Evening star., 1945-01-30
3-Pronged Assault Presses On;
Yanks Pour Across Our River
Germans Admit
Soviet Advance
East Of Capital
By the Associated Press.


LONDON, Jan. 30.-Soviet ar.
mored spearheads fighting for.
ward in a blizzard, today drove
to within IS to 80 miles of Berlir
in huge three-pronged assault
toward the Reich capital. Mos
COW dispatches reported.
A German broadcast declared tht
Russians had launched a heavy
armored offensive on a 42-mile from
inside the border of Eastern Ger.
many on straight line for Berlin
and that ''the first onslaught gained
appreciable ground"
The broadcast said the first OBJ
jective was the communications Gen.
ter of Kustrin on the Oder anC
Warthe Rivers AZ miles from Berlin
A direct Moscow dispatch saio
Russian columns punched 5 to
miles inside Brandenburg Province
due east of Berlin, and Is to &c
miles inside Pomerania in push
striking northeast of the capital.
South of these blows by Marshal
Gregory Zhukov's 1st White Rus
sian Army group, tanks and in
fantry of the 1st Ukranian Army
were striking westward from bridge
heads established over the Oder
River in Silesia.
Pincers Threatened.
The Pomeranian and Silesian Of
fensives threatened a great pincerS
from north and south on Berlin, in
addition to Zhukov's offensive beat
ing in from the east in Brandenburg
Associated Press Correspondent Ed
dy Gilmore said in Moscow.
Today'S German communique de-
clared Zhukov was attacking heavily
in the Obra River sector due east
of Berlin, and said the Soviets had
made farther gains to the north
around enclrcled Schneidemuhl.
(The London radio quoted
Moscow dispatch as saying the
1st White Russian Army had
crossed the Obra, which runs on
curving course rs to 95 miles
east of Berlin. CHS recorded
the broadcast
The bulletin said counterattacks
in Lower Silesia had broken through
to the Russian surrounded garrison
in Steinau on the Oder's west bank
80 miles northwest of Breslau.
In East Prussia, Berlin added,
Germans fighting westward, trying
to break out from Russian pocket,
reached the Elbing bridgehead after
a 19-mile gain. German naval
forces were thrown into the defense
of Konigsberg, East Prussian capi-
tai, and helped stem Soviet attacks,
the communique said.
Konigsberg in Flames.
The suburbs of Konigsberg are in
flames, and the civilian population
is fleeing through blizzards to Port
Pillau at the tip of the Samland
Peninsula, Is miles west of the city,
the German radio reported.
The broadcast, quoting Nazi
war correspondent from inside the
city, said the outskirts of the fortress
city were set afire by the ''incessant
rain of Russian shells"
items of thousands of women,
children and disabled sick people
fed to Samland Peninsula in icy
winds and SnoWStormS," the broad
cast quoted the reporter as saying
Babies and the scantiest of their
belongings were dragged behind
them on sleds. The refugees now are
fleeing together with East PruSsian
peasants on horse drawn slide, wag-
ons and tractors toward Pillau.
Column leaders are shouting Or
derS. Traffic directors are shouting
at the top of their voices-but every
thing is drowned in the noise of the
ever-nearing battle"
Try to Cover Evacuation.
Moscow dispatches said the Ger
mans were counterattacking furi-
ously trying to cover an evacuation
from Elbing in East Prussia. Soviet
forces sank three German transports
yesterday.
Zhukov's northern arm bit deeper
despite binding snow after topping
Driesen, SO miles northeast OF Ber-
lin, and Woldenburg, 81 miles from
the Baltic port of Stettin. This cam
paign threatened to cut off North
eastern Germany, as well as pull
around on Berlin from the north.
Armored columns and mobile in
fantry hitting toward Berlin from
due east carried the most dangerous
menace, Mr.. Gilmore said. The Rus
slams expect main German stand
at the Oder River in the Frankfurt
sector. he added, and are pushing
ahead eager for a showdown battle
Some of Zhukovs southern forces
are striking toward the Oder in the
Glogau region, on the flank of Mar
shal Ivan Konevs 1st Ukrainian
Army. Moscow remained silent on
developments on Konevs front.
Gain 13 Miles on 30-Mile Front.
Front dispatches said Soviet troops
in Germany had painted slogans
"On to Berlin" and Berlin This
Way" on their tanks, trucks and
gun carriers.
The push into Pomerania had car
(See RUSSIA, Page A-4.)
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