Agony of the Third Reich. 75 years ago, on April 6, 1945, the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front began the assault on Konigsberg. On the fourth day of the operation, the garrison of the most powerful fortress of the Reich surrendered.
Defeat of the East Prussian grouping of the Wehrmacht
On January 13, 1945, the Red Army (troops of the 2nd and 3rd Belorussian fronts, part of the 1st Baltic Front) began the East Prussian strategic operation with the aim of routing and eliminating the East Prussian grouping of the Wehrmacht (Army Group Center, from 26 January - Army Group North), the occupation of East Prussia, the most important military-economic region of the Third Reich. The German high command demanded that East Prussia be held at any cost.
The armies of the 2nd Belorussian Front under the command of K. K. Rokossovsky broke through the powerful defenses of the enemy, blocked the Mlavsky fortified area, and took the city of Mlava on January 19. On the southern flank, Soviet troops took the Modlin fortress. Soviet shock groups made their way to the sea, creating a threat to encircle the 4th German army. German troops began to withdraw to the fortified line along the Masurian Lakes. As a result, the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front under the command of I. D. … Our troops took powerful German centers of resistance: Tilsit (January 19), Gumbinnen (January 21) and Insterburg (January 22). On January 29, Chernyakhovsky's troops reached the coast of the Baltic Sea, bypassed Konigsberg from the north.
On January 26, 1945, Rokossovsky's troops broke through to the Baltic north of Elbing, cutting off the East Prussian grouping from the rest of the Wehrmacht forces. The Germans organized strong counter-attacks from East Prussia and East Pomerania in order to restore the land corridor along the coast. The troops of the 2nd BF: the 48th and 5th Guards Tank Army, the 8th Guards Tank, the 8th Mechanized and 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps, repulsed enemy attacks by February 8. The East Prussian grouping was cut off. After that, Rokossovsky's front began an operation in Eastern Pomerania, and the 3rd BF and 1st PF were supposed to complete the defeat of the enemy in the Königsberg area. To accelerate the defeat of the enemy grouping and strengthen the 3rd BF, the 50th, 3rd, 48th and 5th Guards Tank Armies were transferred to him from the 2nd BF. The armies of Chernyakhovsky were to destroy the enemy's Heilsberg grouping.
Also, the 1st Baltic Front under the command of I. Kh. Baghramyan was to take part in the defeat of the German grouping. The Soviet high command carried out a regrouping of forces. The 1st PF from the 3rd Belorussian Front included the 43rd, 39th and 11th Guards armies, the 1st Tank Corps. And the formations of the 1st PF, which fought in Courland, except for the 3rd Air Army, were transferred to the 2nd Baltic Front. Baghramyan's troops were tasked with destroying the Zemland and then Konigsberg groupings of the Germans at the first stage of the offensive. On February 24, 1945, the 1st PF was abolished, and its troops, reorganized into the Zemland Group of Forces, were operatively subordinated to the 3rd BF.
Destruction of the Heilsberg group
Soviet troops bypassed Konigsberg from the south and north, laid siege to the capital of East Prussia, and occupied a significant part of the Zemland Peninsula and most of East Prussia. The main defensive lines of the enemy, except for Königsberg itself and the Heilsberg fortified area, fell. The East Prussian grouping (Army Group North) lost ground contact with the Reich and was split into three isolated groups: Heilsberg, Koenigsberg, and Zemland. The Germans had large forces: 32 divisions (including 2 tank and 3 motorized), 2 groups and 1 brigade. On the Zemland peninsula, several German divisions continued to defend themselves - the troops of the 3rd Panzer Army (its management was taken to Pomerania). In the Königsberg area, five divisions plus the city garrison were blocked. The strongest group - 23 divisions, 2 groups and 1 brigade (4th Army), were pressed against the Baltic coast southwest of Koenigsberg, in the Braunsberg-Hejlsberg region. The German command hoped to detain the enemy for a long time in the region of Königsberg, which was considered an impregnable fortress, to pin down large forces of the Russian army here. The isolated groups were going to unite, then restore the land corridor with Pomerania.
The command of the 3rd BF planned to cut off the Heilsberg grouping from the sea with converging strikes from the 5th Guards Tank Army of Volsky from the west and the 5th Army of Krylov, and the other armies were to divide it and destroy it piece by piece. The main role was to be played by the tank army - to cut off the Nazis from the Frische-Huff bay and prevent them from escaping to the Frische-Nerung spit. Aviation played an important role in the operation: 1st and 3rd air armies, aviation of the Baltic Fleet.
