Evening star., 1945-02-16
Russians Menace
Nuzi Defenses on
Spree River
MAP on Page AL
" the Associated Press.

LONDON, Feb. 49,. Marshal
Ivan Konev's 1st Ukrainian Army
today bore down on Berlin's
Spree River defenses from the
southeast, smashing toward
Beeskow and Cottbus. 81 to So
miles from the capital.
Soviet war correspondents indi-
Gated the Neisse River defenses had
been shattered after fierce battles
in the areas of Forst and Guben.
two towns on that river which joins
the Oder south of Frankfurt.
They told of columns of tanks and
calvary rolling through shattered
villages within sight of the Spree.
and indicated the main weight of
the Konev army had been turned in
the Berlin direction" after form
ing a firm link with Marshal Greg
ory Zhukovs 1st White Russian
Army for an assault on the German
capital.
81 Miles From Upper Elbe.
Marshal Konev's southern wing,
however. was reported across the
Neisse and within ST miles of the
Upper Elbe, the river which rises in
Czechoslovakia near Prague, passes
through Dresden and flows diagon-
ally across Germany to the North
Sea.
The Soviet armored trains bearing
dnxpt, p0yIiyr tch hac
said, were attacking 30-mile
stretch between Beeskow and Cott-
bus and fianking the Germans who
have held up Marshal zhukov's at
tack at Frankfurt and Kuerstrin
along the Oder
Beeskow is 81 miles southeast of
Berlin and Is miles southwest of
Frankfurt on the Oder.
Cottbus, directly south of Bees
kow, is So miles from Berlin and
IL miles west of Forst, where the
Germans reported Soviet penetra-
tons yesterday.
Both Beeskow and Cottbus are on
the Spree. which links up with
many lakes and water courses to
form a natural defense for Berlin.
The area Is forested and Is the lo-
cation of many rich German estates
overf1owing from the Berlin suburbs.
Both Important Centers.
Both are important communica-
ton centers. Cottbus is the hub
of 13. trunk railways, main highways
and autobahns and Beeskow is the
center of eight such arteries, in
cluding the main Frankfurt -Leip-
zig Railway.
Soviet correspondents said fight
ing was raging near the east bank
of the Spree.
These dispatches indicated that
Forst and Guben, Is miles to the
north, either had been by-passed or
captured.
With his flank now solidly secured
by the sensational advances of the
1st Ukrainian Army, Marshal Zhu-
kov increased the attacks of his 1st
White Russian Army on Fuersten-
berg, the fortress in the southwest
eTn corner of the Oder bend below
Frankfurt.
Fuerstenberg is IL miles north of
Guben at the junction of the Neisse
and the Oder.
Presumably these attacks were
preliminary to an all-out assault
to break past the Frankfurt-Kues-
trim Notifications in a doubled bar
relied attack on Berlin from east
and southeast.
Assault Front Broadened.
At the same time the German
high command disclosed that the
Russians had broadened their as
sault front to the north by making
an advance of more than 16 miles
from Soldin toward the Baltic port
of Stettin.
The communique showed that
Balm, % miles south of Stettin, and
the same distance southwest of the
fortified rail center of Stargard, had
been surrounded, but declared con-
tact had been re-established with
the garrison by counterattack.
A similar counterattack broke a
ring around Arnswalde, 40 miles
southeast of Stettin, the COM
munique said.
Fierce street fighting broke out
southwest of Berlin in Sagan, by
passed and almost encircled by
Marshal Konev's capture of Sorau
on the west and his crossing of the
Queis River on the south, a German
military spokesman said. Sagan is