Heiligenbeil Pocket
Encyclopedia
The Heiligenbeil Pocket or Heiligenbeil Cauldron was the site of a major encirclement
battle on the Eastern Front
during the closing weeks of World War II
, in which the Wehrmacht
's 4th Army was almost entirely destroyed during the Soviet Braunsberg Offensive Operation (13 March 1945 - 22 March 1945). The Kessel or pocket was located near Heiligenbeil
in East Prussia
in eastern Germany
(now Mamonovo
, Kaliningrad Oblast
), and the battle, part of a broader Soviet offensive into the region of East Prussia
, lasted from 26 January 1945 until 29 March 1945.
's East Prussian Operation commenced on 13 January 1945 with the objective of rolling up the substantial Geman defences in East Prussia
and cutting off the provincial capital of Königsberg
. The Soviet forces were opposed by the German Army Group Centre
, including the Fourth Army
, under the command of General Friedrich Hossbach. While the 3rd Belorussian Front
initially met strong resistance, the outnumbered German forces soon began to suffer serious ammunition shortages. Colonel-General Reinhardt
, commander of Army Group Centre, warned of the seriousness of the situation as early as 19 January, but was not permitted to make a phased withdrawal.
on 23 January. By this time, Rokossovsky
's 2nd Belorussian Front
had already broken through on Hossbach's right; the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army headed for the Baltic coast, cutting off most of East Prussia. Through a series of forced marches in atrocious winter weather, and accompanied by thousands of civilians, the Fourth Army moved towards Elbing
, still held by the German Second Army
, but found its path blocked by Soviet forces of the 48th Army to the east of the town.
An attack beginning on the night of 26 January initially resulted in lead elements of the 28th Jäger Division breaking through to Elbing, where they linked up with the 7th Panzer Division; however German forces were driven back during the next four days after the 48th Army had regrouped. Hossbach's units now found themselves pushed into a Kessel with their backs to the Frisches Haff
.
Hossbach was relieved of command on 29 January, and was replaced by Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller
. His three corps were given an order to cease their breakout attempt on 30 January. Along with some units of Second Army, they found themselves encircled in the area of Heiligenbeil and Braunsberg
; many of the civilians trapped with them attempted to escape across the frozen Haff to the Frische Nehrung
and thence to Pillau
or Danzig
, reinforced paths marked by lamps having been constructed across the ice by Fourth Army's engineers.
As the Nazis had effectively forbidden their evacuation, East Prussia's civil population was in full numbers around when the Red Army attacked on January 12, 1945. It resulted in a mass flight westwards, towards the coast. Many were killed, either by the Soviets or by the severe frost. At the coast, in particular in the harbour of Pillau, the German navy managed to evacuate tens of thousands of them over the Baltic sea. The German navy's efforts also help to explain the 'Wehrmacht's very fierce resistance on land: every hour delay for the Red Army meant an additional rescue of thousands of East Prussian aged, women and children.
Attempts to break through the German perimeter early in February were fought back, with the Fourth Army receiving heavy artillery support from the ships Admiral Scheer
and Lützow
, firing across the Haff from the Baltic towards the Frauenburg
end of the pocket. Frauenburg itself was taken on February 9, in fierce fighting against elements of the 170th Infantry Division
. During one Soviet attack 3rd Belorussian Front
's commander, General Ivan Chernyakhovsky
, was killed by a shell splinter near Mehlsack
. His successor Marshal Aleksandr Vasilevsky
, having effectively contained the remains of the Army Group, concentrated on assembling reinforcements over the next month: the Germans, under the supervision of Major-General Karl Henke
, continued to attempt resupply and evacuations of wounded along the Frische Nehrung, often at night to avoid air attack. A long, narrow corridor through to the besieged garrison of Königsberg was also maintained through a joint effort by the garrison and the Großdeutschland Panzergrenadier Division
against the attacks of the 11th Guards Army
.