However, this plan was not implemented in February 1945. The Germans relied on the most powerful fortified area (after Koenigsberg), where there were over 900 reinforced concrete firing structures, as well as many bunkers and barriers. The troops had a large number of artillery and armored vehicles. A significant number of troops in a relatively small area allowed the German command to compact the battle formations and allocate strong reserves. The Nazis fought stubbornly, constantly counterattacked, maneuvered with reserves, quickly closing dangerous areas, did not allow themselves to be bypassed and surrounded, if necessary, retreated to the rear and reserve lines of defense. If necessary, the Germans destroyed numerous hydraulic structures (canals, dams, pumps, etc.), flooding some areas and making it difficult for the enemy to move. The Soviet troops were tired and drained of blood by the previous heavy battles, there were few reinforcements (they were leaving for the Berlin direction), the rear fell behind. In addition, at the beginning of February, winter returned: frosts and snowfalls, and in the middle of the month thaw again. Blizzards alternated with rains, dirt roads became practically impassable, and airfields without concrete cover could not be used. As a result, the pace of troop movement dropped to 1.5-2 km a day. By February 21, the German bridgehead was able to be cut in half, along the front to 50 km and in depth to 15-25 km. But the Nazis still fiercely resisted.
The troops of the 1st PF also could not immediately achieve success, fighting in two directions: the Zemland Peninsula and Koenigsberg. Baghramyan's front did not have enough tank formations and ammunition. On February 19, 1945, the Nazis struck in the Königsberg area: from the side of the capital of East Prussia and from the Zemland Peninsula. After three days of stubborn fighting, the Germans pushed our troops back and created a corridor between Königsberg and Zemland. The two German groups joined forces, which allowed Königsberg to hold out until early April.
The Soviet high command decided to combine the forces of two fronts: 1st PF and 3rd BF. It was necessary to have a unified leadership and thorough preparation of the operation. The 1st PF was reorganized into the Zemland group, subordinate to the 3rd BF. Baghramyan was appointed deputy front commander and commander of the Zemland group of forces. Until March 12, 1945, Soviet troops were preparing for a new offensive. The operation was carefully prepared, the front was replenished with manpower and material and technical part. Vasilevsky temporarily suspended the offensive in the Zemland direction and focused on the destruction of the Heilsberg grouping.
On March 13, our troops went forward again. The enemy was dealt two powerful blows from the east and southeast in the general direction of Heiligenböil. This time the offensive was successful. By March 19, the enemy bridgehead was reduced to 30 km along the front and 7-10 km in depth. Soviet artillery completely fired at enemy positions. Aviation, which bombed the Germans day and night, played an important role in eliminating the enemy grouping. The situation was desperate. On March 20, the German command decided to evacuate troops to the Pillau area. However, the Germans did not have enough transports to take out the 4th Army. The soldiers had to bury themselves in the ground and fight. Soviet troops reached Frisches Huff in several areas, shattering the grouping into parts. By March 26, the Germans continued to hold only a small bridgehead on the Balga Peninsula. Three days later, the remnants of the Heilsberg group were eliminated. About 140 thousand Germans were killed or taken prisoner. Only a small part of the German group (about 5 thousand people) made their way to the Frische-Nerung spit and to Pillau.
After the elimination of the Heilsberg grouping, the Soviet Headquarters abolished the management and headquarters of the Zemland group of forces, which became part of the 3rd BF. Now Vasilevsky's troops had to complete the East Prussian operation and take Konigsberg, then clear the Zemland peninsula from the enemy and occupy Pillau.
Konigsberg operation. Forces of the parties
The 39th, 43rd, 50th and 11th Guards armies, the 1st and 3rd air armies, formations of the 18th long-range aviation army, fleet aviation, and two bomber aviation corps of the RVGK took part in the storming of the fortress. In total, over 185 thousand people (directly the city was stormed, according to various sources, 100-130 thousand people), over 5 thousand guns and mortars, over 500 tanks and self-propelled guns, 2500 aircraft. At the same time, over 45% of artillery systems were heavy guns, guns of great and special power to destroy the German fortifications. To solve the same problem, about 45% of combat aircraft were bombers.
The front command decided to strike at the capital of East Prussia from the north (43rd and 50th armies of Beloborodov and Ozerov) and from the south (11th Guards Army of Galitsky). Lyudnikov's 39th Army was located north-west of Koenigsberg and was supposed to reach the coast of Frischer-Huff Bay, cutting off the Koenigsberg garrison from the Zemland group. In addition, the offensive of the 39th Army prevented the Königsberg garrison from retreating towards Pillau.
