Shyaulyay Offensive Operation
Encyclopedia
The Šiauliai Offensive was an operation of the Soviet forces of the 1st Baltic Front
, commanded by General Hovhannes Bagramyan
, conducted from July 5 to August 29, 1944 during the Second World War. It was part of the third phase of the Belorussian Strategic Offensive Operation (also known as Operation Bagration), and drove German troops from much of Lithuania
, with the main tactical objective of the city of Šiauliai
.
was in tatters, and the northern edge of the Soviet assault threatened to trap Army Group North
in Latvia
and Estonia
. Front forces (the 6th Guards
and 43rd Armies), participating in the Belorussian Strategic Offensive Operation, advanced to the line of the Druya river, west Voropaevo and Naroch Lake from July 4, having the mission of beginning an advance in the direction of Švenčionys
, Kaunas
and by part of the forces towards Panevėžys
and Šiauliai
. Also included in the composition of the Front for this operation was the 39th Army
, which had to be concentrated on the left wing of the Front by July 10. The Front was also reinforced by the 2nd Guards and 51st Armies from the Stavka
reserve, though these could only arrive in the front sector by the second half of July. The offensive began on 5 July with an assault by the forces of two rifle corps of the 6th Guards and three rifle corps of 43rd Armies, with support from a reduced 1st Tank Corps.
Facing them were German troops of two Corps, which were positioned on adjacent wings of Army Groups North and Centre. Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz
's panzers had been sent to the Latvia
n capital, Riga
and in ferocious defensive battles had halted the advance of Hovhannes Bagramyan
's 1st Baltic Front
in late July, 1944. Strachwitz had been needed elsewhere, and was soon back to acting as the Army Group's fire brigade. Strachwitz's Panzerverband was broken up in late July. From the morning of July 10 39th Army was introduced into the battle, conducting an assault towards Kaunas. By July 12 the frontage of the offensive of three armies increased to 200 km, the opposing troops of Army Group North
offering stubborn resistance. By early August, the Soviets were again ready to attempt to cut off Army Group North from Army Group Centre.
on July 14 (see the Kaunas Offensive Operation
). In exchange, 1st Baltic Front received the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps.
For the development of the offensive on the Šiauliai axis, the 2nd Guards and 51st Armies were introduced into the battle on July 14. By July 22 their troops had liberated Panevežys
- an important communications center of Army Group North. On July 27, the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps, in cooperation with the combined arms units of 51st Army, liberated Šiauliai
, which had been held by a scratch force led by Hellmuth Mäder
. The troops of the right wing of the Front in interaction with the forces of the 2nd Baltic Front freed Daugavpils
.
Pressing home the attack , the forces of the Front on July 30 over-ran strong points and road junctions Biržai
and Bauska
, and by July 31 had reached Jelgava
. The Front's mobile detachments entered Tukums
and reached the coast of the Gulf of Riga
, cutting the land communications of Army Group North.
(some 4 infantry divisions and to 100 tanks and assault guns, according to Soviet estimates) and Raseiniai
(one infantry and one tank division). Strachwitz was trapped outside the pocket, and Panzerverband von Strachwitz was reformed, this time from elements of the 101.Panzerbrigade of panzer-ace Oberst Meinrad von Lauchert
and the newly formed SS-Panzerbrigade Gross
under SS-Sturmbannführer Gross. Inside the trapped pocket, the remaining panzers and StuGs of the Hermann von Salza and the last of Jähde's Tigers were formed into another Kampfgruppe to attack from the inside of the trap.
On 19 August, the assault, which had been dubbed Unternehmen Doppelkopf (Operation Doppelkopf
) got underway. It was preceded by a bombardment by the cruiser Prinz Eugens
203 mm guns, which destroyed forty-eight T-34s assembling in the square at Tukums
. During these defensive actions, the ground forces were supported by the 3rd Air Army. By August 20 the German forces, by counterattacks in the regions west of Tukums
and Sloki and with support from the Kriegsmarine
, were able to push the Soviet troops away from the coastline in the southern sector and to restore the sea communications of their formations around Riga
. Strachwitz and the Nordland remnants meet on the 21st, and contact was restored between the army groups.
1st Baltic Front
The First Baltic Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. The commanders of it were Army General Andrey Yeryomenko and succeeded by Army General Bagramyan. It was formed by re-naming the Kalinin Front in October 12, 1943 and took part in several important military...
