Evening star., 1945-02-02
Germans Report
Soviet Attempt
To Storm Oder
MAP on Page A-4.I
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, Feb. Russian
forces have made one attempt to
storm across the Oder River in
their onslaught toward Berlin, a
German broadcast said today
and other Berlin reports indi-
Gated Soviet patrols might al
ready have crossed.
The German high command
clamped blackout on news from
the sector as one military commen-
tator told of the attempted crossing
In the area of Kustrin, 40 miles east
of Berlin.
Berlin radio accounts said Mar
shal Gregory Zhukov had brought
up strong forces along the Oder on
both sides of Frankfurt and that
assaults to reduce the fortress of
Kustrin were under way
The German communique, how
ever, completely omitting mention
of the sector. said the Russians
everywhere else except in East Prus-
sia had been checked after hard
fighting, and Moscow dispatches said
zhukov had run into thick mine
fields and hard shell of German
armor along the 90-mile front
threatening the German capital.
Strong Barriers Claimed.
Declaring the capital could and
would be defended, Hitler's news
paper said German armed forces
are in position to build barriers
which the enemy, who has crossed
the Oder with very small forces
only, cannot even threaten"
Heavy fighting ragged on a line
from the area of Glogau, on the
Oder lis miles southeast of Berlin,
to kustrin. in the angle of the Oder
and Warthe east and slightly north
of Berlin
There was no further report of
the situation at Kustrin, where the
Germans yesterday said the Rus
SLAMS drove into that highly forti-
fed point and reached the Oder
just to the northwest in a sector
80 to 40 miles from the capital.
The Germans declared they had
thrown the Russians out of Kustrin,
and that thousands of German men,
women and children were being
rushed to the east to dig a great
system of trenches to make Berlin
bloody disappointment" for the
Russians.
Moscow dispatches reported, how
ever, that Zhukov was working to.
bring up stronger forces, was mass
ing his infantry and storm guns
close behind his tank spearheads
and that the "storming of the Oder
is not too distant a project"
Although the Germans declared
the Russians had been thrown out
of Kustrin, they referred to this as
the first attack" and indicated
strong Soviet forces might have
been brought up for full-scale
assault.
Within Range of Guns.
This centuries old town. with its
fortress built by Frederick the
Great. was within range of the
guns of the Russians for the second
time in its history. Moscow accounts
said. The Russians stormed it in
the Seven Years War.
The Russians now were inside
Germany in Silesia, Brandenburg
and Pomerania on 375-mile front.
But it was the Germans who told of
the closest approach to Berlin.
BY Moscow account these were the
distances of the Red Army from
these immediate objectives on the
Berlin front:
Kustrin-About II miles, from
the sector southwest of Duhringshof
This would be about 81 miles from
Berlin and the nearest approach yet
reported in Moscow dispatches.
Zielenzig, in the Warthe-Ode
bend- to miles. from the region
west of Gleisen. The Germans re-
ported the Russians in the Zielenzig
area several days ago.
Sternberg. miles south of Zielen-
sig to miles, from west of Lagow
Furstenburg, on the Oder about
Is miles south of Frankfurt-about
20 miles, from the Griesel area.
Crossen. on the Oder 80 miles
southeast of Frankfurt-9 miles
from the Leitersdorf salient.
Moscow dispatches, however. said
. Soviet tanks had knitted between
(See RUSSIA, Page A-4D