Capture of Koenigsberg 1945. Battle of Koenigsberg

Operation plan

The defeat of the Heilsberg group and the reduction of the front line allowed the Soviet command to regroup forces in the Koenigsberg direction in the shortest possible time. In mid-March, Ozerov's 50th Army was transferred to the Koenigsberg direction, by March 25 - Chanchibadze's 2nd Guards Army, and in early April - Krylov's 5th Army. Castling required only 3-5 night marches. As it turned out after the capture of Koenigsberg, the German command did not expect that the Red Army would so quickly create a strike force to storm the fortress.

On March 20, Soviet troops received instructions “to break through the Königsberg fortified area and storm the city of Königsberg.” The basis for the combat formations of units when breaking through enemy defenses and, especially for urban battles, were assault detachments and assault groups. Assault detachments were created on the basis of rifle battalions, and assault groups were created on the basis of rifle companies with appropriate reinforcement.

The directive of March 30 presented a specific plan for the Königsberg operation and the tasks of each army. The start of the offensive was scheduled for the morning of April 5, 1945 (then postponed to April 6). The command of the 3rd Belorussian Front decided to launch simultaneous attacks on the city from the north and south in converging directions, encircle and destroy the enemy garrison. To deliver powerful attacks, the main forces were concentrated on narrow sections of the front. In the Zemland direction, they decided to launch an auxiliary strike in a western direction in order to divert part of the enemy group from Königsberg.

Beloborodov's 43rd Army and the right flank of Ozerov's 50th Army attacked the city from the northwest and north; Galitsky's 11th Guards Army was advancing from the south. Lyudnikov's 39th Army launched an auxiliary attack to the north in a southerly direction and was supposed to reach the Frisches Huff Bay, cutting off the communications of the Koenigsberg garrison with the rest of the forces of the Zemland task force. The 2nd Guards Army of Chanchibadze and the 5th Army of Krylov carried out auxiliary attacks in the Zemland direction, on Norgau and Blyudau.

Thus, Königsberg had to be taken by three armies - the 43rd, 50th and 11th Guards armies. On the third day of the operation, Beloborodov's 43rd Army, together with the right flank of Ozerov's 50th Army, was to capture the entire northern part of the city to the Pregel River. Ozerov's 50th Army also had to solve the problem of capturing the northeastern part of the fortress. On the third day of the operation, Galitsky's 11th Army was supposed to capture the southern part of Königsberg, reach the Pregel River and be ready to cross the river to help clear the northern bank.

The artillery commander, Colonel General N. M. Khlebnikov, was instructed to begin processing enemy positions with heavy artillery a few days before the decisive assault. Soviet large-caliber artillery was supposed to destroy the enemy's most important defensive structures (forts, pillboxes, bunkers, shelters, etc.), as well as conduct counter-battery combat, striking at German artillery. During the preparatory period, Soviet aviation was supposed to cover the concentration and deployment of armies, prevent reserves from approaching Königsberg, take part in the destruction of long-term enemy defenses and suppress German artillery, and support the attacking troops during the assault. The 3rd Air Army of Nikolai Papivin received the task of supporting the offensive of the 5th and 39th armies, the 1st Air Army of Timofey Khryukin - the 43rd, 50th and 11th Guards armies.

The commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union A. M. Vasilevsky (left) and his deputy Army General I. Kh. Bagramyan clarify the plan for the assault on Koenigsberg

On April 2, Vasilevsky held a military meeting. In general, the operation plan was approved. Five days were allotted for the Koenigsberg operation. On the first day, the armies of the 3rd Belorussian Front were supposed to break through the external fortifications of the Germans, and in the following days complete the defeat of the Königsberg garrison. After the capture of Koenigsberg, our troops were supposed to develop an offensive to the northwest and finish off the Zemland group.

In order to strengthen the air power of the strike, front-line aviation was reinforced by two corps of the 4th and 15th Air Armies (2nd Belorussian and Leningrad Fronts) and aviation of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet. The 18th Heavy Bomber Air Force (formerly long-range aviation) took part in the operation. The French fighter regiment "Normandie - Neman" also took part in the operation. Naval aviation received the task of launching massive attacks on the port of Pillau and transport, both in the Koenigsberg Canal and on the approaches to Pillau, in order to prevent the evacuation of the German group by sea. In total, the front's aviation group was strengthened to 2,500 aircraft (about 65% were bombers and attack aircraft). The general leadership of the air forces in the Koenigsberg operation was carried out by the commander of the Red Army Air Force, Air Chief Marshal A. A. Novikov.

The Soviet group in the Koenigsberg area consisted of about 137 thousand soldiers and officers, up to 5 thousand guns and mortars, 538 tanks and self-propelled guns. The advantage over the enemy in manpower and artillery was insignificant - 1.1 and 1.3 times. Only in armored vehicles did it have a significant superiority - 5 times.

Preparing the assault

They prepared for the assault on Königsberg throughout March. Assault detachments and assault groups were formed. At the headquarters of the Zemland Group, a model of the city was made with the terrain, defensive structures and buildings in order to work out issues of interaction with the commanders of divisions, regiments and battalions. Before the start of the operation, all officers, including platoon commanders, were given a city plan with a uniform numbering of neighborhoods and the most important structures. This greatly facilitated the control of troops during the assault.

Much work was done to prepare the artillery for the assault on Königsberg. The procedure for using artillery for direct fire and using assault guns was worked out in detail and carefully. Divisions of high-power and special-power artillery with a caliber from 203 to 305 mm were to take part in the operation. Before the start of the operation, the front artillery smashed the enemy defenses for four days, concentrating efforts on the destruction of long-term structures (forts, pillboxes, dugouts, the most durable buildings, etc.).

In the period from April 1 to April 4, the battle formations of the Soviet armies were consolidated. In the north, in the direction of the main attack of the 43rd and 50th armies of Beloborodov and Ozerov, 15 rifle divisions were concentrated in a 10-kilometer breakthrough area. The artillery density in the northern sector was increased to 220 guns and mortars per 1 km of front, the density of armored vehicles - to 23 tanks and self-propelled guns per 1 km. In the south, in the 8.5-kilometer section of the breakthrough, 9 rifle divisions were ready to strike. The artillery density in the northern sector was increased to 177 guns and mortars, the density of tanks and self-propelled guns was 23 vehicles. The 39th Army, which carried out an auxiliary attack on an 8-kilometer sector, had 139 guns and mortars on 1 km of front, 14 tanks and self-propelled guns on 1 km of front.

