Evening star., 1945-03-18
Sd Army Captures Prize City
As 9th Gains Farther South;
Nozi Wounded Fight for Stettin
Reds Blast Ahead
Toward Port, Toke
Brondenbure
By the Associated Press.


LONDON, Sunday, Mar. 18.-
Russian forces, backed by fire
from 1000 heavy guns and hun
dreds of dive bombers. yester-
day knitted 3 miles into the
southern defenses of Stettin
Germany's big Baltic seaport
while Soviet troops in East Prus-
sia captured the key coasta
stronghold of Brandenburg.
miles southwest of Koenigsberg
While the Germans threw wound
ed soldiers into the blazing battle
for the strategic northern anchor
of Berlins Oder River defense
line, Marshal Gregory K. Zhukov's
1st White Russian Army troops ex-
tended their control of the rivers
east bank barrier to point Al
miles south of the Pomeranian
capital.
A Moscow radio report from the
front announced that the Red Army
had killed more than 10000 Ger
mans and destroyed more than GOO
tanks in repelling German counter
attacks in a 13-day battle near
Lake Balaton, southwest of Buda-
pest, capital of Hungary.
Oder Villages Captured.
In the Balaton sector, Berlin re-
ported the Russians had opened
an offensive of their own. and the
Moscow radio said that with the
collapse of German attacks, Soviet
forces now threaten Southern
Germany with the added danger of
a linkup between the Red Army
and Allied forces in Italy"
Smashing toward Stettin from the
south, Marshal Zhukov's troops cap
tured two Oder River villages Az
miles from the city. Their capture
the Russian control along
the eastern channel of the Oder to
6l2 miles north of captured Griefen-
hagen for a possible smash across
mile-wide island marshes in mid
river.
The advances narrowed the Nazi
bridgehead across the Oder's mouth
southeast of Stettin and the Ger
mans slowly were being squeezed
out of their positions in the Kluetzer
Forest between Frauenhof and SUBJ
urban Altdamm, 6 miles to the
northeast.
Berlin said the Russians had
broken through the Nazi line to
Altdamm, last big bastion on the
east and 3la miles from Stettin, in a
day of "the most murderous fighting
in Pomerania." Moscow did not
confirm the report.
1000 More Nazis Captured.
Other Soviet elements were driv-
ing on Altdamm from the north.
however, and reached the east shore
OF the wide Dammscher See at
Bergllnd and Wilhelmsfelde, 6 miles
northeast of Stettin and 5 above
Altdamm.
Moscow announced that Marshal
zhukov's troops had captured an
other 1000 prisoners in the Stettin
area. including the commander of
the 402d German Infantry Division,
1t. Gen. Schleinitz.
In East Prussia, the Bird White
Russian Army, wiping out the
remnants of 100000 crack Na1
troops. won the fortified strong
hold of Brandenburg on the east
bank of the Frisching River and
to the southwest advanced up to
2 miles toward the coast and the
town Of Heiligenbeil, one of the
last two big towns in German
hands.
The Brandenburg Heiligenbeil
coastal highway was already cut. In
all, the Russians took 10 East PruS-
sian places and more than 700
prisoners.
Czech City Bombed.
While the Germans described the
battle before Stettin as one of the
greatest Importance for future op-
erations," Moscow's communicates
announced that 113 German tanks
and IS planes had been destroyed
on active sectors of the front.
Apparently in conjunction with
an offensive, not confirmed by
Moscow. toward Moravska- -Ostrava,
Czechoslovak industrial city guard
ing the Moravian Gap, Soviet heavy
bombers lashed the city and set
big fires, Moscow announced.
The latest offensive, reported by
Nazi Commentator Col Ernst Won
Hammer on the Berlin radio and
(See RUSSIA, Page A-5.)