The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-03-08

ultCcTIOlLl lHc ctieHly TSpOTJ OL fighting on both sides of Frankfurt suggested the Russians were across the river there, where they forced crossing a month ago.
 The Nazis reported last night that the Soviets were trying to storm across the Oder near Kue- strin, but gave no later clarification.
 Moscow remained silent on the thc German reports. The Soviet high command normally delays an- nouncements of offensives until they have been in progress several days and have achieved decisive results.
 3-Sided Assault
 Kuestrin, on the east bank of the Oder 38 miles cast of Berlin, was under assault from the north, south and cast, transocean broadcaSts said. Kuestrin and Frankfurt-on- Oder, iS miles to the south, constitute the main anchors of the Oder line be- fore the German capital.
 Other German broadcaSts said the Russians had reached Niederwutzen, 29 miles northeast of Berlin, in 8 powerful attack against a German pocket in the big bend Of the Oder % miles downstream from Kuestrin.
 Niederwutzen represented the clos est Russian penetration yet to Der. lin. Latest Soviet reports had put the Red Army at Zaeckerick, 3i miles northeast of Berlin and six miles southeast of Niederwutzen.
 The Germans also said Zhukov's forces were seeking to cross the Oder at other key points as far south as a point below Frankfurt.
 To the north, meanwhile, the First and Second White Russian armies cleared wide stretch of the east coast of Settin Bay, drove to within l2 miles of Settin itself and punched to within 24 miles of the former free port of Danzig in ad- vances alongm a l65-milc front.
 More than 2S0 towns and villages in northern Pomerania and the old Polish Corridor were captured by the two armies in advances of up to 13 miles.
 The northern wing of Zhukov's First Army reached Stettin Bay at six more points along a 27-mile front, including the port of Ste- phenitZ, at the narrowest part three miles wide-of the bay.
 Also seized were Laatzig and Sa- ger, two miles north and south re- spectively of a 200-yard highway and railway bridge to Wollin on tine island of the same name at the Baltic entrance to the bay. Bad Dievenow, 40 miles north of Stettin and opposite the northeastern tip of Wollin Island, also fell.
 These columns were within B anG 4l miles east of the Germans ex- perimental X-bomb stations at Zin- nowitz and Peenemuende respec- lively.
 On the immediate approaches to Stettin, the First Army captured Schuetzendorf, 12 miles north, Coll now, 12 miles northeast and Mas SOW, l2 miles east.
 Pocket Liquidated
 The First Army also captured B. 900 Germans and killed 6,700 others in liquidating a large German pocket below Schivelbein, 50 miles northeast of Stettin. Among the prisoners was Lieut.. Gen. Giraffe, commander of the German 10th Army corps. and his staff.
 South of Danzig, Marshal Kcn- stantin K. Rokossovsky's Second White Russian army captured the defense strongholds of Starogard, 25 miles south of the former free port, and Gniew. 35bmiles southeast. then pressed on to Liniewo and Saaben, 24 miles southwest and south respectively.
 Far to the south, other Soviet forces captured the Czechoslovak road junction of Banska Stiavnica, ll5 miles east of Vienna.
 The German high command made only a passing reference to the Ber- lin front. Yesterday 1t had said strong Russian attacks there were aimed at gaining solid bridgeheads across the Oder for further oper- ations"-the assault on Berlin.
 Near Kuestrin our troops yester- day again smashed numerous Soviet attacks which were supported by battleplanes and strong artillery" a Nazi communique said.
 The high command reported that strong Russian forces were carrying out "breakthrough attacks" before Stettin on the lower Oder. The tenor of it's account of the 'de- fensive battle for Pomerania" was gloomy.
 On the other flank of the general Berlin front, the communique said, the Germans recaptured Lauban, Silesian transport center 75 miles west of Breslau and 68 miles east of Dresden.
 A supplementary German broad- cast said strong Russain concentra- tions had been spotted near Oppeln Ratibor and north of Moravska Os- | trava.
 Reserved Moscow dispatches said the heaviest fighting had shifted to the sectors around Koeslin in Pom- erania and south of Danzig.