, commanded by General Hovhannes Bagramyan
Hovhannes Bagramyan
Ivan Khristoforovich Bagramyan , also known as Hovhannes Khachaturi BaghramyanPronunciation: Bagramyan's name is most commonly written in English as Bagramyan "bahg-rahm-yahn" or Bagramian...
, conducted from July 5 to August 29, 1944 during the Second World War. It was part of the third phase of the Belorussian Strategic Offensive Operation (also known as Operation Bagration), and drove German troops from much of Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, with the main tactical objective of the city of Šiauliai
Šiauliai
Šiauliai , is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 133,900. It is the capital of Šiauliai County. Unofficially, the city is the capital of Northern Lithuania.-Names:...
.
Wehrmacht
- Elements of Army Group CentreArmy Group CentreArmy 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...
(Field-Marshal Walter ModelWalter ModelOtto Moritz Walter Model was a German general and later field marshal during World War II. He is noted for his defensive battles in the latter half of the war, mostly on the Eastern Front but also in the west, and for his close association with Adolf Hitler and Nazism...
)- Northern wing of 3rd Panzer Army (Colonel-General Georg-Hans ReinhardtGeorg-Hans ReinhardtGeorg-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...
)- XXVI Corps (General Gerhard MatzkyGerhard MatzkyGerhard Matzky was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several corps. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful...
)
- XXVI Corps (General Gerhard Matzky
- Northern wing of 3rd Panzer Army (Colonel-General Georg-Hans Reinhardt
- Elements of Army Group NorthArmy Group NorthArmy Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...
(Colonel-General Johannes Frießner)- Southern wing of 16th Army (General Paul LauxPaul LauxPaul Laux was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 16. Armee He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
)
- Southern wing of 16th Army (General Paul Laux
Red Army
- 1st Baltic Front1st Baltic FrontThe First Baltic Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. The commanders of it were Army General Andrey Yeryomenko and succeeded by Army General Bagramyan. It was formed by re-naming the Kalinin Front in October 12, 1943 and took part in several important military...
(General Hovhannes BagramyanHovhannes BagramyanIvan Khristoforovich Bagramyan , also known as Hovhannes Khachaturi BaghramyanPronunciation: Bagramyan's name is most commonly written in English as Bagramyan "bahg-rahm-yahn" or Bagramian...
)- 2nd Guards Army (General-Lieutenant Porfirii Chanchibadze)
- 6th Guards Army6th Guards Army (Soviet Union)The 6th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought against Germany during World War II under the command of General Ivan Mikhailovich Chistiakov...
(General-Lieutenant Ivan Chistyakov) - 39th Army39th Army (Soviet Union)The 39th Army was a Field Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army formed on 15 November 1941 in the Arkhangelsk Military District, in accordance with a directive issued by the Stavka on 2 November 1941...
(General-Lieutenant I.I. Ludnikov) - 43rd Army (General-Lieutenant Afanasii Beloborodov)
- 51st Army51st Army (Soviet Union)The 51st Army was a field army of the Red Army that saw action against the Germans in World War II on both the southern and northern sectors of the front. In particular, it was involved in the Crimean debacle of May 1942, and the final cutting-off of German forces in the Courland area next to the...
(General-Lieutenant Yakov KreizerYakov Kreizer-Before the war:Kreizer's Jewish parents were granted permission to live outside the Jewish pale of settlement because his grandfather was a cantonist soldier in the Russian imperial army. Kreizer enlisted in the Red Army in 1921, volunteered to the school for infantry officers in Voronezh and...
)
Initial phase
In July, 1944, The Soviet Operation Bagration had been achieving great success. Army Group CentreArmy 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...
was in tatters, and the northern edge of the Soviet assault threatened to trap Army Group North
Army Group North
Army Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...
in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. Front forces (the 6th Guards
6th Guards Army (Soviet Union)
The 6th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought against Germany during World War II under the command of General Ivan Mikhailovich Chistiakov...
and 43rd Armies), participating in the Belorussian Strategic Offensive Operation, advanced to the line of the Druya river, west Voropaevo and Naroch Lake from July 4, having the mission of beginning an advance in the direction of Švenčionys
Švencionys
Švenčionys is a city located north of Vilnius in Lithuania. It is the capital of the Švenčionys district municipality. As of 2005, it had population of 5,658 of which about one-third is part of the Polish minority in Lithuania.- Name :...
, Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
and by part of the forces towards Panevėžys
Panevežys
Panevėžys see also other names, is the fifth largest city in Lithuania. As of 2008, it occupied 50 square kilometers with 113,653 inhabitants. The largest multifunctional arena in Panevėžys is the Cido Arena...
and Šiauliai
Šiauliai
Šiauliai , is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 133,900. It is the capital of Šiauliai County. Unofficially, the city is the capital of Northern Lithuania.-Names:...
. Also included in the composition of the Front for this operation was the 39th Army
39th Army (Soviet Union)
The 39th Army was a Field Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army formed on 15 November 1941 in the Arkhangelsk Military District, in accordance with a directive issued by the Stavka on 2 November 1941...
, which had to be concentrated on the left wing of the Front by July 10. The Front was also reinforced by the 2nd Guards and 51st Armies from the Stavka
Stavka
Stavka was the term used to refer to a command element of the armed forces from the time of the Kievan Rus′, more formally during the history of Imperial Russia as administrative staff and General Headquarters during late 19th Century Imperial Russian armed forces and those of the Soviet Union...
reserve, though these could only arrive in the front sector by the second half of July. The offensive began on 5 July with an assault by the forces of two rifle corps of the 6th Guards and three rifle corps of 43rd Armies, with support from a reduced 1st Tank Corps.
Facing them were German troops of two Corps, which were positioned on adjacent wings of Army Groups North and Centre. Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz
Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz von Gross-Zauche und Camminetz
Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz von Groß-Zauche und Camminetz was a German Army officer. Strachwitz saw action in World War I, but rose to fame for his command of armored forces in World War II.-Early life:...
's panzers had been sent to the Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n capital, Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
and in ferocious defensive battles had halted the advance of Hovhannes Bagramyan
Hovhannes Bagramyan
Ivan Khristoforovich Bagramyan , also known as Hovhannes Khachaturi BaghramyanPronunciation: Bagramyan's name is most commonly written in English as Bagramyan "bahg-rahm-yahn" or Bagramian...
's 1st Baltic Front
1st Baltic Front
The First Baltic Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. The commanders of it were Army General Andrey Yeryomenko and succeeded by Army General Bagramyan. It was formed by re-naming the Kalinin Front in October 12, 1943 and took part in several important military...
in late July, 1944. Strachwitz had been needed elsewhere, and was soon back to acting as the Army Group's fire brigade. Strachwitz's Panzerverband was broken up in late July. From the morning of July 10 39th Army was introduced into the battle, conducting an assault towards Kaunas. By July 12 the frontage of the offensive of three armies increased to 200 km, the opposing troops of Army Group North
Army Group North
Army Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...
offering stubborn resistance. By early August, the Soviets were again ready to attempt to cut off Army Group North from Army Group Centre.
Transfer of main attack from Kaunas to Šiauliai
As a result of the offensive's development, Stavka shifted the direction of the main attack of the 1st Baltic Front from Kaunas to Šiauliai. 39th Army, together with the sector of its offensive was transferred to the 3rd Belorussian Front3rd Belorussian Front
The 3rd Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War...
on July 14 (see the Kaunas Offensive Operation
Kaunas Offensive Operation
The Kaunas Offensive was part of the third phase of the Belorussian Strategic Offensive of the Red Army in summer 1944, commonly known as Operation Bagration.-Role in the conflict:...
). In exchange, 1st Baltic Front received the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps.
For the development of the offensive on the Šiauliai axis, the 2nd Guards and 51st Armies were introduced into the battle on July 14. By July 22 their troops had liberated Panevežys
Panevežys
Panevėžys see also other names, is the fifth largest city in Lithuania. As of 2008, it occupied 50 square kilometers with 113,653 inhabitants. The largest multifunctional arena in Panevėžys is the Cido Arena...
- an important communications center of Army Group North. On July 27, the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps, in cooperation with the combined arms units of 51st Army, liberated Šiauliai
Šiauliai
Šiauliai , is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 133,900. It is the capital of Šiauliai County. Unofficially, the city is the capital of Northern Lithuania.-Names:...
, which had been held by a scratch force led by Hellmuth Mäder
Hellmuth Mäder
Hellmuth Mäder was a German general during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
. The troops of the right wing of the Front in interaction with the forces of the 2nd Baltic Front freed Daugavpils
Daugavpils
Daugavpils is a city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. Daugavpils literally means "Daugava Castle". With a population of over 100,000, it is the second largest city in the country after the capital Riga, which is located some...
