Evening star., 1945-02-20
Nuzis Indicute
Resumption Of
Soviet Drive
BY the Associated Press.

LONDON. Feb. 90 Russian
troops have punched several
deep breaches in German lines
on a 65-mile front stretching
within SO to go miles of Berlin
and Dresden. the German high
command declared today.
1t indicated Marshal Ivan Konev
had resumed his push toward these
two cities after withstanding Ger
man counterattacks which Berlin
only last night said had swept back
into four towns.
The German communique de-
'clared Marshal Konev preached
German lines in the areas of Guben,
81 miles southeast of Berlin: at
Sorau, 28 miles farther southeast,
and at Lauban, 81 miles east of
Dresden.
Thrusting Beyond Neisse.
A later broadcast said Marshal
Konev was attacking Lauban and
thrusting for Goerlitz, IL miles be-
yond on the Niesse River, 40 miles
from Dresden. This said Marshal
Konev had cut the Sorau- Goerlitz
railway on a 21a to mile stretch
at an undisclosed point and had
temporarily" captured Rothwasser,
10 miles northeast of Goerlitz.
Rothwasser, l9 miles from the
Saxon border, was later retaken by
the Germans, Transocean added.
Russian advances on Guben were
checked" Transocean said.
Fighting of the "bitterest type"
is raging in this sector between the
Bober and Neisse Rivers, q Trans
ocean broadcast said.
No Mention of Counterattacks.
Transocean made no mention of
Nazi counterattacks which the Ger
mans last night said had rewon
Guben, and Somerfeld, Sorau and
Sagan, on a 35-mile line to the
southeast of Guben. Moscow never
has claimed fall of Guben, but an
nounced capture of the other three
last week.
mo new German reports are
available ON the situation in Guben,
from which Russian tank spearheads
were dislodged yesterday" Trans
ocean added - 81 y
An earlier Transocean broadcast
indicated Sagan had again been lost,
by defining battleline placed west
OF that Bober River city.
Moscow dispatches said the Red
Army, despite Nazi counterattacks
was clinging to its positions in front
Of the Oder-Spree line southeast OF
Berlin, while carrying out what
may be some of the most important
consultations of this phase Of the
war"
Ward OF Nazi Blows.
Field dispatches to Moscow said
Marshal Konev and Marshal Gregory
Zhukov were warding off Nazi blows
"in strategic moves which promise
shortly to pay dividends when the
drive on the capital is resumed"
A Russian push farther north had
carried within AZ miles of Danzig
capturing the Polish Corridor town
Of Move (Neuenburg).
The German command said a new
Russian offensive had opened north
of Ratibor, on the upper Oder 81
miles southeast of Breslau, after
German defensive successes of the
past two days"
AS for Breslau, Transocean said
all Soviet blows in an "all-out' at
tempt to take the Silesian capital
had been beaten off.
Battles are f1uctuating in the
Pyritz area % miles southeast OF
Stettin where Marshal Zhukov is
fighting toward the Baltic, the Ger
man communique said, while in East
Prussia other Russians are attacking
violently on the Samland Penin-
sula west of Koenigsberg despite q
bombardment by the German Baltic
fleet.
Nazi Situation Critical.
The Berlin radio said the German
situation was critical in the Tuch-
eler Forest area of the Polish cor
ridor and west of the Vistula, where
the Soviets are pointed toward
Danzig.
The Moscow communique declared
l 500 Germans were slain when they
tried to break out of encircled
(See RUSSIA, Page A-5D
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