Storming of the sea fortress Pillau
Column of ISU-122 self-propelled guns of the 338th Guards heavy self-propelledartillery Regiment in East Prussia. The 338th Guards TSAP took part in the assault on Königsberg and Pillau. April - May 1945.
General situation
The defeat of the Königsberg group and the capture of Königsberg on April 9, 1945 ("Königsberg, wherever you looked, presented a terrible picture") created favorable conditions for the final destruction of the remnants of the East Prussian group - the "Semland" group. Troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front (3rd BF) under the command of A. M. Vasilevsky, almost without pause, went on the offensive against the German troops entrenched on the Samland Peninsula and the Pillau naval base.
In order to immediately break the enemy's strong defense and not prolong the fighting, Marshal Vasilevsky decided to involve five combined arms armies in the operation. The 2nd Guards, 5th, 39th and 43rd armies of Generals Chanchibadze, Krylov, Lyudnikov, Beloborodov were in the first echelon, the 11th Guards Army of Galitsky - in the second.
To achieve this, a regrouping of forces was carried out: the front, which was previously occupied by the 2nd Guards and 5th Armies, was reinforced by the 39th Army, the 43rd Army was deployed on the southern coast of the Frisches Haff Bay, and the 11th Guards Army was withdrawn to the front reserve.
The troops of the 3rd Baltic Fleet numbered more than 110 thousand people, more than 3 thousand guns and mortars, over 800 tanks and self-propelled guns. As a result, at the beginning of the operation, the Soviet troops outnumbered the enemy almost twice in manpower, 2,5 times in artillery, and almost 5 times in tanks and self-propelled guns.
Given the small length of the front and the small number of units and formations, the armies were given narrow strips for the offensive. The largest strip was that of the 2nd Guards Army - 20 km, but it had an advantage. Chanchibadze's army occupied these positions for two weeks and managed to study the terrain, the enemy's defenses well and prepare for the offensive. The other armies had offensive strips of 7-8 km.
Soviet Pe-2 bombers strike the German airfield Neutief (located on the outskirts of Pillau, now the city of Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad region). April 8, 1945
The main attack was carried out by the 5th and 39th armies in the direction of Fischhausen, in order to cut the enemy group into two parts and then eliminate it. The 11th Guards Army was to develop the success of the two armies. The 2nd Guards and 43rd armies supported the general offensive on the flanks, advancing along the northern and southern coasts of the Samland Peninsula.
Baltic fleet was supposed to cover the coastal flanks of the 3rd Belorussian Front; cover sea communications with light forces and submarines and carry out patrol duty; land tactical landing forces in the enemy rear; support landing forces with artillery fire and prevent the enemy from evacuating by sea. Aviation The fleet was supposed to launch massive attacks on the enemy's sea communications and support the landing forces.
German defense
The western part of the Samland Peninsula was defended by the 9th and 26th Army Corps, which had 7-8 infantry and one tank division. Taking into account the remnants of the defeated divisions, combat groups and separate units, the enemy forces reached 10 divisions. The Soviet troops were confronted by more than 65 thousand soldiers and officers, 1200 guns and mortars, 166 tanks and assault guns.
Evacuation of the remnants of the Grossdeutschland Division to the Pillau area. Around 4000 soldiers of the division, surrounded by Soviet troops near Balga (East Prussia), managed to cross to Pillau. The remnants of the Grossdeutschland Division defended the besieged Pillau until April 25, 1945, when Soviet troops stormed this last Wehrmacht stronghold in East Prussia.
The second echelon included the 55th Army Corps (three to four divisions and a number of special units), while the 6th Army Corps was hastily restored on the Frische Nehrung spit from the remnants of the defeated Heilsberg group. All German troops were united into the 2nd Army, and from April 7 into the East Prussia Army. The army was created on the basis of the headquarters and some units of the 2nd Army and the remnants of the 4th Army, which were located on the territory of East and West Prussia. The commander of the 4th German Army, General Müller, was removed from his post and replaced by General Dietrich von Saucken.
