March 30, 1945; FALL OF DANZIG:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, MARCH 30, 1945:

RACINE, WIS., FRIDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH 30, 1945.

2 Armies Race

Toward Junction

In Northeast

With U. S. First Army—(AP)

Spearheads of the First army reached Faderbarn today and drove on with virtually no opposition.

The armored drive now has carried more than 125 miles in five days. Reports  from leading elements were running at least 8 1/2 hours behind actual advances.

Only a 65-mile gap remained between advance elements of British and American armor.

PARIS —(AP)—

The American First and Ninth armies drove powerfully forward today toward a junction northeast of the Ruhr that would seal off Germany's greatest and last large arsenal and up to 40,000 enemy troops among its ravaged factories.

Security blackouts hid new advances.

The First army shot forward so fast its spearheads lost contact with headquarters. The Germans said one armored column had reached Bad Windungen, 20 miles southwest of the great rail center of Kassel, 170 miles

from Berlin.

By-Pass Industrial Cities.

The Ninth army broke loose overnight in a race along the northern rim of the Ruhr, bypassing most of the great industrial cities of the valley.

The British Second army appeared to be veering northeastward toward the great ports of Hamburg, Bremen and Wilhelmshaven.

The whole onsurge , on the 21st army group front in the north was in high gear front the Muenster plain to the Odenwald. Infantry alone tramped 18'miles forward in a. day, and tanks still were, running unchecked along clear roads.

On every sector, supreme headquarters said officially that advances

were going well.

Stalin Announces Fall of Danzig,

Soviet Tanks Push Near Vienna

LONDON.—(AP)—

Russian troops have thrust over the Austrian | frontier, Moscow dispatches said,

and Marshal Stalin announced a 31-mile advance north of the Danube in a twin thrust upon Vienna.

Danzig, where the first shots of the war were fired, fell to Russian forces and 10,000 prisoners were taken, Stalin announced. The Germans already had announced loss of the former free city on the Baltic.

While Marshal Feodor Tolbukhin's tanks penetrated into the hills inside Austria, threatening to lay siege to Vienna, Stalin announced that Marshal Rodion

Malinovsky's forces north of the Danube had broken across the Nitra river, capturing Komarno, Ersekujvar (Novy-Zamky), Surnay, Komjaty, Verebely (Vrable) and Poerful.

Gain on 34-Mile Front.

The advance was on a 34-mile front from the broken Hron river defenses in Slovakia, and brought the Russians up to or across the Nitra on a 27-mile front to within 49 miles of Bratislava. Komarno is on the north bank of the Danube opposite the captured stronghold of Komarom. Ersekujvar is on the west side of

the Nitra, and Surany and Komjaty are in a line to the north along the banks of the Bitra. Verebely is 11 miles southeast of the stronghold of Nitra on the railway from Levice.

British Ships

Join Assault on

Ryukyu Isles

GUAM—(AP)—

A powerful British task force has joined the mighty American assault on the Ryukyu Island approaches to the Japanese homeland which the navy announced

today is continuing.

Fleet guns and carrier planes poured heavy shells and bombs for the seventh straight day on strategically important targets around Okinawa, Japan's Ryukyu bastion which Tokyo says is expecting American landing parties any time now.

(Berlin radio quoted Tokyo as saying 150 American Super-Fortresses attacked Tokyo this morning with a new type of incendiary bomb, starting numerous fires. The Berlin broadcast, not confirmed by Allied sources, was heard in London.)

The British task force, which included the battleship King George V and the carrier Illustrious, operated as a unit attached to Adm. Raymond A. Spruance's Fifth U. S. fleet.

Japs Attack Warships.

It became the first element of the royal navy to strike an offensive blow so close to Japan in this war, and the first part of the British fleet to undertake such operations

at extreme long range.

March 29, 1945 German West Front is Crumbling{

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, MARCH 29, 1945:

PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS, THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1945.

British, Yanks

Racing Across

Reich In North

Duisburg Captured And Frankfurt-On-Main

Nearly Cleared; Tight Blackout Clamped

Over Troops On Crumbling West Front

By James M. Long

PARIS, March 29 (AP).—

British and American troops racing today through a wide break in German lines north of the Ruhr were reported menacing Hannover, 142 miles from Berlin, while First Army shock troops raced to a point 207 miles

southwest of the capital.

