BATTLE OF BERLIN

Grey River Argus, 23 April 1945, Page 5

BATTLE OF BERLIN

QTY BOMBARDED RUSSIANS CIRCLING IT And Striking at Centre A Desperate- Defence (Rec. 9.40). LONDON, April 21’ ; A Russian communique stated: The central group of our armies yesterday continued offensive battles west of the Oder and Neisse Rivers, with the result that they, in the Dresden direction, have occupied Kalau, Luckau; Senftenberg, Kamenz, and Bautzen, and engaged in a battle lor Konigsbruck, 14 miles north-east of Dresden. To the west of the Oder we occupied Bernau, Werneuchen, Strausberg, Atlandsberg, Buckow and Munchenberg, and started battles m suburbs of Berlin. Luckau is less than three miles east of the BerlinDresden railway. Capture of Bernau cuts the Berlin-Stettin railway. (Rec. 9.30). ILONDON, April 22. The German News Agency on Saturday stated that a Russian column had reached the region of Werneuchen, eight miles from Berlin’s northeast suburbs. The first Russian shells to fall in Berlin did so on Saturday afternoon in the centre of the city, when Russians shelled the Potsdammer Platz. Russians reached outer suburbs. Germans engaged in heavy lighting against very strong Russian forces at Bernau, Strausberg, Furstenwalde, Konigs-Wusterhausen and Zossen. Two Russian forces were closing ever more tightly against Berlin. . ,

According to Von Hammer, sixteen Russian armies, comprising at least one and a-half million men, including four Guards’ tank armies, are attacking Berlin. The German News Agency said Dr. Goebbels ordered all Berliners who were unable to reach work owing to lack of transport to report at assembly centres to be directed to work. One report stated the whole Brandenburg battlefield north-east and east and south-east of Berlin is ablaze with tank fire. There is German heavy artillery massed in almost a continuous arc around the city. It is laying down a heavy barrage, and this is a partial answer to the Russian bombardment. German forces are being hurled back from most ol their trenches in spite of artillery and of the support of hundreds of additional tanks which they, have thrown into the battle. Russian pilots report that acres of tanks, troops and guns are. locked in a massive struggle. They said battle was surging around country homes of Berlin magnates less than half an hour's fast motor drive from the Unter-Den-Linden. Kottbus, a key junction between the Berlin and Dresden fronts, has now been uncovered from the south, as the result of a swift Russian push north-east of . Dresden. Russian forces straddle the Kottbus-Dresden line, thus blocking an artery which has been pumping German reserves up and down behind critical sectors of the front. Heavy Russian guns were moved up to pound outer defences of Dresden, after Red Army forces made a swift advance' beyond the River Spree, which was stormed at such speed that a number of crossings wore seized intact. Russian' forces are encountering sharp resistance in 'hills north-east and east of Dresden. There German forces are attempting lo forestall a linking up of the Western and Eastern Allies.

RUSSIANS POUNDING BERLIN. (Rec. 10.30). LONDON, April 22. A British United Press correspondent commented on < the Russian capture of Bernau, 15 miles north-north-east of Berlin’s centre, and the fact that Russian forces have been reported in the area of Beelitz, 25 miles to the south-westward. He said: The Red Army’s central group is swinging around Berlin in an arc, slicing off its communications in true Russian style. ADVANCE TOWARDS UNTER DEN LINDEN. (Rec. 12.57.) LONDON, April 22. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says: Unofficial reports received in Moscow state that Russian troops who yesterday fought their way into the suburbs of Berlin are advancing in the direction of Unter Den Linden, from, the north-east. They crossed the Ringbahn, a circular railway running- round the city’s administrative centre. Front-line reports published in the Moscow ’’Red Star” say that Russian commanders are looking down on the streets of Berlin from observation posts in the suburbs. Diehard groups are' reported to be pushing through side streets towards the Schleslscher station, near the north bank of the Spree, two miles from the Under Den Linden. Russian forces are making a converging movement against the heart of Berlin from points north of Spree, the advance being directed along the lines of the Landsbergerallee and Frankfurl-Terallee. Both of these streets have stations on a ring of railway.

Nazis, S.S. men, police and gendarmerie units manned positions before Berlin,, but no power on earth could halt the Red Army’s hail of shells pouring into the central areas of Berlin as well as the outskirts.

Tension of expectation of victory in Moscow is becoming almost unbearable, says an Exchange Telegraph Agency’s correspondent in Moscow. People who during the autumn and Winter in 1941 took danger in their stride, and calmly went on with the evacuation of industry and Government departments, and carried on a dogged defence of Moscow, are now rejoicing with Mediterranean spontaneity. They, are doing more shopping than warranted by May Day and Russian Easter preparations. Berlin is going down in smoke and fire with the wiping out of thousands of picked fanatical S.S. men.. This symbolises for Russians the extermination of the Third Reich.

Reuter’s Stockholm correspondent says: Telephone and telegraph communication between Stockholm and Berlin was virtually cut off at 6.50 a.m. to-day. It is announced that communications with Hamburg are still open. An Exchange Telegraph Agency correspondent in Moscow said: The Luftwaffe has lost the battle of the skies over Berlin. There were 345 German nlanes shot down in three .days. Fresh Russian planes -have been arriving daily to clinch hardWon air domination. Stormoviks are causing heavy, destruction among enemy tanks.

GERMAN RADIO REPORTS. (Rec. 9.10). LONDON, April 22. Reuter’s listening post reported that only one German regional ShortWave transmission could be heard in London on Saturday night. Gerniany’s most skilful commentators, including Goebbels himself, heavily underlined the gravity of Berlin’s situation. Von Hammer said: “Never before, on any front, has battle been conducted with such ferocity as the battle of Berlin. Millions of the in-

habitants are ' now permanently huddled in cellars.” Goebbels said: “During years of bitter battles for National Socialism, we have learned to love Berlin.” His speech was punctured by shell bursts. He bound all Germans, on oath, to guard the Reich capital. Berlin radio sav.s- “Volks Sturm have been thrown into the battle for Berlin, also Hitler Youth, whose childlike faces contrast with the steel-like efficiency of weapons that they carry. Civilians are still erecting defences.” German radio transmission difficulties were accentuated by a ghost voice which repeatedly shouted: “What Himmler needs (Rec 1 10 e 36). LONDON, April 22. Berlin radio stated Russian tanks broke into Greater Berlin from the north-east, penetrating the Weissensee and Pankow districts. A Russian communique stated: Russian forces north of Vienna captured a number of places, and in Czechoslovakia south-west of Hodonin, we caplured Valcice. Russians on Friday destroyed 120 German’ tanks, and 103 planes. Russian heavy bombers on Fridav night carried out mass raids against military objectives in Berlin, starting over fifty fires, accompanied by; violent explosions. STALIN AT THE FRONT? fR 10 .30). LONDON, April 22. U A Reuter military correspondent cniri- Marshal Stalin, as supreme Com-mander-in-Chief of the Red Army, i iav e taken over personal commnnd in the field of all the Russian on the Berlin front, and may b nsllf be before Berlin. This development is suggested, by a ' rey.tetnisation of the Russian command. ° birh has been indicated in official Announcements concerning “the cental group of armies.