NEW OFFENSIVE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25085, 26 December 1944, Page 5

NEW OFFENSIVE

HUNGARIAN FRONT RUSSIAN _ADVANCE SZEKESFEHEEVAE FALLS ENCIRCLING BUDAPEST (IJecd. 10.15 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. '25 A Soviet communique says the Russians in the Szekesfehervar region, south-west of Budapest, went over to the offensive, overcame a mountainous, wooded region and reached the Ipol River, occupying 12 places. They have advanced as much as 25 miles in three clays' fighting and cut the escape routes the Germans previously held open to the west. The vital railway junction o£ Szekesfehervar ha.3 been captured.

A Russian Order of the Day announcing these gains • says that the encirclement of Budapest has gone further than the Germans admitted. The main route to the west has been cut and the Russians are about 15 miles south of the Danube near Esztergom above Budapest.. A 20-mile gap now separates the jaws • of their pincers. This has been achieved by a swift blow from near between Budapest and Lake Balaton. German Admissions The German news agency says: "Wo abandoned Szekesfehervar after fierce fighting." The British United Press, commenting on this, says the announce-, ~ ment means the Russians have virtually broken through the gap between Lake Balaton and Budapest. Szekes- • fehervar controls all the railways leading south-west from Budapest. The Germans now have only one railway to the west from Budapest running through Gvor. , . - The German news agency adds that the Russians achieved deep breaches beyond Szekesfehervar., Heavy battles are proceeding. The Moscow correspondent of the British United Press says the Russian! under the command of Marshal Malinovsky are making uninterrupted progress in northern Hungary, where they have cleared a large. mountainous and forested area. The Germans are abandoning equipment and wounded. Battle North of Capital A Moscow communique says the Russians on Saturday north of Gyongyos, north-east of Budapest, occupied -- 11 places. The Russians north of Budapest engaged large infantry and tank formations. West of Sahv, on ther Slovak border, they repelled counterattacks by large enemy tank formations,.... inflicting heavy losses; and captured the railway junction, of Levice, Renter's Moscow correspondent says the Russians are intensifying their two- • way drive against the strategically important railway junction of Lucenec, in Czechoslovakia, about 60 miles north-east of Budapest. German alpine troops are striving to hold the Russians on the last.approaches. .. ..... . . The Berlin radio's commentator von . Hammer says that fighting is now going on in the outer suburbs of Budapest. The battle for the Hungarian capital' has reached a climax.