Duisburg in the Ruhr ran up the white flag. All of Frankfurt-On-Main except the northern outskirts was captured by the Third Army, whose advance troops operating in echelon with the First Army moved eastward to within 214 miles of Berlin. Hamborn, Weisbaden, Hanau, Aschaffenburg and the northern half of Mannheim fell to Gen. Eisenhower's victory flushed armies fighting up to I 45 miles deep in Germany.

Blackout Blankets West Front

'I he full extent of the advances in Westphalia was hidden by a portentous security blackout, but AP Correspondent Ned Nordness said  Vluenslcer, Osnabrueck and Hannover all were threatened by the sweeping gains outflanking the Ruhr to the

north. Several dcfendable rivers were crossed easily. Hannover is 112 miles from last publishable British positions on the approaches to Muensler,

capital of Westphalia.

The nearest First Army approach to Berlin was at Amocneburg, 85 miles .beyond the Rhine and 255 from Russian siege lines in the cast. The First and Third Armies scored advances 'of 20 miles or more overnight, capturing the important Lahn river

traffic center.

RED ARMY

IS DRIVING

ON VIENNA

Soviets In 39 Miles

Of Capital; Nazis

Admit Retreats

LONDON, March 29 (AP). —

The Red Army, lancing through the shattered defenses of the Bratislava gap in the

Danube valley, has reached places along  the Austrian frontier, it was reported from Moscow today. The big Stalin tanks and armored cars of Marshal Feodor Tolbukhin's Third Ukraine Army, smashing ahead from captured Csorna, hammered at the defenses of Pamhagcn, 39 miles southeast of Vienna. St. John on the frontier to the northeast, and Moson (Wieselbourp). near the Danube 21 miles

southeast of Bratislava, Moscow dispatch said.

May Just Be  Scouting

"Whether the units which fought their way to the frontier planned to remain or whether these were. scouting troop feeling out the strength of the much-heralded fortified zone is not known," said dispatch from AP Correspondent Eddy Gilmore.

"There are no Indications that any of these tanks and armored cars actually crossed the frontier into Austria. "

The German communique, announced a withdrawal north of the Danube to the Nita river and a 25-mile advance by the Russians from the broken Hron river line.

This push in Slovakia, dovetailing with the assault below the great river of southeastern Europe. apparently placed the Russians close to the city of Nitra.

40 miles east of Bratislava, capital of the puppet government of Slovakia. and possibly as close as 30 miles to the border of Moravia.

Koenigsborg Menaced

In the north the German  communique announced the evacuation of Kahlholz cape, their last toehold on the East Prussian mainland except north of Koenigsberg.

The early fall of Koenigsberg, capital of East Prussia, also was probable.

Americans

NORTH OF

CEBU CITY

By H. D. Quigg

MANILA, March 29 (UP).

American troops captured Cebu's burned and blasted capital city and speared northward today in a drive that may have over-run the Lahug airdrome.

Cebu City, second largest city in the Philippines, fell to units of the American division which advanced five miles in one day and outflanked elaborate Japanese pill-box fortifications on the capital's: western approaches.

City Badly Damaged

The city, once one of the most beautiful in the archipelago, was damaged nearly as badly as Manila.

Demolition, fires, started by the Japanese when the Americans landed Monday, practically wiped out the business district and many residential sections.

The port area was reportedly found undamaged, however, and the excellent harbor, second only to Manila, will be able to accommodate shipping and naval vessels almost immediately.

March 28, 1945; Disaster For Germany:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, 1945:

HUNTINGDON, PA., WEDNESDAY, MARCH  2 8, 1945

U.S. ARMOR WITHIN

200 MILES OR LESS

OF REICH CAPITAL

Allies Racing Almost Unopposed Thru

Flaming Reich 20 To 90 Miles

Beyond Rhine—German

Front Disintegrating

By BOYD D.