The German command expected the main attack in the central and southern directions, so the densest battle formations were located here: the 93rd, 58th, 1st, 21st, 561st and 28th infantry and 5th tank divisions, i.e. about 70-80% of the first echelon troops. The Germans had a well-developed defense with a dense network of trenches, strongholds and resistance centers. Strong defensive lines were located on the Pillau Peninsula. The city of Pillau was a serious fortress with old Swedish-Prussian fortifications.
German soldiers in shelters dug into the slopes of an anti-tank ditch near Lochstede Forest, one of the many lines of defence in front of the Pillau naval fortress. April 18, 1945.
A heavy German Tiger II tank from the 505th Heavy Tank Battalion, destroyed by Soviet attack aircraft on the highway between the Peisey Peninsula (now the Svetly Peninsula) and the city of Fischhausen (modern-day Primorsk).
Defense breakthrough
On the morning of April 13, 1945, intense artillery preparation began. The 1st and 3rd Air Armies simultaneously struck enemy positions. After an hour of artillery preparation, the 3rd Baltic Fleet troops went on the offensive. The Soviet armies broke through the enemy's defenses. But the offensive did not develop as quickly as the front headquarters had planned. The Germans attempted to counterattack at the junction of the 5th and 39th Armies. By the end of the day, Soviet troops had advanced 3-4 km, taking about 4 Germans prisoner.
The next day the battle continued with greater ferocity. The German command strengthened the defense in the areas of the offensive of the 5th and 39th armies. In order to save the northern part of the group from encirclement, the Germans began to quickly withdraw troops in front of the 2nd Guards Army. As a result, in three days of fighting, our troops in the main direction advanced only 9-10 km, and the right flank of Chanchibadze's 2nd Guards Army - 25 km and reached the coast.
The 2nd division of armored boats of the Baltic Fleet provided great assistance to the Soviet troops. The Baltic sailors broke into the Frisches Haff Bay and the Königsberg Sea Canal, launched surprise attacks, suppressing enemy firing points that were hindering the advance of ground forces. Naval aviation and a group of naval railway artillery launched massive attacks on the enemy. On April 15 and 16, tactical landings of the 24th Guards Rifle Division were successfully carried out on the dam of the Königsberg Canal in the Pays-Zimmerbude area. The landing and fire support from the armored boats allowed the troops of the 43rd Army to clear the strongholds of Pays and Zimmerbude and the canal dam of the Nazis. This created favorable conditions for the offensive of the 43rd Army along the coast of the bay.
The loss of defensive lines and heavy losses forced the German command to abolish the command of the operational group "Semland" on April 15 and subordinate the remnants of its troops to the command of the army of "East Prussia". The German command, trying to save as many troops as possible, made desperate efforts to evacuate people. Sea transport worked around the clock. All available watercraft from the coast of the Baltic Sea, the lower reaches of the shipping rivers that remained in German hands were mobilized. The ships were pulled into the Bay of Danzig. However, here they were subjected to massive attacks by Soviet aviation and suffered significant losses.
A German Jagdpanzer IV/70 tank destroyer (left) and a Sd.Kfz.7 half-track tractor, destroyed by Soviet troops, on a street in the city of Fischhausen (now the city of Primorsk in the Baltiysky municipal district of the Kaliningrad region).
The movement of the 2nd Guards Army along the Baltic coast in the southern direction and the advance of the 39th and 5th Armies in the general direction of Fischhausen forced the Germans to concentrate their troops in the southwestern part of the peninsula and organize defense on a narrow front. On the night of April 17, our troops took the strong enemy resistance center of Fischhausen. The remnants of the German Zemland group (about 20 thousand soldiers) retreated to the Pillau area and consolidated their position in a previously prepared position. The Soviet offensive was halted.
