The Wilmington morning star., 1945-03-05
Twin Thrusts
Supported By
Stettin Drive
0her Units Smash To
Oder River On TO-
Mile Front

LONDON, Monday, March 5. -
Lp-The Red Army in a sensational
Now s2-lnile breakthrough reached
tbe Baltic coast near Kolberg yes
tprdav. shcing eastern Pomeranla
into three vulnerable segments and
trapping perhaps 100000 German
troops in one of the wars greatest
double encirclement operations.
Attacking simultaneously on an
arc south and east of Stettin, Ber-
Inns main port, other Soviet forces
drove to within IA miles of Stettin,
10 within two miles of its eastern
bastion of Stargard. and also
smashed up to the lower Oder
river on a 10-mile front on both
sides of the crossing town OF
schwedt The lower wing OF this
drive reached to within IS miles
northeast of Berlin.
As these armored formations
virtually destroyed Germany S
Pomeranian flank front, other
units far to the east drove to with
in 30 miles south Of the former
free city of Danzig, while in East
Prussia the remnants OF 20 Nazi
divisions were hurled into a 275.
square-mile Baltic pocket south
west of Koenigsberg and were ge,
ing wiped out in hand-to-hand fight.
ing and by powerful broadsides
from Soviet artillery.
Overwhelming 900 localities, in
GLIDING 10 major German strong.
holds, Marshal Zhukov's First
White Russian Army in a four
day advance reached the Pomer.
anian coast in the area Of Kolberg,
s. miles east of the heavily-forti.
fled German port of SWinemuende,
while Marshal Korossovsky's Sec
ond White Russian army also
reached the coast and captured
Koesln, "a miles east of Kolberg.
PremierMarshal ST alin an
nounced these triumphs in two or.
.ders of the day as Moscow's vic
tory cannon touched off another
celebration last night in the Soviet
capital.
The twin thrusts to the Ealtie
coast ripped through staggering
German lines and doomed the
'Aance OF a Nazi thanking attack
against the central forces of the
berlln-bound Red army.
Locking and double-bolting the
door to an 8,280-square-,nile area
10 me east, including Danzig terri
'ory the Russians had isolated the
elements of 20 or more Nazi divi.
Nohs IN sector larger than the
Slale OF Connecticut. Moscow dis
patches said the bag of German
troops was expected to be as large
as IN East Prussia.
Total OF more than 700 towns
. anu villages were swept up by the
.|o Russian armies in their latest
toineranlan advances, Moscow's
eonmunlque said.
no. ie Germans previously had re-
top'eo Rokossovsky's b re
t through to the Katie at Koeslin.
W., 'ne powerful surge of Zhukov's
~ 4 NY which raced to the sea west
VI 'ne other Soviet force, had been
am 's one, even by Berlin, suggesting
N M almost complete breakdown in
Nan Communications. -
pa Aalclng 81 miles north from
tbo , II miles southeast of Stettin.
VT ~e Big port at the mouth Of tho
oHer river Zhukov's crack army
bigbn oil lour great military supe.
ess+ "ayS connecting western and
tb 9s'e[n Pomerania and also cut
n.y. elett n-Danzig and Swine.
ta,oossinoe-Danzig trunk railways
.vyalng German garrisons based
s sn;s stolp, in eastern Pomer.
p e1a Gdynla, naval base in the
sno nsn Corridor" and Danzig.
TS valuable Nazi naval base
bo tine = two great strokes came as
Said Said D. and Moscow dispatches
sst G me ne, restless eastern front was
I 10 If. all the way from the Baltic
tran c approaches to Vienna, Aus
and S0 Vio toward Berlin, Dresden,
jm inn Vienna were believed to be-
IN Ta German repotrs Said.
sr M East Prussia another sovie,
l Tisial remnants of 20 ao' Nazi ' di.
BsjG ,,' long pinned against the
ns1 1'e Il near "a Koenigsberx. Rem
''''S Of 30 other enemy q div sion.
continued o" Page Two, Col. p