GUBEN RECAPTURED

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 February 1945, Page 5

GUBEN RECAPTURED

GERMAN COUNTER-ATTACKS

RUSSIAN BREAKTHROUGH ? (Rec. 1.10 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 19. The Russians pushing westward from the Oder bridgeheads, south of Krossen, took Guben, but were thrown out by a German counterattack, says the German News Agency. Commenting on this report, Reuter’s military correspondent says it indicates a big Russian breakthrough on the most vital sector of the Eastern Front. Guben forms the apex of the defence triangle guarding the south-eastern approaches to Berlin. It is not clear whether the town was entered by Koniev’s forces from the east or Zhukov’s forces from the, north, but either represents an advance of some 15 miles from previous reports. The German News Agency commentator, Hellensleben, claims that German counter-attacks between the Bober and Neisse Rivers recaptured Sommerfeld and Sorau. He adds that German troops also reentered Sagan. (Stalin officially announced the capture of Sommerfeld and Sorau on February 15. The Russians captured Sagan on February 18). The German News Agency said fighting in the Sorau, Laubfin and Guben area continues to be fluid. A battle is raging in the Sorau area for the Sorau-Lauban railway.

The Exchange Telegraph Agency’s Moscow correspondent says the present fighting on German territory is the fiercest yet experienced. The Wehrmacht, having regrouped and replenished its forces, is meeting the Russians with STUBBORN RESISTANCE and massed counter-attacks. The Luftwaffe continues to drop supplies to isolated groups in East Prussia, Posen and Breslau. The battle for Breslau promises to be a grifn, long struggle. The city’s defence capacity has bfeen multiplied by the fortification of surrounding villages and townships still in German hands. Marshal Koniev is now striving to advance his main front nearest Breslau, where the Germans may attempt a break-through from the outside. Reuter’s correspondent reports that the battle for Breslau has reached the peak of violence, as Russian gunners blast German strongpoints over open sights and squadrons of Stormoviks and day bombers pound objectives inside the city. The Germans are suffering high tank losses, while the Luftwaffe is taking heavy punishment in fierce air battles. • GERMAN DRIVE REPULSED (Rec. 11.50 LONDON, Feb. 19. To-night’s Soviet communique says: The Russians, on the Samland .■Peninsula have repulsed an enemy attempt to break through from Konigsberg westwards. We simultaneously, south of Konigsberg, continued to fight for the destruction of the enemy grouping in East Prussia, and captured a number of places. The Red Army, north-west and north of Graudenz advancing northward along the west bank of the Vistula, occupied Neunburg, 10 miles north of Graudenz, and also several other places. Russians, south-west and south of Breslau, captured a number of places, and tightening the ring around Breslau, continued to fight for the annihilation of the circled garrison. Russians on the north bank of the Danube, east of Komarno, after stubborn fighting, abandoned a number of places.

LUFTWAFFE ASSAULT ON ODER

(Rec. 1.45 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 19. The Luftwaffe is fighting the first round of the battle lor Berlin, says the “Daily Telegraph’” Stockholm correspondent. Since early yesterday morning, carefully husbanded and specially picked tactical forces of medium bombers, dive-bombers, and fighter-bombers, escorted by lighters, have been taking the offensive against Zhukov’s Oder bridgeheads in the Frankfurt-Kustrin sector, besides communications east of the Oder River. German losses alreadv are extremely high, but the German High Command apparently hopes by this bold stroke to gain time to complete the regrouping of Panzer formations in anticipation of the Red Army’s offensive against Berlin. The correspondent adds: Wilhelmstrasse military spokesmen prophesy that the Russians’ offensive will break loose “any minute now.