Though the German forces in East Prussia had no realistic hope of victory, and were severely short of manpower, ammunition, and fuel, they continued to offer strong resistance: the Red Army suffered extremely high casualties in the East Prussian Operation as a whole. Ad-hoc battle groups were often bolstered by civilians press-ganged into the Volkssturm
, and many East Prussian villages and towns had been turned into fortified strongpoints, in addition to the substantial fortifications centred on Heilsberg
. In part, the fighting was prolonged in order to keep open civilian escape routes; in any case, requests to evacuate the main body of the Fourth Army were refused by the Oberkommando des Heeres
. The Soviet attack, however, came tragically late for the remaining inmates of the Heiligenbeil concentration camp
, along with other camps in the area: even as Hossbach's forces were attempting to break out of East Prussia, the prisoners were driven to the coast and massacred.
,
The Red Army quickly moved to cut communication between the Kessel and Königsberg, their troops reaching the coastline about 5 miles from the city on 15 March. A crossing of the Frisching River was forced in a night attack on the night of 17–18 March, further rolling up German defences of the Kessel from the east. Clearer weather from 18 March allowed an intensive aerial bombardment of the Fourth Army's positions.
With most communications cut, German forces remaining in the pocket were now largely faced with either death or being taken prisoner; some 'elite' units, such as the Fallschirm-Panzergrenadier Division 2 Hermann Göring
and the 24th Panzer Division, were evacuated by sea, but others were gradually cut off in a series of small pockets on the coast, in some cases actually digging into the coastal embankments or beaches. POW reports suggested that many German units were now seriously understrength, with the 50th Infantry Division
, for example, able to field only a single incomplete regiment.
The Soviets finally took Braunsberg on 20 March. Heiligenbeil, covering the small port of Rosenberg, was attacked with phosphorus bombs on 22 March and successfully stormed on 25 March, the town suffering almost complete destruction. Rosenberg itself was taken on 26 March, with the remnants of the Fourth Army falling back on the Kahlholzer Haken peninsula
, where the perimeter was defended by troops from the Panzerkorps "Großdeutschland"
and the 28th Jäger Division. The last evacuations took place on the morning of 29 March from Kahlholz and Balga
, where a remnant of the 562nd Volksgrenadier Division was destroyed forming a rearguard (its commander, Helmuth Hufenbach
, receiving a posthumous promotion to Major-General). Soviet sources claimed 93,000 enemy dead and 46,448 taken prisoner during the operation (though some German sources claim that many troops in the Kessel were successfully evacuated to the Frische Nehrung; given the chaos prevailing at this stage of the war, it is unlikely that accurate figures will ever be determined, many soldiers having simply disappeared). Further elements of the Fourth Army continued to resist around Pillau, and latterly on the Frische Nehrung, until May.
The 4th Army's archives were buried in a forest near the town of Heiligenbeil (now known as Mamonovo
, Russia
), in an area still littered with debris from the final battles.
Nearly all German units would have been at well below divisional strength even at the start of the East Prussian Operation; also some additional units involved (such as the 299th Infantry Division
and 18th Panzergrenadier Division) were destroyed, disbanded or completely evacuated before the Kessel collapsed.
Encirclement
Encirclement is a military term for the situation when a force or target is isolated and surrounded by enemy forces. The German term for this is Kesselschlacht ; a comparable English term might be "in the bag"....
battle on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
during the closing weeks of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in which the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
's 4th Army was almost entirely destroyed during the Soviet Braunsberg Offensive Operation (13 March 1945 - 22 March 1945). The Kessel or pocket was located near Heiligenbeil
Mamonovo
Mamonovo , prior to 1945 known by its German name Heiligenbeil, is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. Population: Mamonovo is named after a Soviet Commander, Nikolai Vasilyevich Mamonov , killed in action near Pułtusk on 26 October 1944, who was posthumously given the title Hero of the Soviet...
in East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
in eastern Germany
Historical Eastern Germany
The former eastern territories of Germany are those provinces or regions east of the current eastern border of Germany which were lost by Germany during and after the two world wars. These territories include the Province of Posen and East Prussia, Farther Pomerania, East Brandenburg and Lower...
