BERLIN FALLS

Grey River Argus, 4 May 1945, Page 5

BERLIN FALLS

last resistance ends 70,000 MORE PRISONERS Marshal Stalin’s Order of the Day LONDON, May 2. Marshal Stalin, in an order of the day, announced that Berlin had been completely captured. “Troops of the First White Russian Front, commanded by Marshal Zhukov, in co-operation with troops of the First Ukrainian Front, commanded by Marshal Koniev, to-day, after stubborn street battles, completed the rout of the Berlin garrison, and captured the city of Berlin, the capital of Germany, the centre of German imperialism, and the hot-bed of German aggression,” . the order stated. “The garrison of Berlin, headed by Artillery General Webling and his staff, ceased resistance at 3 p.m., laid down their arms, and surrendered. To-day our troops in Berlin at 9 p.m. took more than 70,000 prisoners.” HUSH OF DEAD CITY (Rec. 12.15) LONDON, May 3 The hush of a dead city lay over Berlin to-day. Only occasional explosions in the ruins and the tramp of thousands of German prisoners marching to captivity broke the eerie calm which settled on the shattered capital when the guns ceased fire. Russians have already begun to ciear up and there are mounds of German arms piled up in the streets. One of the first jobs is to clear the streets, which are choked with rubble, and to control fires which have been burning almost unchecked in the centre of the city since the Russian assault commenced. Reports from the centre of the city state that there is complete chaos. German dead lie so thickly at some' points that it seems that they will have to be buried in mass graves. Moscow went on celebrating tne fall of Berlin all night long, reports Reuter’s correspondent. Stirring marches and Russian folk tunes blared out from loud speakers in the streets until the early hours. House parties seemed by’general consent to ignore the curfew. There was underlying sense of sadness in many places for it is known that many from Moscow gave their .lives lor the victory in Berlin. While the fall of the city is regarded as the removal of the last lynch pin from the tottering structure of the Reich, the end of which is expected very soon, it is recognised that there may yet be bloody fighting before the last Geiman lays down his arms.

OTHER RUSSIAN GAINS. (Rec. 9.30). LONDON, May 3. A Moscow communique says:— North-west of Berlin troops of the First White Russian Command . captured Neuruppin, Kyritz Freisack, Fehrballin, Neustadt, and Wusterhausen. South-east of Berlin troop's of the First White Russian and First Ukrainian Commands, in addition to taking 120,000 prisoners, killed more than sixty thousand, and also captured more than 300 tanks and self-propel-led guns, 1500 field guns, 2000 ma-chine-guns. 17,000 lorries, and much other booty.