RUSSIAN LEFT TURNING NORTH

Grey River Argus, 17 February 1945, Page 5

RUSSIAN LEFT TURNING NORTH

ENEMY’S ODER BASTIONS BEING BY-PASSED

British and American Bombers Blazing Trail

(Rec. 12.50) LONDON, Feb. 16. ■ An Associated Press correspondent in Moscow says: A battle decisively affecting the fate of Berlin is being waged in a triangle formed by Krossen, Guben and Furstenberg. Furstenburg is only 53 miles south-east of Berlin. Marshal Koniev surged forward into Brandenburg. This has seriously shaken the southern’ anchorage of the Germans’ mam fortified line shielding Berlin. His forces struck hard and fast along vital rail and road communications running parallel with the west bank of the Oder in the rear of a host of strongpoints, which hitherto have prevented Marshal Zhukov’s main forces from crossing the Oder River. Guben, the junction of four important railway lines and three motor roads, is under direct attack from Koniev a advanced tanks. With smoke from the Allied bombers of Dresden and Cottbus as signals, Koniev’s forces continue their gigantic strides towards Dresden, while also striking north-westward in the direction of Berlin. Kornevs troops have reached the autobahn north-west of Forst on the Neisse River, 12 miles east of Cottbus. Forst is 20. miles west of Sorau. Koniev’s right’wing has reached points 90 miles from Berlin. _ German reports indicate that this advance to the north-west along the Oder is 30 miles broad. The Germans speak of fighting north of Sommerfeld, which is little more than 80 miles south-east of Berlin. • Koniev has armour and motorised infantry well to the fore of his columns. He is advancing so rapidly tow'ards Dresden that scores of isolated German units have been left behind. Breslau is now well in the rear and is completely cut off by rail, and Glogau is encircled. Breslau is encircled by Russian troops. The battle for Breslau has reached a climax. A great tank battle is raging west of the town. The Neisse River lin e is cracking under the weight of Koniev’s armour. The German High Command appears to have issued a general order to all garrisons to stand to the last. The German resistance is stubborn, but it lacks cohesion or co-ordination. Koniev’s southern armies are believed to be battling for a bridgehead west of the Neisse River, while, opening the assault against Gorlitz, which is the outer bastion of the Dresden defences, they are within five miles of the border of Saxony. Almost as speedy as Koniev’s advance westward is the thrust northwestwards, along the western bank of the Oder until it has nearly joined Zhukov’s main forces in the FurstenI berg area, Koniev threatens a wide area of Eastern Germany from the approaches to Cottbus and Dresden to Sudentenland and the mountains of Czechoslovakia. The stiffest German resistance appears to be south-west of Breslau where the Germans are using 60 to 70 tanks at a time in counter-attacks. Koniev in little more than 24 hours has penetrated more than 25 miles into the province of Brandenburg. His object seems to be to cut all the main railways and roads running south-east of Berlin. There appears little doubt that when Zhukov struck for Berlin the German High Command denuded th e upper Oder defences between Frankfurt and Breslau of men. Now the Russians are beginning another of their classical outflanking movements through I the gap that was left. Another day ha's passed without any news from Zhukov’s front. Von Hammer stated to-night that fighting had flared up again on Zhukov’s front, but that there was no change lin the situation as a whole.