The Wilmington morning star., 1945-03-24
Oder Defense
Broken, Nazii
Radio Admits
Moscow Announces Split
OF German Units
Near Danzig

LONDON, Saturday,, March "a
R-Berlin said last night that the
Red Army had reopened blazing
battle for the imperiled Nazi CAPT.
tai while Moscow announced that
Russian forces had split the Nazi
defenders of the prize Baltic ports
Of Danzig and Gdynia.
Waves of Russian infantry and
tanks were reported by the enemy
to have broken through Nazi de-
lenses along Berlin's Oder river
line and to have swept six miles
beyond captured Kuestrin to within
81 miles east of the capital.
A thunderous 90-minute artillery
lombardment, followed by attacks
by hundreds of Soviet dive-bomb-
ers. preceded the assault which
smashed to Golzow on the main
Kuestria Berlin trunk railroad.
There. an enemy front report said,
German counter-attack stalled
the drive but the Russians struck
again in swaying, indecisive bat
tle
The major Russian offensive
against Berlin is Immediately at
hand said a Berlin report to the
German-controlled STB agency in
Stockholm.
There was no confirmation Of the
enemy report from Moscow. At the
southern end of the eastern front
however, the Red Army was clamp
ing huge pincer on Moravia, b.
hemia and Vienna.
Marshal Ivan S. Konev's First
Tkrainian Army reached the from
tier of Moravia in pursuit of enemy
forces from Upper Silesia into the
Sudeten mountains and battered
within one and two miles of the
Silesian citadels of Neisse and Lo-
ebschuetz.
simultaneously, Berlin said a
four-day Red Army offensive south
Of the Danube river in Hungary
had reached Komarom, stragetic
key to Bradshaw and Vienna, 81
and "a miles to the west, and Red
Air Force heavy bombers blasted
the Hungarian rail town of Papa.
Before Berlin, the German radio
said Marshal Gregory K. Zhukov' S
First White Russian Army had
thrown 1900 troops and 400 tanks
into the Wild battle west of Kues-
trim where Berlin said the Russians
were attempting to link six Oder
river bridgeheads for an about
assault on the capital.
Other enemy broadcasts said
Russian scouting was spreading all
along the middle Oder from KueS-
trim Is miles south OF Guben and in
London it was believed Zhukov had
masSed 100 divisions, perhaps more
man 1900, 600 men, for a climatic
lunge to Berlin.
Significantly, Moscow's war bull
!etlhS reported a sharp jump in
enemy tank and plane losses. Along
he entire Eastern Front, Moscow
sad, l55 German tanks and 149
planes we're destroyed. More than
f2OO prisoners were taken in East
Prussia, at Danzig and Gdynia and
IN Silesia.
Some go miles northeast of the
tanning Berlin front, Marshal Kon-
Santlne K. Rokossovsky's Second
"hlte Russian Army knitted in half
me Danzig-Gdynia pocket by thrus-
ing three mile wide wedge to
me Bay Of Danzig midway between
me big naval bases.
o, Riokossovsky's troops, Staying a.
WV enemy troops, toppled the coas-
'al town Of Zoppot and at either
emu OF their three-mile arm Of the
yea won Kcliebken KolibkD, three
miles south of Gdynia, and Sch
inlerau, three miles north of Dan
zig.
Land links between the two ports
we're severed and at the same time
.Ae Russians advanced on Danzlg
nofn the southwest, taking Loeb
iso, Gross Boelkau and Artschau,
al al within five miles of the former
zee city, which was attacked by
soviet heavy bombers.
IN Upper Silesia. Marshal Kon-
W new offensive to clear the re-
s s!Sl rich industrial areas and pos
aloly strike across the Sudeten
n;ouhtalns and through the Mora
wal wan Cap toward Vienna and Pra'
sue gained up to five miles on a
visiting 54-mile front.
ohe column, advaning four miles
seSV OF captured Neustadt, drove
W within two miles of the vita
rollnern railroad linking the
oo1eschoslovak city of Moravska-
=