskau area advanced two and a-half miles nearer the great autobahn to Berlin from Gorlitz Berlin radio said: " The Russians last night and to-day poured new tanks and strong infantry (forces across' the Neisse, where they established bridgeheads. 5 ' ' •■;.

The British United Press Moscow correspondent points out that these advances have been made towards the important communications centre of Spremberg, and bring the Russians nearer to the western Allies at the shortest known point across the waist of Germany still left in German hands.