The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-01-26
Reds Besiege
Trap
100000 Men
Latest Moscow Report Puts
Offensive IFS Miles
From Berlin

LONDON, Jan. 25.-lR-The Red
army shattered the German upper
Oder river defense line on 1875
mile front today, laid siege to the
great Silesian capital of Breslau,
and sealed off perhaps 200, 1000 ene-
my troops by driving wedge to
the Baltic behind beleaguered Ko-
nigsberg, East Prussian capital.
Surging on through swirling
snowstor1ns, the Russians were
reported by the Soviet army news
paper Red Star to be within 125
miles of Berlin, presumably to the
southeast.
The German news agency DNB
told Of the Russian penetration to
the Baltic at Elbing, one Of the
greatest encirclement operations in
history. Moscow had not officially
confirmed this report, but dispatch
les from that capital said tank
spearheads had reached the Wis.,
lula delta west of Elbing.
Breaking into Elbing itself, So
miles southwest of Konigsberg and
30 miles southeast of Danzig, the
Russians cut the last railway serv-
ing the trapped and reeling Ger
man forces in East Prussia, which
is an important food source for
Berlin and northern Germany.
At the end of two weeks of light.
ming war the German High Com
mand announced that Marshal Ivan
IS. Konev's First Ukraine Army
units had crossed the frozen Oder
river at various poins on both sides
of Breslau between Steinau, 140
miles southeast Of Berlin, and Co.
sci, 10 miles from the Moravian
frontier of Czechoslovakia.
Moscow had not confirmed the
crossing officially, but Soviet front
dispatches did.
GleiWitz, an important industrial
city of 10000 in the southeastern
corner of Germany fell to Konev's
troops who also seized Chrzanow,
Polish coal center "a miles to the
southeast, Premier-Marshal Stain
announced in an order of the day.
Gleiwitz is the largest German 10.
cality yet taken by the Russians.
Racing around GleiWitz toward
Czechoslovakia and also striking in
to the German hinterland north of
the Sudeten mountains, the Rus
slams rapidly were encircling the
entire corner Of the rich Silesian
basin with its huge coal, zinc, and
iron mines and factories which
make it the "Ruhr of the. east"
Hindenburg and Beuthen, big
German industrial cities, and Kato-
vice, Chorzow, Sosnowice and Dab
rowa, not only were menaced 'front.'
ally but were hopelessly outflanked
from the rear by the Russians pour
ing across the Oder-a natural bar
rier which the Germans had hoped
to hold after their rout on the
frozen Polish plains.
In another order of the day, Stall
in announced capture of Gels, a
nine way road hub IA miles north
east of besieged Breslau, and also
Ostrow, German fortress in Poland
IS miles northeast Of Gels.
The crossing of the Oder at Stein.
au, 81 miles northwest of Breslau.
put the Russians within 118 miles
northeast of Dresden and 1875 miles
northeast of Prague, Czechoslovak
capital which Moscow radio said
was under German state Of
siege" and the scene OF riot1ng
because of the Red army's sensa-
tional advances.
Berlin said most of the 30 Soviet
tanks which the Russians put
across the Oder at Steinau were
destroyed and the Soviet troops
we're thrown back"
The Nazi High Command told Of
other Soviet crossings farther up
stream between Cosel and Brieg
On a SIS mile front south of Bres-
lau.
Moscow dispatches said Soviet ar.
,illery already was Smelling Bres-
au, greatest German homeland
prize yet within reach Of any Allied
army. Breslau, a great manufac-
.uring center and transit center, is
he Reich's ninth city. It had a
oeacetime population OF $4,000
which swelled to 100000 as Ber-
liners and bombed out residents
If other German cities flocked
here to escape Allied air attacks
rom the west.
One target of the Soviet Smelling
vas Leasing bridge, which spans
he Oder in the southern part Of
3reslau, and front dispatches said
Continued on Page Two; Col. y