(now Mamonovo
Mamonovo
Mamonovo , prior to 1945 known by its German name Heiligenbeil, is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. Population: Mamonovo is named after a Soviet Commander, Nikolai Vasilyevich Mamonov , killed in action near Pułtusk on 26 October 1944, who was posthumously given the title Hero of the Soviet...
, Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated on the Baltic coast. It has a population of The oblast forms the westernmost part of the Russian Federation, but it has no land connection to the rest of Russia. Since its creation it has been an exclave of the Russian SFSR and then the...
), and the battle, part of a broader Soviet offensive into the region of East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
, lasted from 26 January 1945 until 29 March 1945.
Attack on East Prussia
The Red ArmyRed Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
's East Prussian Operation commenced on 13 January 1945 with the objective of rolling up the substantial Geman defences in East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
and cutting off the provincial capital of Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
. The Soviet forces were opposed by the German Army Group Centre
Army Group Centre
Army Group Centre was the name of two distinct German strategic army groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army formations assigned to the invasion of the Soviet Union...
, including the Fourth Army
German Fourth Army
The 4th Army was a field army of Imperial Germany during World War I and of the Wehrmacht during World War II-World War I:At the outset of war, the Fourth Army, with the Fifth Army, formed the center of the German armies on the Western Front, moving through Luxembourg and Belgium in support of the...
, under the command of General Friedrich Hossbach. While the 3rd Belorussian Front
3rd Belorussian Front
The 3rd Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War...
initially met strong resistance, the outnumbered German forces soon began to suffer serious ammunition shortages. Colonel-General Reinhardt
Georg-Hans Reinhardt
Georg-Hans Reinhardt was a German general of World War II. He commanded Third Panzer Army from 1941 to 1944, and Army Group Centre in 1944 and 1945. His highest rank was Generaloberst . He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
, commander of Army Group Centre, warned of the seriousness of the situation as early as 19 January, but was not permitted to make a phased withdrawal.
The pocket forms
To save his units from encirclement, Hossbach started to pull the Fourth Army back to the west in direct contravention of orders, abandoning the prepared defences around LötzenGizycko
Giżycko is a town in northeastern Poland with 29,796 inhabitants . It is situated in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship , having previously been in the Suwałki Voivodeship . It is the seat of Giżycko County.-History:...
on 23 January. By this time, Rokossovsky
Konstantin Rokossovsky
Konstantin Rokossovskiy was a Polish-origin Soviet career officer who was a Marshal of the Soviet Union, as well as Marshal of Poland and Polish Defence Minister, who was famously known for his service in the Eastern Front, where he received high esteem for his outstanding military skill...
's 2nd Belorussian Front
2nd Belorussian Front
The 2nd Belorussian Front was a military formation of Army group size of the Soviet Army during the Second World War...
had already broken through on Hossbach's right; the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army headed for the Baltic coast, cutting off most of East Prussia. Through a series of forced marches in atrocious winter weather, and accompanied by thousands of civilians, the Fourth Army moved towards Elbing
Elblag
Elbląg is a city in northern Poland with 127,892 inhabitants . It is the capital of Elbląg County and has been assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. Before then it was the capital of Elbląg Voivodeship and a county seat in Gdańsk Voivodeship...
, still held by the German Second Army
German Second Army
The 2nd Army was a World War I and World War II field army.-First World War:The 2nd Army during World War I, fought on the Western Front and took part in the Schlieffen Plan offensive against France and Belgium in August 1914...
, but found its path blocked by Soviet forces of the 48th Army to the east of the town.
