April 24, 1945; 1/3 of Berlin in Soviet Hands:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, APRIL 25, 1945:

RACINE, WIS., TUESDAY AFTERNOON, APRIL 24, 1945.

More Than Third

Of Berlin Now

In Soviet Hands

LONDON—AP-Russian troops have tightened their encirclement of Berlin—already more than one-third - in soviet hands—and 'in a swift dash halfway across central Austria have swept to within 89 miles of Berchtesgaden, Hitler's mountain retreat, the German high command declared today.

The surge through Austria carried to Eisenerz, 57 miles from Linz and 85 from Salzburg, the broadcast bulletin said: Americans of the Third army are 93 miles from those two cities, and 110 from Berchtesgaden in their southward slice toward the nazis' Alpine redoubt.

By German account, Russians in Austria were but 155 airline miles from a linkup with t h e U. S. Third army.

Two powerful soviet armies were cutting into t h e h e a r t of Berlin in savage street battles. The German high command said the Russian encircling drive around the capital on t h e southwest had reached "areas southeast of Brandenberg, and east of Potsdam,"

Berlin's great western suburb. Brandenburg is 25 miles west of Berlin.

Await Epochal Merging.

South of t h e crumbling citadel of nazidom, other soviet forces drew near American troops waiting for an epochal merging of the eastern and western fronts.

The German communique , broadcast by t h e Hamburg radio, declared Germans still were resisting on t h e n o r t h e r n and eastern edges of Berlin.

More than a third of Berlin was in Russian hands. German reports indicated that fighting was swirling through nearly one-half of the wrecked city last night. Red a r my troops and tanks advanced from point to point over t h e bodies of

Germans who h a d been refused permission to retreat.)

3 Allied Armies

Surge Toward

Hitler Hideout

PARIS. —(AP)— The three army assault on the outer ramparts of the German Alpine redoubt burst across the Danube at a third place today,

overran the traffic center of Ulm and carried to within 105 miles of Hitler's hideout at Berchtesgaden.

An American-Russian junction was expected momentarily in the center, splitting Germany.

(The French press agency, quoting "Moscow reports reaching London," said American and Russian troops had joined at Eilenburg, nine miles northeast of

Leipzig.

(Although there were indications early today that the formal announcement of the linkup—to be made from Washington, London and Moscow—was imminent, 11 a. m. war time, passed without indication as -to. when it would

come.)

Rommel Died at Ulm.

Troops of the American 3^rd army pressed to within 93 miles of the Austrian strongholds of Linz and Salzburg, eastern gateways to the southern redoubt.

The 7th army closed down the last 50 miles toward Munich and the French 1st army advanced close to the Austrian frontier and reduced three large pockets behind the lines.

Captured German documents said that Field Marshal Irwin Rommel died at Ulm last Oct. 14 of wounds received in a strafing

attack in Normandy."- —

It was at Ulm in ;1805 that the Austrian army surrendered to Napoleon near the I4th century Gothic cathedral, higher than the Cologne edifice and second only to it, in size. The Danube is navigable from Ulm to the Black sea.