The liberation of Koenigsberg from the Nazis was one of the main successful operations carried out by the Red Army in the territory directly owned by Germany. All future actions of the Allies on the final rescue of Europe from Nazism largely depended on its outcome. Therefore, the liberation of Koenigsberg was an important milestone in the chain of the victorious march of our army. And symbolic is the moment that a city with nearby territory, soon after the collapse of the Nazi regime, was included in the USSR.
A Brief History of East Prussia
The lands of East Prussia, once owned by the Baltic Prussian tribe, began to undergo active German military colonization from the 12th century. Here a state of knights of the Teutonic Order arose , almost completely eradicating and assimilating the local population and posing a threat to Poland, Lithuania and Russia.
The city of Koenigsberg, formerly called Twangste, got its name in 1255 in honor of the Czech king Przemysl Ottokar II.
In the 15th century, the last master of the Hohenzollern clan on these lands was the founding of the secular Duchy of Prussia, which was then united by a personal union with the Elector of Brandenburg. This state was called the Kingdom of Prussia, and the lands directly belonging to the Teutonic Order, with the capital in Koenigsberg, became known as East Prussia.
Later, these territories were consistently incorporated into the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, and the Third Reich.
Fights on the Soviet-German front
In 1944, Nazi troops during stubborn battles were finally driven out of the territory of the USSR. The liberation of the countries of eastern and central Europe from Nazism began. The Soviet army approached directly to German territory, in particular, to East Prussia.
On January 13, 1945, the East Prussian operation was launched by the Soviet army. The troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front under the command of Marshal Rokossovsky, the 3rd Belorussian Front under the command of General Chernyakhovsky and then Marshal Vasilevsky, and the 1st Baltic Front, headed by General Baghramyan, took part in it. The action of ground forces from the sea covered the Baltic Fleet under the leadership of General Tributz. The total number of military personnel in this direction exceeded 1.6 million people.
The Soviet forces were opposed by Army groups “Center” and “North” under the leadership, respectively, of Colonel General G. Reinhardt and L. Rendulich. They included about 580 thousand people.
During the successful offensive operation, the Red Army made a decisive breakthrough, a number of strategically important points and cities were occupied. But the key to all of East Prussia was the impregnable Koenigsberg.
Thus, the Great Patriotic War continued. The liberation of Koenigsberg was to become one of its key stages.
Preparing the Germans for the defense
As soon as it became clear that the fighting for the liberation of Koenigsberg would soon begin, the German command ordered that the fortification of the almost impregnable city be strengthened. They began to build barricades.
The natural strengthening of the city, consisting of three rings erected in different historical periods, was strengthened. In addition, Koenigsberg had an external defensive contour and a well-fortified citadel.
Reconstruction work was also carried out after the devastation that, due to the bombing of British aircraft, Koenigsberg received (1944). The liberation of the city promised to be very difficult.
Forces of the parties
The liberation of Koenigsberg from the Nazis was made possible thanks to a successful operation conducted under the command of Marshal Vasilevsky. Compounds led by General Baghramyan were also subordinate to him. A cover from heaven was commanded by Chief Aviation Marshal Novikov. It was their coordinated actions that ensured the release of Koenigsberg. Which front was responsible for this operation? The 3rd Belorussian was the most intensively involved in it, and the 1st Baltic was included in its structure.
The total number of Soviet troops that took part in the operation was 137 thousand people. In addition, 2174 aircraft and 538 tanks were available.
The defense of Koenigsberg was led by the Wehrmacht General Otto von Lyash. At his disposal were 130 thousand soldiers, which is slightly less than the number of opposing Soviet troops. But in the tanks and aviation, the German army in this sector was significantly inferior. She had, respectively, 108 and 170 pieces of equipment.
Thus, with approximate equality in manpower in this sector, the Soviet army had a significant advantage in technology over the Wehrmacht troops. This once again testifies to the cardinal difference between the situation at the beginning of the war and the situation that prevailed by 1945.
In anticipation of the operation
Before starting the liberation of Koenigsberg, Soviet troops conducted shelling of the fortified positions of the enemy. It took almost the entire first week of April. In addition, airstrikes were made by our aircraft on strategic facilities located in the city. But nevertheless, these bombings were less destructive than the shelling of British aircraft, carried out throughout almost the entire 1944.
In turn, the Germans tried as soon as possible to fill every breach in the defense, pierced by Soviet shells.
The leadership of the Wehrmacht understood that if its soldiers did not defend every patch of land until the last drop of blood, until the last soldier, then the days of the Third Reich were numbered. But, as we know from history, even the unprecedented self-sacrifice of ordinary German soldiers could not save this monstrous machine of genocide and repression from destruction.
Storming the city
Then, directly, the liberation of Koenigsberg began. The date of April 6, 1945 is its beginning.
The blow was simultaneously delivered from the north and south of the city. The day, as usual, began with shelling of enemy positions. Toward twelve o'clock in the afternoon tanks and infantry went on the offensive. A significant role in the operation was assigned to the assault troops, which made a great contribution to the liberation of Koenigsberg (1945).
The Germans offered desperate resistance, but the Soviet troops crushed one defensive barrier after another. The train station and port were captured. The Wehrmacht soldiers refused resolutely. An attempt was made to organize an retreat, but Soviet troops intercepted the German units, intending to translate this plan into reality.
Finally, on April 9, 1945, General Otto von Lyash, realizing the futility of the resistance, signed the surrender, and ordered all the troops under his command to lay down their arms. The cleaning of the city from disobeying orders of Wehrmacht fighters continued throughout the next day.