An attack beginning on the night of 26 January initially resulted in lead elements of the 28th Jäger Division breaking through to Elbing, where they linked up with the 7th Panzer Division; however German forces were driven back during the next four days after the 48th Army had regrouped. Hossbach's units now found themselves pushed into a Kessel with their backs to the Frisches Haff
Vistula Lagoon
The Vistula Lagoon is a fresh water lagoon on the Baltic Sea separated from Gdańsk Bay by the Vistula Spit. It is sometimes known as the Vistula Bay or Vistula Gulf. The modern German name, Frisches Haff, is derived from an earlier form, Friesisches Haff. Both this term and the earlier Polish...
.
Hossbach was relieved of command on 29 January, and was replaced by Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller
Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller
Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller was a General in the German army in World War II. He is notorious for having been the most brutal commander of occupied Crete, where he earned the nickname "The Butcher of Crete." After the war, he was tried by a Greek military court for war crimes, convicted and...
. His three corps were given an order to cease their breakout attempt on 30 January. Along with some units of Second Army, they found themselves encircled in the area of Heiligenbeil and Braunsberg
Braniewo
Braniewo is a town in northeastern Poland, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, with a population of 18,068 . It is the capital of Braniewo County...
; many of the civilians trapped with them attempted to escape across the frozen Haff to the Frische Nehrung
Vistula Spit
The Vistula Spit is a spit, or peninsular stretch of land, which separates Vistula Lagoon from Gdańsk Bay in the Baltic Sea. The border between Poland and Kaliningrad Oblast, an exclave of Russia, bisects it, politically dividing the spit in half between the two countries. The westernmost point...
and thence to Pillau
Baltiysk
Baltiysk , prior to 1945 known by its German name Pillau , is a seaport town and the administrative center of Baltiysky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, located on the northern part of the Vistula Spit, on the shore of the Strait of Baltiysk separating the Vistula Bay from the Gdańsk Bay. Baltiysk...
or Danzig
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, reinforced paths marked by lamps having been constructed across the ice by Fourth Army's engineers.
As the Nazis had effectively forbidden their evacuation, East Prussia's civil population was in full numbers around when the Red Army attacked on January 12, 1945. It resulted in a mass flight westwards, towards the coast. Many were killed, either by the Soviets or by the severe frost. At the coast, in particular in the harbour of Pillau, the German navy managed to evacuate tens of thousands of them over the Baltic sea. The German navy's efforts also help to explain the 'Wehrmacht's very fierce resistance on land: every hour delay for the Red Army meant an additional rescue of thousands of East Prussian aged, women and children.
Attempts to break through the German perimeter early in February were fought back, with the Fourth Army receiving heavy artillery support from the ships Admiral Scheer
German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer
Admiral Scheer was a Deutschland-class heavy cruiser which served with the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II. The vessel was named after Admiral Reinhard Scheer, German commander in the Battle of Jutland. She was laid down at the Reichsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven in June...
and Lützow
German pocket battleship Deutschland
Deutschland was the lead ship of her class of heavy cruisers which served with the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II. Ordered by the Weimar government for the Reichsmarine, she was laid down at the Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel in February 1929 and completed by April 1933...
, firing across the Haff from the Baltic towards the Frauenburg
Frombork
Frombork is a town in northern Poland, on the Vistula Lagoon, in Braniewo County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. It had a population of 2,528 as of 2005....
end of the pocket. Frauenburg itself was taken on February 9, in fierce fighting against elements of the 170th Infantry Division
170th Infantry Division (Germany)
The 170th Infantry Division was a German division in World War II. It was formed on 1 December 1939.-170...
. During one Soviet attack 3rd Belorussian Front
3rd Belorussian Front
The 3rd Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War...
's commander, General Ivan Chernyakhovsky
Ivan Chernyakhovsky
Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky, also Cherniakhovsky, ; Oksanina, Uman, Russian Empire , - Mehlsack, today Pieniężno, Poland, 18 February 1945) was a Soviet General of the Army , twice Hero of the Soviet Union, commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, who died from wounds received outside...
