Evening star., 1945-01-28
Soviets Surround
Poznun, Strike to
Brondenburg Line
MAP on Page APP
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, Sunday. Jan. 2S.-
The Red Army surrounded the
big Western Polish stronghold o.
Poznan yesterday and Berlin an.
nounced that Russian troops hao
raced on 43 miles southwestwarc
across the snow-Swept plains
and reached the German Bran
denburg frontier, within SO miles
of Berlin.
Striking so miles northwest OF
Poznan other Soviet tank columns
began attacking Schneidemuhl
German fortress miles inside Ger
many and 1875 miles northeast Of
the Reich capital, the German radio
said, as the Russians began deploy-
ing on a broad arc facing straight
toward the heart of Germany.
In Southern Poland, another
Soviet army toppled the big indus
trial city OF Sosnowieg and a cluster
of nearby factory towns just oppo-
site the German portion of Silesia,
and Berlin announced that all work
had stopped in this area which is
second in Importance as Nazi
arsenal only to the Ruhr district
on the Allied western front.
Breaking completely the formid-
able Masurian Lakes defense line in
East Prussia, two other Soviet
armies poured into the heart of that
tottering Reich province and drove
to within miles northeast of
konigsberg. its capital, with the
seizure of Neuhausen, the Moscow
communique announced.
5000 Killed at Konigsberg.
Three thousand German troops
were killed during the day in the
konlgsberg sector, said the supple
mental Soviet communique issued at
midnight, adding that large enemy
forces have been trapped in Poznan.
More than 800 Germans were
killed and 700 taken prisoner at the
southwestern approaches to Poznan,
the communique said, and all high
ways and railways leading from the
surrounded Western Polish strong
hold into Germany have been cut.
The supplement said the Germans
had launched II counterattacks
around Sosnowiec before the city in
the strategic Dombrova coal basin
was captured. Some 1000 enemy
officers and men were taken pris-
oner in the area, including Col Dra-
dich- Wercher, chief of staff of the
AID German Army Corps.
Moscow did not confirm the Ber-
lin report that the Russians had
reached the Obra River frontier of
Bradenburg, Berlins home province,
but did disclose that the Russians
were tanning out on all sides of
Poznan and had captured Buk, 16
miles southwest of the last big Pol
ish city IN German hands. Buk is
26 miles from the Brandenburg
frontier and 120 miles due east of
Berlin, the closest Russian an
nounced penetration toward the
Reich citadel.
Binding Snowstorm.
Berlin said that Soviet tank
spearheads had reached the from
tier town of zbasyn, SO miles south
east of Berlin, and were being fol-
lowed swiftly by swarms of motorized
lnfantrymen who had by-passed
Poznan.
Northwest of Poznan the Russians
captured Chodziez (Kolmar), IL
miles southeast of Schneidemuhl,
the bulletin said. The Germans,
however, said that Schneidemuhf
had been under attack since Friday
night when Red Army artillery laid
'down barrage on German positions
and then Soviet tanks attacked.
Berlin said this assault was called
off due to a binding snowstorm
which cut visibility to zero.
The Russians were seeking to
topple Schneidemuhl, southern an
chor of a 125-mile miniature Sieg-
fried Line extending up to the Bal
tic coast, break into German
Pomerania, and dash to Stettin at
the mouth of the Oder River 80
miles farther northwest, the Ger
mans said. Stettin is the port of
Berlin.
In a wide arc from captured
Cchodziez in the north down
through Buk, the Russians were
only from to 26 miles from the
Brandenburg frontier, Moscow dis
(Sne PIISCIA pnnn A "a