The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-02-03
EvACUATIONOF . STETTIN BEGUN
 SAYS MOSCOW
BY ROBERT MUSEL

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 London, February 3. - (UP) - Moscow dispatches said today that powerful Soviet assault forces were storming Kustrin and Frank fort, twin anchors of the d-or-die Oder river de- fense line before Berlin.
 A German broadcast said the west bank of the Oder in the KuStrin area had been cleared of Soviet shock troops" The Germans re- ported a Soviet attempt to cross the river in that area yesterday, but said it was broken up.
 StiGfening German resistance slowed the Soviet push as it came up against the enemy's last-ditch defenseS, but Moscow confirmed that Soviet vanguards already had reached the Oder at points within 3 miles east of Berlin.
 The Nazis conceded that the Red Army was even closer-33 miles from the city limites Of Berlin at a point midway between Kustrin and Frankfurt.
 To the north, Moscow said. heavy Soviet motorized spearheads had driven to within less than 90 miles of Stettin, big Baltic port, whose capture would seal off 1l,000 square miles of northeast Germany Radio Moscow asserted the Germans already were evacuating Stettin by sea
 II Miles of Stettin
 London newspapers quoted radio Moscow as saying that Russian var guards had advanced to within II miles of Stettin.
 Moscow reports that powerful aS- saults had begun against Frankfurt and Kustrin indicated that the Red Army had reached the outskirts of the two cities and perhaps had en- tered them f.i
 Though most of Frankfurt lies on the west bank of the Oder river 90 miles southeast of Berlin. portion of the city extends across the stream to the east bank. Kustrin at the con- fluence of Oder and Warthe rivers 18 miles nCrth of Frankfurt, is 42 miles east of Berlin.
 Last previous official reports from the Soviet high command had placed Kustrin, F to IA miles of Frankfurt and 46 miles of Berlin.
 The Soviet high command re- ported that the Germans "inces- sanity were throwing fresh re- Inducements into battle for stand to the death along the Oder, last natural defence barrier before Ber- lin.
 Even security police have been encountered in the past few days. a Soviet communique said.
 Moscow dispatches said the neces- sity for consolidation of lines and re-grouping for the final assault OF Berlin also contributed to the re- duced tempo of the Soviet advance.
 There was every indication, how ever, that the Russians would reach the entire length of the Oder before halting the present phase of their offensive. They were advancing on Berlin along 72-mile front.
 Though German high command review placed the Red Army at the oct nf pa1.liI fhn CnWiat command claimed only the capture of DroSSen, 10 miles from the river and 46 miles east of the city limits of the capital.
 Drossen, road and railway june tion, fell to Marshal Gregory K. Zhukov's First White Russian Army after a l5-mile advance. It lies F miles southeast of KuStrin and IA miles northeast of Frankfurt, the two Oder river baStionS guarding the approaches to Berlin.
 The northern wing of Zhukov'a Army threatening Berlin seized Sol- din 57 miles northeast of Berlin and only 36 miles southeast of the great Baltic port of Stettin by sea had begun.
 Berlin placed Russian vanguards IA miles beyond Soldin in the vicin- ity of Pyritz, only g miles southeast of Stettin, and said the Russians were advancing on the port along 9 2l-mile front. The fall of Stettin you'd lop of 11000 square miles oE lcrtheast Germany.
 Enemy Pocket Reduced
 zhukov's southern wing linked up with Marshal Ivan s. Konev'S First Ukrainian army at the big bend of