, was killed by a shell splinter near Mehlsack
Pieniezno
Pieniężno is a town on the Wałsza River in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship of Poland. It is located in Braniewo County and had a population of 2,975 in 2004.- History :...
. His successor Marshal Aleksandr Vasilevsky
Aleksandr Vasilevsky
Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Vasilevsky was a Russian career officer in the Red Army, promoted to Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1943. He was the Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces and Deputy Minister of Defense during World War II, as well as Minister of Defense from 1949 to 1953...
, having effectively contained the remains of the Army Group, concentrated on assembling reinforcements over the next month: the Germans, under the supervision of Major-General Karl Henke
Karl Henke
Karl Henke was an engineer officer in the Reichsheer during World War I, in the German inter-war army, the Reichswehr, and in the Wehrmacht.-Military service, World War I:...
, continued to attempt resupply and evacuations of wounded along the Frische Nehrung, often at night to avoid air attack. A long, narrow corridor through to the besieged garrison of Königsberg was also maintained through a joint effort by the garrison and the Großdeutschland Panzergrenadier Division
Großdeutschland Division
The Großdeutschland Division was an elite Heer combat unit of the Wehrmacht. The Großdeutschland was considered to be the premier unit of the German Army and as such it was one of best-equipped unit of the German Armed Forces, receiving equipment before all other units.- Early history -...
against the attacks of the 11th Guards Army
11th Guards Army
The 11th Guards Army was a Soviet field army active from 1943 to 1997, which traces its origins to the formation of the Soviet 16th Army in June-July 1940.-History:...
.
Though the German forces in East Prussia had no realistic hope of victory, and were severely short of manpower, ammunition, and fuel, they continued to offer strong resistance: the Red Army suffered extremely high casualties in the East Prussian Operation as a whole. Ad-hoc battle groups were often bolstered by civilians press-ganged into the Volkssturm
Volkssturm
The Volkssturm was a German national militia of the last months of World War II. It was founded on Adolf Hitler's orders on October 18, 1944 and conscripted males between the ages of 16 to 60 years who were not already serving in some military unit as part of a German Home Guard.-Origins and...
, and many East Prussian villages and towns had been turned into fortified strongpoints, in addition to the substantial fortifications centred on Heilsberg
Lidzbark Warminski
Lidzbark Warmiński is a town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the capital of Lidzbark County.- History :The town was originally an Old Prussian settlement known as Lecbarg until being conquered in 1240 by the Teutonic Knights, who called it Heilsberg...
. In part, the fighting was prolonged in order to keep open civilian escape routes; in any case, requests to evacuate the main body of the Fourth Army were refused by the Oberkommando des Heeres
Oberkommando des Heeres
The Oberkommando des Heeres was Nazi Germany's High Command of the Army from 1936 to 1945. The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht commanded OKH only in theory...
. The Soviet attack, however, came tragically late for the remaining inmates of the Heiligenbeil concentration camp
Heiligenbeil concentration camp
Heiligenbeil was a subcamp of the German concentration camp Stutthof near Danzig. It was named after the East Prussian town Heiligenbeil .- External links :*...
, along with other camps in the area: even as Hossbach's forces were attempting to break out of East Prussia, the prisoners were driven to the coast and massacred.
Destruction of the 4th Army
The pocket was finally crushed in an operation lasting from 13 March - 29 March, officially known as the Braunsberg Offensive Operation, in preparation for the final assault on KönigsbergBattle of Königsberg
The Battle of Königsberg , was one of the last operations of the East Prussian Offensive during World War II. In four days of violent urban warfare, Soviet forces of the 1st Baltic Front and the 3rd Belorussian Front captured the city of Königsberg...
,
The Red Army quickly moved to cut communication between the Kessel and Königsberg, their troops reaching the coastline about 5 miles from the city on 15 March. A crossing of the Frisching River was forced in a night attack on the night of 17–18 March, further rolling up German defences of the Kessel from the east. Clearer weather from 18 March allowed an intensive aerial bombardment of the Fourth Army's positions.