So there was the liberation of Koenigsberg. It was given to the Soviet troops with relatively little blood, but this in no way detracts from the significance of this event in the framework of the Great Patriotic War in particular and World War II as a whole.
Loss of parties
During the operation for the liberation of the city of Koenigsberg, 42,000 German soldiers were killed, about 92,000 were taken prisoner. In addition, the Soviet army received trophy weapons, namely: two thousand units of artillery pieces, 128 aircraft and 1652 mortars.
Among the Soviet troops, the losses were much smaller, they amounted to 3200 soldiers killed. This suggests that our generals learned to win not because of the number of troops and the significant number of dead soldiers, as it was at the beginning of the war, but because of the presence of a brilliant plan of action. This fact characterized the Red Army from a qualitatively new perspective.
For residents of Koenigsberg himself, the situation looked much worse. 80% of the city was almost completely destroyed during the assault, as well as bombardments from the sky, including those carried out by the Royal Air Force of Great Britain during 1944. Of the 316 thousand inhabitants of Koenigsberg at the beginning of the war, after the assault was completed, only 200 thousand remained in the city, and even they were soon deported to other territories.
Operation value
The liberation of Koenigsberg in the Second World War allowed the creation of a bridgehead for the further offensive of the Soviet army. On April 25, the last significant German military force in the region, the Zemland forces, was defeated. At this, the East Prussian operation was successfully completed.
Further events are known to all: the continuation of the Allied offensive, the assault of Berlin, Hitler's suicide and the complete surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945. Of course, to take this result, just taking Konigsberg was not enough, but this event is a worthy link in the chain of victories such as the Battle of Stalingrad, the battle of the Kursk Bulge and the landing of the Allies in Normandy.
The significance and peculiarity of the victory at Koenigsberg for the Soviet army is perfectly demonstrated by the fact that on its occasion in Moscow a 24-fold volley of 324 cannons was given. In addition, a special badge (medal) was established to perpetuate the memory of this battle, which was successful for our troops, about which we will discuss in more detail below.
Kaliningrad - Russian city
The further fate of the city is well known. Koenigsberg was renamed Kaliningrad in 1946, in honor of the party leader M.I. Kalinin, who died in the same year, and was included, together with a significant part of East Prussia, first into the RSFSR and, after the collapse of the USSR, into the Russian Federation. Most of the German population in the region was deported to Germany. The area, now called Kaliningrad, was inhabited by residents from other regions of the USSR, mainly the RSFSR, as well as the Ukrainian SSR and the Belorussian SSR. The city of Kaliningrad was rebuilding very rapidly, people from all over the Union took part in the liquidation of the destruction that the war brought.
At the moment, the Kaliningrad region is a significant industrial and resort region of the Russian Federation. Engineering and shipbuilding are developed. In addition to architectural monuments, there is currently little evidence of the former dominance of the Germans in the region.
Medal "For the capture of Koenigsberg"
Two months after the capture of the city by Soviet troops, by decree of the Government of the USSR, a medal was established for the liberation of Koenigsberg. It was introduced in order to perpetuate the feat of fighters. Awarding this insignia were subject to the release of Koenigsberg, involved from January 23 to April 10, 1945 as part of the East Prussian operation in the storming of the city.
The medal was minted in brass. It was a standard circle shape. The inscription “For the capture of Koenigsberg” is engraved on the obverse. The star is shown above, and the laurel branch below. On the reverse side is the date when Koenigsberg was released - April 10, 1945. The diameter of this badge is 32 mm.
This medal is located on the chest, after the insignia for the capture of Budapest and before the medal for the capture of Vienna. That is, in this case, the principle of chronological compliance is respected.
List of Medal Participants in Konigsberg Liberation
Since the establishment, many fighters have received a medal for the release of Koenigsberg. The list of awards for all time exceeds 760 thousand people.
Many fighters are now no longer remembered by name. But among those who received the medal there were also famous people, such as Yevgeny G. Baikov (senior sergeant), Victor Lapidus (lieutenant colonel), Valentina Fedorovna Neplyueva (sergeant), Ivan Maximovich Rozhin (junior sergeant), Ivan Denisovich Statsenko (junior lieutenant), Troitsky Victor Pavlovich (sergeant), Khudyakov Nikolay Vasilievich (corporal), Yanovsky Pyotr Grigoryevich (lieutenant colonel), Mashanov Ivan Savvateevich (foreman). The liberation of Koenigsberg from 1944-1945 is a matter for each of them. The blood and sweat of these fighters sprinkled the fields of East Prussia. Each of them participated in the liberation of Koenigsberg.
The feat of these fighters, and hundreds of thousands of those whom we cannot mention here, is invaluable. The medal for the liberation of Koenigsberg is only a small part of the award that these wars deserve, at the cost of their own health and life, who fulfilled the duty to the Motherland.
At the moment, this distinction for natural reasons is no longer being awarded.
Summary
One of the key moments of the end of World War II was the liberation of Koenigsberg. What a front on the scale of hostilities unfolded on the territory of East Prussia! And at the same time, the Koenigsberg operation is the best example of how, with the least loss of personnel, you can capture a well-fortified city.
It was this victory of the Soviet army that became decisive in the entire East Prussian operation and provided an unhindered path to Berlin. In addition, the successful completion of the battles at Koenigsberg made it possible in the future to include the city and the surrounding territories into Russia, of which the Kaliningrad Region is an integral part today.
And of course, the feat of hundreds of thousands of soldiers who spilled their blood during the assault on Koenigsberg will never be forgotten. Their great sacrifice Homeland will always remember.