To support the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front, the Soviet Headquarters ordered the use of the forces of the Baltic Fleet. For this purpose, a detachment of river armored boats was transferred to the Pregel River near the city of Tapiau from Oranienbaum by rail. At the end of March, artillery from the 404th railway artillery division of the Baltic Fleet was deployed in the area of ​​Gutenfeld station (10 km southeast of Königsberg). The railway artillery division was supposed to interfere with the movement of German ships along the Königsberg Canal, as well as strike at ships, port facilities, berths and the railway junction.

In order to concentrate the efforts of the fleet and organize closer cooperation with the ground forces, at the end of March the South-Western maritime defense area was created under the command of Rear Admiral N. I. Vinogradov. It included the Lyubavsk, Pilaus, and later Kolberg naval bases. The Baltic Fleet was supposed to, including with the help of aviation, disrupt enemy communications. In addition, they began to prepare an amphibious assault for landing in the rear of the Zemland group.

Start of the operation. Breaking through enemy defenses

At dawn on April 6, Vasilevsky ordered the offensive to begin at 12 o'clock. At 9 o'clock artillery and aviation preparation began. The commander of the 11th Guards Army, Kuzma Galitsky, recalled: “The earth shook from the roar of the cannonade. Enemy positions along the entire breakthrough front were covered by a continuous wall of shell explosions. The city was covered in thick smoke, dust and fire. ...Through the brown veil one could see how our heavy shells were demolishing the earthen coverings from the fortifications, how pieces of logs and concrete, stones, and mangled parts of military equipment were flying into the air. Katyusha shells roared overhead.

Over a long period of time, the roofs of the old forts were covered with a significant layer of earth and even overgrown with young forest. From a distance they looked like small hills overgrown with forest. However, with skillful actions, Soviet artillerymen cut off this layer of earth and reached the brick or concrete vaults. The dropped earth and trees quite often blocked the Germans' view and covered the embrasures. The artillery preparation lasted until 12 o'clock. In the offensive zone of the 11th Guards Army, 9 o'clock. 20 minutes. a long-range army group hit the German batteries, and from 9 o'clock. 50 min. until 11 o'clock 20 minutes. struck at identified enemy firing positions. At the same time, the Katyushas crushed active German mortar batteries and strong points in the nearest depths. From 11 o'clock until 11 o'clock 20 minutes. The guns, placed in direct fire, shot at targets at the enemy’s front line. After that until 12 o'clock. all army artillery struck to a depth of 2 km. The mortars concentrated on suppressing enemy personnel. Divisional and corps artillery was focused on destroying fire weapons and strongholds, while the artillery of the army group conducted counter-battery combat. At the end of the artillery barrage, all means hit the front line.

Due to unfavorable weather, Soviet aviation was unable to complete its tasks - instead of the planned 4 thousand sorties, only about 1 thousand sorties were made. Therefore, attack aircraft were unable to support the attack of infantry and tanks. The artillery had to take over some of the aviation tasks. Until 13:00 aviation operated in small groups, significantly increasing activity only in the afternoon.

At 11 o'clock 55 min. "Katyushas" dealt the final blow to the main enemy strongholds. Even during the artillery preparation, the Soviet advanced units came close to the enemy’s front line. Under the cover of artillery fire, some units attacked the stunned Germans and began to capture the forward trenches. At 12 o'clock, Soviet troops launched an assault on enemy positions. The first to go were assault troops supported by tanks; they were created in all rifle divisions. Divisional and corps artillery, as well as army group artillery, shifted their fire deep into the enemy defenses and continued to conduct counter-battery combat. The guns located in infantry combat formations were brought into direct fire, and they destroyed enemy positions.

The awakened German troops put up stubborn resistance, fired heavily and counterattacked. A good example of the ferocity of the battles for Königsberg is the offensive of the 11th Guards Army. In the offensive zone of the 11th Guards Army, the powerful 69th German Infantry Division was defended, reinforced by three regiments of other divisions (in fact, it was another division) and a significant number of separate battalions, including militia, workers, construction, serfs, special and police units. In this area, the Germans had about 40 thousand people, more than 700 guns and mortars, 42 tanks and self-propelled guns. The German defense in the southern sector was strengthened by 4 powerful forts (No. 12 Eulenburg, No. 11 Denhoff, No. 10 Konitz and No. 8 King Friedrich I), 58 long-term firing points (pillboxes and bunkers) and 5 strong points from strong buildings.

Galitsky's 11th Guards Army brought all three corps into the first line - the 36th, 16th and 8th Guards Rifle Corps. The main blow was delivered by Galitsky's army with formations of the 16th Guards Rifle Corps in cooperation with strike groups of the 8th and 36th Guards Rifle Corps. Each Guards Rifle Corps fielded two rifle divisions in the first echelon and one in the second. The commander of the 8th Guards Rifle Corps, Lieutenant General M. N. Zavadovsky, delivered the main attack with the left flank along the Avaiden - Rosenau line. The corps commander allocated the 26th and 83rd Guards Divisions to the first echelon, the 5th Guards Rifle Division was located in the second echelon. The right flank of the corps was covered by an army reserve regiment, army courses for junior lieutenants and a combined cavalry regiment of mounted scouts. The commander of the 16th Guards Rifle Corps, Major General S.S. Guryev, aimed his troops at Ponart. He sent the 1st and 31st divisions to the first echelon, the 11th division was in the second. The commander of the 36th Guards Rifle Corps, Lieutenant General P.K. Koshevoy, struck with the right flank of the corps in the direction of Prappeln and Kalgen. The first echelon included the 84th and 16th divisions, and the second - the 18th division. The left flank of the corps at Frishes Huff Bay was covered by a flamethrower battalion and a company of cadets.

Units of the 26th, 1st and 31st Guards Rifle Divisions of the 11th Guards Army, operating in the main direction, captured the enemy’s second trench with their first blow (the first position of the fortress and Fort No. 9 “Ponart” were captured by Soviet troops back in January). Guardsmen of the 84th Division also broke into enemy positions. The 83rd and 16th Guards Rifle Divisions attacking on the flanks were less successful. They had to break through strong defenses in the area of ​​​​German forts No. 8 and 10.