.
Pressing home the attack , the forces of the Front on July 30 over-ran strong points and road junctions Biržai
Biržai
Biržai is a city in northern Lithuania. Biržai is famous for its reconstructed Biržai Castle manor, and the whole region is renowned for its many traditional-recipe beer breweries.-Names:...
and Bauska
Bauska
Bauska is a town in Bauska municipality, in the Zemgale region of southern Latvia. The town is situated at the confluence of the rivers Mūsa and Mēmele where they form the Lielupe River...
, and by July 31 had reached Jelgava
Jelgava
-Sports:The city's main football team, FK Jelgava, plays in the Latvian Higher League and won the 2009/2010 Latvian Football Cup.- Notable people :*August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein - linguist, folklorist, ethnographer...
. The Front's mobile detachments entered Tukums
Tukums
Tukums is a town in Latvia. Three regions of Latvia meet in the vicinity of Tukums – Vidzeme, Zemgale and Courland. The city was host to the Cold War facility Tukums air base.- History :...
and reached the coast of the Gulf of Riga
Gulf of Riga
The Gulf of Riga, or Bay of Riga, is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. According to C.Michael Hogan, a saline stratification layer is found at a depth of approximately seventy metres....
, cutting the land communications of Army Group North.
German counter-attacks
At the end of July and beginning of August Bagramyan's forces repulsed German counter-attacks in the region of BiržaiBiržai
Biržai is a city in northern Lithuania. Biržai is famous for its reconstructed Biržai Castle manor, and the whole region is renowned for its many traditional-recipe beer breweries.-Names:...
(some 4 infantry divisions and to 100 tanks and assault guns, according to Soviet estimates) and Raseiniai
Raseiniai
Raseiniai is a city in Lithuania. It is located on the south eastern foothills of the Samogitians highland, some north from the Kaunas–Klaipėda highway.- Grand Duchy of Lithuania :...
(one infantry and one tank division). Strachwitz was trapped outside the pocket, and Panzerverband von Strachwitz was reformed, this time from elements of the 101.Panzerbrigade of panzer-ace Oberst Meinrad von Lauchert
Meinrad von Lauchert
Meinrad von Lauchert was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
and the newly formed SS-Panzerbrigade Gross
SS Panzer Brigade Gross
SS Panzer Brigade Gross. was a formation of the Waffen SS during World War II. It was formed in 1944, from the SS Training and Reserve Regiments based in Latvia, to keep the road to Riga open and to counter the Red Armys summer offensive, which had captured Mitau and Tukums and putting the whole...
under SS-Sturmbannführer Gross. Inside the trapped pocket, the remaining panzers and StuGs of the Hermann von Salza and the last of Jähde's Tigers were formed into another Kampfgruppe to attack from the inside of the trap.
On 19 August, the assault, which had been dubbed Unternehmen Doppelkopf (Operation Doppelkopf
Operation Doppelkopf
Operation Doppelkopf and the following Operation Cäsar were German counter-offensives on the Eastern Front late in 1944 in the aftermath of the major Soviet advance in Operation Bagration....
) got underway. It was preceded by a bombardment by the cruiser Prinz Eugens
German cruiser Prinz Eugen
Prinz Eugen was an Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser, the third member of the class of five vessels. She served with the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down in April 1936 and launched August 1938; Prinz Eugen entered service after the outbreak of war, in August 1940...
203 mm guns, which destroyed forty-eight T-34s assembling in the square at Tukums
Tukums
Tukums is a town in Latvia. Three regions of Latvia meet in the vicinity of Tukums – Vidzeme, Zemgale and Courland. The city was host to the Cold War facility Tukums air base.- History :...
. During these defensive actions, the ground forces were supported by the 3rd Air Army. By August 20 the German forces, by counterattacks in the regions west of Tukums
Tukums
Tukums is a town in Latvia. Three regions of Latvia meet in the vicinity of Tukums – Vidzeme, Zemgale and Courland. The city was host to the Cold War facility Tukums air base.- History :...
and Sloki and with support from the Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
, were able to push the Soviet troops away from the coastline in the southern sector and to restore the sea communications of their formations around Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
. Strachwitz and the Nordland remnants meet on the 21st, and contact was restored between the army groups.