Evening star., 1944-10-17
Berlin Reports
Big Red Drive
ToEast Prussia
Soviets, Portisons
Fight Germans in
Belgrade Streets
4y the Associated Press.


LONDON, Oct. 17.-A great
new Russian offensive has
opened and has reached the
East Prussian border northeast
of the Lithuanian town of Vilka
viskis, the German communique
acknowledged today.
The drive was on a 25-mile from
on both sides of the town by masses
of Russian infantry tanks anc
fighter bombers striking after 8
drumfire barrage lasting severa
hours. The Germans asserted IA;
tanks were destroyed in opening
phases of the battle.
"Large-scale troop concentrations
had been observed for days past,
an enemy broadcast said. They
now haVe started their storm against
the German defense lines.
Strong artillery fire and severe
bombing preceded the attack o1
tanks and infantry"
Vilkaviskis lies II miles from the
central section of the East Prussiar
border, along which Russian troops
have been deployed since August II
Tilsit Threatened.
Other Russian troops besiegine
Memel are threatening the rail city
OF Tilsit in East Prussia and already
have invaded the 1909 square miles
OF Memel territory which Hitler
annexed to East Prussia six months
before the outbreak of the war.
Still others are menacing East
Prussia from the south from two
brldgeheads, which Berlin said were
es ablished across the Narew River
Far to the south, Russian and Yu-
goslav Partisans were fighting the
last phase of the battle of Belgrade
in the streets of that 2,000-year-old
capital. The whole German position
in Yugoslavia was placed in the
greatest jeopardy by the capture of
the rail center of Mis- and ITS miles
OF the trans Balkan railway south
OF the Yugoslav capital.
Berlin said, moreover, that 1000
Russian tanks had been massed for
an imminent assault on the Polish
capital of Warsaw, in whose eastern
industrial suburbs Of Praga the Rus
sian armies are bivouacked.
Tank Battle Raging.
The Germans said the great tank
battle on the fiat Hungarian plair
within so miles east of Budapest
had increased in fury" and that
the outcome was uncertain.
Berlin said the attack on East
Prussia from Lithuanian was on 6
25-mile front and came after g
drumflre barrage and violent all
attack lasting several hours. 1,
was termed a mass assault by in.
fantry and tanks"
Russians on this sector are com.
manded by Gen. Ivan D. Chernia
kovsky.
While the Germans acknowledged
local breaches" they insisted thai
the breaks were sealed before the
Russians could get near East Prus.
sia.' Seventy Russian tanks wert
destroyed, the Nazis asserted.
Before dawn, Russian planes at.
tackled the Prlssian town of Gum.
binnen. SO miles due west of Vii.
kaviskis, the Germans said.
In the south, the united armies
were thrusting toward Skoplje, al
the head of the Vardar Valley anC
last big rail junction point from
which any Germans remaining ir
Greece could swing norChwestwaro
over secondary railways.
It appeared questionable, how
ever, that any large numbers OF
Germans remained either in Greece
or Lower Yugoslavia. Berlin has
indicated that the Nazis have fled
or are fleeing. The speed of the
Russian-Bulgarian-Yugoslav west
ward sweep suggested only minor
opposition.
The Moscow communique an.
nounced the capture of Mis-.
Tanning out southwark along the
spur of the railway leading tC
Greece, this combined drive now has
reached as far as Vranje, So miles
south Of Nis-more than half way
to Sokplje. Leblanc, 13 miles west
of Mis-, also has fallen.
Moscow gave no new details ot
the fighting for Belgrade beyonc
announcing that 1900 prisoners were
taken in the suburbs. The Algier.
radio said two-thirds of the city
had been freed.