Evening star., 1945-04-25
BY EDDY GILMORE.
Associated Press War CORRESPONDENT.

Associated Press War Correspondent.
MOSCOW, April 25.-A fam
tastic battle surged through the
subways beneath Berlin's rubble-
strewn streets today as Russian
forces fought to crush fanatical
Nazi troops using the under
ground network to stage surprise
raids on Soviet communications
Eyewitness accounts sent by Rus
sian correspondents from the Ger
man capital said Nazi soldiers, rush.
ing from station to station in ex-
press trains, were constantly pop
ping up at unexpected spots behind
Red Army troops fighting their way
toward the center of the city
These and other reports of the
struggle raging inside Berlin sug-
gested the Germans might succeed
in making a long defense of theif
capital.
A Red Star correspondent, de-
scribing the strategic use to which
the Germans were putting the Ber-
lin subways, declared the battle for
the city was assuming "a peculiar
character"
1T is difficult to define" he wrote
Firing is going on UP ahead and
then there are unexpected battles in
the comparatively deep rear.
THE Germans have transferred
from the center of Berlin through
the subways many fresh units. They
crawl from the subway stations,
bringing field pieces with them. The
streets are again under fire.
I'VE have to wipe them out or
drive them back into the tunnels,
otherwise they would spread over
many blocks and seriously threaten
our communications
The Red Star correspondent told
of fierce hour-long battle around
one station where the Nazis sud-
denly appeared in an area from
which they previously had been
cleared.
Russian tanks and artillery finally
were called into action to blast a
path for Soviet infantry, who drove
the Germans back into the subway
at bayonet point and then followed
them in the pitch-dark tunnel to
set off mines and seal it up.
"Our artillery even managed to
pull in small guns and fire along the
tunnels" the correspondent said.
Red Air Force pilots reported
roads leading into the city from the
west crowded with traffic. apparent
ly reserves hurrying in from previ-
GUS positions before the Americans
along the Elbe.
This traffic, however, was running
a gauntlet of bursting shells and
bombing and strafing from Russian
and British planes.
Reds Hold 27 Suburbs.
BY this morning, Russian forces
steadily fighting their way toward
the center of Berlin held q suburbs
and intermediate sections of the
city and at least eight railway and
electric railway stations, including
some of the largest. Pilots said they
could see new large fires in the city
The Izvestia correspondent in Ber-
lin described the center of the cap
ital as an inferno"
White flags are appearing in
larger numbers in the streets down
which the Russians are driving,
these advices said. Nazi officers
were reported shooting down men
in other places if they tried to re-
treat or give up.
Water, gas, electricity and food
are giving out in the city. Russian
shells have burst many water mains.
A major gas works and a substation
have been captured. Some power
stations have been damaged and
many electric wires are down. Tele-
phone communications are disrupted.
Continuous Counterattacks.
The Hitlerites are launching
continuous counterattacks, but So
Wet tankmen, artillerymen, infan-
try and special storm troops are
fighting with unparalleled fury,
knowing that victory is in sight"
(See BERLIN, Page A-6.)