The Wilmington morning star., 1945-05-02
Soviiets Take
100 Squares
In Nazi City
All But Ten Miles OF Huge
City Is Captured By
Russians

-P-Russian shock troops captur'
ed 100 rubbed blocks in the blazing
administrative heart of tottering
Berlin yesterday as they closed in
on the Reichschancellery area
where the German radio said Adolf
Hitler died Tuesday afternoon.
There was little of the German
capital left in the hands Of Nazi
die-hards-perhaps 10 square miles
at the most-for west and south Of
the Reichschancellery the Russians
cleared out the city districts OF
Charlottenburg and Schoeneberg.
The Soviet high command, keep
ing silent on the Hamburg radio
report of Hitler's heath, did not
announce the capture of any speci-
fic buildings in Berlin's shell-raked
center. 1t was not known whether
the Russians had reached the
Reichschancellery by the time OF
the Nazi leaders reported death.
German resistance in the capital
was nearing total collapse. Mon
day, a day before the reported
death Of Hitler, $4,000 weary, bat
tle-stunned German troops sur
rendered to the Red Army. During
yesterday, 5000 were killed, for a
tive-day total of $500 killed or
captured.
Meanwhile, Premier Stain an
nounced that Soviet tanks, main
tanning their 20 miles a day sweep
across northern Germany, had
captured the Baltic polt of Stall
sund, terminus for the main rail-
road ferry to Malmo, Sweden, and
had surged within % miles Of Ros~
took by the capture of Gnoien.
Far to the south in Czecho-
slovakia, two Soviet armies clear
ed the Yah river valley in Moravia
and Slovakia and converged on the
great Moravian rail center of
Olmuetz (Olomouc), while Cieszyn
last Garman-held city in south
western Poland was imminentely
threatened.
While the last dramatic chapter
OF the battle for Berlin drew to-
ward its close, q miles to the west
OF the ravaged capital, Marshal
Gregory K. Zhukov's First White
Russian army seized the great 49,
way communications city Of Bran
denburg, capital of Berlin's own
6randenburg province.
Even as the Hamburg radio an
founced the death of Hitler, the
MOSCOW radio said: "Berlin's last
strongholds are falling"
Plunging halfway across Ger
manys northern redoub+ since the
IAN OF Stettin, Marshal Konstan-
I'm X. Rokossovsky's Second White
russian tanks and cavalry mean
While knitted within 63 miles of
Field Marshal Bernard Montgom-
efys British Second Army on the
lower Eloe.
Rokossovskys troops poured to-
ward the great port Of Rostock
through a smashed German de-
tense line between Stralsund and
ana Warren, in the north shore Of
Lake Mueritz, slashing out their
greatest gain in an advance to
oholen, % miles southeast of the
port.
Stralsund, a city of 43,6OO per-
sons, lying on an arm of the Bal
uc separating the mainland from
.,e German island naval and sea-
pane base of Ruegen, itself is SO
INES INES northeast of Rostock and the
russians seized the large commu.
Meauons towns of Demmin, Grim.
men. .' Malchin and Wessenberg in
@ielr sweep westward.
On IN hand-to-hand fighting the
russians were reported by the
hamburg. ian. radio to have swept
d soulA from the Reichstag to Bran
o w T. gate at the western end
inter Den Linden, and only
- lew hundred yards north Of
f intersection of Inter Den
-;. and Friedrichstrasse a
f s.ane battle ragged for Friedrichs.
"asse rail station.
Inc Aussian-eld area of Berlin
en tnofe than IS per cent of thu
sas eapital-was bedecked will
rs n banners as the Soviet troop.
co ,em'lessly pursuing their grin
A ''9 Me Of the capital, eelebrat