Evening star., 1945-02-16
Russiu
Continued From First rage. }

about 80 miles southeast of Forst.
The spokesman declared, however,
that Soviet spearheads which had
penetrated as far as Forst were cut
of and pushed back and that Som
merfeld remained in Germand
hands.
The Germans also declared their
counterattacks had slowed the
punch toward Dresden and forced
Marshal Konev to regroup there.
But they said a powerful new
push was under way in Slovakia to-
ward zvolen, IS miles north of
Budapest and about the same dis
tance southeast of Jablunka Pass
on Slovakia's s northwestern border.
Sommerfeld Captured.
In a 30-mile breakthrough, Mar
shal Konev's troops yesterday top
pied the Brandenburg Province
stronghold of Sommerfeld, 81 miles
from the capital.
Marshal Konev's rapid thrust
from the depths of Silesia already
has destroyed the effectiveness of
the Oder defenses where the Ger
mans checked direct march toward
Berlin by Marshal zhukov's forces.
In sweeping to Sommerfeld,
Marshal Konev invaded Branden-
burg, Berlins home province, at a
new point. His rapid advance
across the Bober, Luebst and Queis
Rivers-also overran Sorau, 13 miles
southeast of Sommerfeld, and
Gutenberg, 25 miles southeast of
Sommerfeld
Russian front dispatches said
Marshal Konev,s left. wing had
thrust to within As miles of Dresden,
capital of Saxony, after reaching the
Neisse River in the area of Goerlitz.
1000 Nazis Seized.
The Konev Army yesterday cap
tured 1000 Germans and 100 parked
planes, Moscow communique said
The capture of the planes was a
further indication of Germany's in
gasoline shortage.
A Russian front dispatch said the
Red Army advance was SO swift
and overwhelming that German
troops were being split up and cut
off. The Withdrawing enemy was
leaving great quantities of equip
ment behind.
Ahead of the Russians, several
millions" of refugees are swarming
into the Central Reich, Berlin an
nounced last night. The German
DNB news agency said many were
perishing in the wintry winds. Most
of the marchers, DNB said, were
women, children and the aged, the
men all having been taken into the
An indication that the Germans
were drawing in their troops re-
in Yugoslavia to help with
the defense of Germany proper
came from Allied headquarters in
Italy.
1t was announced there that Amer
lean and British planes had left the
Zagreb-Vienna escape route Uttered
with the wreckage of military trains.
Supply Lines Cut.
Marshal Konev's westward thrust
toward Dresden already has cut
some German supply lines reaching
to Yugoslavia, Eastern Hungary,
Austria and Czechoslovakia.
Capture of the Polish corridor
stronghold of Chojnice also was an
nounced last night by Moscow.
Situated astride the Berlin Danzig
highway go miles southwest of Dan
zig city, 1t fell to Marshal K. K.
Rokossoysky's I'd White Russian
Army. thrusting northward toward
the Baltic in an effort to seal off
thousands of enemy troops in Danzig
territory and Pomerania.
The Brussels radio, quoting Mos
cow dispatch, said fighting was in
progress in the immediate outskirts
of the port Of Danzig and that three
German ships had been sunk outside
the harbor.
Official Russian announcements
never have placed Red Army troops
closer to Danzig City than 20 miles
in East Prussia to the southeast.