Thus, in five days of the offensive, our troops cleared the Samland Peninsula of enemy troops and reached the first line of defense of the Pilau Peninsula, the front of which was 2-3 km. Here the enemy had the opportunity to maximally compact his battle formations, and it was impossible to bypass him. The front's offensive was halted.
On the one hand, our troops won a victory, reached the coast and liberated the territory. On the other hand, it was not possible to split and encircle the enemy troops. The German command withdrew the northern part of the Zemland group from the attack and withdrew the troops to previously prepared positions on the Pillaus Peninsula. The German troops retained their combat capability, continued to fight stubbornly and skillfully, although they suffered serious losses. The current situation threatened to prolong the operation. It was necessary to introduce fresh forces into the battle.
A German StuG III self-propelled gun destroyed in the town of Fischhausen in East Prussia
Streets of the city of Fischhausen (modern Primorsk in the Kaliningrad region) after the end of the fighting. Photo from the file of the 1st Guards ShAD, album: "Photo control of destroyed enemy equipment". April 19, 1945
The entry of Galitsky's army into battle
The Soviet command decided to bring Galitsky's 11th Guards Army into battle. On April 16, 1945, Vasilevsky ordered the 11th Army to replace the troops of the 2nd Guards Army and to begin an offensive on Pillau and the Frische-Nerung Spit on April 18. The 5th, 39th and 43rd Armies were also withdrawn to the front reserves.
The command of the 11 Guards Army decided to strike at the external flanks of the enemy, break through its defenses and develop the offensive with second echelons of corps. By the end of the second day, with the support of amphibious assault forces, they planned to take Pillau. On the night of April 17, the divisions of the 16 and 36 of the Guards Rifle Corps began their nomination.
The Pillau Peninsula was about 15 km long and 2 km wide at the base to 5 km at the southern tip. German troops erected six defensive positions here, which were located 1-2 km from each other. There were also pillboxes with armored caps. On the northern outskirts of Pillau there were four forts and a sea fortress, on the northern shore of the Frische Nehrung spit there were two forts.
Having found out that the enemy had serious defense, the start of the new offensive was postponed to April 20. On April 18, Soviet troops conducted reconnaissance in force. On April 19, reconnaissance continued. It turned out that in front of us were units of three or four divisions, which were supported by about 60 artillery and mortar batteries, up to 50-60 tanks and self-propelled guns, several warships from the Pillau roadstead and the sea.
At 11:20 on April 1945, 11, the 600th Guards Army went on the offensive. However, despite intense artillery preparation (1500 guns) and air support (more than 1 sorties), it was not possible to immediately break the enemy's defense. Our troops advanced only 2 km, capturing 3-XNUMX lines of trenches. On the second day of the operation, the situation did not improve. The enemy positions were hidden by forest, which made artillery operations difficult, and area fire had little effect.
The Nazis defended their last stronghold in East Prussia with particular tenacity, counterattacking with forces of up to a battalion of infantry supported by tanks and assault guns. On the second day, the weather worsened, which reduced the activity of our aviation. They also underestimated the strength of the German group, believing that after the defeat of the Zemland group, victory was already assured.
On April 22, the 8th Guards Corps was brought into battle on the left flank of the army. On the third day of fierce fighting, the Germans were pushed back 3 km. The German command threw into battle the remnants of previously defeated divisions, all available units and subdivisions. The narrow line of defense was saturated to the limit with fire weapons, which made it difficult for our troops to advance. On average, there were 100 machine guns and 4 soldiers with automatic weapons for every 200 meters. weaponsHere the Germans had reinforced concrete and armoured pillboxes, concrete platforms for heavy guns, including 210 mm calibre ones.