The Germans had large forces in the area. At the beginning of April 1945, our troops were opposed by the Zemland task force under the command of the commander of the 4th Army, General Müller, which included the Königsberg garrison. The "Zemland" group consisted of 4 corps (9th, 26th army corps, the remnants of the 4th army - 55th and 6th corps), the Konigsberg garrison and several separate units. A total of 11 divisions, 1 brigade, separate infantry and special regiments, special and militia battalions. Also, the German command tried to restore several divisions from the defeated 4th field army. According to Soviet intelligence, German troops as a whole numbered about 200-250 thousand people.
The capital of East Prussia itself was defended by four full-blooded infantry divisions (548th, 561st, 367th and 69th Infantry Divisions, the headquarters of the 61st Infantry Division, a divisional type battle group Mikos, and the Schubert police battle group), several separate infantry regiments, a number of security, fortress units and militia battalions. In total, the Konigsberg garrison numbered about 130 thousand people, about 4 thousand guns and mortars, over 100 tanks and self-propelled guns. From the air, the garrison of the city was supported by an aviation group, which was based on the Zemland peninsula (170 cars). General Otto von Läsch was the commandant of the city and the Königsberg fortress.
The Germans relied on a powerful system of fortifications. They set up three defensive lines around the city, which were saturated with long-term firing points, external and internal forts, shelters, anti-tank and anti-personnel obstacles, which were supplemented by field positions. The German command believed that after heavy fighting in the Heilsberg area, the Russians would take a break. That there is time for the restoration of the 4th Army and the strengthening of the defense of Zemland and Königsberg. The Nazis even planned to launch a counteroffensive in the future with the aim of expanding the bridgehead in the coastal area and the capital of East Prussia. In addition, the Germans were mistaken in choosing the direction of the main attack of the Russians. It was believed that the Russians would first strike in the Zemland direction and only then would they storm the completely cut off Koenigsberg. As a result, part of the troops from the city was withdrawn to the peninsula (including the 5th Panzer Division) and the garrison was weakened.
Storm
A few days before the decisive assault on the capital of East Prussia, Soviet artillery began to methodically destroy enemy fortifications and positions. Weather conditions did not allow the full use of aviation, so preliminary fire training turned out to be less effective than expected. On April 6, at 12 o'clock, the assault on the fortified city began. Already on the first day of the operation, units of the 39th Army intercepted the Königsberg-Pillau railway. The connection of the Koenigsberg garrison with the Zemland group was cut off. At the same time, the troops of other Soviet armies occupied 15 settlements near the city, broke into Königsberg itself and liberated more than 100 quarters. Assault groups were formed in the division and regiments, which took house after house, street after street, block by block.
On April 7-8, the weather improved significantly. Soviet aviation was actively involved in the destruction of enemy fortifications. On April 7, our aircraft made over 4,700 sorties, on the 8th - over 6,000. Our bombers' attacks significantly reduced the enemy's combat potential. By the end of April 8, Soviet soldiers occupied the port and railway junction, a number of important military and industrial facilities. The blockade of the city from the Zemland direction was strengthened. The Germans were offered to lay down their arms, but they refused. On the morning of April 9, Soviet troops repelled the attempts of a part of the German garrison to break through towards the Zemland peninsula. The German group "Zemland" threw its reserve (5th Panzer Division) into battle to punch its way to the city. However, this attack was repulsed. Meanwhile, our artillery and aviation (about 1,500 aircraft) struck powerful blows at the remaining enemy positions. Then, units of the 11th Guards Army defeated the Nazis in the center of the city. By 21 o'clock the remnants of the German garrison laid down their arms. The last centers of resistance were suppressed on April 10.
During the battle for Konigsberg, the Germans lost over 40 thousand people killed, about 90 thousand people were captured. The Konigsberg grouping was destroyed. The hopes of the German High Command for an "impregnable" fortress were dashed. Soviet soldiers took the second most important center of the Reich. The ancient Slavic-Russian lands of Prussia-Porussia returned to the Russians (Rus).
Read more about the Königsberg operation in the articles: Königsberg operation; Destruction of the Heilsberg grouping (4th army); Storming of Koenigsberg. Breakthrough of the German defense; The second day of the assault on Koenigsberg. A radical turning point in the battle; Fall of Koenigsberg; The defeat of the "Zemland" group. The assault on Pillau.
