Evening star., 1945-02-23
Russian Forces Mass
For Victory Blow at
Berlin, 5taIin Says
1,l50 900 Nuzis Killed
Or Captured in Drive;
Guben Almost Encircled
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, Feb. 23.-Russian
troops, having almost encircled
Guben in an 11-mile smash
through reinforced German
lines, today were reported mass
ing along an arc 80 to so miles
east and southeast of Berlin for
an end -the-war stroke trium-
phantly heralded by Premier
Stain.
Complete victory over the Ger
mans now is near" Premier Stain
declared last night in a special order
of the day which said the great Rus
sian winter offensive already had
cost the Germans more than 1,150,-
900 killed or captured.
The Moscow radio early today fol-
lowed up the Stain order with a
German-language broadcast declar-
ing "the zero hour mas struck" and
added that dissolution of the Ger
man army in the East is in full
swing"
''It is up to the German people
in the army and factories to stop
the war" the broadcast said. Peace
will not be negotiated with the gen.
erals"
Offensives O-ordinated.
Premier Stain yesterday asserted
that Soviet and Allied armies have
-ordinated their offensive opera
tions and are successfully COM
pleting the rout of the German
Fascist army"
Final victory will come in "harc
battles and persistent labor" ht
said, warning that "as the doomed
enemy hurls his last forces into &C.
ton he will grasp at the most ex.
treme and base means of struggle"
Premier Stains proclamation
commemorating the 9th anniver-
sary of the Red Army, said the Rus
slams had killed 100000 Germans anc
captured $4,000 since January IL
He said the Germans had lost 5000
planes, 4,500 tanks and self propelled
guns and $4,000 other guns during
that time.
The Berlin radio said that a finaI
all-out Soviet offensive was immi.
nent now that Marshal Ivan S. Ko.
news 1st Ukraine Army has drawn
up beside Marshal Gregory K. Zhu-
kov's 1st White Russian Army on q
battle line along the Neisse ano
Oder Rivers.
Berlin said Marshal Zhukov'!
army was massed like colossus
awaiting new attack orders.
Konev's Forces Advance.
Marshal Konev's forces yesterday
captured 60 localities south Of Gu
ben and reached the Niesse River al
many points along a winding 40.
mile front, Moscow declared.
Yesterdays greatest advance ol
II miles through fortified forests
toppled Schenkendorf. miles south
of Guben. Other Konev units hao
reached the Neisse 8 miles north o.
Guben the day before.
The Soviet bulletin said 1000 Ger.
mans were annihilated in battle
southeast of Guben. German broad.
casts, partially confirmed by Mos.
COW reports, said the Russians al.
ready had crossed the Neisse ane
were completing the encirclement O.
Guben.
1 Soviet troops also drove to within
IL miles of Cottbus, rail hub on tn,
lSpree River, last natural defens
line before Berlin, and with tn,
capture of Strega were also only
miles north of Forst.
The Russians captured anothel
section of the big military auto
balm, superhighway leading from
Silesia into Berlin, by taking Triebel
l11lz miles southeast Of Forst.
Danzig Drive Gains.
Other units of Marshal Koney'
army made new gains farther south
in the wedge-driving offensive be-
tween Berlin and Dresden, capital O
lSaxony.
/ Marshal K. K. Rokossovsky's 2n,
White Russian Army, striking ou
for Danzig, gained up to 5 mile
yesterday on 45-mile front stretch
ling as far west as the Danzig- -Ber
lin railway.
i Four more suburbs of besieges
and encircled Breslau, capital O
Lower Silesia, fell to the Russian
Yesterday. The midnight commu,
tSee RUSSIA, Pare A-z.)