April 30, 1945; SURRENDER OFFER ON WAY:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, APRIL 30, 1945:

RACINE, WIS., MONDAY AFTERNOON, APRIL 30, 1945

Fighting Rages

In Munich;

Dachau Freed

PARIS — (AP) — The American Ninth and First armies joined the Russians at two new places today, trapping an undisclosed number of Germans between Berlin and Leipzig and virtually surrounding all enemy troops between Berlin and the Elbe river in a pocket 85 miles long.

Four divisions of the American Seventh army fought inside Munich within two miles of the heart of that birthplace of the nazi party. By 7 p. m., German resistance had become "light to moderate , " a Sixth  army group statement

said.

The Ninth army contacted the Russians at Apollendorf on the north bank of  the Elbe three miles west of Wittenberg. The First army met the Russians a t Wittenberg itself. Other Ninth army troops on t h e Elbe north of Magdeburg

and 85 miles northwest of Wittenberg were only ten miles from the Russians at Rosenhagen.

Munich still was holding out shortly before noon and small arms fire was increasing. Elements of at least four Seventh army divisions pressed into the Bavarian capital from t h e north, west and southwest.

Reports continued to reach supreme Headquarters that Germans were attempting to negotiate, a surrender.

LONDON.—(AP)—Russians tanks have smashed into the Tiergarten, Berlin's central park converted in to an underground fortress, the nazi-controlled Oslo radio said today, and Moscow reports said the fall of the capital was imminent.

The newspaper Pravada said t he Russians were fighting in the ruins  of Unter Den Linden, the spacious avenue in the heart of Berlin that terminates at the Tiergarten.

The Hamburg radio, chief nazi transmitter still broadcasting in

Germany, proclaimed that "the hard battle for Berlin reached its

climax today."

Hope for May Day Victory.

Moscow dispatches said Marshals Gregory K. Zhukov and Ivan S. Konev, commanding red armies at Berlin, were going all-out for May day victory and had thrown in " maximum artillery and air power to reduce the nazis' strongholds in the cenyer of the city.

Soviet dispatches from Berlin said the nazis hemmed in a very small area made up roughly of the Tiergarten, the reichstag district just to its north the Wilhelmstrasse administrative quarter and most of t h e crowded commercial district centered on Unter r Den Linden running  east from Tiergarten.

New Surrender

Offer Reported

'On Its Way'

LONDON—(AP)—A new surrender offer from Heinrich Himmler, presumably to all three major powers, was understood to be "on its way" today.

British cabinet ministers were ordered to stand by as swiftly moving developments pointed to Germany's collapse.

Prime Minister Churchill was reported preparing a statement for commons tomorrow—May day—

but there was no indication of what he might say.

This capital was outwardly calm, even though a V-E day a n announcement was expected at any hour. There was more ministerial activity in Whitehall than there

had been in some time.

There were indications that only details of Germany's surrender remained to be worked out. These may concern whether Himmler or any other ranking nazi chieftain could give solid evidence that German pockets on the Atlantic coast and in Norway would lay down their arms.

'No Doubt' Move Underway.

It was possible that uncertainty over the temper of- commanders such as Col. Gen. George Lindemann in Denmark was holding up an agreement on details.

The British Press association said "there is no longer any doubt that armistice moves are in progress and moving swiftly."

Speculation centered around the possibility that May day might be

chosen for a victory announcement.

Suicide Pilot

Rams Into U. S.

Hospital Ship

GUAM—(AP)— American doughboys, enraged over a Japanese pilot's suicidal attack on a helpless navy hospital ship evacuating their wounded buddies, fought doggedly today for two airfields—their immediate objectives on southern Okinawa.

The fully-loaded, unarmed, unescorted U. S. S. Comfort was attacked and heavily damaged 50 miles south of Okinawa. Twentynine were killed, 33 wounded, and

one was missing. The killed included six army nurses and five army medical officers.

Although the 13,000-ton vessel was readily identifiable as searchlights played on the giant red crosses painted on her gleaming white decks and superstructure, the Japanese pilot made several runs at her preliminary to his kamikaze (suicidal) attack, reported Associated Press Correspondent Vern Haugland.

Admiral Turner Storms. Vice Adm. Richmond K. Turner, commander of the Third fleet amphibious force, stormed: "My printable comment on this outrage is unprintable."

Lt. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner, Tenth army commander who was visiting Admiral Turner today, said "This is terrible. Any comment Icould make on this wouldn't go through the mails."