With most communications cut, German forces remaining in the pocket were now largely faced with either death or being taken prisoner; some 'elite' units, such as the Fallschirm-Panzergrenadier Division 2 Hermann Göring
Fallschirm-Panzergrenadier Division 2 Hermann Göring
Fallschirm-Panzergrenadier-Division 2 "Hermann Göring" was formed on 24 September 1944 in the area of Radom.-Commanding officers:*Generalmajor Erich Walther, 24 September 1944 - November 1944*Oberst Wilhelm Söth, November 1944 - January 1945...
and the 24th Panzer Division, were evacuated by sea, but others were gradually cut off in a series of small pockets on the coast, in some cases actually digging into the coastal embankments or beaches. POW reports suggested that many German units were now seriously understrength, with the 50th Infantry Division
50th Infantry Division (Germany)
The 50th Infantry Division was a German division in World War II. It was formed on 26 August 1939 from the Grenzkommandantur Küstrin.-50. Infanterie-Division 1939:*Infanterie-Regiment 121*Infanterie-Regiment 122...
, for example, able to field only a single incomplete regiment.
The Soviets finally took Braunsberg on 20 March. Heiligenbeil, covering the small port of Rosenberg, was attacked with phosphorus bombs on 22 March and successfully stormed on 25 March, the town suffering almost complete destruction. Rosenberg itself was taken on 26 March, with the remnants of the Fourth Army falling back on the Kahlholzer Haken peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
, where the perimeter was defended by troops from the Panzerkorps "Großdeutschland"
Großdeutschland Division
The Großdeutschland Division was an elite Heer combat unit of the Wehrmacht. The Großdeutschland was considered to be the premier unit of the German Army and as such it was one of best-equipped unit of the German Armed Forces, receiving equipment before all other units.- Early history -...
and the 28th Jäger Division. The last evacuations took place on the morning of 29 March from Kahlholz and Balga
Balga
Balga was a medieval castle of the Teutonic Knights. Its ruins are in the Pogranichny municipality, Bagrationovsky District in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia; located on the shore of the Vistula Lagoon north of Mamonovo, about southwest of Kaliningrad....
, where a remnant of the 562nd Volksgrenadier Division was destroyed forming a rearguard (its commander, Helmuth Hufenbach
Helmuth Hufenbach
Helmuth Hufenbach was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II, and one of only 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield...
, receiving a posthumous promotion to Major-General). Soviet sources claimed 93,000 enemy dead and 46,448 taken prisoner during the operation (though some German sources claim that many troops in the Kessel were successfully evacuated to the Frische Nehrung; given the chaos prevailing at this stage of the war, it is unlikely that accurate figures will ever be determined, many soldiers having simply disappeared). Further elements of the Fourth Army continued to resist around Pillau, and latterly on the Frische Nehrung, until May.
The 4th Army's archives were buried in a forest near the town of Heiligenbeil (now known as Mamonovo
Mamonovo
Mamonovo , prior to 1945 known by its German name Heiligenbeil, is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. Population: Mamonovo is named after a Soviet Commander, Nikolai Vasilyevich Mamonov , killed in action near Pułtusk on 26 October 1944, who was posthumously given the title Hero of the Soviet...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
), in an area still littered with debris from the final battles.
Red Army
The following Soviet units were involved in completing the encirclement of the Kessel:- 2nd Belorussian Front2nd Belorussian FrontThe 2nd Belorussian Front was a military formation of Army group size of the Soviet Army during the Second World War...
(Marshal Konstantin RokossovskyKonstantin RokossovskyKonstantin Rokossovskiy was a Polish-origin Soviet career officer who was a Marshal of the Soviet Union, as well as Marshal of Poland and Polish Defence Minister, who was famously known for his service in the Eastern Front, where he received high esteem for his outstanding military skill...
