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| Surrendering to the U.S. Ninth Army on West bank of the Elbe |
The last major defensive line outside Berlin was the Seelow Heights. Close to one million Soviet troops and more than 20,000 tanks and artillery pieces commanded by Marshal Georgy Zhukov, attacked the position known as the Gates of Berlin between April 16 and April 19 1945. They were opposed by about 110,000 German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS troops and 1,200 tanks and guns, commanded by General Theodor Busse. The Soviet forces broke through the defensive positions, having suffered about 30,000 casualties, while the Germans lost 12,000 personnel. It was only one of several crossing points along the Oder and Neisse rivers where the Soviets attacked which led to the encirclement of General Theodor Busse's 9th Army and the Battle of Halbe, also known as the Slaughter at Halbe. The Battle of the Oder-Neisse was itself only the opening phase of the
Battle of Berlin. On the night of April 28 1945, the German forces broke through the Soviet 50th Guards Rifle Division and created a corridor from Halbe to the west. Losses on both sides were very high. The remnants and several thousand civilians then retreated westwards towards the Elbe so that they could surrender to American forces on the west bank of the river. Nobody knows how many civilians died, but it could have been as high as 10,000. The most astonishing part of the story is not the numbers who died or were forced to surrender but the 25,000 soldiers and several thousand civilians who succeeded in getting through three lines of Soviet troops. Top image: Oakleaves holder SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS Jürgen Wagner negotiating the surrender of his command with the Commander of the U.S. 405th Infantry Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Leroy E. Frazier at the
Elbe River in early May 1945. Wagner had joined the Leibstandarte SS in 1933 and then deployed with SS-Standarte Deutschland in 1939. He commanded SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment Germania of the Wiking Division from 1942 and the Dutch 23.SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nederland from 1943. Wagner was extradited to communist Yugoslavia in 1947. He was sentenced to death and executed on June 27 1947. It is not precisely known for what he was indicted for. Credit: Benoit. Photo by U.S. photojournalist William Vandivert. LIFE photo archive. FU. Bottom clips: an unidentified SS-Untersturmführer surrenders to the U.S. 102nd Infantry Division at the rickety ruins of the bridge across the Elbe River near Tangermünde in early May 1945. All footage by U.S. War Department Film. PD.
Of the estimated 13-15 million men who served in the German Armed Forces in World War II only 882 were awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak-leaves.
ReplyDeleteTheir faces tell a thousand words �
ReplyDeleteWould love to hear what they are saying.
DeleteThe King Tigers of the 502nd SS were the spearhead of the Halbe pocket breakout by the 9th Army. It was basically a death ride, involving thousands of soldiers and civilians trying to escape under constant bombardment and attacks. Every effort was made to get fuel and ammo to the King Tigers still operational to keep them running and able to punch through each new Russian defense they encountered on the road.
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ReplyDeleteI read Georgy Zhukov. One thing that really struck me was when he talked about lining up soldiers and having them march through a mine field in order to protect the tanks. No time to bring in mine clearers. Zhukov was, to put it simply, a mass murderer of Russian soldiers. He was described as “Stalin’s favourite”.
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend 'Slaughter at Halbe' by Tony Le Tissier! The book is filled with eyewitness accounts of those who survived the Halbe pocket. It portrays the horrifying experience for all trapped as they attempt to break out of the pocket and head West towards the river Elbe.
ReplyDeleteThe breakout of parts of the 9th Army is a very underestimated feat of arms. With no air support, and outnumbered 10 to 1 the 9th Army was still able to achieve this stunning result. I always imagine the Americans west of the Elbe listening to the Germans and Soviets fighting and thinking how lucky they were to have only ever gotten a fleeting glimpse of it in the Ardennes.
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