World Battlefronts: A Bear Hug For History

Through the smoke the Russians could see the great Gothic tower of Königsberg's Schloss. For nearly seven centuries the Schloss (castle) had stood as a symbol of Prussianism. There the Teutonic Order had been nurtured. The tower reared 277 feet, a monument to the Junker caste that was the heart and mind of German militarism.

Last week the Third White Russian Army of young (37) General Ivan Chernyakhovsky rolled up to Königsberg's suburbs on two sides. From four miles out the Russians could hear the blasts as the Germans set off demolition charges, destroyed...

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