Evening star., 1945-04-19
Nozis Report Deep
Penetrotions, Loss
OF Two Cities

~ iAAAiSo VI WIG CdoCCl IL ihiiAoo VA
Berlin, a Transocean broadcast
announced today.
CThe Paris radio said Berlin
was under fire of Russian artil-
lery)
Reporting a series of deep pene-
trations in the four -day-old Russian
offensive by 2,500 900 Soviet soldiers,
Berlin radio announcements said
Forst. Neisse River stronghold IS
miles southeast of Berlin, also had
fallen
CThe Warsaw radio announced
that Polish forces. fighting be-
side the Red Army, crossed the
Oder and Neisse Rivers Monday,
and ''are now taking part in the
great offensive on Berlin" This
was the first official announce
ment from the Allied side of the
crossing of the OderD
Transocean's correspondent, Kari
Bluecher, broadcast that "the bat
tie for Berlin in the east is ap-
preaching its climax"
He said the Russians were only
four kilometers northeast of Muen-
cheberg. or about 18 miles due east
of Berlin's city limits, and were east
of Buckow, also 18 miles east of Ber-
lin.
Deep Penctrations.
Wriezen, % miles northeast of
Berlin, had been captured, he said,
along with Seelow, Is miles due
east.
Deep but narrow" penetrations
had been made from the Russian
bridgeheads along the Neisse, he
said, so that the Russians were now
due south Of Cottbus, Spree River
stronghold IS miles southeast of
Berlin.
Other spearheads were due south
of Spremberg, 13 miles south of
Cottbus, and east of Bautzen, "A
miles east of Dresden and only 40
miles from American positions north
of Chemnitz. s,
Russian advances to Bautzen
would represent gain of "a miles
from the Neisse above Goerlitz, and
advances to Spremberg would be a
gain of is miles from Forst on the
Neisse.
Bridgehead Across Spree.
Other Berlin broadcasts reported
that the Russians had established
bridgeheads across the Spree, the
winding, lake. linking waterway
which forms the most important
part of Berlin's southeastern de-
fenses.
This crossing. it was indicated,
was somewhere south of Cottbus,
perhaps near Spremberg, which is
on the Spree.
The Germans indicated the Rus
slams were driving toward Finster-
waldo, 26 miles west of Spremberg
and 46 miles from American posi-
tions at Wurzen.
Among other Russian successes
reported by Berlin was the entry
of Bliesdorf, "a miles northeast of
the capital.
All these penetrations we're vir-
tually confirmed by the German
high command.
Unconfirmed by Moscow.
The Berlin drive still has not been
confirmed by the Russian high
command, although Moscow 'front.'
line dispatches have reported a
great maSSing of Soviet forces on
this front.
The Transocean agency said the
Russians had developed a new,
heavy breakthrough tank and a new
automatic gun of undisclosed size,
capable of firing 325 rounds of am
munition a minute. The tank is
fitted with a 180-mm. long-range
gun and a large caliber grenade
thrower, the broadcast said.
New Gains in Czechoslovakia.
The Russian communique last
night announced new gains in a
two-way drive into Czechoslovakia,
both aimed at the arsenal city of
Bruenn BrnO.
The I'd Ukranian Army, driving
into the Moravian corridor from the
south, scored advances of up to IA
miles, outflanking Bruenn and cut
ting the Bruenn-Vienna highway
They captured Ivancice, IL miles
southwest of Bruenn and 108 miles
from Prague.
Driving IRON the north, other
Russian units advanced up to 9
miles south and southwest Of Rati-
Dor and captured 80 populated
places yesterday.
Wedge Extended.
Moscow said the wedge northward
from captured Vienna had been
pushed 4 miles farther with the
capture of Mistleback, % miles north
of the Austrian capital, as well as
other towns along a 33-mile front.
Meanwhile, in fighting along the
Baltic the Russians said they cap
tured $3.50 Germans Tuesday at
Pillau, making a two-day bag of
$4,000.
Berlin Correspondent Fritz Koeltz
said the Russians were using ar
tillery to an "unimaginable extent"
in their advance on Berlin from the
east. He estimated the Red Army
had fired more than 10000 tons of
shells in the sector between Frank
furt and the Oder bend during the
first three days of the attack, which
he said started Monday.