ENDING THE WAR

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 May 1945, Page 4

ENDING THE WAR

PRAGUE’S FINAL CONFLICT GERMANS DROP BOMBS LONDON, May 9. More than 12 hours after the cease fire in Europe a Czech announcer in Prague rushed to the microphone and cried, “Attention! Attention! A German raid is to be made on Prague. Go- to your shelters immediately.” The announcer explained that the warning was given by radio because the sirens were out of order. _ Prague and other Czechoslovak towns were bombed at noon to-day by German aeroplanes in defiance of the surrender order. The all clear has now sounded in Prague, but the citizens have been warned to be prepared for other raids. RUSSIAN ASSURANCES ~LONDON, May 9. The Prague radio said that German hordes who on Tuesday night were looting and murdering are now falling back before the Red Army to the centre of the city. . The Russian commander, Lieut. Colonel Zajcev, gave an assurance to the Czech National Council that he had no intention of forcing on them any type of administration, as the Czechs were good patriots who were well able to rule their own land. The deputy-chairman of the Czech National Council replied: “We welcome the glorious Red Army. Long live the family of Slav nations.” The National Council issued a proclamation ordering that firearms and ammunition taken from the Germans should be handed over to the revolutionary guards. PRAGUE LIBERATED RUGBY, May 9. Prague has been liberated by the Red Army. An order of the day from Mr Stalin says: “Troops of the First Ukrainian Front, ..as the result of a violent night manoeuvre carried out by tank formations and infantry broke the enemy’s resistance, and to-day, at 3 a.m. (G.M.T.) liberated the city of Prague, the capital of our allied Czechoslovakia.”

RUSSIAN LAST CAPTURES.

LONDON, May 8.

Marshal Stalin, in an order of the day, announced the capture of Stockerau and Hollabrunn, north-west of Vienna, and of Jaromerice and Znaim, south-west of Brno; also Dresden; also the capture by Yeremenkos troops of the Fourth Ukrainian Command of the important rail-junction of Olomouo, midway between Ostrava and Brno. The Moscow correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain reports that the Polish National Council passed a resolution requesting the Allied Command to surrender to the Polish Government, Doctor Frank, who was captured by the American Seventh Army at Berchtesgaden. MASS SURRENDERS (Rec. 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 9. The Soviet communique states that enemy forces in Kurland, consisting of the Sixteenth and Eighteenth German Armies, ceased resistance at 11 p.m. yesterday, and by this evening over 45,000 had surrendered Ip troops of the Leningrad Command Enemy groups in the region ,of the Vistula EsLiaiy, east of Danzig, and on top of Frischenehrung. north-east of .Gdynia, also ceased resistance and by this evening 21,000 had surrendered to troops of the Second and Third White Russian Commands The communique adds that the enemy grouping in Czechoslovakia in an effort to avoid surrender to the Russians, were hurriedly retreating westward and southward. Tire Exchange Telegraph Agency’s Stockholm correspondent reports that the Germans on Bornholm have surrendered.