Siege of Glogau

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The siege of Glogau took place at the end of the Second World War . On February 11, 1945, the Silesian town of Glogau , declared a fortress, was enclosed by the Red Army and besieged until April 1, 1945.

Expansion into a fortress

Glogau used to be an old Prussian fortress town, but it had been completely defused by 1913. Towards the end of 1944, the city of Glogau was again declared a fortress as part of the so-called " Guderian Plan " (named after Colonel General Heinz Guderian ) to fortify the eastern borders. Field positions and armored trenches were dug to create an outer defensive belt. The barracks of the Liège, Hindenburg and Brückenkopf barracks that existed in the city were included as defensive focal points in this outer defensive belt. Furthermore, an inner defensive ring was created in the city center. This ran largely along the historical fortifications. This inner defensive ring was provided with underground connecting routes via cellar openings, barricades and trenches. The Glogau fortress did not, however, have modern, fortress-like defenses in the true sense. All defenses were merely improvised, more fortified field positions. The construction of these defenses was done by Volkssturm men . The Glogau fortress had no heavy fortress weapons or anti-tank detachments .

defender

The crew of the Glogau Fortress consisted of the following units:

  • Engineer Replacement and Training Battalion 213
  • Members of a ROB course
  • Pioneer company 61 of the fortress pioneer staff 9
  • Fortress Infantry Battalion 1445
  • Landeschützenbataillon 1091
  • Fortress artillery department 61
  • some transport and supply units
  • Five Volkssturm battalions (formed from male residents of Glogau and surrounding villages aged 16 to 60 years)

The total strength of the Glogau Fortress garrison was 6,000 to 7,000 soldiers. Of these, however, only a maximum of 1,500 had war experience. Only a few anti-aircraft guns were available in terms of artillery. The fortress commander was initially Colonel Schön. This fell on February 12, 1945. His successor was Colonel Jonas zu Eulenburg .

Containment

At the beginning of February the German defensive position along the river Oder was breached by Soviet troops. The Glogau fortress was cut off from all connections to the rear on February 11, 1945. A day later, the bridgehead on the old Oder also fell. The enclosure front now ran in the north along the cathedral island, in the east, south and west along the outer defensive ring from the Zarkau shipyard via the Liège barracks, the stadium, the promenade, the Hindenburg barracks and the station area to the river Oder. The besiegers were in a strategic position. By conquering the strategically important Bismarckhöhe at the beginning of the siege, the Soviet troops gained a deep insight into the entire fortress area. In order to take the city as quickly as possible to free troops for the Battle of Berlin , the Soviet troops began with artillery strikes and air strikes. The city was largely destroyed.

surrender

On March 31, 1945, Soviet units invaded the city. There was heavy house-to-house fighting. Finally, the district building and other small bases in the city center were defended. The city was now divided into an eastern and a western defensive section. Uniform management of the two areas was no longer possible because radio and wire connections were interrupted. When Soviet troops stood in front of the command post of the fortress commander, Eulenburg passed on the message: “The fortress is free, everyone should act at their own discretion. Eulenburg. ”About 800 soldiers, including Eulenburg, tried to break out of the siege in three groups. Almost all of the soldiers, equipped with only light weapons and little ammunition, were killed or taken prisoner. Only a few made it to the German lines. In Glogau itself, individual combat units capitulated.

Combat consequences

Around 90% of the city of Glogau was destroyed during the fighting. Around 2,500–3,000 soldiers and civilians were killed in battle on the German side. About 3,500 soldiers died on the Soviet side.

Mention in the Wehrmacht report

The fighting around Glogau was mentioned 17 times in the Wehrmacht report from January 28 to April 3, 1945. The Wehrmacht report of the Department of Wehrmacht propaganda of the High Command of the Wehrmacht (OKW) came daily in the Great German Radio and was printed in the newspapers. On April 3, the Wehrmacht report reported as the last propaganda message about the fighting: “The garrison of the Glogau Fortress, which has been trapped since February 12, under the leadership of their commanding officer, Colonel Graf zu Eulenburg, has the important Oder crossings for the enemy in more than six weeks of fighting locked and strong Soviet forces bound. Squeezed into the smallest of spaces, the brave defenders were overwhelmed by the enemy after the last ammunition had been fired. "

literature

  • Heinrich H. Herfarth: Glogau Fortress 1945. Published by the Glogauer Heimatbund, Hanover 1982; previously published in 1078 in the Neue Glogauer Anzeiger.
  • Neuer Glogauer Anzeiger, No. 2, February 2008 Title The battle for the Glogau fortress . Part 1 , part 2 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The reports of the High Command of the Wehrmacht . Volume V January 1, 1944-9. May 1945, Cologne 2004. ISBN 3-89340-063-X . Pp. 496-600