April 6, 1945; RUSSIA BREAKS PACT WITH JAPAN:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, APRIL 6, 1945:

BIG SPRING, TEXAS, FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 1945

Allies Move Up

Toward Hannover

By JAMES M. LONG

PARIS, April 5 (AP) —

The Third army advanced to within 132 miles of Berlin today in the Schlotheim area while other Allies closed up to the Weser river on a wide front 23 miles from Hannover.  The Germans were retreating pell-mell toward the Elbe, which flows within 50' miles of the capital.

Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's Sixth armored division captured the ancient Thuringian town of Muelhausen (36,000) and then moved eight miles northeast to the Schlotheim area, closest approach to Berlin.

The Germans appeared to be evacuating Hannover.  At Schlotheim, the Third army was 72 miles from Leipzig and 170 miles from Russian siege lines and within 17 of the great German supply center of Nordhausen, frequentlybombed in recent days.

Russia Denounces Japan

LONDON, April 5 (AP)

Soviet Russia today denounced its neutrality pact with Japan, accusing Tokyo of helping Germany to war against Russia.

The Moscow radio announced that Foreign Commissar Vyacheslav Molotov had informed the Japanese ambassador that continuance of ,the pact was impossible since Japan was fighting against Russia's Allies, the United States and Great Britain.

"In such a situation the pact of neutrality between Japan and the U.S:S.R. has lost its meaning," Molotov said.

The note was handed the Japanese ambassador at 3 p. m., today, in  the midst of a new Japanese cabinet crisis. The pact was signed in April, 1941, and whether Russia would denounce it before the opening of the world security conference at San Francisco April 25 had been a subject of speculation.

The Soviet note emphasized at the outset that "the pact of neutrality,

between the Soviet Union and Japan was concluded on April 13, 1941—that is before the attack by Germany on the U.S.S.R., and before the outbreak of war between Japan on the one hand and Great Britain and the United States on the other.

"Situation Said Radically Changed"

"Since that time the situation has radically changed," the note said. "Germany attacked the U.S.S.R. and Japan—Germany's ally—helps the latter in her war effort against the U.S.S.R."

The treaty ordinarily would have run until April, 1946. The denouncement becomes effective April 13, just 12 days before the opening of the San Francisco conference.

The Moscow announcement said Japan's Ambassador Naotake Sato

had "promised to bring the declaration of the Soviet government to the

attention of the Japanese government."

There was no indication in the Moscow announcement of Russia's intentions in future relations with Japan. However, Premier Marshal Stalin has publicly described Japan as "an aggressive nation."

Reds Fight In "Greater Vienna"

As Reinforcements Pour Into City

More Troops Of

Soviets Pouring

Across Danube

By Richard Kasischke

LONDON, April 5 (AP) —

The Russians have fought into "greater Vienna," the Germans reported today, and Moscow dispatches said Russian forces were pouring over the Danube between captured Bratislava and the Austrian capital to join the assault.

The Russians were battling to encircle the capital of Austria which Hitler incorporated into Germany in 1938. While some forces fought to draw lines to the northeast of the capital, others battled to cross the maze of rivers and railways and attack from the southwest.

Great tank battles were being fought in the suburbs of the city of

1,900,000, Moscow said. The famous Deer Park had been converted by the Germans into an artillery position from which heavy barrages fell upon Russian ranks.

 Zwoelfaxing, 1 1/2 miles from the city limits, was captured yesterday, Moscow announced.

Okinawa Advance Made;

Japan's Cabinet Quits

By LEONARD MILLIMAN

Associated Press War Editor

The Japanese cabinet quit in a body today as American forces overran a sixth of Okinawa Island on Nippon's doorstep, invaded the 36th Philippine Island, and destroyed or damaged 56 Japanese vessels and 61 planes.

Newest American amphibious operation was on Masabate in the central Philippines. Gen. Douglas MacArthur announced elements of the 40th division landed Tuesday, seized the provincial capital with the aid of guerrillas and "are rapidly securing the entire island."

MacArthur also reported in great detail that seizure of Tawitawi, one, of the three other Philippine islands invaded this week, completed a 1,000 mile chain of Philippine air bases which, with other Allied airdromes and submarines, established a strong blockade on all Japanese South Pacific possessions.

As evidence of his blockade, heavy bombers made their first concerted strike against Hong Kong, setting off numerous explosions and fires in the harbor

area. Other aircraft ranged from Formosa, down the China coast, across invasion-threatened Borneo to the Dutch Indies, destroyed or damaged 28 small Nipponese ships

More Than 1,200 Allied Planes

Rock German Ordnance Center

LONDON, April 5 UP) —

More than 1 200 Fortress-s and Liberators attacked two large German ordinance depots, rail targets and fields in the Munich and Nuernberg areas of southern Germanytoday.

The two ordnance depots were at Ingolsiadt, 40 miles northeast of Munich, and Grafenwohr, 40 miles northeast of Nuernberg.

Rail targets at Nuernberg, at Bayreuth, 40 miles northeast of Wuernberg and Plauen, near the Czechoslovak border, also were attacked and an airfield at Unter-

Haudersbach, just southwest of  Nuernberg, was hit.

The heavy bombers were accompanied by 600 Mustangs and Thunderbolts attacks followed the biggest raids in over a month by

more ihan 1,000 RAF bombers striking in four waves.

Mosqtiitos hit Berlin with twoton bombs for the 48th time in 44 night and strong forces of Lancasters and Halifaxes bombed three of, Germany's most important synthetic oil plants and refineries near Leipzig and Hamburg.

The air ministry said incessant raids already had reduced the enemy's output of gasoline to a mere 10 per cent of the total of a year ago and the output of all oil products to about 18 per cent.

Last night's targets were the Lutzkendorf and Leuna plants at Merseberg.

In all operations yesterday and last night the RAF and U. S. Eighth air force sent more than 3,250 bombers over Germany.