Going Down in Flame and Smoke

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVII, Issue 23113, 30 January 1945, Page 5

Going Down in Flame and Smoke

Great City Of Konigsberg Battle For East Prussia Closing

By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright (Received 9 p.m.) LONDON, January 28. KONIGSBERG is going down in flame and smoke. House-to-house fighting is going on in the outskirts of the city. Big Russian forces are now attempting to trap the garrison by a thrust to the sea south-west of the city.

The Moscow correspondent of the Exchange Telegraph Agency says there is a grim sort of irony in the spectacle of the Germans helping the Russians to destroy Konigsberg, the very heart of Prussian militarism. Nazi torch squads are setting fire to and blasting sections of the city, while Russian guns ceaselessly rain in shells, and Russian tanks smash their way from the outskirts.

According to “Red Star,” Marshal Rokossovsky’s bridgehead across the Vistula south of Chelmo, where he linked up with Marshal Zhukov’s men north of Bromberg, already covers a considerable area. The Moscow correspondent of Reuter’s says that Marshal Rokossovsky will probably launch a drive toward Danzig.

The German High Command is preparing to evacuate Baltic ports. They have closed the U-boat training centres of Gdynia and Pillau, and have thrown the crews into the battle as infantry. Feverish evacuation attempts are also reported from Elbing. Russian warships are believed to be ranged offshore to deal with fleeing transports to prevent an East Prussian Dunkirk.

The Berlin radio, in an orgy of self-pity, stated that the greatest trek ever is going on from Eastern German provinces. Howling snowstorms chill thousands as they march west. They know that their destinations are zones where terror strikes from the air, and where People have already felt the rigours of war for a long time.

More than three-quarters of East Prussia has now been cleared, states the Moscow correspondent of Reuter’s, and the battle for East Prussia has virtually ended. The trapped Germans are not trying to withdraw to Konigsberg, but are attempting a concentrated tank and infantry breakout to the west. Waves of German infantry and armour all day yesterday threw themselves against Marshal Rokossovsky’s flank north of Allenstein, but they suffered heavy losses. The Berlin radio reports that Soviet guns are shelling the centre of Konigsberg. A German war correspondent in the city said: “Konigsberg is a town without sleep. The sky over Konigsberg is red with flames, like the whole sky over East Prussia. Men defending the stronghold have not slept for a week. Women, aged and sick are hiding in cellars.”

The Berlin radio said: “The Russians coming up from the south-east via Brieg on the west bank of the Oder 13 miles from Breslau have reached the gates of Breslau. Sixteen-year-olds and greybeards in the Volkss'turm guard Breslau's streets. The final taking up of positions in the city’s outer defence ring has begun. Large herds of cattle from the evacuated west bank of the Oder have been driven into the city.” The radio added that the Russians south-east of Glogau were making persistent attempts to cross the Oder. The deputy-burgomaster of Breslau, Dr Spielhaged. was executed yesterday as “a coward devoid of honour” by a squad of the Volkssturm, according to the German forces radio, quoted by Reuter’s. The correspondent of the British United Press points out that Moscow for the first time officially revealed in a communique yesterday that Marshal Zhukov’s central forces have reached the German frontier at Czarnkow.

The correspondent of the Associated American Press says that Opalenica is 119 miles east of Berlin, the nearest point to Berlin which the Russians have yet officially admitted they have reached.

Reuter's says the disclosure of the capture of Guhrau is the first official indication that Marshal Zhukov is close to the Oder.

Memel Captured To-night’s Soviet communique repeats the Order of the Day on the capture of Memel, and announced that Chelmno (Kulmi was captured. It adds: “Troops in East Prussia continued the offensive and captured Senzbure. Bischofsburg and more than 150 other inhabited localities. The Russians simultaneously north-west of Allensteln repelled attacks by a strong force of enemy tanks and infantry attempting to break through to the west, and inflicted heavy losses.

“The Russians south of Graudz.iadz completely cleared the eastern bank of the Vistula and captured a number of large inhabited places. The Russians around the town are engaged in wiping out encircled enemy forces. Our troops north-west and north of Bromberg fought their way forward and captured Krone, 12 miles north-north-west of Bromberg, also Sepolno, 29 miles northwest of Bromberg, and six miles from the German frontier and 12 miles from the Berlin-Danzig railway. “We alsj captured Mrotschen and Lobsens, 17 and 31 miles respectively north-west of Bromberg. The latter place is three miles from the German frontier and 11 miles from the BerlinDanzig railway. The Russians in this sector occupied more than 200 inhabited places "Troops of the first White Russian front continued to tight for the annihilation of the encircled garrison at Posen, and north-west and southwest of Posen they captured 400 places, including Czarnkow, 40 miles northwest of Posen, also Opalenica, 20 miles west-south-west of Posen on the main Berlin-Posen railway." The communique continues: “Russians north-west of Powicz captured : number of places, including Gahrau. IP

miles from the Glowbau-Berlin railway. The Red Army in Budapest captured 12 blocks of buildings, and souths west of Budapest improved their positions.”

