Evening star., 1944-04-01
Wild Confusion
Is Reported in
Black Sea Port
map on Page Az
~ the Associated Press.

MOSCOW, April German
and Rumanian resistance in
Southwest Russia was beginning
to crumble today as masses OF
Red Army infantry, mobile units
of tanks and Stormvik bombers
swept on toward three major
objectives-Odessa, Tiraspol and
KiShinev.
Front-line Soviet dispatches said
one intermediate line after another
was cracking.
These reports said many Ru-
manians were willingly surrendering
as the Russians drove through mid
die Bessarabia toward Kishinev.
Wild confusion was reported in
Odessa as Gen. Rodion Y. Malinov-
sky's Sd Ukrainian Army and Mar
shal Ivan S. Konev's I'd Ukrainian
Army closed on the Black Sea port
from the east and northeast and
other units rushed for the Tiraspol
railway junction on the Lower
Dniester, where they could cut the
enemy of.
Main Outposts Taken.
The Soviets have captured the
main outposts Of Odessa-including
Ochakov-and the Nazis were said
to be hurriedly throwing up a mid
die defense.
A dispatch from Izvestia's corre-
spondent said group of Moldavian
peasants approached the Russians
and told them 600 Rumanians
wished to surrender.
Their commander says it would
be treason to surrender so he asks
you to come and surround them" !"
peasant was quoted. Then they'll
surrender honorabIy."
The Red Army men complied.
At the northern end of the
Ukrainian front, Marshal Gregory
K. zhukov's troops drew up before
the Rumanian and Czechoslovak
frontiers.
Consolidating Position.
Soviet dispatches gave no news Of
any thrusts across the borders Ap-
parently zhukoy was consolidating
his position as Konev did when he
reached the Prut.
(The Berlin radio said TODAY
that Red Army spearheads have
reached the northern approaches
of Jablonica Pass, leading through
the Carpathian Mountains into
Czechoslovakia.
cThe pass is approximately Is
miles south of Delatyn, captured
by Russian troops Thursday.
The Pass of the Tatars is a few
miles east.
tMadrid dispatches quoted re-
ports reaching there as saying
entire Hungarian Army units, in
some cases led by their officers.
were abandoning 1ong-prepared
Carpathian Mountain defenses
and surrendering to the Russians.
(The surrenders may open wide
breaches in the Carpathian de-
lenses and allow Red Army
columns to pour across into Hun
gary proper, 1t was said)
ESQ villages Captured.
A Soviet communique said the I'd
ukrainian Army was driving deep
into the Odessa -Tiraspol sector after
capturing more than 260 towns and
hamlets yesterday-one of the
largest single days bag of the
southern offensive.
Gen. Malinovsky's Sd Ukrainian
Army simultaneously was reported
to have Stormed the fortress town
OF Ochakov, 40 miles east of Odessa
in q rapid advance on the great por,
from the East. Russian marines
aided in the operation, the commu.
nique said.
Thousands of exhausted Germans
some estimates placed the num-
Der at 100000 or more-were beine
herded toward Odessa across the
rapidly narrowing Nazi-held secto,
above the Black Sea coast, the dis.
patches added. These remnants O.
Marshal Fritz Won Mannstein',
once-powerful invasion army facee
possible entrapment, as other Rus.
sian forces attacking southwark ir
prewar Rumania cut their majo,
escape line to the west by seizine
Sipotyany on the Odessa -Kishinev.
Iasi railway.
Entire trainloads of enemy equip.
ment were captured intact as thu
Nazis fled "in panic" toward Odes.
sa, the Soviet war bulletin renorted