Evening star., 1945-02-10
MAP on Page All

bONOON, reD. lU.-lIl ne heC
Army today closed toward Koe-
nigsberg, apparently preparing
to storm that beleaguered East
PruSsian capital from all direc-
tions with a force which the
enemy said included American
amphibious tanks.
Moscow accounts said Elbing, far
ther west, was receiving a terrible
pounding from big Russian guns up
around the encircled Nazi garrison
The Germans declared Nazi naval
units led by the 10,000-ton pocket
battleship Admiral Scheer were tax
ing part in the Elbing fighting.
Simultaneous, tremendous battles
for position ragged up and down the
Oder River front as the 1st White
Russian Army of Marshal Gregory
K. Zhukov maneuvered for a big
push on Berlin.
The Germans have reported the
Russians across the Middle Oder IS
miles due east of Berlin and the
slashing of North-south communi-
cations between Kuestrin, Frankfort
and Fuerstenberg, key cities in the
defense forefleld of the German
capital.
Russians RegrOuping.
Marshal Zhukov's troops, accord
ing to the Germans, were pressed
back further to the Oder from their
bridgeheads between Fuerstenberg
and Kuestrin, but Associated Press
Correspondent Eddy Gilmore in
Moscow declared Marshal Zhukov
was engaged in regrouping and
sparring for position and that no
signs had developed yet of an all
out drive along the shortest route
to Berlin.
There were indications that Rus
sian troops along the Oder might be
reinforced soon as the enemy gar
risons at Koenigsberg, Elbing, Poz-
nan, Schneidemuehl, Arnswalder
and Budapest continued losing
strength and falling closer within
Red Army rings. Russian accounts
said the Germans holding out in
} section of Budapest were near ex-
or capitulation.
The Germans reported that the
Russians had thrown in strong
lorces on the newly active Breslau-
-Glogau front and had
rolled IS miles west of Breslau in
In Pomerania the Russians
have pushed to within miles Of
Stargard and Is miles southeast of
the Baltic port of Stettin.
Drive Called Gigantic"
Enemy accounts described the big
new drive by Marshal Ivan c. Konev
in Silesia as gigantic" and said it
had reached the edge of Liegnitz,
and industrial CEN
ter of $4,000 on the direct Berlin
Breslau communications lines. Lieg-
nitz is 135 miles southeast of Berlin.
Moscow dispatches, although not
confirming the German re-
ports, said early today that Marshal
had stepped up his attacks
along the Oder and was threatening
to split the Germans defending ST.
lesia and the southeastern roads to
Berlin.
Breslau's Nazi garrison appeared
in imminent danger of complete
encirclement. The Russians simul-
taneously were threatening to break
open the door into German Saxony
in their drive on Liegnitz.
Other Russian troops in East
Prussia surrounded the city of
Elbing with new drives to the
Baltic which further sealed the
fate Of the remnants of perhaps
25O, 900 Germans originally trapped
below Koenigsberg. The Moscow
midnight supplement said Soviet
units continued to advance along
the shores of Frisches Half, large
lagoon between East Prussia and
the Baltic.
Berlin said the heaviest fighting
was in Pomerania where the Nazis,
aware that the capture of Stettin
(See RUSSIA, Page A-7.)