The Wilmington morning star., 1945-04-10

The fall OF Vienna, cult
ond greatest city Of Adolf Hi
cd imminent.
Bloody hand-to-hand street fight
ing swirled through more than
4hree-uuarters of the entire city
as the Germans fought from iso-
lated pockets. Nazi troops were
resisting stubbornly from street
barricades and overturned troll
leys, only LOO surrendering in
night and daylong fighting yester-
day.
The Russians, however, knitted
to the center of the city and cap
tured world-renowned landmarks
within or on the edge of Vienna S
famous Ringstrasse. The town
hall, the most imposing edifice in
Vienna, the Parliament buildings
and the opera house were in Rus
sian hands. The Germans also had
given up the central police head
quarters, the main telegraph and
postoffices and the Central Eu-
ropean Bank.
The hold-out garrison OF Koenigs'
berg capitulated at $3.50 pm.
Moscow tine) last night. Up to
3 PM, the Red Army had taken
27OOO prisoners, including their
commandant, Gen. Lasch, in the
blazing ancient fortress of the Teu-
tonic knights and the cradle city
Of Prussian militarism.
Koenigsberg, in ruins from con
centrated Russian artillery and
aerial bombardment, fell little
more than So hours after Marshal
Alexander M. Vasilevsky's Third
White Russian Army began storm
ing the city in an about assault
Sunday.
Koenigsberg, a city with a pre-
war population of 1853, 900, first was
encircled January 80 by the late
Gen. Ivan D. Cherniakhovsky. Dur
ing the following month the Ger.
mans broke the enlightenment but
the city remained under close
siege while the Russians cleaned
up an East Prussian pocket tt
the southwest.
Then Sunday, Vasilevsky, new
commander of the Third White
Russian group, opened a tremend.
Gus assault after Red Air Force
planes flew 5000 bombing ano
machine-gunning sorties over the
ancient fortress. Breaking through
an outer defense line, the Rus
SLAMS re-encircled the city ano
broke into the streets yesterday
Premier Stain announced Koen
igsberg's fall. He pointed out that
me victory cleared the last major
German point of resistance along
me Baltic coast east of Stettin
west Of Koenigsberg, Berlin sale
Vasllevsky's troops were swiftly
mopplng-up the last Nazi pocket
IN East Prussia on the Samlanc
peninsula.
over the weekend, Russian
planes sank nine transports total
ing $4,000 tons and five other ships
. neaf the escape port of Pillau
Miille d German cruiser and five
o'her vessels were damaged.
AS the battle for Vienna racee
1o"afd climax with Marsha
r 17 I. Tolbukhin's Thire
s SMalnlan Army spearheading thu
W.; EllVe INTO the city, a second Sow
49, 49, army closed the escape gar
w lne north to II miles.
,r LAST and northeast of the city
SShal Rodion Y. Malinovsky'
neuohd White Russian Army ex
fsroeo Its bridgehead across tn,
t tanuoe and Morava rivers to ,
nont OF "a miles. The bridgeheae
t Ha N me historic battle-ground O
~ ~ MA M9archfeld plain was deepenet
WI w eight miles, Moscow revealed
=. .aeH Malinovsky's troops captur
We lessee, u miles northeast O
i ~, In a five-mile gain.
.acI;s 9efmans were counter-at
IN AZ desperately in this secto
ws VI ell elaolt to keep open the high
r uy ana two secondary railroad
Brna,ng north out of Vienna t
and de nm, (Brno) in Czechoslovaki;
I'M IOll connn1e+a pal
elrelement. -'eo army en-
ever e-a aos cavalryment, how
in five captured a. oberweiden, with
tro i've miles of Gaenserndorf, con
routa one secondary rail escap
aIor,. and also pushed eight n,i1e
pbs. WAC north bank Of the Dar