So, in the zone of the 8th Guards Rifle Corps, the 83rd Division fought a difficult battle for Fort No. 10. The Soviet guards were able to get within 150-200 m of the fort, but could not advance further, hampered by heavy fire from the fort and its supporting units. The division commander, Major General A. G. Maslov, left one regiment to block the fort, and the other two regiments, hiding behind a smoke screen, moved on and broke into Avaiden. Maslov brought assault groups into the battle, and they began to knock the Germans out of the buildings. As a result of an hour-long battle, our troops occupied the southern part of Avaiden and broke through to the northern outskirts. The 26th Division of the 8th Corps also advanced successfully, supported by tanks of the 23rd Tank Brigade and three batteries of the 260th Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment.

1st Guards Rifle Division of the 16th Guards Rifle Corps, reinforced with tanks and self-propelled guns, by 14:00. went to Ponart. Our troops launched an assault on this suburb of Koenigsberg. The Germans resisted fiercely, using the guns left over from the artillery preparation and the tanks and assault guns dug into the ground. Our troops lost several tanks. The 31st Guards Rifle Division, which was also advancing on Ponart, broke into the second line of enemy trenches. However, then the offensive of the Soviet troops stopped. As it turned out after the capture of the capital of East Prussia, the German command expected the main attack of the 11th Guards Army in this direction and paid special attention to the defense of the Ponart direction. Camouflaged anti-tank guns and tanks dug into the ground caused serious damage to our troops. The trenches south of Ponart were occupied by a specially formed battalion of the officer school. The fighting was extremely fierce and turned into hand-to-hand combat. Only by 16 o'clock. The 31st Division broke through the enemy's defenses and joined the battle for Ponart.

It was also difficult for the guardsmen of the 36th Corps. The Germans repulsed the first attacks. Then, using the success of the neighboring 31st Division, the 84th Guards Division with the 338th Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment, at 13:00. broke through the German defenses and began to advance towards Prappeln. However, the left-flank regiment was stopped by Fort No. 8. And the remaining forces of the division were unable to take Prappeln. The division stopped and launched an artillery strike on the village, but it did not reach the target, since the division guns could not reach the concrete and stone basements. More powerful weapons were required. The front command ordered to regroup the forces, block the fort with 1-2 battalions, and move the main forces to Prappeln. Army artillery was given the task of suppressing the fortifications of Prappeln with large-caliber guns.

By 3 p.m. The regrouping of units of the 84th Guards Division was completed. The army artillery strike had a positive effect. The guards quickly took the southern part of the village. Then the offensive paused somewhat, as the German command transferred two militia battalions and several assault guns to this direction. However, the Germans were successfully pushed back, capturing house after house.

Thus, by 15-16 o'clock. Galitsky's army broke through the first enemy position, advancing 3 km in the direction of the main attack. The intermediate line of German defense was also broken through. On the flanks, Soviet troops advanced 1.5 km. Now the army began to storm the second enemy position, which ran along the outskirts of the city and relied on buildings adapted for all-round defense

The critical moment of the operation had arrived. The Germans brought all nearby tactical reserves into battle and began to transfer reserves from the city, trying to stabilize the front. The guards corps fought stubborn battles in the area of ​​Prappeln and Ponart. Almost all rifle regiments were already using second echelons, and some even the last reserves. It took effort to finally turn the situation in one's favor. Then the army command decided to throw divisions of the second echelon of corps into battle, although initially they were not planned to be brought into battle on the first day of the operation. However, keeping them in reserve was impractical. At 2 p.m. The 18th and 5th Guards Divisions began to move forward.

In the afternoon, the clouds began to clear, and Soviet aviation intensified its operations. Attack aircraft of the 1st Guards Air Division under the command of Hero of the Soviet Union General S. D. Prutkov and the 182nd Attack Air Division of General V. I. Shevchenko, under the cover of fighters of the 240th Fighter Air Division of Hero of the Soviet Union, Aviation Major General G. V. Zimin, attacked powerful blows on enemy positions. "Ilya" operated at a minimum altitude. “Black Death,” as the Germans called the IL-2, destroyed manpower and equipment, crushed the firing positions of enemy troops. Attempts by individual German fighters to disrupt the attack of Soviet attack aircraft were repelled by our fighters. Air strikes on enemy positions accelerated the movement of the Soviet guard. So, after our attack aircraft suppressed enemy positions south of Rosenau, the troops of the 26th Guards Division took the southern part of Rosenau.

Units of the 1st and 5th divisions fought heavy battles in the area of ​​the railway depot and the railway. German troops counterattacked and even in some places pushed back our troops, regaining some of the previously lost positions. The 31st Division fought fiercely for Ponart. The Germans turned the stone houses into citadels and, supported by artillery and assault guns, actively resisted. The streets were blocked with barricades, the approaches to them were covered by minefields and wire fences. Literally every house was stormed. Some houses had to be demolished by artillery fire. The Germans repulsed three attacks by the division. Only in the evening the guards made some progress, but were unable to build on their success; the division had exhausted its reserves. At 19 o'clock the division launched a new attack. The assault troops were active and successively took house after house. Heavy self-propelled guns provided great assistance, the shells of which pierced houses right through. By 10 p.m. The 31st Division captured the southern outskirts of Ponart.

The 18th Guards Rifle Division of the 36th Corps (second echelon division) launched an assault on Prappeln. The Germans stubbornly resisted, and only in the evening the division captured the southwestern part of Prappeln. The 84th Division made little progress. Fort No. 8 was completely surrounded. The 16th Guards Rifle Division took Kalgen by the end of the day.

Results of the first day of the offensive

By the end of the day, the 11th Guards Army advanced 4 km, broke through the enemy's first position in a 9-kilometer sector, an intermediate defensive line in a 5-kilometer section and reached the second position in the direction of the main attack. Soviet troops occupied the line northeast of Fort No. 10 - railway depot - southern part of Ponart - Prappeln - Kalgen - Warten. There was a threat of dismemberment of the enemy group, which was defending south of the Pregel River. 43 neighborhoods of the suburbs and the city itself were cleared of Germans. The task of the first day of the offensive was generally completed. True, the flanks of the army lagged behind.

