Evening star., 1945-02-18
Paratroops Surprise Defenders;
Reds Fiqht Into Heart Of Poznan
Fall Of Bustion Will
Free Thousands
To Attack Berlin
MAP on Page Al
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Sunday, Feb. 49,
Russian shock forces yesterday
fought their way into the heart
of Poznan. Polish fortress city
100 miles behind the Berlin front
foreshadowing the imminent fall
Iof that strategic base and the
release of thousands of Red
Army troops for the impending
grand assault on the Reich
capital.
Other Soviet forces toppled the
East Prussian fortress towns OF
Mehlsack and Wormditt, drove a
spearhead to within so miles south
Of Danzig, deepened their encircle-
ment ring around Breslau, besieged
Silesian capital, and in a 10-mile
advance far to the west crossed the
Queis and Tschirne Rivers, captur-
ing points only Is miles from the
Saxon frontier.
The Russians in Silesia captured
Rauscha, only go miles northeast of
Dresden, and 18 miles northeast Of
Goerlitz, Silesias S second city on the
Neisse River. This is the nearest
they have been placed officially to
Dresden, Saxon capital shattered in
the heavy American air attacks last
week.
Berlin Front News Blacked Out.
The Soviet high command blacked
out news of the Berlin front, but
field dispatches relayed through
Moscow said that Red Army planes
and artillery were hammering the
citadels of Cottbus and Guben, Al
and 81 miles southeast of Berlin,
trying to break open the Reich
capitals side door.
Moscow's communique disclosed
that the eastern front fighting now
had famed up on a 60O-mile front
from besieged Koenigsberg, East
Prussian capital on the Baltic, down
to Komarom. Danube city 40 miles
northwest of fallen Budapest and
"a miles from Vienna, Austrian
capital.
A total of l7,100 more Germans
were killed or captured, the bulletin
said, 5000 of the prisoners being
taken in the final phases of the bat
tie for Poznan on the Warta River.
On the 22nd day of the siege,
which began January n, Moscow
announced that Russian troops had
cleared the Germans from the last
suburbs on the east bank of the
river, and had driven the last Nazi
garrison remnants into the citadel
on the west bank of the river.
Much Equipment Captured.
The German garrison, originally
estimated at 10000, has chung des-
perately to Poznan, realizing that
the fall of the big rail center astride
the main Warsaw-Berlin trunk rail-
way would speed the Red Army ad-
vance toward Berlin.
In Fridays operations the Rus
slams at Poznan captured 40 locomo-
tives, 1874 railway trucks, 16 stores
of various military supplies, IL guns
50 machine guns, more than 5000
rifles and 125 trucks, the commu-
nique said.
Germany's high command COM
munique announced the Russian
capture of Sagan, by-passed rail
center IS miles southeast Of Ber-
lin, but Moscow neither confirmed
the seizure of that town nor the
Oder River stronghold of Crossen,
So miles southeast of the capital
Officially the Russians were placed
only ~ miles outside Crossen, and
3la miles south of Sagan with the
capture of Hermsdorf.
Soviet front dispatches, however
said that Russian troops were at
tacking toward the Spree River, last
natural waterway protecting Ber-
Inns southeastern approaches, after
crossing the Neisse River north OF
Forst, IL miles east of menaced
Cottbus.
The capture of Cottbus, and
Guben, 81 miles to the northeast
(See RUSSIA. Page A-40