Evening star., 1945-03-26
Reds Reported
lin New Assault
Toward Vienna
Germans Declared
Shifting Men From
ItuIy and West
BY the Associated Press.

| BY the Associated Press
LONDON, Mar 26.-A fourth
Russian offensive has been
launched toward Germany's
southern mountain redoubt, Ber-
lin announced today, and Mos
cow dispatches said the enemy
had shifted divisions from Italy
and the sagging western front to
defend Vienna against a not dis
tant attack.
Two Russian armies already had
overrun four-fifths of Hungary be-
low the Danube and their spear
head was within 36 miles of the
Austrian border and II miles south
east of Vienna.
Berlin broadcasts said a new as
sault had been sprung north of the
Danube in Slovakia, while Marshal
Ivan Konev's 1st Ukrainian Army
Group continued to grind through
the Moravian mountains north of
Vienna.
Hron River Crossed.
The newest attack, described in
Berlin as an "all-out offensive" was
started on the lower reaches of the
Hron River in Slovakia at 4 am,
yesterday. a German broadcast said
and a bridgehead over the Hron was
gained at Leva, so miles northwest
of Budapest and 81 miles northeast
of Komarom, the Danube River key
to Bratislava.
Marshal Feodor l. Tolbukhin's Sd
Ukrainian Army linked up with the
End Ukraine Army under Marshal
Rodion Y. Malinovsky in a drive
which swept along 90-mile front
through Hungary with gains of up
to 16 miles.
Severely mauled, the Germans fell
back into well-fortified defenses in
the Gyor area and all signs pointed
to the stubbornest kind of oppo-
sition forming before the Soviet
armies driving close to Bratislava.
The initial phases of the fresh
offensive along the south bank of
the Danube northwest of Budapest
had carried % miles through the
tough Bakony Forest and Vertes
Mountains under conditions that
were made worse by a well-advanced
spring thaw.
Creeks and Rivers Swollen.
Greeks were swollen into near
rivers and the Germans were max
ing good use of the quagmires,
mining dozens of miles of ap-
proaches to their positions across
the fat, river-ribboned country
leading to the vital Bratislava Gap
Advance columns of Russian tanks
and cavalry pushed ahead, however
in an effort to test Immediately the
Nazi defenses in fixed positions be-
tween Lake Balaton and Neusiedler
There was much evidence at hand
that Vienna was going to be as des-
perately defended as Berlin. Hence
the hardest kind of battles can be
expected along its approaches.
The Germans were reported to
have massed great numbers OF
tanks and antitank weapons to pro-
tect the city's approaches, but Malin-
ovsky's and Tolbukhin's co-ordi-
mated thrust already had carried
to within miles of Komarom
and had outfanked Gyor and was
battering Nazi defenses only 4 miles
from Papa.
83,Gea Nazis Captured.
In the double offensive the toll
of German tanks and self-propelled
guns by today was reported well
over 1000, with $4,000 Nazi prison.
ers taken by Russian account.
Meanwhile, Premier Stain an
nounced the fall of Heiligenbeil, last
big East Prussian stronghold SOUTH
west of Koenigsberg, as the Russians
continued to mop up on their north
ern flank.
The coming week ushers in the
annual muddy season along the
northern part of the front, but II
appears probable that the Red Army
will mount big spring offensive
regardless of the weather.
ooNASo communications llIlCS GA.
tend for hundreds of miles anc
cross some of the worst roads ir
Europe before they get to the far
flung front. But during the las,
two months a great deal of effort
has been expended in making then,
solid.
Persons returning to Moscow from
Polna report that railway crews are
working night and day in widening
tracks to accommodate the heavy
loads of troops and material pouring
westward.
With the impending thaw, many
bridges over the Vistula, Danube
Oder, Drava, Neisse, Bug and Dnepe,
Rivers used by railway and motor
transport will receive terrific chal.
lenge from waters already com.
mencing to rise.