In other directions, Soviet troops also advanced successfully. Lyudnikov's 39th Army wedged 4 kilometers into enemy defenses, intercepting the Koenigsberg-Pillau railway. Units of Beloborodov's 43rd Army broke through the enemy's first position, took Fort No. 5 and surrounded Fort No. 5a, and drove the Nazis out of Charlottenburg and the village southwest of it. The 43rd Army was the first to break into Königsberg and cleared the 20th quarter of the Germans. There were only 8 kilometers left between the troops of the 43rd and 11th Guards Army. The troops of Ozerov's 50th Army also broke through the first line of enemy defense, advanced 2 km, took Fort No. 4 and occupied 40 city blocks. The 2nd Guards and 5th Armies remained in place.

The German command, in order to avoid encirclement of the Koenigsberg garrison and fend off the attack of the 39th Army, brought the 5th Panzer Division into the battle. In addition, additional troops began to be transferred from the Zemland Peninsula to the Königsberg area. The commandant of Königsberg, Otto von Lyash, apparently believed that the main threat to the city came from the 43rd and 50th armies, which were rushing towards the center of the capital of East Prussia. From the south, the city center was covered by the Pregel River. In addition, the Germans feared the encirclement of Koenigsberg, trying to fend off the offensive of the 39th Army. In the southern direction, the defense was reinforced with several reserve battalions, and they also tried to hold forts No. 8 and 10, which held back the flanks of the 11th Guards Army and hastily created new fortifications in the path of Galitsky’s army.

Exactly 70 years ago, on April 9, 1945, Soviet troops captured Königsberg by storm during the East Prussian operation.

To this event, friends, I dedicate this photo collection.

1. The commander of the 303rd Soviet Aviation Division, Major General of Aviation Georgy Nefedovich Zakharov (1908-1996), assigns a combat mission to the pilots storming Koenigsberg from the air. 1945

2. View of one of the forts of Koenigsberg. 1945

3. Line of trenches near Koenigsberg. 1945

4. A Soviet infantry unit passes through a destroyed settlement on the outskirts of Koenigsberg. January 30, 1945 East Prussia.

5. Soviet guards mortars at a firing position. South-west of Koenigsberg. 1945

6. The heavy gun of battery commander Captain Smirnov at a firing position fires at German fortifications in Konigsberg. April 1945

7. Soldiers from Captain V. Leskov’s battery deliver artillery shells on the approaches to Koenigsberg. 1945

8. Soviet soldier guardsman-artilleryman with a cannon shell on which is written: “Around Koenigsberg.” 1945

9. A Soviet infantry unit is fighting on one of the streets of Koenigsberg. 1945

10. Soviet soldiers during the battle for Koenigsberg, heading to a combat position under the cover of a smoke screen. 1945

11. Self-propelled guns with a landing of machine gunners attack enemy positions in the Konigsberg area. April 1945

12. Guardsman V. Surnin, the first to break into one of the buildings in Koenigsberg during the attack on the city, strengthens the flag with his name on the roof of the house. 1945

13. The corpses of German soldiers on the side of the Primorskoye Highway southwest of Koenigsberg, left after the battle. Movement of carts with Soviet soldiers of the 3rd Belorussian Front. March 1945

15. Group of Heroes of the Soviet Union of the 5th Army, awarded this title for battles in East Prussia. From left to right: Guards ml Lieutenant Nezdoliy K., Guards. Captain Filosofov A., Major General Gorodovikov B.B., Guards Captain Kotin F., Sergeant Major Voinshin F. 1944 East Prussia.

16. Soviet sappers clear mines from the streets of Koenigsberg. 1945

17. V.E. Yashkov, photogrammetrist of the 136th Army Cannon Artillery Brigade (1st left) with colleagues at the German railway artillery range. 1945 Germany.

18. Soldiers of the Moscow Proletarian Division fire at the enemy on the Frisch Nerung Spit. 1945 East Prussia.

19. Soviet sappers clear mines from one of the streets of Tilsit with the help of service dogs. 1945

20. A border post with the inscription “Germany” (in Russian) on the street of a German city destroyed during the fighting. 1945 East Prussia.

21. Soviet soldiers in the battle for the Könisberg - Fischhausen railway line. 1945 East Prussia.

22. Mortar crew of the 11th Guards Army at a firing position on the approaches to the city of Pilau. 1945 East Prussia.

23. Soviet heavy guns are moving along the road, past one of the populated areas of East Prussia. 1945

24. Soldiers of the 5th Army of the 3rd Belorussian Front (from left to right): I. Osipov, P. Kornienko, A. Seleznev were the first to enter the city of Granz. April 1945

26. German transport, sunk by Soviet troops, in the port of Elbing. 1945

28. Residents of Elbing return to the city after the end of hostilities. February 1945

29. The artillery crew of the 11th Guards Army is fighting on the Frisch Nerung spit. 1945 East Prussia

30. Soviet guardsmen on Frisch Nerung Bay after the defeat of the enemy. April 1945 East Prussia.

31. Commander of the 11th Guards Army, Major General K.N. Galitsky and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General I.I. Semenov at the map. April 1945 East Prussia.

32. Soldiers of the 70th Army inspect shells intended for firing from the Su-76. 1945 East Prussia.

33. View of the city of Velau. The bridge over the Alle River, blown up by German troops during the retreat. 1945

35. Soviet trucks on one of the streets of the city of Elsa, occupied by troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front. March 1945

37. View of one of the streets of the city of Hohenstein, occupied by troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front. 02 February 1945

38. Submachine gunners of the 3rd Belorussian Front walk along a destroyed street in Insterburg. 06 February 1945

39. Cavalry and infantry of the 2nd Belorussian Front on the square of the city of Allenstein. 02 February 1945

40. Soviet soldiers march in formation past a monument erected at the burial site of M.I. Kutuzov’s heart on a square in Bunzlau. March 17, 1945

41. Soviet submachine gunners during a street battle in Glogau. April 1945

42. One of the streets of the city of Willenberg, occupied by troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front. 02 February 1945

43. Artillery of the 1st Ukrainian Front on one of the streets of Neisse. April 1945

44. Soldiers of the 3rd Belorussian Front escort German prisoners of war. 1945 Koenigsberg

45. Commander of the 11th Guards Army, Colonel General Kuzma Nikitovich Galitsky (1897-1973) and Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Ivan Iosifovich Semyonov, near the destroyed Royal Castle in Koenigsberg. April 1945

