The Wilmington morning star., 1945-02-13
Soyiiets Take
Bunzlau,C Cut.
Vital Highway.
Long Siege Of Budapest
Nearing End, Moscow
Reveals

LONDON, Tuesday, Feb. 13.-CP)
Russian troops swept to within "a
miles of the Saxony capital of
Dresden yesterday, capturing the
Bober rive stronghold of BUM
lau in swift 15-mile drive in ST.
lesja that slashed one Berlin
Prague highway and threatened to
ntfank Berlin on the south.
simultaneously Moscow announc-
ed that the end of the long, bloody
siege of Budapest, Hungarian cap
ital, was very near. Soviet troops
captured the royal palace and an
Gent fortress on the high bluff on
the west bank of the Danube in
the Buda section, smashing the
core of organized enemy resist
ance and taking 10000 more p-is-
oners Sunday and Monday.
Final figures for prisoners alone
are expected to exceed 100000 and
German dead also will run into
the thousands. Budapest, gateway
10 Vienna and Bradshaw on the
plains to the west, has been under
direct siege Al days since Deem
Der q when the Russians sur
rounded the city and broke into
its streets. Soviet planes and artil-
lery had been bombarding it since
the first week in November.
Fresh Russian gains were made
in Pomerania and in the Polish
Corridor during the day. Col. Gen.
Ivan Petrov's Fourth Ukraine
Army drove to within 20 miles east
Of Moravaska Ostrava, Czecho-
slovakias third city and guarding
the northern gateway to the Mo-
ravian Gap leading to Vienn; and
Prague, with the capture Of Stru-
mien. This represented a seven
mile advance southwest of PszcZy-
ma, taken Sunday.
Berlin said other Soviet units
were attacking near Ratibor, is
miles north of Morakska Ostrava,
known as the Pittsburgh of Czech
oslovakia.
Petrovs troops operating south
Of Pszczyna also drove to within
Is miles Of Cieszy (Teschen), big
Sllesian coal center in southwest
en Poland, with the capture of
Jasienica, and also toppled the key
rail junction of Bielsko Bielitz),
four miles to the east.
Marshal Ivan S. Konev's First
Ukraine Army reached the Bober
river on 15-mile front from cap
'ured Bunzlau northward, cutting
Inc Breslau-Berlin superhighway
and trunk railway at many points.
Berlin said his tank spearheads
already had crossed the Bober at
TWO points near Bunzlau and were
rolling on toward the Saxony from
uef only 70 miles away.
At Bunzlau, 12-way road hub
IN me BreslauLeipzig railway, the
russians were 80 miles northeast
VI Prague. Czechoslovakian CAPT.
,aL Y miles from the Sudeten
uofoer Of that country, and Is
inlles from the Neisse river strong
mold of Goerlitz.
j, alxty-tWo miles behind Bunzlau
n yae lmpeilled German garrison of
nfeslau, almost encircled Silesian
tIspI'al, was fighting desperately to
N NJ me Russians from closing a
~ 04iiie escape gap southwest of
Berlin said that the northern
rong Of Konev's offensive had
Nv aseu up to the Bober river in
a VIC area Of hamburg, 40 miles
~ lsSiInWest of fallen Bunzlau, and
tnn "i u; southeast of Berlin, put
t t;a 1t only q miles from a iunc.
z zon with Marshal Gregory K.
an;na Berlin front army men
odas NfoSsen on the central
inc 5H 1e mobile columns, operat-
nj u miles north of the rail center
Car pasah' were cutting in behind
tb e'i nl forces anchored between
ss5.s nooer and Oder rivers in an
bv v rectangle formed
Glos nloSs en- Zueichau, sagan and
tb the a' thus turning the flank of
Of Fenemy's Berlin front southeast
XII me drives of both Petrov and
s sauhsv ;. further endangered thous-
ss,i vi German troops fighting in
sont pnent extending far to the
caast into slovakia.
/ that - tha broadcasts indicated
sb sl me northern flank of Mar
Ar sr An II. First White Russian
l INLAY s mad pushed to within Is
,'"1eS OF stettin, Berlin's Baltic
continued on Page Two; Col. y