The German defense had to be literally "gnawed through" meter by meter. And the closer the Soviet troops approached Pillau, the more permanent structures there were. All the stone buildings of Pillau and its suburbs, where there were almost no wooden buildings, were adapted for defense. Other large buildings were so well prepared for defense that they were almost indistinguishable from fortress forts. Guns and anti-tank grenade launcher positions were installed on the lower floors, and machine gun nests were on the top. The fortress had a three-month supply and could hold out under siege for a long time. The Germans constantly counterattacked, all the buildings had to be taken by storm. The balance of forces, especially in bad weather, when the aviation was inactive, was almost equal.
The battles were extremely fierce and stubborn. On April 22, 1945, on the approaches to Pillau, the hero of the assault on Königsberg, the brave commander of the 16th Guards Rifle Corps, Major General Stepan Savelyevich Guryev, who began his service as a Red Army soldier during the Civil War and fought from the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, died. He was the commander of the 10th Airborne Brigade, then commanded the 5th Airborne Corps, distinguishing himself in the battles near Moscow. He bravely and skillfully led the 39th Guards Division in the Battle of Stalingrad. Then he commanded the 28th and 16th Guards Corps. For his skillful leadership of troops and personal bravery during the assault on Königsberg, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1946, the city of Neuhausen in the Kaliningrad region was renamed Gurevsk in honor of the fallen hero and the Gurevsk district was formed.
Marshal Vasilevsky himself almost died in this operation. He went to the army observation post in Fischhausen, the area of which was regularly shelled by enemy artillery, and came under fire. Vasilevsky's car was destroyed, and he himself, by a lucky chance, survived.
Positions of the naval anti-aircraft battery covering the Pillau naval fortress. The gun in the photo is a 10.5 cm SK C/32 (in a fixed concrete position). Judging by the damage, the gun was blown up by the crew. On the left are the remains of camouflage, artificial vegetation, which masked the firing positions. Probably, in the photo are the firing positions of the Lemberg naval anti-aircraft battery, located on the Frische Nehrung spit.
The storming of Pillau
On April 24, our troops, despite the desperate resistance of the enemy, who threw into battle the most combat-ready units, including the marines, supported by tanks, took Neuhauser. The stubborn battle for this stronghold, covering the approaches to Pillau, lasted almost a day.
On the night of April 25, our troops bypassed the sea fortress from the east, and engaged in battle on the right flank on the near approaches to Pillau. On April 25, Soviet troops began storming Pillau. The German command understood that the fortress was doomed, but tried to gain time to evacuate as many troops as possible by sea or to the Frische-Nerung spit. They also wanted to somehow influence the development of the situation in the Berlin direction by stubbornly defending Pillau. The fortress garrison itself was small, but a significant number of field troops and various rear and staff units retreated to the city. The Pillau garrison was supported by fortress and field artillery from the northern part of the Frische-Nerung spit and the artillery of 8-10 warships and sea boats.
Burning Pillau, April 27, 1945
German Tiger tank from the 511th Tank Battalion captured in Pillau
Galitsky ordered the 16th Guards Corps to take the fortress on the southwestern tip of the peninsula, force the Seetief Strait on the move and take a bridgehead on the Frische Nehrung spit; the 36th Corps to take the southeastern part of the city and also force the strait; the 8th Corps to liberate the eastern harbor and, having crossed the strait, capture the Neutief stronghold (there was a German air base there).
On April 25, Soviet troops, who had extensive experience in urban combat and especially in the assault on Königsberg, cleared the outskirts and broke through to the city center. Assault groups took buildings, made breaches in the walls, blew up especially fortified houses and took Pillau step by step. The Germans retained only the coastal part in the southwestern part of the city and the fortress.
Bombing of German transports and port facilities in Pillau by aircraft of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet Air Force.
German radar installation (type FuMO 201 Flakleit g) of a naval anti-aircraft battery in an armored turret, destroyed during the battle for Pillau (modern-day Baltiysk). Similar installations were produced to equip coastal batteries and batteries Defense Kriegsmarine.
