Russians Headed For Berlin

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVII, Issue 23111, 27 January 1945, Page 5

Russians Headed For Berlin

Race Between Two Red Armies

Germans Battling At Three Key Points By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright (Rec. 9.0 p.m.) LONDON, January 25. The red army is advancing along HITLER’S FAMOUS REICH’S AUTOBAHN —HUGE MOTOR ROADS SPECIALLY CONSTRUCTED TO CARRY THE WEHRMACHT INTO THE EAST—SAID THE MOSCOW RADIO TO-NIGHT. - The British United Press correspondent in Moscow says the weather has taken a turn for the worse for the Germans. Intermittent blizzards are reported on many parts of Marshal Koniev’s front and the Russians, with 13 days of incredible achievement behind them, are continuing to advance through snow and ice, maintaining the rate of advance at between eight and 16 miles a day.

The correspondent says that reports reaching Moscow say that the Germans are building defences, digging trenches and anti-tank ditches in and around Berlin.

The Russian offensive is developing at such a rate that all commentators in Moscow exclude the possibility of the Germans rapidly restoring the front, says Reuter’s correspondent at Moscow. At any moment Moscow official announcements will bear the significant words: “Our troops in the Berlin direction captured, etc.”

A sudden surge through Silesia has placed Marshal Koniev first in the race for Berlin, but Marshal Zhukov in the centre is a close second, and is twisting the extending front so that to-night the two army groups present a tremendous arc from Northwestern Poland to German Silesia. It is in the ZhukovKoniev combination that the threat to Berlin now lies. The Germans are attempting to meet the Russian threat by holding battles at three key points—west of Bromberg, east of Posen, and around Breslau.

Great lines of captives are trailing along the Polish roads fom the scenes of the Red Army’s glorious victories, states the Moscow correspondent of “The Times.” The Polish inhabitants are reported to be demanding their lives, and it is the Russians who have to protect their prisoners from the people’s wrath.

News is scarce from East Prussia, said von Hammer, the German commentator, who added that German troops, after fierce street fighting, evacuated the towns of PreussischHolland and Liebstadt, 10 and 20 miles respectively south-east of Ebling. He added that the Germans had been able to hold their front east of Konigsberg in extraordinarily costly fighting. Von Hammer also said that strong German formations by-passed by the Russians have joined up and are now participating in the battle in the Warta district, where the Russians have found the way to Posen barred, and the garrison of Posen has been reinforced.

The Berlin radio to-night said that 17 divisions are straining every nerve to widen the narrow wedge which cuts East Prussia. Fighting for Torun continued with great violence. A Moscow communique says: “Troops in East Prussia west and south-west of Insterburg fought their way into more than 300 inhabited places. West and South-west of Lyck they fought their way forward and captured three towns in East Prussian territory, besides 150 inhabited localities. North and north-west of Allenstein Soviet troops continued the offensive battle and occupied in the western part of East Prussia three large towns They fought their way into 250 other inhabited localities. Troops in the Posen direction fought their way into a number of large towns, including Sroda and Jarocin, 25 and 40 miles respectively south-east of Posen. The commander of the 10th German Motorised Division, Colonel Bailla, has been captured.” The communique added: "Troops south-west of Cracow captured a number of inhabited localities. Northwest and west of Kosice troops operating in the difficult wooded, mountainous country of the Carpathians captured a number of inhabited localities on Czechoslovak territory. Troops in Budapest captured 10 blocks of buildings in the western (Buda) part of the city. Troops south-west of Budapest repelled tank and infantry attacks.” Grand Manoeuvre The Red Army's great offensive has entered the stage of grand manoeuvre, says Reuter’s correspondent at Moscow. The Germans have been trying to counter the Soviet threat by fighting stubborn holding battles at three key points, west of Bromberg, east of Posen, and around Breslau. They have rushed considerable reinforcements to the approaches of Posen, where a great battle is believed to have developed. Equally savage fighting is going on up to the walls of Breslau. Frontline dispatches to-day Indicate that Marshal Koniev’s big drive, which has reached the outskirts of Breslau, is making rapid progress. The Russians launched the battle for Breslau with a series of assaults from points within four miles south-west to 20 miles north, and are trying to swing the whole front in a south-westerly direction, thus threatening the garrison with an outflanking movement. The line with which the Germans intend to protect Berlin consists of the old fortification of Pomerania, West Prussia and Silesia, according to Berlin reports reaching Stockholm, says the British United Press correspondent at Stockholm. These fortifications have been neglected since Hitler

came into power, but the Germans are working feverishly to restore them. Berlin commentators describe the line as “the last Lope to save the capital." The Germans hoped, after the Russian break-through, to use Konigsberg, Danzig, Posen and Breslau as breakwaters and the outskirts were hurriedly fortified. It was hoped that these places would delay the Russians ■long enough to enable General Guderian and Himmler to reorganise the German forces behind the river Oder. Political circles admit that the Soviet offensive has upset the German plans, for a counter-attack, and that the strategy had to be revised. The British Official Wireless service says that the Russians have captured Gleiwltz, one of the two chief centres of German Upper Silesia and the largest German town since Aachen to fall to the Allies. The Russians have thus outflanked the whole industrial region of Upper Silesia.

Gleiwilz Captured An Order of the Day from M. Stalin to Marshal Koniev states: “Troops of the First Ukrainian Front last night took by storm a large centre of the Silesian industrial region, the town of Gleiwltz, converted by the Germans into a powerful stronghold of defence. Simultaneously troops on this front took by fighting the Polish town of Chrzanow, one of the great centres of the Dombrova coal region. Gleiwltz, with its neighbouring Hindenberg, is the largest place in Upper Silesia. Before the war its population was 117,000. To capture Gleiwitz Marshal Koniev’s left wing made a deep thrust through the coal mines and slag heaps with which the Silesian industrial basin is dotted, and which has been converted into myriads of strongpoints. Gleiwitz, six miles inside Germany, is a sister town of Hindenberg, the largest town in Upper Silesia, to which it is connected by a tram system. It is an important mining centre, the seat of the Upper Silesian Coal Syndicate, the Silesian Electricity Company and other undertakings. It is an Inland port connected with the Oder by the Adolf Hitler canal. The town has its own aerodrome and broadcasting station. M. Stalin, In an Order of the Day, reported the capture, north-east of Breslau, of the towns of Ols and Ostrow. Both are some distance to the rear of the most advanced Soviet positions.

The Germans have been reporting fighting in the vicinity of Ols (where the German Crown Prince had an estate) for some days. Ostrow is in the sector where the army groups of Marshals Koniev and Zhukov linked up.