46. ​​Preparations for the bombing operation of Koenigsberg in the 135th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment. 1945

47. Soviet soldiers walk along the embankment of Koenigsberg, destroyed in battle. 04/09/1945

48. Soldiers of the 3rd Belorussian Front run to attack on one of the streets of Koenigsberg. April 1945

49. Soviet soldiers pass through a German village on the outskirts of Konigsberg. 1945

50. German Jagdpanzer IV/70 tank destroyer (left) and Sd.Kfz.7 half-track tractor destroyed by Soviet troops during the assault on the street of Koenigsberg. April 1945

51. Soviet soldiers near German 150-mm infantry howitzers sIG 33 on Steile Strasse (now Grieg Street) in captured Königsberg. 04/13/1945

52. Commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky (left) and his deputy Army General I.Kh. Bagramyan clarify the plan for the assault on Koenigsberg. 1945

53. A column of Soviet self-propelled guns ISU-152 is moving towards new combat lines to strike the forts of Koenigsberg. April 1945

54. Soviet unit in a street battle in Koenigsberg. April 1945

55. Soviet soldiers pass through a German settlement on the outskirts of Koenigsberg. 01/25/1945

56. Abandoned German guns near the ruins of a building in Koenigsberg after the city was taken by storm. April 1945

57. A German 88-mm FlaK 36/37 anti-aircraft gun abandoned on the outskirts of Königsberg. April 1945

58. Soviet self-propelled gun ISU-152 “St. John’s wort” on the street of captured Koenigsberg. On the right in the column is the Soviet self-propelled gun SU-76. April 1945

59. Soviet infantry, supported by the SU-76 self-propelled guns, attacks German positions in the Konigsberg area. 1945

60. German prisoners at the Sackheim Gate in Königsberg. April 1945

61. Soviet soldiers sleep, resting after the fighting, right on the street of Königsberg, which was taken by storm. April 1945

62. German refugees with a baby in Konigsberg. March-April 1945

63. Broken cars on the street of Königsberg taken by storm. Soviet soldiers in the background. April 1945

64. Soviet soldiers are fighting a street battle on the outskirts of Koenigsberg. 3rd Belorussian Front. April 1945

65. A German 150-mm heavy self-propelled gun (self-propelled howitzer) “Hummel” destroyed by a direct hit from a large-caliber projectile. April 1945

66. Soviet self-propelled gun ISU-122S is fighting in Koenigsberg. 3rd Belorussian Front, April 1945.

67. German assault gun StuG III knocked out in Königsberg. In the foreground is a killed German soldier. April 1945

68. Koenigsberg, positions of German air defense troops after the bombing. A sound-reduction installation is visible on the right. April 1945

69. Koenigsberg, destroyed German artillery battery. April 1945

70. Koenigsberg, German bunker in the Horst Wessel Park area. April 1945

The Koenigsberg operation (April 6-9, 1945) was a strategic military operation of the USSR armed forces against German troops during the Great Patriotic War with the aim of eliminating the enemy Koenigsberg group and capturing the fortified city of Koenigsberg, part of the East Prussian operation of 1945.

The history of Koenigsberg is the history of the creation of a first-class fortress. The city's defense consisted of three lines encircling Koenigsberg.

The first zone was based on 15 forts 7-8 kilometers from the city limits.

The second defensive line ran along the outskirts of the city. It consisted of groups of buildings prepared for defense, reinforced concrete firing points, barricades, hundreds of kilometers of trenches, minefields and wire fences.

The third zone consisted of forts, ravelins, reinforced concrete structures, stone buildings with loopholes, and occupied most of the city and its center.

The main task facing the command of the 3rd Belorussian Front was to take the city, reducing the number of casualties to the limit. Therefore, Marshal Vasilevsky paid great attention to reconnaissance. Aviation continuously bombed enemy fortifications.

Day and night, careful preparations were made for the assault on the city and fortress of Koenigsberg. Assault groups ranging in strength from a company to an infantry battalion were formed. The group was assigned a sapper platoon, two or three guns, two or three tanks, flamethrowers and mortars. The artillerymen had to move along with the infantrymen, clearing the way for them to advance. Subsequently, the assault confirmed the effectiveness of such small but mobile groups.

STORM TROOPS

What were the new methods of fighting, what were the main features of the use of various types of troops in street battles?

Infantry

THE EXPERIENCE of the assault on Koenigsberg shows that the main place in infantry combat formations should be occupied by assault detachments. They penetrate the enemy's battle formations relatively more easily, dismember them, disorganize the defense and pave the way for the main forces.

The composition of the assault detachment depended on the nature of the buildings and the nature of the enemy’s defense in the city. As experience has shown, it is advisable to create these detachments as part of one rifle company (50-60 people), reinforced with one or two 45 mm anti-tank guns mod. 1942, two 76 mm regimental artillery guns mod. 1927 or 1943, one or two 76 mm divisional guns ZIS-3 mod. 1942, one 122 mm howitzer M-30 mod. 1938, one or two tanks (or self-propelled artillery units), a platoon of heavy machine guns, a platoon of 82 mm battalion mortars mod. 1937, a squad (platoon) of sappers and a squad (platoon) of flamethrowers.

According to the nature of the tasks performed, the assault troops were divided into groups:

a) attacking (one - two) - consisting of 20-26 riflemen, machine gunners, light machine gunners, flamethrowers and a squad of sappers;

b) reinforcements - consisting of 8-10 riflemen, a platoon of heavy machine guns, 1-2 artillery pieces and a squad of sappers;

c) fire - as part of artillery units, a platoon of 82 mm mortars, tanks and self-propelled guns;

d) reserve - consisting of 10-15 riflemen, several heavy machine guns and 1-2 artillery pieces.

Thus, the assault detachment seemed to consist of two parts: one, actively operating in front (attack groups), having light small arms (machine guns, flamethrowers, grenades, rifles), and the second, supporting the actions of the first, having heavy weapons (machine guns, guns, mortars, etc.).

The attacking group (groups), depending on the target of the attack, could be divided into subgroups, each consisting of 4-6 people.

