Evening star., 1945-01-26
Reds Reported
Goining on Both
Sides of Poznun
MAP on Page A-4.)
BY the Associated Press.

~ t1ic fASeOSlotco
LONDON, Jan. 26.-Russial
tank spearheads. have driver
close to the eastern border o
Brandenburg, the Prussia1
province of which Berlin is tn
capital, a German broadcast salt
today. At almost the same time
the Red Army newspaper Rec
Star asserted I'VE have reached
the last road-the road we have
dreamed about for three Ions
years."
At the nearest point, the Brand.
enburg border is within 81 miles oi
the German capital, but the German
broadcast did not place the Rus
sian spearhead exactly. Moscow re.
ported yesterday that Red Army
forces were little more than 125
miles from Berlin.
Two other capital cities of Ger
man provinces were being threat
ened. The Russians announced that
all direct communications with
Breslsu have been cut off" and
the Germans declared the Red Army
had launched an all-out drive for
Konigsberg.
Premier Stain announced today
the capture of four East Prussian
towns on the approaches to Konigs-
berg. The towns are Allenburg
Nordenburg, Lotzen and Tapiau.
Allenburg is 80 miles southeast of
Konigsberg and Tapiau is 81 miles
east of the East Prussian capital
Nordenburg is 81 miles southwest of
Insterburg.
East Prussia has been cut off and
German troops have been isolated
Moscow dispatches reported fatty
today.
Moscow placed the Russian forces
within 5 miles of Poznan and a Ger
man broadcast reported they had
driven past both sides of this key
city in reaching the vicinity of the
Brandenburg frontier. The broad
cast said the tank vanguards had
been destroyed.
A Red Star dispatch reported that
German defenses along the Oder
River Line were cracking under
iron pressure"
Hltler'S newspaper. the Voelki-
scher Beobachter, admitted there is
no continuous line today" The Ber-
lin publication said contact between
German formations on the eastern
front had been broken.
A Moscow broadcast said the Red
Army was advancing with "unabated
fervor" at all sections of the front.
Breslau Is Big Prize.
Capture of Breslau, a city with a
prewar population of more than
100000, would be the Russians
greatest prize in Silesia. The city,
center of many industries feeding
the German war machine, is the
capital of Lower (Northern) Silesia
1t straddles the Oder River.
A Red Star dispatch, declaring
the Germans have built three con-
tinuous lines Of trenches with pill
boxes and dugouts" just west of the
river, said the enemy had destroyed
all bridges across the stream In
preparation for a last-ditch stand.
The Germans have declared the
Russians hold two bridgeheads
across the stream, one on each side
of Breslau. A Moscow dispatch said
the Red Army forces had begun a
massed artillery bombardment
southeast of Breslau. A Russian
report said the Oder was largely
clear Of ice.
To the north in Poland's western
bulge, the 1st White Russian Army
is whirling around north of Poznar
in an outfanking maneuver that
has broken through Murowana-
Goslina, 139 miles east of Berlin.
Swirling Armored Battle.
Marshal Gregory K. Zhukov's
forces also threatened Poznan by
frontal attack Swarzedz, S miles
east, was captured in a swirling
armored battle into which the Ger
mans had thrown considerable re-
Inducements brought up from the
Reich.
Murowana- -Goslina, 10 miles north
OF Poznan and just east of the
Wartha River, was the closest point
of approach to Berlin, announced
officially by the Soviet high COM
mand, although Red Star said yes-
terday that other Russian troops had
driven to within 125 miles, presum-
ably in Silesia.
In the area north of Poznan. Zhu-
kov's forces we're steadily sweeping
across the base of the Polish cor
ridor. In a 10-mile advance they
seized Keynia, % miles from the
German Pomeranian frontier and
125 miles southeast of the Baltic
port of Stettin.
The Russians also we're register
ing gains in two other sectors on
this the 18th day of their win-the-
war offensive.
German Forces Isolated.
Marshal Konstantin K. Rokossov-
sky's I'd White Russian Army, now
commanding the land approaches to
the port of Elbing, in the north
western corner of East Prussia, has
Isolated German forces, possibly 200,-
600 strong, still fighting in the east
A German broadcast said Russian
troops already had broken into
(See RUSSIA, Page A-4)