April 28, 1945:Soviets Overrun Berlin:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, APRIL 28, 1945:

CHARLESTON. WEST V I R G I N I A , SATURDAY EVENING, A P R I L 28. 1 9 4 5

Troops Rip Through

Nine-Tenths of City;

Fall Expected Hourly

Moscow Says End Drawing Near;

" 8,000 Germans Killed in 24 Hours;

Flanking Units 50 Miles Past City

LONDON (UP).—The German high command admitted today,

Say that Russian siege forces had slashed to the Brandenburg gate and Alexanderplatz in,the heart of Berlin.

LONDON (UP).—Russian shock troops today broke into the Tiergarten, heart of Adolf Hitler's last-ditch defense citadel in encircled Berlin. Moscow said the siege of the Nazi capital swiftly was approaching its end.

Reports reaching London also said fighting was raging "very near" Adolf Hitler's Reichschancellery on the Wilhelmstrasse, the Reichstag on the northeast corner of the Tiergarten, the State Opera House and other buildings in the center of Berlin.

A Moscow dispatch said Soviet Cossack divisions swept nearly 50 miles west of Berlin and reached the Elbe river opposite the American ninth army. The Russians

were awaiting an "imminent junction" with the ninth army, Mos

South of Berlin, the Russian army organ Red Star said, two more Soviet divisions had linked up with the Americans following the original junction at Torgau, tO miles below the capital.  Red Star said only that the two;

divisions met the Americans elsewhere than Torgau and added:

New Linkups

German General Says-

Hitler Will End Own Life

Or Be Killed Within Hours

Adolph Hitler- will kill himself or be killed in Berlin within a

few hours or days and the war will end, Lt. Gen. Kurt Dittmar, German high command spokesman, said in his final war commentary— in American custody.

Dittmar, who surrendered to the ninth army on the Elbe river Wednesday, told his captors that Hitler and Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels were in Berlin

and will die there.

"The war will end in a few days." Dittmar said. "Hitler will either be killed or he. will commit suicide. One of lhree generals—von Brauchitsch. Guderian, or von Rundstedl:—will take control and will make peace immediately on almost any terms."

The elegantly-uniformed general outlined the war situation for correspondents, just as he used to do for radio Berlin listeners when the Nazi army was overrunning Europe.

Asked about the Bavarian redoubt, he said, "there's talk about; it, and the map will show you that two pockets are being

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Hitler, Goebbels Shot?

ST. MARGRETHEN, Switzerland (UP). — A high diplomat who has just arrived at the Swiss border from Germany said ! today that Adolf Hitler and Propaganda Minister Paul Joseph Goebbels were shot three days ago.

The diplomat said that Gestapo Chief Hienrich Himmler yesterday rushed to Berlin by plane with his right-hand man, a Gen. Schellenberg.

He also reported that a revolution had broken out in Munich and that occupation of the city by the Allies was expected tonight.

formed, one in the north including Norway and Denmark and one in the south in the Alps and Italy. But that is probably less by intention than by force of circumstances,"

At any rate, he thought, the war could not last after the fall of Berlin, which he said was a matter of hours or at most days.

"I saw the war was lost on July 20th," said Ditlmar, referring to the frustrated attempt on Hitler's life. "From then on the highest quarters had learned nothing

from the past. Militarily and politically, the situation could still have been changed for the better

July 20th was a warning—hut things were not changed. If the attempt had succeeded I certainly think the Wehrmacht would have taken over control."

"The Allied leadership is quite good, as is the Russian, hut. We ourselves made you rich." Dittmar said. "The old German strategy no longer exists in this war."

Third Army Troops

Run Riot Through

Austrian Defenses

55.000 Germans Surrender in Day;

Stronghold of Augsburg Captured;

New Junction With Reds Expected

ZURICH (UP). — The Nazi gauleiter in Munich broadcast today that a revolution had been suppressed. He CAlled on the population to continue resistance against the Allies,

From Combined AP and UP wires

PARIS. — Revolution flamed in the streets of Munich, the first city of Nazidom, today as triumphant American armies twept trough southern Germany to deliver the death blow to Adolf Hitler's collapsing third Reich.

American tanks and armored troop columns careening in on Munich from all sides picked up a dramatic radio appeal from

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Himmler Reported Offering Peace

LONDON (UP). — The Luxembourg  radio said today that Heinrich Himmler, in in a message to the American, British and Soviet foreign ministers, made an offer of unconditional surrender.

The broadcast, said that the government  informed the bearer that "unconditional surrender could be accepted only if offered to all the Allies.”

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insurgents /or immediate help to overthrow the Nazi overlords in the city- The extent of the revolution was still uncertain but the at least were in control of the Munich radio station and It' appeared  that a genera! uprising similar to that which convulsed Germany in the last hours of World war one was in the making.