Preparing for the battle for the city

FEATURES of the use of various types of troops in battles for the city also determined the variety of forms of combat training for troops. At the same time, special attention was paid to the training of assault troops. During these classes, personnel learned to throw grenades at windows, up and down; use an entrenching tool; crawl and quickly run from cover to cover; overcome obstacles; jump over ditches and fences; quickly climb into the windows of houses; conduct hand-to-hand combat in fortified buildings; use explosives; block and destroy firing points; storm fortified neighborhoods and houses from the street and by walking through courtyards and vegetable gardens; move through gaps in walls; quickly transform a captured house or block into a powerful stronghold; use improvised means of crossing water barriers in the city.

In this case, the main emphasis was on working out issues of interaction between groups of the assault detachment and within groups.

Tactical training of assault units was carried out on specially equipped training fields. These fields, depending on the conditions, usually had a defensive line consisting of 1-2 lines of trenches; wire fences and minefields; a settlement with strong stone buildings and 2-3 strong points for practicing combat techniques in the depths.

The units learned to attack to a depth of 3-4 km with access to the opposite outskirts of the populated area and consolidation there. After the classes, a debriefing was held, during which the groups were practically shown how to perform this or that technique or maneuver.

The training of assault troops was carried out on the basis of specially developed instructions for storming the city and fortress of Koenigsberg and for crossing the river. Pregel within the city.

THROUGH THE EYES OF A SOLDIER

On the night of April 5-6, we conducted reconnaissance in force. We met strong resistance, and there were, of course, losses. The weather was also lousy: there was a light, cold drizzle. The Germans retreated and occupied the first line of defense, where they had a bunker. Our people approached it at 4 o'clock, at dawn, planted explosives and blew up the wall. We smoked out 20 people from there. And at 9 am artillery preparation began. The guns started talking and we huddled to the ground.

I.Medvedev

On April 6, we approached Konigsberg from the south, where Baltraion is now. We hunted for “cuckoos” - individual soldiers or groups of soldiers with radio stations that transmitted information about the movement and concentration of our troops. I caught such “cuckoos” twice: they were groups of three people. They hid in fields, in basements on farmsteads, in pits. And Il-2 planes constantly flew over our heads; the Germans called them “Black Death”. I saw so many planes only when we took Vilnius!

N.Batsev

Kaliningrad veterans remember the assault on Koenigsberg. Komsomolskaya Pravda, April 9, 2009

THROUGH THE EYES OF THE REGIMENTAL COMMANDER

At exactly five o'clock a powerful salvo of guns rang out, followed by a second, third, and Katyusha rockets. Everything was mixed up and drowned in an unimaginable roar.

The artillery fired continuously for about an hour and a half. During this time, it was finally dawn, and the outlines of the fort could be seen. Two shells, one after the other, hit the main gate. They swayed and collapsed.

Shoot! - I shouted to Shchukin.

The adjutant fired a rocket launcher. A moment, another - and the soldiers got out of the trench. “Hurrah” rang out across the entire field in front of the fort.

The assault group was the first to burst into the collapsed gate and strike with bayonets. The third and sixth companies overcame the ditch. And soon we saw a wide white banner slowly, reluctantly creeping up the flagpole of Fort King Frederick III.

Hurray! - officers and soldiers shouted.

Telephone operators and radio operators were in a hurry to convey the order:

The enemy has surrendered. Stop the fire.

The shooting stopped. We got out of the trench. One of the radio operators shouted:

Captain Kudlenok reports: the Nazis are leaving the casemates without weapons, they are surrendering!

THROUGH THE EYES OF A MARSHAL

On April 8, trying to avoid pointless casualties, I, as the front commander, turned to the German generals, officers and soldiers of the Koenigsberg group of forces with a proposal to lay down their arms. However, the Nazis decided to resist. On the morning of April 9, the fighting flared up with renewed vigor. 5,000 of our guns and mortars, 1,500 aircraft dealt a crushing blow to the fortress. The Nazis began to surrender in entire units. By the end of the fourth day of continuous fighting, Koenigsberg fell:

During interrogation at front headquarters, the commandant of Koenigsberg, General Lasch, said:

“The soldiers and officers of the fortress held out steadfastly in the first two days, but the Russians outnumbered us and gained the upper hand. They managed to secretly concentrate such a quantity of artillery and aircraft, the massive use of which destroyed the fortifications of the fortress and demoralized the soldiers and officers. We have completely lost control of the troops. Coming out of the fortification onto the street to contact the unit headquarters, we did not know where to go, completely losing our bearings, the city, so destroyed and burning, changed its appearance. It was impossible to imagine that such a fortress as Koenigsberg would fall so quickly. The Russian command developed this operation well and carried it out perfectly. At Koenigsberg we lost the entire 100,000-strong army. The loss of Koenigsberg is the loss of the largest fortress and German stronghold in the East.”

Hitler could not come to terms with the loss of the city, which he declared to be the best German fortress in the entire history of Germany and “an absolutely impregnable bastion of the German spirit,” and in impotent rage he sentenced Lasch to death in absentia.

In the city and its suburbs, Soviet troops captured about 92 thousand prisoners (including 1800 officers and generals), over 3.5 thousand guns and mortars, about 130 aircraft and 90 tanks, many cars, tractors and tractors, a large number of different warehouses with all kinds of property.

While the trophies were being counted, a joyful report flew to Moscow. And on the night of April 10, 1945, the capital saluted the valor, courage and skill of the heroes of the assault on Koenigsberg with 24 artillery salvoes from 324 guns.

"FOR THE CAPTURE OF KONIGSBERG"

After the end of the war, awards were established for the liberation of major European cities by the Red Army. In accordance with the assignment, medals were developed: for the liberation of Prague, Belgrade, Warsaw, the capture of Berlin, Budapest, Vienna. The medal for the capture of Koenigsberg stands out among them, since it was not a medal for the capture of the capital, but for the capture of a fortress city.

The medal “For the Capture of Koenigsberg” was established on June 9, 1945 by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The awarding of the medal took place after the end of the war; in total, approximately 760,000 people were awarded the medal “For the Capture of Koenigsberg.”

10:36 9.04.2012 , Gladilin Ivan

Assault on Konigsberg

The “absolutely impregnable bastion of the German spirit” was captured by Soviet troops in just three days.

