The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-01-17

ViStula,' stain Sald.
 He paid tribute to troops fighting under l3 generals, Including the -chlef of the Polish First Army, thus revealing that the Poles had taken part in the strategy which liberated their capital. Also praised were four generals of artil- jery six generals of armor and seven generals of the Red Air force.
 The capture of Warsaw first was announced by the Lublin radio.
 The Radio Polski reported from Lublin, seat of the self-styled pro- visional government of Poland, that Warsaw had fallen lacked confirma- ton in any other source. Even the BEG, which recorded it, did not in- clude 1t in its general broadcasts at least for some hours.
 Repeat Broadcast
 Attention! Attention! Warsaw is captured, the broadcast was quoted. Formations of the Red Army and the Polish army occupied Warsaw, capital of the Polish Republic" 1t was repeated three times and fol- lowked by the Polish National An them, according to BEG and Uni ted States FCC rport to the same effect.
 Whether or not Warsaw already had fallen, all reports of the mas sive campaign on the eastern front made 1t plain thta the doom of the martyred capital was sealed.
 Southwest of Warsaw two great Soviet armies were moving across the frozen plains on the direct road to Berlin, and north of 1t the Nazis acknowledged that the Russians had smashed through the defenses along the east bank of the Vistula and on the NareW.
 AS Nazi communique said 40 Rus sian infantry divisions and several tank corps-half a million men by conservative estimate blasted "dep breaches in the defenseS north of Warsaw and through tn stead faStness of German soldiers who defnd themselves in their positions to their last breath" were checked at Modlin, fortress city IS miles northwest of Warsaw on the Vistu- la; NaSielsk, 27 miles northwest of Warsaw; and Ciechanow, 48 miles northwest of Warsaw
 Southwest of Warsaw, the Ger man command said. Marshals Gre gory K. Shukov and Ivan s. Konev, had thrown 90 infantry divisions and b tank corps into the massive sweep toward Silesia.
 One spearhead reached the area of Czestochowa, l5 miles short of the iSlesian border and 67 miles northwest of Krakow, the Berlin communique said, and military spokesman indicated the town was being stormed,
 The Russians were charging in on Krakow from the northeast, and a Moscow dispatch said they were only 10 miles or less from the city.
 Although Moscow had given off cial confirmation to only two of the Soviet offensives blazing along the entire eastern front, Soviet dis patches made 1t plai nthat this was the Red Armys big push.
 The violence of the fighting in some sectors was indicated by Rus stan field dispatches saying that in the initial battles around Radon and Kielce, the Red Army smashed five full panzer and four infantry divisions, some units losing upward of 75 per cent of their effectiVeS.
 Raging Battle
 The German high command re- ported that % Russian infantry divisions and many tank forma- tons had been hurled into the bat tie of East Prussia, which was said to be raging all across the eastern most patch of the German home land,
 Between Romintern Heath in the southeast corner of East Prussia and the area of fallen Schlossberg fortress city in its northeastern corner, the Russians were reported by Berlin to be attacking incessant- ly with strong air support.
 Far to the south, the Germans reported their forces were engaged in fierce defense against Soviets who have broken into their posi-. tions" west of Jaslo, in the Car pathian fothills of south Poland 7d miles southeast of Krakow.
 This offensive, still unannounced by Moscow, appeared to be sych' ronnized with the left flank of Ko- news forces striking for Krakow and Silesia,
 Outflank Krakow
 Two Russian armies had broken open q l20-mile breach in the Ger man defenses of Poland, outflank- ing Warsaw and Krakow, and sweep ing westward in a wint-- offensive undermining the German grip or Polish soil
 The greatest land battle of tho war was ragged on an overwhelming front from the Carpathian foothills to within 20 miles of Warsaw, ane Berlin accounts said major Russian forces also were on the attack tc the north in a double -barrelled drive to envelope and wipe out the Nag military base of East Prussia.
 Everywhere the Germans were reeling back toward their frontier IT. general retreat that at some point! vas taking on the appearance of rcut Five days after the start of the Soviet winter offensive, German cas. ualties were running into the tens of thousands. with the enemy sacri- ficing entire divisions in desperate effort to slow the Russian advance long enough to permit formation oi a new defense line.
 Elaborate Qualifications that had been building since the Nazi occupa- ton of Poland more than five years ago collapsed in matter of hours as the whole Soviet front below XJa rcam t1,oUaI mactWard in Qlar rl