Evening star., 1945-04-18
Magdeburg Seized by 9th Army;
Nazis Report Third Soviet Drive
Enemy Says Bottle
East of Berlin Has
Reached Climax

LONDON, April 18.-German
broadcasts today declared the
battle for the eastern approaches
to Berlin had reached its CHI
max" with Russian troops
preaching defense lines only 18
or 20 miles from the capital, and
that the Soviets had launched a
third offensive south of Stettin
aimed at linking with the Allies
on the North German Plain.
Front dispatches to Moscow as
serted the Russians could see Berlin
burning, but did not yet specify that
any offensive was under way.
Nine Russian armies are smash
ing toward Berlin, the Germans
said, conceding Red Army gains
through the strong hedgehog posi-
tions in the blazing arc east and
northeast of the capital
Drive on 17-Mile Front.
The enemy declared Premier Sta
lin had thrown in a third offensive
on a 17-mile Oder River front OF
Stettin, intending to slice in between
that Baltic port and Berlin, and
join the western Allies north and
west of Berlin. This drive has as
sumed great dimensions, the broad
casts said.
The Germans declared Marshal
Ivan Konev had expanded his surge
across the Neisse River southeast of
Berlin to a 45-mile front, and was
nearing Cottbus, on the Spree River
48 miles from Berlin.
Moscow has not yet confirmed any
of these three my-reported
drives.
Capt. Ernst Won Hammer declared
nine Russian armies were striking
toward Berlin and hundreds of
tanks are rolling over the ploWed-up
battlefield the battle has
reached its climax"
Push South From Wriezen.
The German Transocean news
agency said the Russians had pushed
south from WrieZen and west from
Seelow, where they would be less
than 20 miles from Greater Berlin
and astride main roads. One Rus
sian frontal drive, it added, is hitting
west along a main road from Kues-
trim to Muencheberg. only II miles
from Berlin. A deep penetration
south of Frankfurt also was re-
ported.
Transocean declared 2,500,0
Soviet troops were attacking toward
the capital, and their $500 artillery
guns and 1000 mortars fired more
than half a million salvos in the
last "a hours"
Tomorrow and the day after one
of the bloodiest battles of this war
will develop before the gates of
Berlin" the agency added, while
propagandists called on Berliners
to brace for bloody struggle in
side the city.
History has singled out Berlin
to be a breakWater of the Russian
tidal wave after having stood up
for years to Allied air onslaught, u
one declared.
Reds Carrying Banners.
Front dispatches from the Red
Army, dated near Berlin" said Rus
sian troops carried banners ready
to nail to f1agpoles in the city. One
Moscow newspaper printed photo
graphs of Russians in huge system
of tunnel-connected steel concrete
pillboxes, fronted by lines of anti
tank obstacles, a caption said, with
powerful operations, Soviet troops
smash these powerful Notifications
which lead to Berlin"
Transocean said the latest Rus
sian offensive hit on a line from
Schwedt, 48 miles northeast of Ber-
lin, to Greifenhagen, IL miles south
of Stettin, and was lunging toward
the Stetvn-Berlin railway. From
Schwedt the Soviets could push
straight toward the German Plain
or throw a pincers southwark on
Berlin. Stettin might be cut of
from the rear.
Konev's push west from the Neisse
spread along a 45-mile front from
Forst to Goerlitz. Transocean said
reporting terrific fighting and heavy
tank battles "in the forest country
southeast of Cottbus" on the Spree
Konev's troops are rs miles or less
from Americans pushing toward
Dresden.
Ancient Battlefield Sighted.
Moscow dispatches said Soviets in
Czechoslovakia had sighted the an
cient battlefield of Austerlitz-where
Napoleon defeated Russians and
Austrians in 1805-in their drive to-
ward the arms center of Bruenn
IL miles northwest of Austerlitz
German columns were reported be-
ing thrown back on Bruenn despite
their heavy antitank fire.
Other Russians were ripping the
Nazi line along the Erlauf River
between st. Poelten and Linz, and
one column was reported at the out
skirts of Melk on the Danube, a
miles west of Viena.
A Moscow communique announced
liquidation of all Germans remain
ing on the Samland peninsula Of
East Prussia except those in the