Today is the anniversary of the outstanding military feat of our grandfathers and fathers. 67 years ago, on April 9, 1945, the Sovinformburo solemnly announced: “The troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front, after stubborn street fighting, completed the defeat of the Koenigsberg group of German troops, stormed the fortress and the main city of East Prussia, Koenigsberg, a strategically important center of German defense on the Baltic Sea. The remnants of the Koenigsberg garrison, led by the commandant of the fortress, today, at 21:30, stopped resistance and laid down their arms.” Thus, the centuries-old bridgehead of German expansion into Rus' and Russia fell.

The Germans themselves did not expect such a rapid outcome. During interrogation at the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front, the captured German commandant of the city, General Otto Lasch, admitted: “It was impossible to assume that such a fortress as Koenigsberg would fall so quickly. The Russian command developed this operation well and carried it out perfectly. At Koenigsberg we lost our entire army of one hundred thousand. The loss of Koenigsberg is the loss of the largest fortress and German stronghold in the East.”

Hitler was enraged by the fall of the city and, in an impotent rage, sentenced Lasch to death in absentia. Of course: before that, he declared Koenigsberg “an absolutely impregnable bastion of the German spirit”! And the city, indeed, seemed ready to give a decisive battle to the advancing Red Army. A Red Army soldier wearing a Civil War-era Budyonnovka looked down at the city residents from large colored posters pasted onto street bollards. With his mouth bared brutally, he raised his dagger over a young German woman clutching a child to her chest. On public buildings it was written in large letters: “Fight like the Russians in Stalingrad!” And in the very center of the city, on the banks of the Pregel River, on the brick wall of the castle of the Prussian kings there was an inscription in Gothic font: “The weak Russian fortress of Sevastopol held out for 250 days against the invincible German army. Koenigsberg, the best fortress in Europe, will never be taken!”

But it was taken, and in a matter of days: the assault on Koenigsberg itself began on April 6, and by the evening of the 9th, the “absolutely impregnable bastion of the German spirit,” the city from where all “Drang nach Osten” began, fell. The spring of power of the Red Army, compressed to the limit by the Germans at Moscow and Stalingrad, once released, was no longer unstoppable.

But over many centuries, the website russian-west.narod.ru reports, the rulers of East Prussia turned Koenigsberg into a powerful fortress. And when the Red Army troops approached the borders of East Prussia and then invaded its borders, the German high command hastily began modernizing old and building new fortifications around the city.

The first line of defense was occupied by forts named after German commanders and statesmen. They were hills covered with mighty ancient trees and bushes, with wide ditches, half filled with water and surrounded by rows of wire fences, with reinforced concrete bunkers, mounds of pillboxes and bunkers, narrow loopholes for firing from all types of weapons. Speaking about the inaccessibility of the forts, the Gauleiter of East Prussia E. Koch called them the “nightgowns” of Koenigsberg, meaning that behind their walls one could sleep peacefully.

Map of the assault on Konigsberg

The basis of the second line were numerous stone buildings on the outskirts of the city. The Germans barricaded the streets, built reinforced concrete caps at intersections, and installed a large number of anti-tank and assault guns.

The third line of defense ran in the city itself, along the line of the old fortress wall. There were bastions, ravelins, towers with brickwork 1-3 m thick, underground barracks and ammunition and food warehouses.

Under these conditions, General I.Kh. later recalled. Bagramyan, “perhaps the most difficult mission this time fell to the lot of the chief of the engineering troops, General V.V. Kosyreva. Indeed, in ensuring the overcoming of such fortifications that were created around the city and in the city itself, the engineering troops had to play no less important role than aviation and artillery... With the beginning of the assault, the engineering troops had to clear mines and restore paths for the advance of tanks, artillery and other types of military equipment, and then clear the city streets and build crossings across the Pregel River and numerous deep canals. And all this work was carefully planned and completed in a timely manner.”

On April 6, 1945, Soviet troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front launched a decisive assault on Konigsberg, the capital of East Prussia. The capture of the city was supposed to be the crown of the entire East Prussian operation, which Soviet troops had been conducting since January 1945.

The commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, Marshal Alexander Vasilevsky, assessed the significance of this operation in his memoirs: “East Prussia was long ago turned by Germany into the main strategic springboard for an attack on Russia and Poland. From this bridgehead the attack on Russia was carried out in 1914... From here the fascist hordes moved in 1941.

During 1941-1945. East Prussia was of great economic, political and strategic importance to the German High Command. Here, in deep underground shelters near Rastenburg, until 1944, Hitler’s headquarters was located, nicknamed by the Nazis themselves “Wolfsschanze” (“Wolf Pit”). The capture of East Prussia, the citadel of German militarism, constituted an important page in the final stage of the war in Europe. The fascist command attached great importance to holding Prussia. It was supposed to firmly cover the approaches to the central regions of Germany. On its territory and in the adjacent areas of the northern part of Poland, a number of fortifications, engineering-strong frontal and cut-off positions, as well as large defense centers filled with long-term structures were erected. The old fortresses were largely modernized; all structures were firmly connected to each other in terms of fortification and fire. The total depth of engineering equipment here reached 150-200 km. The relief features of East Prussia - lakes, rivers, swamps and canals, a developed network of railways and highways, strong stone buildings - greatly contributed to the defense. By 1945, East Prussian fortified areas and defensive zones with fortresses included in them, combined with natural obstacles, were not inferior in power to the West German “Siegfried Line”, and in some areas surpassed it. The defense in our main direction - Gumbinnen, Insterburg, Koenigsberg - was especially well developed in terms of engineering.”

The powerful fortifications of East Prussia were complemented by a very large group of German troops. These were the troops of the Army Group “Center” (from January 26, 1945 – Army Group “North”) recreated after the defeat in the summer of 1944 in Belarus - the 3rd Tank, 4th and 2nd armies. By mid-January 1945, the Army Group included 43 divisions (35 infantry, 4 tank, 4 motorized) and 1 brigade, according to Soviet estimates, with a total strength of 580,000 soldiers and officers and 200,000 Volkssturm troops. They had 8,200 guns and mortars, 700 tanks and assault guns, 775 aircraft of the 6th Air Fleet. Army Group North was headed by Colonel General Rendulic, and then by Colonel General Weichs.