On April 26, the Pillau fortress was also taken. The modernized old fortress, which had a 1-strong garrison, was not susceptible to medium-caliber artillery. The multi-meter brick walls and arched ceilings withstood hits from medium and even large-caliber shells. The gates were bricked up with bricks and concrete blocks. The fortress's shape in the form of a multi-ray star allowed for flanking fire. The Germans pushed back our troops with intense artillery and machine-gun fire from numerous embrasures. The garrison rejected the ultimatum to surrender.
Only by bringing up dozens of heavy-caliber guns, tanks of the 213th Brigade and heavy self-propelled guns with 152-mm guns, with concentrated fire were they able to weaken the enemy defense. The gates and barricades were swept away. As darkness fell, the soldiers of the 1st Guards Rifle Division launched a decisive assault. The guardsmen, having filled the 3-meter ditch with fascines, boards and various improvised means, reached the walls and began to climb the walls on ladders, burst into the breaches. Close combat began inside the fortress using grenades, TNT charges and flamethrowers. After a fierce battle, the German garrison began to surrender.
Pillau Fortress. Our days.
Frische-Nerung
Already on April 25, our troops immediately forced the Zeetif Strait. Under the cover of artillery barrage fire and a powerful strike by heavy bombers, as well as a smoke screen, the amphibians were the first to force the strait. The guardsmen occupied and held a small bridgehead in a tough fight.
The second echelon, the main forces of the 17th Regiment, led by its commander, Lieutenant Colonel Bankuzov, followed the first echelon on boats, cutters, barges and other watercraft. At night, units of the 5th Guards Division crossed the strait and expanded the bridgehead. By 11:26 on April 84, the Neutief stronghold was taken. Troops of the 31th and 27st Divisions also crossed the strait and captured bridgeheads. This allowed the transfer of heavy weapons to be organized in the morning and construction of a pontoon crossing to begin, which was ready by the morning of April XNUMX.
To speed up the operation, two landing forces were successfully landed on the spit. The Western detachment led by Colonel Bely (units of the 83rd Guards Division - about 650 fighters) - from the open sea and the Eastern detachment of Rear Admiral Feldman (a regiment of the 360th Marine Brigade and a combined rifle regiment of the 43rd Army) - from the Frisches Haff Bay. The Western landing detachment landed in the area southwest of Lemberg (3 km south of the Seefir Strait). The Eastern detachment landed in the area of Cape Kaddih-Haken in two echelons.
Loading of Soviet troops onto boats before landing on the Frische Nehrung Spit
Using several high-speed barges armed with 88-mm guns, the enemy attempted to disrupt the Soviet landing operation. The Germans managed to damage two minesweeper boats. But the attack by our armored boats forced them to retreat. The attack by our landing force was not expected, and the paratroopers quickly captured a bridgehead. However, then significantly superior enemy forces attacked the guardsmen, and they had to fight a tough battle. The White Guards repelled 8-10 attacks by German troops in the first half of the day. Only after the landing of the first echelon of the Eastern Detachment and the approach of troops from the 5th and 31st Guards Divisions did it become easier for the paratroopers. In general, the landing forces, although taking into account a number of mistakes, coped with their task. They distracted the enemy, disorganizing his defense.
The Frische Nehrung Spit (modern Vistula Spit), separating the sea from the Frisches Haff Bay, is about 60 km long. Its width varies from 300 meters to 2 km. It was impossible to maneuver on it, so the Nazis were able to create a dense defense and stubbornly fought back. Units of the 83rd, 58th, 50th, 14th and 28th infantry divisions, as well as numerous separate units and subdivisions, defended themselves on the spit. They were supported by about 15 tanks and self-propelled guns, more than 40 batteries of field, coastal and anti-aircraft artillery.
