Evening star., 1945-04-23
MAP on Page A-2.)
Hy the Associated Press.

IS bhc hosotlotCu lcos'
LONDON, April 23.-Red Army
troops today held a tight grip on
one-f1fth to ne-fourth of Great
er Berlin and bored in from
three sides toward the heart of
the blazing capital, now blanket
ed by shellfire and all but sur
rounded.
Moscow dispatches said Red
banners futtered from battered and
smoking buildings in the capital and
that Soviet storm units appeared to
be only a few miles from the Will
helmstrasse and from Under den
Linden and Tiergarten in the heart
of the city.
There was only one way out of
Berlin-WestWard by way of Span
dau-and unconfirmed reports said
this escape corridor now was mar
rowed to little more than miles.
To the south, other Russian forces
were> within IS miles or less of
junction with their American Allies.
Rail Station Retaken, Nazis Say.
The German high command, de-
claring "the battle for the Reich
capital has blazed up in full fury,
claimed that the railroad station
Coepenick, one of Berlin's main
southeastern suburbs and 10 miles
from the center of the city, had been
recaptured.
The communique said fighting
was raging through Beelitz, Trebbin
Teltow and Dahlwitz, a string of
southern suburbs within 10 to "a
miles of the heart of the capital.
The high command claimed Rus
sian breach along the Prenzlauer
Alice running almost due north 3
miles from the Potsdam Platz had
been sealed off and disclosed that
Soviet encircling swing north of the
city had reached the Havel River
which runs north and south just
west of the capital through Span
dau and Charlottenburg, western
suburbs.
The Moscow radio said to-
day the German Air Force had
massed 1000 aircraft for the
defense of Berlin and that
Soviet pilots shot down All in
air combat during the last
four days.
Approach Oranienburg.
The Hamburg radio said the Rus
slams were approaching Oranier-
burg, big suburb about miles north
of Greater Berlin. This station also
said Hepningsdorf-west of the
Havel River-was under assault by
Russian spearhead. Henningsdorf
is within Berlin's encircling auto
balm and less than 7 miles from the
escape gap at Spandau.
Moscow dispatches said the So
Wet assault was being directed from
the Red Army's first headquarters
post inside Berlin's outskirts where
commanders worked in a German
built air raid shelter.
Soviet front dispatches said Red
Army troops were fighting doggedly
toward the city's center from the
northeast through the Prenzlauer
and Friedrichshain sectors, miles
from Potsdamer PlatZ. Groups were
reported making their way along
Landsburg and Frankfurter Stras-
sen-broad thoroughfares running
east and southeast and IN miles
from the heart of the city.
Moscow reports also said heavy
fighting was raging along the Null
Ter Strasse 31a miles northwest of
the Potsdamer Platz.
Fight in Tempelhof Area.
In the southwestern suburbs Rus
sian forces were fighting in the
Tempelhof area, site of Berlin's
great airport and 4 miles from the
city's heart.
The Russian swing through the
southern suburbs put Red Army
forces within 51a miles of Potsdam
at Tetlow Other forces were TX
miles southwest of Potsdam at Bee
litz and miles southeast at Treb-
bin.
An official Moscow account last
night said 81 of Berlin's districts, or
one-sixth of its total area, were in
Russian hands. The fighting men of
Russia were back in Berlin for the
first time since they occupied the
city briefly in 1760 in the Seven
Years War.
The German controlled Scandi-
navian Telegraph Bureau reported
(See RUSSIA, Page A-20