Evening star., 1945-02-03
Bridgeheod Lost
By Soviet Forces,
Germans Assert
MAP on Page A-4.)
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, Feb. 3.-Russian at
tackS on the Oder River have
been repulsed, the German high
command declared today as
American air fleets rocked Ber-
lin with nearly 5000 tons of
bombs in aid to Soviet troops
massing along the river 40 miles
\ east of the capital.
One Berlin broadcast said Marshal
Gregory Zhukov's troops had won
but later lost a bridgehead over the
Oder near Kustrin.
To the north, the Moscow radio
declared, one of Zhukov's columns
had speared to within liz miles of
Stettin on the Baltic. A plunge to
Stettin would lop off 1880 square
miles of Northeastern Germany, the
Polish Corridor and the Danzig area.
The drive on Stettin, IA miles
northeast of Berlin at the mouth of
the Oder, threatened to cut off great
German forces and to open Berlin
for an attack from the north.
Big Battle Near Frankfurt.
Kustrin is on the Oder 40 miles
east of Berlin. A huge battle was
reported raging farther south,
miles east of Frankfurt on the his
toric thunderstorm battlefield.
The Germans rushed fresh divi-
sions up to the Oder River line.
The German military commenta-
tor, Col. Ernest Won Hammer de-
clared the western bank of the
Oder has now been mopped up of
Russian forces" after one spear
head had won temporary bridge
head near Kustrin.
Moscow dispatches said Soviet
artillerymen already were shelling
Kustrin.
South of Kustrin other Russian
vanguards plunged forward from
captured Drossen, IA miles northeast
of Frankfurt and 81 miles due east
of Berlin. The fall of this COM
munications hub represented the
elcdttSG gam ytSttIudy.
Nazis Replenish Forces.
The German radio, which has con-
sistently placed the Russian advance
several miles ahead of points an
nounced officially by the Soviet high
command, said the Red Army had
reached the Oder at new points only
38 miles from Berlin in the Frank
furt area.
The midnight Russian war bulletin
said the Nazis were constantly re-
plenishing their shattered forces east
and northeast of Frankfurt, but
despite a stubborn resistance were
losing one position after another
under blows.
Another column of Zhukov's men,
coiling northwest around Kustrin,
reached the Oder at point 80 miles
from Berlin, the Germans an
nolnced. This advance threatened
to outhank Kustrin and take it from
the rear.
MoscoW's communique did not
confirm that fighting was in prog
ress at Kustrin, itself. 1t did an
nounce the capture of Alt Limmritz,
only 10 miles east of the city on
the eastern side of the Oder at its
confluence with the Warthe.
One Nazi broadcast said the Kus-
trim garrison was in close quarter
combat with Soviet units attacking
the town along the northern bank
of the Warthe.
Zielenzig By-passed.
Eight miles south of Alt Limmritz
lies Drossen. With its capture the
Russians by-passed zielenzig, a
powerful German position protect
ing Frankfurt.
In another 11-mile advance the
Russians seized Malsow, "a miles
east of Frankfurt and miles south
of zielenzig, driving ahead at the
lower end of the curving 55-mile
bulge pointed at Berlin and Stettin
The 1st White Russian Army cap
tured more than $50 places yester-
day despite, the stiffened German
resistance and an unseasonal thaw
which hampered mechanical oper-
ationS.
In the drive on Stettin Soviet
forces captured Soldin, Is miles
northeast of Kustrin and So miles
from the big Baltic port.
A DNB broadcast from Berlin
reflected German alarm at the
double e-barrelled thrust by Zhukov.
It said the Eastern danger zone
could be divided into two main
areas-the march on Berlin and the
attempted break into Stettin to split