BLOCK BY BLOCK

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21602, 3 January 1945, Page 3

BLOCK BY BLOCK

BATTLE FOR BUDA RUSSIANS~CRASH IN STALINGRAD PARALLEL LONDON, Jan. 1. “The struggle for Budapest is touching the peak of fury, the bitter savagery of the battle through the streets of the city transcending even Stalingrad,” says Reuter’s Moscow correspondent. “The inhabitants of Budapest are living through the city's final agon;, without water or electricity. Minute quantities of bread are being di.st.ri buted at irregular intervals. The German garrison in Buda is launching desperate counter-attacks with its remaining Panzers in an effort to stave oil the inevitable collapse.” The Associated Press correspondent says: “With the heavy fighting insku Buda entering its fourth day, the Rea Army has brought up virtually every weapon known to modern warfare in the fight for the city. Russian gm. have kept up a furious bombardment of the enemy from all sides, binokc from German oil reservoirs set on fire oy the enemy has laid a black pall over the city, and the enemy in the last 48 hours alone is estimated tc nave lost more than GOOO lulled.” The Exchange and Telegraph correspondent says: "The Russians are chopping up the city block by block, isolating the defenders and then destroying them. The Germans on the whole are refusing to surrender, aim there is the ceaseless noise of exploding shells, bombs and mines as un Russians work their way towards the last few streets still uncaptured in Buda. They are also battering their way to the heart of Pest.” Trapped ill Burning City “There are 2,000,000 civilians, twice the normal population of Budapest, trapped in the burning city,” states the British United Press’ Moscow correspondent. “It is probably the first time in history that the population of any great capital was increased by refugees before its investment. They poured into the city from the countryside, never dreaming that u was going to become the last great battlefield in Hungary. All hope has now gone of preserving Europe’s most beautiful capital from destruction. Fires are blazing in all parts of the city, and the red glow of the reflection of flames on the pall of smoke overhanging the city all night shines down upon the streets, lighting up the men fighting from house to nouse.”

The Moscow radio says grimly:— “The fires of Budapest are lighting the way to Berlin.” “German positions have been whittled down considerably in the past 24 hours,” says Reuter’s correspondent. “The end is approaching for Buda, where the Russians nave crashed through the last German defence strip, and reached the river at new points. Fierce battles are now going on in the low-lying western section of Pest.” The Berlin radio commentator, Major von Hammer, said: “Despite the incessant Russian pressure, um defenders of Budapest are still holding out, substantially helped by the Luftwaffe.” To-night’s Soviet communique says that Soviet troops have advanced towards Lucenec and captured several Czech-inhabited localities, including one which is two miles south or Lucenec. The Russians in this sector took 515 German prisoners.

“Our troops in Budapest continued the destruction of tiie enemy grouping, and captured 200 blocks oi houses. Our troops have captured the railway station at R'akos, five miles east of the Budapest city area.”