Date post: | 20-Aug-2015 |
Category: |
Entertainment & Humor |
Upload: | vinko-pavlovic |
View: | 469 times |
Download: | 7 times |
Vistula-Oder OffensiveVinko Pavlovic
THESIS
The Soviet Union trekked hundreds of miles through Nazi territory and were successful in their goal of reaching the Oder River and tightening the noose around Germany’s neck.
The NationsGermany Soviet
Union
Poland
The Commanders and Their Forces
Ferdinand Shörner / Josef Harpe …Army group A
Ninth Army LVI Panzer Corps XXXXVI Panzer Corps VIII Corps
Fourth Panzer Army LXII Corps XXIV Panzer Corps XLVIII Panzer Corps
17th ArmyLIX Corps XI Corps XI SS Corps
Georgy ZhukovFirst Belorussian
Front 47th Army 1st Polish
Army 3rd Shock Army 61st Army 1st Guards Tank Army 2nd
Guards Tank Army
5th Shock Army 8th Guards Army
69th Army 33rd Army
Ivan KonevFirst Ukrainian Front
21st Army 6th Army
3rd Guards Army 13th Army 4th Tank Army 3rd Guards Tank
Army
52nd Army 5th Guards Army
59th Army60th Army
The Objective
Invade Germany from the West
The Beginning
The Soviets had… 160+ Divisions 2,200,000+ Troops 4,500+ Tanks 2,500+ Assault guns 5,000+ Aircrafts 13,500+ Pieces of
Field Artillery(76 mm or more)
14,500+ Mortars 5,000≈ Anti-Tank
Guns
The Nazis had… 450,000 ≈ Troops 1,150 Tanks (Most
from the Battle of the Bulge)
4,100 Artillery Pieces 1,300 Aircrafts
German Intelligence gathered information that Soviet forces had 3 times more fire power…. The Soviets actually had 5 times the firepower of the Germans.
Because the main defensive forces of the German Army were close together, they were easily targeted for Artillery Strikes.
Soviets on the Offensive
The Soviets Began their Offensive On the Vistula River The Vistula is the biggest river in Poland
First Battle took place at 04:35 on January 12, 1945 Soviets 1st Ukrainian front attacked 48th Panzer Corps
▪ Attacked from Baranow Bridgehead with Heavy Artillery Barrages followed by infantry attack.
▪ At 10:00 second wave of Artillery strikes began and four hours later another infantry attack began, overwhelming the Germans and created many gaps.
Soviets Pressed forward quickly because of boosted morale and overwhelming numbers. Germans did not give up and even after losing continuously, they
drafted more and more soldiers.
Hitler Retaliates (sort of)
Hitler finally intervenes on January 15 1945.Hitler Orders Panzerkorps
Grossdeutschland to counter attack from East Prussia towards 4th Panzer Army. (Against the advice of General Heinz Guderian).The Counter attack is quickly met by the 1st
Belorussian Front and is pushed back to the Southwest.
Nazis Retreat
On the Evening of January 16th German Troops Evacuated Kielce.
On January 17th Warsaw(Capital of Poland) was captured by Soviets.
Hitler was furious. He ordered the stationed forces there to fight till the very last man dies.
Head of the Operations Branch of the German Army High Command, Colonel Bogislaw von Bonin, was arrested
General Smilo von Luttwitz and General Theodor Busse are fired.
Soviets Conquer
On January 17th Konev is ordered to capture the industrial region of Upper SilesiaEn route they captured Krakow
unopposedBy January 18th the Soviet troops
reached Lodz (3rd biggest city in Poland) They captured it the next day.Hitler upset with the failure of Colonel
General Josef Harpe and replaces him with Colonel General Ferdinand Shorner.
Soviets Begin to Reach Oder and Urban Warfare Begins On January 22nd Soviet troops begin to
reach the Oder River a several locations. Several bridgeheads are established in
preparation for upcoming battles. On January 25th Posen, Germany (Present
day Poznan, Poland) becomes the target of brutal street fighting. This occurs as a result of the Soviet 1st Guards
Tank Army and 8th Guards Army attack
Germans Retreat out of Poland and Auschwitz Concentration Camp is Captured
January 25th: General Schulz of German 17th Army requests for his remaining 100,000 troops to withdraw from Katowice, Poland. His pleas are authorized by Shorner the second time he
begs for the evascuation. The Evacuation is completed the night of January 27. January 28 Soviet troops enter Katowice.
January 27th: Soviet troops reached the Auschwitz Concentration Camps in Germany as they further their advance.
Final Captures and Offensive is Complete
January 31st: Soviet troops capture Kienitz, Germany on the West bank of the Oder River.Allowed Ukrainian First established two
bridgeheads. February 1st: Kustrin, Germany is surrounded
by Soviets and is declared a Fortress City. February 2nd: First Belorussian Front reaches
Oder River near Frankfurt, Germany.Soviet Stavka(Military Headquarters) in Moscow
declare the Vistula-Oder Offensive Complete
The Aftermath
Soviets suffered 44,000 deaths and 150,000 troops wounded.
150,000 Nazi’s were killed and 70,000 were captured
When the Stavka announced the operation as complete there were conflicting ideas. Zhukov believed that it was for the best that the
forces should secure East Prussia and Pomerania because if they continued towards Berlin they would be outflanked in the North.
Chuikov argued that the forces were only 70 kilometers (40 miles) to the west and Berlin’s defenses were weak at this point.