)- 5th Guards Tank Army
- 48th Army
- 3rd Army
- 50th Army
- 3rd Belorussian Front3rd Belorussian FrontThe 3rd Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War...
(General Aleksandr VasilevskyAleksandr VasilevskyAleksandr Mikhaylovich Vasilevsky was a Russian career officer in the Red Army, promoted to Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1943. He was the Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces and Deputy Minister of Defense during World War II, as well as Minister of Defense from 1949 to 1953...
)- 31st Army
- 28th Army28th Army (Soviet Union)The 28th Army was a field army of the Red Army and the Soviet Ground Forces, formed three times in 1941-42 and postwar active for many years in the Belorussian Military District.- First Formation :...
- 1st Air Army
Wehrmacht
German records list the following units with the Fourth Army at the time of the Kessels collapse:- VI CorpsVI Corps (Germany)The VI Corps was an infantry corps in the German Army. It fought in several notable actions during World War II.The corps was originally formed around the 6th Division of the Reichswehr in October 1934 in Münster.-1940:...
(General Horst GroßmannHorst GroßmannHorst Großmann was a German general who commanded the 6. Infanterie Division during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield...
)- 102nd Infantry Division
- 24th Panzer Division
- 349th Volksgrenadier Division
- XX CorpsXX Army Corps (Germany)-Commanders:* Infantry General Friedrich Materna, October 1940 – 10 September 1942* Artillery General Rudolf Freiherr von Roman, 10 September 1942 – 14 February 1943...
(General Rudolf Freiherr von RomanRudolf Freiherr von RomanRudolf Ernst Philipp August Joachim Freiherr von Roman was a German general who commanded several corps during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
)- 131st Infantry Division
- 61st Volksgrenadier Division
- 21st Infantry Division
- 14th Infantry Division
- 292nd Infantry Division
- 56th Infantry Division
- XXXXI Panzer CorpsXXXXI Panzer Corps (Germany)XXXXI Panzer Corps was a tank corps in the German Army during World War II.-Formation and actions:...
(General Helmuth WeidlingHelmuth WeidlingHelmuth Otto Ludwig Weidling was an officer in the German Army before and during World War II...
)- 170th Infantry Division170th Infantry Division (Germany)The 170th Infantry Division was a German division in World War II. It was formed on 1 December 1939.-170...
- Fallschirm-Panzergrenadier Division 2 Hermann GöringFallschirm-Panzergrenadier Division 2 Hermann GöringFallschirm-Panzergrenadier-Division 2 "Hermann Göring" was formed on 24 September 1944 in the area of Radom.-Commanding officers:*Generalmajor Erich Walther, 24 September 1944 - November 1944*Oberst Wilhelm Söth, November 1944 - January 1945...
- Panzergrenadier Division "Großdeutschland"Großdeutschland DivisionThe Großdeutschland Division was an elite Heer combat unit of the Wehrmacht. The Großdeutschland was considered to be the premier unit of the German Army and as such it was one of best-equipped unit of the German Armed Forces, receiving equipment before all other units.- Early history -...
- 28th Jäger Division
- 562nd Volksgrenadier Division
- 170th Infantry Division
- 50th Infantry Division50th Infantry Division (Germany)The 50th Infantry Division was a German division in World War II. It was formed on 26 August 1939 from the Grenzkommandantur Küstrin.-50. Infanterie-Division 1939:*Infanterie-Regiment 121*Infanterie-Regiment 122...
Nearly all German units would have been at well below divisional strength even at the start of the East Prussian Operation; also some additional units involved (such as the 299th Infantry Division
299th Infantry Division (Germany)
The German 299th Infantry Division was a World War II infantry formation, which fought in France and the Russian Front until February 1945.The 299th Infantry Division was formed in March and April 1940 from men from Hesse and Thuringia. The 299th Infantry Division first saw action in the 1940...
and 18th Panzergrenadier Division) were destroyed, disbanded or completely evacuated before the Kessel collapsed.