A Moscow supplementary communique says that Marshal Zhukov, driving west from Posen, captured 18 complete trains loaded with war material. He also captured 35 locomotives and 260 laden waggons. Effort to Smash Oder Line The German News Agency stated that Marshal Koniev’s armies now hold a stretch of 130 miles of the Oder river, extending from a point 120 miles from Berlin south to Breslau.

The British United Press correspondent at, Moscow says that Breslau is invested from north, east and south, but the fall of the great city depends on the enlargement of the Russian bridgeheads on the west bank of the Oder.

The savagery of the fighting in Silesia exceeds that in East Prussia, but with the right and left flanks now fairly secure. Marshal Koniev has moved up huge reinforcements in the central Breslau sector in an all-out massive attempt to smash the Oder line.

Reuter’s correspondent at Moscow says that the new Russian offensive in the Baltic is apparently aimed at the liquidation of German grouping around Liepaja. This “Baltic Tobruk” has been cut off by land for some months, being supplied by air.

On Marshal Zhukov’s front, Posen, where the German garrison is fighting out its last hours, is being left deep in the rear as Russian tanks drive nearer Berlin. His forces farther south are thrusting on with undiminished speed. The Soviet News Agency, in a long military review to-night, indicated that Marshal Zhukov's northern army group, after a secret advance last week, are now well across the German border, 30 miles into Brandenburg, states Reuter’s correspondent, who says, however, that this is not officially confirmed.

Probing Into Brandenburg

The Moscow radio said that Soviet troops who captured Bromberg on Tuesday are about 125 miles from Berlin. Reuter’s correspondent further says that this would place Marshal Zhukov's northern vanguards 30 miles due west of Schneidemuhl, 85 miles beyond Bromberg and within 60 miles of Stettin.

Reports In the last 24 hours indicated tiiat the Russians are in the Schneidemuhl area. The Berlin radio said: “West of Bromberg the Russians crossed the Netze River and Bromberg Canal and advanced further north-west and north.’’

The British United Press correspondent at Moscow says that Marshal Zhukov’s spearheads are probing in the Brandenburg province. Uncomfirmed reports received in Moscow say that troops of the Red Army have already crossed over the

German frontier and are smashing their way toward Frankfurt.

The penetration west of Posen is the deepest yet achieved on the whole continuous Red Army front between Konigsberg and the Carpathians. Lieutenant-Colonel Troyanovsky, the “Red Star” reporter, writing from Marshal Zhukov’s headquarters, says: “Events are developing at such speed that it is still difficult to understand what has happened during the last few days, and also difficult to grasp the immediate consequences.” Colonel Troyanovsky added that the rout of the German forces in Western Poland is so thorough and the German Command so demoralised that Marshal Zhukov has been able to force the Warta River in several places, using German bridges which the enemy failed to blow up. With the capture of Katowice and Beuthen, Marshal Koniev has driven more deeply into the Wehrmacht’s second greatest pre-war arsenal. All the southern part of the Silesian industrial black country is now in Russian hands. Reuter’s says that the loss of the Silesian arsenal, which was probably Germany's most important since the bombing of the Ruhr, is a major disaster to the German war economy, which is largely based on coal products. Move Towards Oslrave The Berlin radio commentator (von Hammer) reports that powerful Russian forces in the last 24 hours launched a new offensive toward Ostrave, south-west of Katowice, which aims to complete the encirclement of the Silesian industrial basin from the south. Von Hammer claimed that German counter-attacks had restored the position and added: “Russian armoured spearheads between Katowice and Ratibor are trying to by-pass our barrage positions and turn our flank.” The Russian offensive is progressing along the whole front. In a second Order of the Day, M. Stalin reports that a new offensive was launched in the Baltic area. Klaipeda (Memel) has been captured and Lithuania Is now completely cleared of Germans. M. Stalin, in a third Order of the Day, states that troops of the Fourth Ukrainian Front. continuing their offensive in difficult mountainous country in the Carpathians, occupied Poprad.-an important communications junction and strongpoint of enemy defences.