The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1945-04-26
Red Troops Into
Potsdamer Platz
CONTINUED from Page u

- 49, - -
repeated" Underneath It a Russian
had written, Il, Sidorov, am in Ber-
lin"
A Red Star dispatch said Russian
assault units were swarming across
the spree south Of the Schlesischer
(Silesian) rail station. Followed by
tank-borne infantry and by artil-
lery, they were making a Decline
for the Tiergarten.
The battle Of wrecked Berlin
roared on into its sixth day in what
Soviet front dispatches described
as Jungle Of Stone" above
ground and In the dark, treacher-
Gus cavernS Of the city's subway
system below.
-Four more city districts were
cleared yesterday and both the
Spree river and Teltow canal crossed
despite ferocious counter-attacks
by the fanatic enemy garrison.
Thirty-seven districts - nearly two
thirds Of the city-now were in
Soviet hands.
In many places, the Germans
turned over street cars and filled
them with stones to use as barri-
cades. A Nazi broadcast admitted
that Soviet artillery was hitting
single targets among the German
held ruins with amazing precis-
ion.'
Insisting that Hitler still was in
Berlin, the German radio said:
There the war will be decided"
The First White Russian and First
Ukrainian armies completed the
encirclement of Berlin, sealing its
doom, In the western suburbs yes
terday, Premier Marshal Stain re-
vealed in triumphant order Of
the day.
With the encirclement, the Rus
sianS-f1guratively and literally -
Topped moose around the biggest
lot Of war criminals, army COM
manders and Gestapo men yet
caught in single battle.
Soviet and American planes con-
stantly patrolled the skies overhead
against the possibility that some
Nal leaders might take off before
Tempelhof had been occupied COM
pletely.
The last ground escape routes, in
GLIDING five railways, two super
highways and six major highways
were severed yesterday when the
two Russian armies linked up at
Ketzin and Marquadt a score of
miles west of the center of Berlin.
The junction forged a belt of en-
circlement at least five miles thick
around the city.
Botanical Gardens Fall
Within the city, Marshal Ivan S.
Konev's First Ukrainian Army cap
tured the southwest districts of
Lichterfelde, including the Botani-
cal Gardens, and zehlendorf, lying
between the gardens and Grune-
wald Forest. Berlin's biggest park
Both districts are four miles south
west Of Potsdamer Platz, geograph-
ical center of Berlin.
The First White Russian army
under Marshal Gregory K. Zhukov
forced the Spree river and captured
the Treptow park district and, in a
jump across the Adjacentteltow
canal, seized Britz. Both are in
southeast Berlin.
Zhukov's advance engulfed the
Adlershof airdrome and carried
within a mile Of Tempelhof, the
city's only other airfield.
West of Berlin, the First White
Russian army captured the suburbs
Of FalkenSee, Falkenhagen and La
gen Doeberitz in advancing II miles
for its junction with Konev's troops.
More than 5000 Germans were
killed in the Berlin fighting yester-
day alone, the Soviet high COM
mand reported.
The Red Army trimmed 300 miles
of the German pocket southeast of
Berlin, reducing it to 1900 square
miles. Driving into the sack from
the south, the Soviets cleared the
entire Cottbus- Guben Railway and
pushed to within four miles OF
BeeSkoW, last big resistance center
In the pocket.
The Third White Russian Army
finally completed the occupation OF
East Prussia with the capture of the
Hulk-Littered port Of Pillau, at the
| tip OF the Smland Peninsula west of
Koenigsberg.
In Czechoslovakia, the Second
Ukrainian Army battled into the
outskirts of the arsenal city of Brno
and half-encircled it.