Evening star., 1945-01-14
2N Million Soviets
Making 3 Drives,
Nozis Report
Be the Associated Press.

night that the Red Army had
opened its eagerly awaited win
ter offensive on the eastern front,
breaking through Is miles toward
the heart of Germany on a ST.
mile front in Southern Poland.
Striking powerfully beyond the
Vistula River, the Russians swept to
within SO miles of industrial German
Silesia, reaching the Nida River,
last big water barrier before the
Reich frontier. A decisive" Soviet
barrage from massed cannon paved
the way across the frozen plains,
Stain said in a special order of the
day.
Berlin reports said 2,500,0O0 Rus
sian troops were on the move.
The new blow put Germany in
giant wise with more than a dozen
Allied armies striking concertedly
from east and west.
Entire Front Threatened.
Overrunning more than $50 places
In two days the Russians drove to
within SO miles northeast of Krakow
and to within IL miles southeast of
Kielce, threatening to collapse the
entire German front between War
saw and Krakow. Kielce is 90 miles
southwest of Warsaw.
. The northern end of the west
Ward-movlng Russian front was 100
miles south of Warsaw and As miles
west of Sandomierz, Wstula River
bridgehead base.
Over muddy ground the Russians
smashed three successive German
defense lines in attacks supported
by an artillery barrage which pris-
oners said was so "hellish" that
some units lost half of their per-
sonnet, a midnight Soviet bulletin
reported.
Russian engineers picked a path
through thick minefields for waves
of infantrymen, and the commune
que supplement said the terrain was
strewn with thousands of enemy
corpses, broken equipment arms
and war material" j.
Nazis Tell Of Other Drives.
Berlin reports, describing the
Polish offensive as 'the greatest
of all time, said two other major
Soviet offensives had begun-inl
German East Prussia and Southern
Czechoslovakia - accompanied by
smaller attacks at intervals along a
600-mile front from Memel in the
north down to stricken Budapest in
Hungary, where the German garri-
son appeared to be on its last legs.
The German high command off,
cially termed the Polish offensive.
launched by Marshal Ivan S..
Konev's massive 1st Ukraine Army
the "long-expected winter often
sive" by which the Russians, hit
ting from the west in concert with
Allied western blows. hope to crush
the Reich.
Stains aim is to shatter the en-
tire German east 'front.'" said one
Berlin commentator. THE Russians
are stalking all on one card for a
quick decision" said another.
Reports from Berlin relayed
through Stockholm said the Red
Army had thrown in $50 divisions,
or 2,500, 900 men, along the eastern
front, supported by great forces of
artillery. tanks and planes.
In a special order of the day to
Marshal Konev, however, Stain said
the Polish successes were chalked
up without the support of the Red
Air Force. Bad weather having
grounded the airmen, Soviet artil-
lery played decisive role he
said.
224 Guns Fire 20 SaIvoes.
Stain ordered that 224 of Mos
cows victory guns fire 20 salvoes
in celebration of the victory on the
Polish plains near Kielce.
The Germans said the Russians,
attacking in East Prussia, struck at
dawn with full power and strong
artillery" on a 12-mile front be-
tween Schlossberg and Ebenrode
after making pinning down thrusts
Friday around Goldap, at the west