. United Press Correspondent

Pans, March 28

The seven Allied armies of the west struck with their full armored power along the German 200-mile battle line east of the Rhine today in a series of breakthroughs that sent American tank columns to within 230 miles or less of Berlin.

Hundreds of American and British tanks swept ahead of the advancing infantry divisions and raced almost unopposed across the flaming Reich anywhere from 20 to 90" miles beyond the Rhine. The entire German front appeared to have disintegrated.

Into a few blazing hours that threatened Germany with her greatest military disaster of the war were .packed these developments:

The American First Army swept 60 miles or more beyond the

_____________________

BULLETIN

21st Army Group GHQ, March28.—Fighter pilots reported today the Germans are in "general retreat" before the British Second Army.

____________________________

middle Rhine . to the outskirts of  Giessen23miles southwest of Berlin, splitting through the center of the Wehrmacht front and outflanking Frankfurt-On-Main. Radio Luxembourg reported that riots swept besieged Frankfurt on

___________________________

BULLETIN

London, March 28.—Radio Luxembourg reported today that American Ninth Army forces have captured Sterkrade, a big –industrial suburb of Duisberg, nine miles north of that Ruhr city.

______________________________

Main today when 100,000 remaining- civilians demanded that it be surrendered without a fight. The broadcast said the riots broke out after about 400,000 civilians had left the city and remnants of the regular German garrison refused the surrender

demands made by the remaining civilians.

GERMANS SAY SOVIETS MASSED FOR

EARLY FRONTAL ASSAULT ON BERLIN

ENEMY'S SOUTHERN

DEFENSES CRUMBLE

ON 350-MILE FRONT

BULLETIN

London, March 28.—

The Red Army was reported today to have smashed across the river Raab in northwest Hungary in a drive for "the junction city of Csorna, only 75 miles southeast of Vienna.

German reports admitted the Red Army had crossed the Marcal Canal lying just east of the .Raab and Moscow reports said that it was believed the Raab also had been crossed.

BULLETIN

London, March 28.—

A German DNB Agency report said today that Soviet forces now are battling in-the region of Savar on the Raba River, 26 miles west of Papa and only 21 miles from  Austria.

By ROBERT SIUSEL

United Press Correspondent London, March 28. —

The Nazis said today that the Red Army has massed "super armed forces" and fresh - infantry  divisions across the Oder River for an early frontal assault, on Berlin.

To the south, the Soviets drove to within 20 miles of Austria and 58 of Vienna, as a Fourth Ukrainian Army group joined an offensive crumbling Germany's southern

defenses along- a 350-mile front.

U.S. PLANES RAID

JAPAN IN SUPPORT

OF KERAMA ACTION

By FRANK TREMAIN

United Press Correspondent

Guam, March 28.—

Tokyo said that American carrier " planes raided southern Japan  today in support of the reported invasion of the Kerama Islands, 380 miles to the southwest.

A broadcast Domei News Agency dispatch said that approximately 90 carrier planes raided Kyushu, southernmost of the Japanese home islands, this afternoon

(Japanese time). The raid was centered on the Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures in the southern part of "the upland' Domei

said. '

An early Tokyo radio broadcast reported that American, reinforcements had landed in the Kerama Islands southwest of Kyushu, and said "savage battles" were under way.

The invasion of the Keramas part of the Okinawa Group, is only a prelude to imminent landings on Okinawa Island itself,, site of an important naval base and several airfields in. Japan's inner defense belt, radio Tokyo said.

Supporting American warships including at least 11 battleships-----

(Continued on Page.Eight)

U.S. TROOPS SWEEP

OVER CEBU; NEAR

CAPITALOF ISLAND

By H. D. QUIGG

Press Correspondent

Manila, March 28.—

American invasion forces swept over Cebu today to within two and  a half miles of burning Cebu City, capital of the central Philippines islands.

Elements of the American Division,- which landed on the mine strewn beach at Talisay on the east coast Monday, were battling the Japanese garrison at Pardo

just south of the. capital. Cebu City is the second largest port in the Philippines.

Huge fires were reported out of control in Cebu City and the Japanese apparently were following their theme of destruction which devastated Manila and other

island capitals in the area-

(Continued on Page Eight