Evening star., 1944-08-27
Romuniuns Seize
Mountain Passes,
Fight Germans
BULLETIN.


NEW YORK Sunday R.-
The German radio said early
today that German officers in
the Romanian capital of Bu-
charest are surrounded. The
broadcast, recorded by CHS,
said "the most stringent meas
ures" are being taken to lib
crate the surrounded officers.
By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Aug. 26.-The Ger
mans Balkan front caved in to-
night as Bulgaria ordered Nazi
troops out of the country and
Romanians seized the Carpa-
THAN Mountain passes and bat
tied with their former allies, who
were trying to escape the Rus
sian onslaught.
(The Bulgarian domestic radio,
in a broadcast recorded by the
Federal Communications Com
mission, said German troops in
Bulgaria already had been dis
armed by Bulgarian forces and
confirmed that Bulgaria had
approached the United States
and Britain for terms on with
drawing from the War;
Bulgarias formal withdrawal
from the war was expected hourly
but the Moscow radio indicated she
already was as good as out, an
nouncing that she had adopted an
attitude of strict neutrality" and
planned to disarm any Germans
who did not leave the country
peaceably.
Bulgarian ability to enforce this
position was an open question but
there have been reports of ex-
tensive Withdrawals of German
forces from that country in recent
weeks, 50 that those remaining
might not be able to put up efIec-
tive resistance, while those seekins
to nee from Romania would have
to Tight their way into doubtful
Antonescu Reported Held.
The broadcast Soviet statement
most concrete of the many current
reports concerning the Balkans
said Bucharest was firmly held by
the new pro-Allied Romanian gov
ernment, that the old premier, Gen
Ion Antonescu, was under arrest in
King Mihai's palace, and that Ro-
manian troops now held the Car
mountain passes that had
been the Germans strongest line
Of hope for defense against the Red
Army.
An earlier report from the Ital-
ian Fascist agency Stefani via the
Swiss Telegraph Agency had said
had been assassinated in
the coup that turned Romania from
the German to the Allied camp
Wednesday.
Gen. Hansen. head of the Ger
man military mission to Romania
and other Germans in Bucharest
have been interned, Moscow said,
and Bucharest is firmly held by
the new government of Gen. San
atescu,' although the Germans were
still shelling the city with anti-air-
craft guns-the only artillery they
had-and were bombing the mill
tary barracks.
Two hundred and fifty American
Liberators from Italy meanwhile
bombed the German-held airdrome
Of Otopeni. nine miles north OF
Bucharest, whence the German all
attacks on Bucharest originated.
Libcrators Attack Other Targets.
Another Liberator force struck
barracks at Beneasa. just north Of
Bucharest, and a third formation
attacked a train ferry at Giurgiu
on the Danube IS miles southwest
of Bucharest on the only direct
link between Bulgaria and the
Bucharest area.
American pursuits engaged the
few German fighters seen.
Pointing the way to the next likely
Balkan development, the Russians
said German and Hungarian forces
were tfeverishly erecting defenses'
in Transylvania in the territory
Hungary took from Romania ir
1910 under a Hitler award"
Authoritative sources in Londox
said there was no information in.
dicating any quick crackup of Hun.
gary, but that on the contrary the
Nazis could be expected to sitter
the Hungarian spines now that
n = vi a