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| Karl Brommann of the s.SS-Panzer-Abteilung 503 in Westpreußen |
The Red Air Force took part in the mass killing of civilians by strafing refugees. German military and civilians retreating towards Berlin were hounded by the presence of low flying aircraft strafing and bombing them. Soviet fighter-bombers did range over much of the eastern provinces of the Reich at a low level during the last months of the war, shooting up anything that moved. The Soviet Red Army blew up ancient cities all over Pomerania, set alight churches and randomly executed groups of soldiers that had fought on until they ran out of ammunition. The Wehrmacht had neither the manpower nor the weapons to hold the Soviet onslaught. When the final attack began on the River Oder on April 16 1945 the German soldier was overwhelmed and slowly beaten back to the gates of Berlin. The road to the German capital - the heart of the Nazi empire - was now open from both the south and east. Top image: Soviet pilot Vladimir Kokkinaki pictured in the cockpit of an Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft. SU stock photos. Second image: Austrian SS-Obersturmbannführer
Otto Skorzeny visiting
SS-Fallschirmjägerbataillon 600 on the Oder Front in February 1945. Skorzeny spent January and February 1945 commanding regular troops in the defence of the German provinces of East Prussia and Pommern. c. Bundesarchiv. Third image: Commander of the 10.SS-Panzer-Division Frundsberg SS-Brigadeführer
Heinz Harmel with his regimental commanders in eastern Pommern in February 1945. To his left is SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Paetsch, and on his right is SS-Hauptsturmführer Karl-Heinz Euling, both Knight's Cross winners. The Wiking veteran Paetsch was fatally wounded aged 35 on March 16 1945 at Altdamm. He was posthumously awarded the Oakleaves. Euling survived the war and died aged 94 on April 14 2014 in München. Photo by SS-KB Peter Adendorf. c. Bundesarchiv. Bottom image: the Nord and Nordland veteran SS-Untersturmführer Karl Brommann of the schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 503 photographed sitting on the barrel of his Königstiger in March 1945. During the fighing in Danzig and Sopot, Brommann destroyed 66 Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns along with 44 artillery pieces and 15 trucks. Following this action he was awarded the Knight's Cross. The s.SS-Pz.Abt.503 lost 39 tanks and destroyed 500 enemy tanks during its relatively short period of operation, a kill ratio of 12.82. Brommann was captured by the British on May 21 1945 and remained in captivity until Nov. 1947. He died aged 90 on June 30 2011 in Dithmarschen in Schleswig-Holstein. Credit: Bekors. c. Bundesarchiv.
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ReplyDeleteMy mother was one of those fleeing as a small child, they were fleeing the Russian ‘Liberators’ and to this day she shudders at their mention, now in her 80’s. Sadly they didn’t make it and she spent the next 15 + years living under their yoke in East Germany until she fled to the West.
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