Due to the narrowness of the spit, Soviet troops advanced with 1-2 divisions, regularly replacing them with fresh ones. During April 26, troops of the 8th Guards Corps and landing detachments captured the northern coast of the Frische-Nerung spit, surrounded part of the German group, capturing about 4,5 thousand people. However, the Germans continued to actively resist, taking advantage of the convenient terrain. The German defense, as on the Pilau Peninsula, had to be literally "gnawed through." Individual enemy defense nodes continued to resist for some time even in our rear. They were surrounded, and there was no hurry to storm them; in most cases, the Germans surrendered after a certain period of time.
The German command, still hoping for a "miracle", continued to demand a fight to the death. Stubborn battles continued for several more days. The 11th Guards Army waged heavy offensive battles for five days and advanced along the Frische-Nerung spit about 40 km. After this, units of the 11th Guards Army were replaced by troops of the 48th Army.
The battles to destroy the German group on the Frische Nehrung spit and at the mouth of the Vistula (up to 50 thousand Nazis were located there) continued until May 8, 1945. Only on May 9 did the remnants of the German army (about 30-35 thousand people) finally capitulate.
Wehrmacht soldiers surrender on the Frische Nehrung spit
Wehrmacht soldiers with supply trains surrender to the Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front on the Frische Nehrung Spit. At the end of April 1945, part of the Zemland group (the remnants of 5 defeated German divisions, about 35 thousand people) were blocked on the Frische Nehrung Spit, subjected to continuous air strikes and constant artillery shelling from the southern shore of the Frisch Haff. Part of the group was destroyed or captured by the Soviet landing force. At night, a small part of the troops was evacuated by sea and took part in the final battles in Northern Germany. On May 9, 1945, the remaining German troops on the spit capitulated.
Results
During the battles on the Samland Peninsula, the troops of the 3rd BF destroyed about 50 thousand German soldiers and officers, and captured about 30 thousand people. On the Pillaus Peninsula and the Frische Nehrung Spit, from April 20 to 30 alone, the remnants of 5 infantry divisions were destroyed, 7 divisions (including tank and motorized) were routed, not counting separate and special units and subdivisions.
With the capture of Pillau, the Baltic Fleet received a first-class naval base. The freed armies of the 3rd BF could participate in the final battles of the Great Patriotic War. After the war, Pillau would become the main base of the Baltic Fleet.
East Prussia was completely liberated from the Nazis. The victory of the Red Army in East Prussia had enormous moral and military-strategic significance.
The Soviet Army avenged the imperial Russian army, which in 1914 suffered a heavy defeat in the forests and swamps of East Prussia. Historical retribution was accomplished. After the end of the war, the city of Königsberg and the surrounding areas forever became part of Russia-USSR. Königsberg became Kaliningrad.
Parts of East Prussia and Pomerania were nobly transferred to Poland by the Soviet government. Unfortunately, the modern Polish authorities have already forgotten about Moscow's good deeds towards the Polish people. Warsaw provides political and military assistance to the criminal regime in Kyiv, and prepares aggressive plans towards Belarus and the Kaliningrad region of Russia.
The German surrender at Frisch-Nehrun, East Prussia. German and Soviet officers discuss the terms of surrender and the procedure for the surrender of German troops. May 9, 1945.
Officers of the 3rd Belorussian Front accept surrendering Germans along with their armored vehicles, including those from the 4th Panzer Division. Frisch-Nerung Spit, May 9, 1945. From the memoirs of Soviet war photographer Mikhail Savin: “On May 9, I witnessed a grand event. A large group of German troops was concentrated on the Frisch-Nerung Spit in East Prussia. The fighting lasted all day on the 8th. The enemy conducted a continuous artillery bombardment, with most of the shells falling anywhere. As I later found out, the artillerymen were given the order to fire all the shells. And then came the long-awaited day of victory and the capitulation of the German troops. The tired general commander of the group met us - two colonels from the headquarters and me, a senior lieutenant photojournalist, in his spacious dugout. We came to give instructions on where and when to go into captivity. The general wanted to show what condition his units were in, and organized a parade, which our colonels accepted, and I recorded it all on film. These were the last shots of the war."
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