Pacific News-Review

Jan. 17: Warsaw, capital of Poland, has fallen to the Red Army, whose winter offensive is now in its seventh day. This offensive is described by Moscow cor respondents as the greatest in history.

Jan. 18: General Mac Arthur, whose forces are sweeping down Luzon on Manila, is months ahead of schedule in his Philippines campaign stated Mr.

Churchill in a review to the House of Commons to-day.

Jan. 19; Berlin announced to-day that Russian troops were now 30 miles inside East Prussia. Further south, Russian spearheads aimed at Breslau in Silesia, are now reported to be 20 miles within Germany. Meanwhile, on the Western Front, the Allies are pressing three attacks in bitter weather. There are many signs that Marshal von Rundstedt is withdrawing to the Siegfried Line and that some German reserves will be switched from the Western to the East ern Front.

Jan. 21: The speed of the Russian offensive—2oo miles in 10 days—shows no signs of slackening. The whole German front between the Carpathians and the Upper Vistula is collapsing and 'East Prussia is threatened with isolation. In an attempt to solve the deepening Polish political crisis brought to a head by this phenomenal Russian advance, the Polish Cabinet-in-Exile in London has asked the Allies to place the country under an international commission until a general election can be held.

Jan 21: The Americans advancing down Luzon (Philippines) are now 76 miles away from Manila, the capital.

Jan. 23: The Red Army has advanced 160 miles—half way to Berlin—since the beginning of its offensive from Warsaw and the Vistula, 10 days ago. Marshal Rokossovsky, on the right flank, is now thrusting towards Danzig, in order to isolate East Prussia completely.

Jan. 23: On the Western Front the Germans are now retreating headlong from the Ardennes bulge. All roads leading east towards the German frontier are jammed with military traffic, and great toll is being taken by our air forces Jan. 24; American troops driving rapidly towards Manila, on Luzon Island, occupied the most northerly of the 11 air strips of Clark Field, and the camp where survivors of Bataan were interned in 1942.

Clark Airfield is the most important on Luzon.

Jan. 28: East Prussia has been com pletely isolated from the rest of Germany by the arrival of Russian forces on the Baltic coast. Meanwhile, Marshal Zhu kov’s great tank thrust into central Ger many is reported to be only 90 miles from Berlin. German reports state that then expected defence line on the River Oder cannot be relied upon, as the river is now so completely frozen over that it could bear the weight of the heaviest of Russian tanks.

Jan. 29: The Duke of Gloucester (new Governor-General of Australia) and the Duchess, their two children, and their party,’ arrived in Sydney at 9.30 p.m. to-day.

Jan. 2b: The Dace of the Russian offen sive has slowed all along the Eastern Front as the German High Command masses its forces for a final and desperate defence. The swiftness of the Russian advance, which in 17 days has brought them from the Vistula to 30 miles inside Berlin’s province of Brandenburg, has had a shattering effect on the morale of the German people.

Jan. 29: American troops on Luzon

(Philippines) have passed Clark Field and are now on the Papanga River, last natural barrier, 34 miles from Manila.

Jan. 30; The Australian’s southern advance in Bougainville is being bitterly contested by the Japanese by a system of pill-boxes and artillery posts. In the north of the island the advance is rapidly nearing Buka Passage.

Jan. 31: The first crossing of the River Oder by Marshal Zhukov’s forces, north of Berlin, was reported to-day by Berlin radio. Fighting is also reported 25 miles south of the city, at Frankfurt and Kustin.

Jan. 31; The American forces have made another landing on Luzon —this time on the west coast, just north of Subic Bay, on Bataan Peninsula. The landing was almost unopposed, and with the Americans from the north now almost within sight of Manila, the Japanese forces are in a serious position.

Feb. 2: General MacArthur’s head quarters report that on January 31 US troops landed in Province, 40 miles south-south-west of Manila.

Feb. 2; It has been officially reported that all of the Ardennes bulge captured by Rundstedt’s forces in their Western Front counter-offensive in December, has been won back by the Allies.

Feb. 4: Since the crossing of the Oder by Marshal Zhukov’s forces on February 1 the battle for Berlin has developed into a struggle for the river bridgeheads. This is the result of a thaw which has weak ened the river ice and turned hard snow into slush. Considering the time of the year, the thaw is not expected to last long, but- it has been sufficient to slow up the Red advance.

Feb. 5: It has been announced from the Philippines that General MacArthur’s forces, from the east, entered Manila on February 3. Other divisions from south and north are now also entering the city.

The first arrivals released 2,700 Allied prisoners who have been interned in Santo Tomas University since the fall of the Philippines three years ago. Others were released later. Much mopping up work remains to be done in the Philip pines, but they can be regarded as being virtually back in American hands.

Feb. 5: The Australians have made another landing in New Britain, which carries them 20 miles closer to the enemy concentrations on the Gazelle Peninsula.

Feb. 6: It has now been revealed that Mr. Churchill is attending a conference of leaders of the Great Powers. The location is not known.

Feb. 6: The Germans admit four Rus sian crossings of the Oder Line, and that one south of Frankfurt directly menaces Berlin 40 miles to the west. Thousands of Russian troops, supported by tanks and mobile guns, are streaming across the upper river for the final phase of the battle for the capital. Further south, Marshal Koniev, who has forced the river on a 50-mile front south of Breslau, is clearing the SE approaches to the capital.

Feb. 7: According to neutral observers, a hasty reshuffle is being undertaken in Germany, making von Papen Chancellor, preparatory to a peace bid by Germany.

Feb. 7; Australian air, land and sea forces from the Halmeheras to Bougain ville, are hammering at the Japs. In the Aitape and Bougainville areas the Aus tralian ground troops are pressing on against strengthening enemy resistance.

Feb. 8: Manila is being ravaged by the Japanese as they fall back before the Americans, who have cleared the city of the enemy north of the River Pasig. The Japanese have destroyed some of the port

Notes And Comment On

The Progress Of The War

From Jan. 17 To Feb. 12

facilities and part of the water supply.

Feb. 9: Montgomery has launched a new offensive against the northern extremity of the Siegfried Line and has gained five miles at some points. His troops, however, are battling forward in a sea of mud and water —victims of an unpre dictable and premature “thaw” in Europe.

Feb. 11; The Japanese in southern Manila have converted many buildings into pill-boxes which in turn are protected by minefields, and are making a last ditch stand. ' / Feb. 11: British and Canadian troops are now fighting in the streets of the German town of Kleve, only four miles from the River Rhine, the last natural barrier guarding the Ruhr. But they are also battling against the weather and unnatural conditions of mud, and the going is everywhere tough.

Feb. 12; Russian flying columns are driving on Berlin from the south-east.

Marshal Koniev’s armies have burst across the Oder River on either side of by-passed Breslau and threaten to roll up the whole Oder defence line and open the way for a massive invasion of cen tral Germany. Koniev is 100 miles from Berlin; 80 miles from Dresden.