Evening star., 1945-01-24
Reds in Two Key Si|esian Cities;
Crossing Of Oder Is Unconfirmed;
Nazis Shift Men From West Front
Russians She'll
Wide Area AIono
Rivers Banks
MAP OF, Page A-5.J
BY the Associated Press.


LONDON, Jan. 24.-Russial
troops today battled through tn
streets of the prize Silesian cite
OF Oppeln and Gleiwitz an
hacked out advances near Brie
and Cosel, Oder River town
above and below Oppeln, a lat
Moscow dispatch declared.
This direct Associated Press dis
patch, written at pm. 90 am
EWT) said, There were no indi
cations yet that Marshal Ival
konev's men has crossed the frozer
Oder"
An earlier Reuters dispatch from
Moscow. however, said Konev.
men had established at least ont
bridgehead across the Oder" pre-.
sumably near Brieg. The Oder i:
the last great natural barrier pro.
tecting the heart of Germany.
Brieg lies on the west bank oi
the Oder. midway between Oppelr
and Breslau, on the river to the
northwest, and Cosel is q miles
below Oppeln.
Attacks Futile, Nazis Say.
Oppeln population: $4,000 is the
capital of Upper (southern) Silesia
The industrial city of Gleiwitz OIL.
OOO) lies Al miles to the southeast
The German high command SAID
Russian attacks on the cities hao
failed. Berlin broadcasts, however
reported fighting in the streets OF
both cities.
"a British broadcast heard by
NBC said the Germans had an
nounced the loss of Gleiwitz, sec
ond in size only to Breslau in
Sllesia, The mining center. only
few miles from the Polish bor-
der, was by-passed In Konev's
flrst thrusts into Silesia).
The Germans threw peoples army
troops into battles to stop the
Soviet push on Breslau, capital OF
Lower Silesia, but the Russians were
massing along so miles of the Oder
and heavily shelling a wide area on
the west bank of that last natural
defense of the heart of Germany.
In East Prussia, Marshal Kon-
stantin K Rokossovskys I'd White
Russian Army battered in the outer
perimeter of the defense zone guard :
ing -Elbing on the Baltic coast, the
fall of which would slice the Junkers
Province of from Germany.
Konigsberg Reported Entered.
An unconfrmed report said Kon-
igsberg had been entered by other
Russians sweeping in from the east
One of the Red Army's sternest
battles appeared near in Poland in
the Poznan CPosen) area where
Marshal Gregory Zhokov's lst White
Russian Army fought on the direct
line to Berlin, a Moscow dispatch
said. Poznan is 1877 miles from Ber-
lin.
The Germans said bitter fighting
was raging in the PoZnan area.
A late Moscow dispatch said the
Germans, with their grip on Silesia
and East Prussia slackening, ap-
parently had staked the defense of
Berlin and the core of Germany on
the Poznan salient, 46 miles from
the Reich border. Zhukov's men
have slashed through the German
front ranks, but have not yet met
the main body of Germans, it added
reporting "a big battle in the ofing
Reach Makow District.
Another Soviet drive below cap
tured Krakow has battered to the
Makow district, less than 40 miles
from Jablunka Pass, natural gate
way to the Reich at the northeast
ern corner of the old Moravian from
tier of Czechoslovakia, the Germans
said.
Russian troops have scored a new
break through in Czechoslovakia,
Premier Stain announced tonight.
Rozsnyo, 80 miles southwest of
Kassa, was captured in a 16-mile
advance by I'd Ukrainian Army
troops who widened break through
in Eastern Slovakia to 25 miles, the
Premier announced in an order of
the day.
Heavy fighting ragged on In East
Prussia, where Russians were within
18 miles of completely sealing off the
province. A Moscow dispatch said
Rokossovsky's men were only 10 miles
from the last railway from Germany
to the Junkers' homeland.
The Russian guns we're Smelling
cities on the western side of the
Oder, and Konev's troops menaced
Breslau from points 10 to IL miles