The Wilmington morning star., 1945-03-31
Soviiets Open
Push Toward
Vienna, Italy
Vital Mira River Defense
Line Broken BY New
Assault

LONDON, March 30. (P) -
Russian troops invaded Austria
tonight as two new Soviet often
s;ye drives toward Vienna and
Italy erupted in Hungary and
southern Slovakia and Red army
troops far to the north captured
the big Baltic port of Danzig, hoist
ing the flag of the ''Polish State"
over the former free city.
Moscow's nightly communique
announced that Marshal Feodor I.
Tolbukhin's Third Ukrainian Army
had entered Austria-seven years
after that country was annexed
TO Adolf Hitler's greater Reich
after crossing the frontier north OF
captured Koszeg, So miles south
Of Vienna.
Earlier, Marshal Stain had an
nounced that the Second and Third
Ukrainian Armies, on the north
and south banks Of. the Danube,
. had opened two powerful new Of
fensives.
On the Danube's north bank
Russian columns burst 81 miles
across southern Slovakia, breach
ing Vlenna's Mira river defense
line.
At the same time, Marshal Toll
bukhins Army opened big drive
south of Lake Balaton in southern
Hungary in the 42-mile gap be-
tween the lake and the Drava riv-
er. This force advanced to within
u miles east of the great oil CEN
ter of Nagykanizsa after 20-mile
advance across territory previous
ly won and then lost. They cap
tured Boehoeny in their closest
approach to Nagykanizsa.
They also drove to within nine
miles of the Yugoslav border by
taking Nagyatad, Y miles north
east Of Zagreb, puppet Croat capt.
tai.
West of Lake Balaton, other units
Of Tolbukhin's Army veered south
westward and captured Keszthefy,
on the southern tip of Lake Bala-
ton, and Zalaegerszeg, % miles
from Yugoslavia. The advance car
ried these forces within 1873 miles
Of Italy for possible juncture with
Anglo-American forces 268 miles
away.
More than 10000 German troops
were captured and $4,000 killed IN
+he collapse of German resistance
iii Danzig city. where the first
shots of World War Two were
fired .Forty-five German U-boats
and Isl other ships were taken
in the great naval base, interna-
tionalized by the League OF Ma
tons. Danzig was the first Ger
man prize on the present war. The
raising of the Polish flag indl-
Gated Russia's intention OF CIV
ing the European tinderbox to
the Poles.
Racing over the Bradshaw
plains. the Russians crossed Wen
mas Mira river defense line at
sevel al points along a 27-mlle
front capturing at the southern
end the Czechoslovak fortress OF
Aomarno at the junction OF the
Mira and Danube rivers IS miles
southeast of Vienna.
Along and across the Mira tanks
and infantry captured the key rall
junction Of Move Zamky, and the
towns of Komjatice and Surany,
the latter only 48 miles east OF
Bratislava. Vrable, another enemy
stronghold "a miles north OF Kom.
arno and II miles southeast OF
The big rail junction of Mira, 1ell
to The advancing Soviets.
All these towns guard the east
ern approaches to the narrow Bra
tislaVa Gap before Vienna, but
south of Europe's greatest river
the gap already was outflankea
by Marshal Tolbukhin's swirl
drive to Austria under cover OF
Red Air Force planes which yes
terday flew 5000 sorties.
Vienna shuddered under new
daylight attacks by heavy bombers
Of the Ita1y-based U. S. 18th Air
Force, which also bombed the Aus
TRAN city of Graz, SIS miles west
OF advancing Soviet spearheads:
reports of panic and hasty Nazl
defense preparations in the Aus
imam capital flooded neutral and
Allied Europe.