The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956)(about) |
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Saturday 17 February 1945
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BERLIN
PREPARES
FOR WORST
Dresden a
"Heap of Ruins'
From Our Own Correspondent In
London
As tens of thousands of tons of bombs rain down on the Reich, and the. Red Army sweeps westward, Berliners have been ordered to ac- tion stations.
Dresden, which was believed to be the alternative Reich capital, is now a heap of ruins. Even the Germans themselves admit that it has been "smashed to atoms."
Berlin people were told by their supreme commander, Gauleiter Goebbels, on Thursday night to be ready to fight in the fields, in the suburbs, in the streets, and at the barricades. It is impossible to evacuate all the women and chil- dren.
The Stockholm correspondent of Daily Telegraph says a new tidal wave of refugees is sweeping into Berlin. Road blocks in the streets, made from the rubble of bombed buildings, are manned by Home Guards. Arms supply depots have been opened to provide them with weapons, but the supply is said to be pitifully inadequate.
It is declared to be the duty of every man and woman to stay at work, forging weapons for the forces and defending their home town.
Germans, apparently forgetting that they created the verb "to Concentrate," howl about the fate of Dresden, with its priceless art trea- sures and beautiful buildings. "But the truth," says Daily Express air correspondent, "is that Dresden is a major city in the German war effort. As a road and rail junction it has been used to pump German troops into counterattacks against Marshal Zhukov's army. It also houses the main Zeiss factory, while near by is a large synthetic oil refinery."
Goebbels, foreseeing the fall of Berlin', had transferred his propa- ganda machinery to Dresden, and various other government depart- ments are reported to have moved
there.
Moscow Radio says "Dresden is in the throes of panic. The city is without electricity, and the water supply has broken down."