CONQUERING HUNGARY

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 December 1944, Page 5

CONQUERING HUNGARY

RUSSIAN FURTHER GAINS ENCIRCLING BUDAPEST LONDON, December 25. Russian forces in Hungary, moving up behind Budapest, have cut the main road and railway between Budapest and Austria. The Germans admit that Szekesfehervar, which controls all the railways leading south-west from the capital, is in Russian hands. A Russian order of the day reveals that the encirclement of Budapest has gone further than the Germans haw admitted. The main -route to the west has been cut, and Russian forces are about 15 miles south of the Danube near Esztergom, north-west of Budapest. A gap of 20 miles now separate the jaws of their pincers. This has been achieved by a swift blow from near Lakovelocoi, between Budapest and Lake Balaton, which in three days has gained 25 miles. The order, addressed to Marshal Tolbukhin and his Chief of Staff) Lieutenant-General Ivanov, states: “Troops of the third Ukrainian front, having broken through strongly-forti-fied enemy defences south-west of Budapest, have in three days’ offensive fighting advanced 25 miles. , In the course of their offensive. they stormed the towns of Szekesfehervar and Bicako. large communication junctions and important strongholds in the enemy’s defence. Thus the main retreat roads to the west of Budapest are cut.” Bicako is 16 miles due west oi Budapest and 25- miles south and south-west of the confluence of the rivers Danube and Ipel, which the Russians reached on Saturday. The German News Agency says: “We abandoned Szekesfehervar after fierce fighting.” The British United Press, commenting on this announcement, says it means the Russians have virtually broken'through the gap between Lake Balaton and Budapest. Szekestehervar controls all the railways leading south-west from Budapest. The Germans now have only one railway west from Budapest, running through Gyor. ' , The German News Agency added that the Russians had achieved deep breaches beyond Szekesfehervar and that heavy battles are proceeding The Berlin radio’s commentator (von Hammer) says fighting is now' going on in the outer suburbs of Budapest. The battle for the Hungarian capital has reached a climax. “The Russians under the command of Marshal Malinovsky are making uninterrupted progress in northern Hungary, where they have cleared a large mountainous and wooded area, the Germans abondoning equipment the Germans abandoning equipment ed Press correspondent in Moscow.

A Moscow communique says: — “Russian forces north of Gyongyos on Saturda} 7 took more than 1400 German and Hungarian prisoners, and on Sunday captured a number o! places, including Matranovak. Russians north and north-west ol Sahy captured more than 40 places, and west of Sahy beat off major enemy tank formations, inflicting heavy losses. Troops of the third Ukrainian front south-west of Budapest, from Thursday to Saturday, took prisoner more than 3000 Germans and Hungarians.”

PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT HUNGARIAN ASSEMBLY

LONDON, December 25. A Provisional Government, pledged to co-operate with the Allies, has been set up in liberated Hungary. Moscow reports say that the new Government . has the approval oi Russia and that Britain was kepi fully informed about its formation' The Moscow correspondent of the British United Press says that Lieu-tenant-General Bela Miklosz heads the new pro-Allied Administration. He commanded the Hungarian lsl Army and was the first Hungarian general to go over to the Russians. “The Hungarian Provisional National Assembly, which has been formed at Debreczen, in liberated Hungary, on Saturday called on the Hungarians to break with Hitler and join the United Nations,” says the Moscow radio. “The appeal which the Provisional Assembly issued saia: “We do not want to see the labours of whole generations in Hungary frustrated through a criminal war. We must not be inactive while the Red Army alone is liberating our country from the German yoke. Hungary has no Parliament and no leader. Szalasi and his henchmen are usurpers whom the Germans foisted on us. The, National Assembly, therefore, proclaims a war of liberation against the Germans and calls on the Hungarians to rally. We want a democratic Hungary. We guarantee the inviolability of private property. A new chapter is opening in Hungarian history. Tracing the history of the Hungarian Provisional National Assembly, the Moscow radio said: ‘Between December 13 and December 20, under democratic methods, the inhabitants of the towns and villages in liberated Hungary elected 230 delegates to assembly under the presidency of Bela Szelini, a professor at the Miskolsz Legal Academy. -The Hungarian Provisional Assembly, in a statement of policy, declared that the new Government comprises representatives of military circles, democratic parties, and also non-party public men and scholars. After declaring that Hungary, as the sole remaining satellite of Hitler, is detested throughout the world, the proclamation states that patriots who form the Provisional Assembly are forthwith severing the alliance with Germany and are endeavouring to establish an armistice and good relations with Russia and the other United Nations. The Assembly promises to make compensation for war damage inflicted by the Hungarians. It considers iis most important task to be the mobi lisation of aft Hungarian resourcesagainst the Germans, thus partly redeeming Hungary’s guilt. “The proclamation adds that a leturn to democracy is essential lor the liberation of the Hungarian people, for which reason the Assembly renounces all anti-national laws including the barbaric anti-Jewish decrees. It guarantees democratic rights, freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion, and a universal secret suffrage. The new Government will disband the Arrow Cross organisation, purge the Administration, and bring traitors to book Agrarian reform will be introduced under which thousands of landless peasants will become owners of land confiscated from traitors. The Assembly declares it will encourage private enterprise, which it regards as the basis of Hungary’s economy, and it promises to introduce a progressive taxation system, ensuring the just incidence of taxes. The proclamation specially appeals to Hungarian troops to join in the destruction of the German army.” i MOYE TOWARDS AUSTRIA. RUGBY, December 25. The ring around Budapest is about to be closed as Tolbukhin’s men made an overnight advance holding the highways northwest and north of the capital, writes a Moscow correspondent. Red Army reserves are coming up on an avalanche of tanks, mobile guns and motor divisions armed to the teeth, while overhead the fighters taking fullest advantage of the clear weather and the superiority they gained as the result of their earlier victories over the Luftwaffe. The

Red Army is now within 100 miles of Vienna, and moving towards the last natural barrier—the River Hron — before the Austrian border. Deserted villages and townlets are being passed—deserted because the populations were evacuated or are hiding from the Red Army, since the Hungarian puppet Government have told them the Russians are killing civilians or banishing them to Siberia. News of the creation of a provisional government at Debrecen has not yet penetrated behind the enemy lines, but millions of leaflets will soon remedy that. RUSSIAN CAPTURES. (Rec. 1.35 p.m.) LONDON, December 25. Russians in Czechoslovakia, northwest and west of the town of Shay, occupied seven localities, says a Soviet communique. The Red Army in Hungary south-west and west of Budapest, developed a successful offensive and occupied over 40 localities, including four railway stations, thus cutting the main railway lines running west of Budapest. Russians west and south-west of Budapest from December 21 to December 24 destroyed 106 enemy planes, 291 tanks and self-propelled guns, many, other guns and mortars. They killed 12,000, took prisoner 5468 Germans and Hun-» -garians, and captured much booty, including 154 German planes and 21 tanks. NORTHERN FRONTS. DRIVE IN LATVIA. LONDON, December 25. The German News Agency reports that the Red Army’s new offensive in Western Latvia has already breached the Germcfn lines. The Russians are throwing in heavy forces. The Exchange Telegraph Agency’s Moscow correspondent says that no official mention has been made iff Moscow of the progress of the Russian offensive against the German divisions trapped in the Baltic. The Russian Press reports that the Germans reinforcing these divisions are employing desperate measures to prevent desertions or retreat. , -- The German News Agency earlier said that the Russians went/tgver- to the attack south-west and.south of Frauenburg on a 22-mile front; using 27 divisions, powerfully supported by armour. A drumfire barrage of four and a half hours, in whichUthe Red Army artillery slammed in@Jl7o,ooo shells, preceded the attack. :■ ■■

The Berlin radio has declared that fighting has flared up on the East Prussian front west of Suwal&r and south of Stalluponen, coinciding. ; with the opening of the Latvian offensive. Reuter’s Moscow correspondertt is of the opinion that the new Latvian assault may be Stalin’s first Winter offensive. ■