As Vasilevsky explained in his memoirs, “the East Prussian group of the Nazis had to be defeated at all costs, because this freed up the armies of the 2nd Belorussian Front for operations in the main direction and removed the threat of a flank attack from East Prussia against Soviet troops that had broken through in this direction " According to the plan, the overall goal of the operation was to cut off the armies of the Center group defending in East Prussia from the rest of the fascist forces, press them to the sea, dismember and destroy them in parts, completely clearing the territory of East Prussia and Northern Poland from the enemy. The success of such an operation in a strategic sense was extremely important and was significant not only for the general offensive of the Soviet troops in the winter of 1945, but also for the outcome of the Great Patriotic War as a whole.

First, the troops of the 3rd and 2nd Belorussian Fronts had to use coordinated concentric attacks to cut off the East Prussian enemy group from its main forces and press it to the sea. Then the troops of the 3rd Belorussian and 1st Baltic fronts were supposed to surround the enemy troops and destroy them piece by piece. At the same time, part of the troops was transferred from the 3rd Belorussian to the 1st Baltic Front, and from the 2nd Belorussian to the 3rd Belorussian. Headquarters sent additional military reinforcements from its reserve to these fronts. It was assumed that during the operation the 2nd Belorussian Front, in close cooperation with the 1st Belorussian Front, would be redirected for operations in the main direction - through Eastern Pomerania to Stettin. In accordance with the calculations made by the General Staff, the operation was supposed to begin in mid-January 1945.

Indeed, in January 1945, the Soviet offensive began to develop in two directions: through Gumbinnen to Königsberg and from the Narev area towards the Baltic Sea. Powerful forces were involved - over 1.66 million soldiers and officers, more than 25,000 guns and mortars, almost 4,000 tanks and self-propelled guns, over 3,000 aircraft. And yet, unlike the parallel Vistula-Oder operation, the advance of the Red Army in East Prussia was slow. The battles for the “cradle of Prussian militarism” were distinguished by great tenacity and bitterness. Here the Germans created a defense in depth, which included 7 defensive lines and 6 fortified areas. In addition, the thick fog characteristic of these places at this time of year made it difficult to successfully use aviation and artillery.

And yet, by January 26, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front, having reached the Baltic coast north of Elbing, cut off a significant part of Army Group North from the main German forces in the west. Having repelled the persistent attempts of the Germans to restore the coastal corridor, the Red Army began to dismember and eliminate the German troops cut off in East Prussia. This task was assigned to the 3rd Belorussian and 1st Baltic fronts. By the beginning of February, the East Prussian group of Germans was cut into three parts. The largest of them was located in the Heilsberg area (south of Koenigsberg), the other was sandwiched in Koenigsberg itself, the third defended on the Zemland Peninsula (west of Koenigsberg).

On February 10, the liquidation of 19 divisions in the Heilberg pocket began south of Königsberg. The fighting in this area, dense with defensive structures, became brutal and protracted. The fortification system of East Prussia had an incredible density of concrete structures - up to 10-12 pillboxes per square kilometer. In the winter-spring Battle of Heilsberg there was practically no maneuver. The Germans, who had nowhere to retreat, fought to the end. The army was actively supported by the local population. The militias made up a fourth of the total troops defending the region. Frontal bloody battles lasted a month and a half. The commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, General Ivan Chernyakhovsky, died in them. Instead, Marshal Vasilevsky took command of the front. Finally, on March 29, the remnants of the German troops desperately fighting in the Heilsberg pocket could not withstand the onslaught and capitulated. During these battles, the Germans lost 220,000 killed and 60,000 captured.

After the defeat of the Heilsberg group, units of the Red Army began to converge on Koenigsberg, the assault on which began on April 6. The united 3rd Belorussian Front by this time included the 2nd Guards, 43rd, 39th, 5th, 50th, 11th Guards, 31st, 28th, 3rd and 48th combined arms armies, 1st and 3rd air armies.

The commander of the defense of Königsberg, General Otto Lasch, also placed almost all men capable of carrying weapons in the ranks of the city’s defenders: the SD (security service), SA (stormtroopers), SS FT (military security groups), youth sports groups “Strength through Joy”, FS ( volunteer guards), units of the NSNKK (fascist motorized groups), parts of the Todt construction service, ZIPO (security police) and GUF (secret field police). In addition, the Koenigsberg garrison included 4 infantry divisions, a number of separate regiments, fortress units, security units, Volkssturm detachments - about 130,000 soldiers, almost 4,000 guns and mortars, more than 100 tanks and assault guns. 170 aircraft were based at the airfields of the Zemland Peninsula. By order of the commandant of the fortress, an airfield was built right in the city.

Our troops have already suffered serious losses. The combat strength of the units was sharply reduced, and the striking force of the front decreased. There were almost no reinforcements, since the Supreme High Command continued to direct all efforts to the Berlin direction. The front also experienced great difficulties with the material support of the troops, especially with the supply of fuel. The rear areas lagged significantly behind and were unable to provide troops in a timely manner. In such a situation, Vasilevsky, after the liquidation of the Heilberg pocket, decided to continue to beat the Germans piece by piece: first, with all his might, attack the troops gathered in the city, and only then engage in grouping on the Zemland Peninsula.

This is how he describes the beginning of the assault on the East Prussian stronghold: “...battles on the southern shore of Frisches Huff Bay. The spring flood brought the rivers out of their banks and turned the entire area into a swamp. Knee-deep in mud, Soviet soldiers fought their way through fire and smoke into the middle of the fascist group. Trying to break away from our troops, the enemy rushed in panic to barges, boats, and steamships and then blew up the dam. Thousands of Nazi soldiers remained under the waves that poured onto the plain.”

The plan for defeating the Koenigsberg group was to cut through the forces of the garrison with powerful blows from the north and south in converging directions and take the city by storm. To carry out the assault operation, troops that were part of the Zemland group were involved: the 43rd, 50th, 11th Guards and 39th armies. The main role in the assault on the city was given to artillery fire of all calibers, including guns of special power, as well as to the actions of aviation, which was supposed to accompany the troops and completely demoralize the defending enemy.

The headquarters provided the front with additional, most powerful means of suppression from the reserve of the Supreme High Command. By the beginning of the assault, the front had 5,000 guns and mortars, 47% of them were heavy guns, then large and special power ones - with a caliber from 203 to 305 mm. To fire at the most important targets, as well as to prevent the enemy from evacuating troops and equipment along the Koenigsberg Sea Canal, 5 naval railway batteries (11 130 mm and 4 180 mm guns, the latter with a firing range of up to 34 km) were intended. . The troops advancing on the city were assisted by large-caliber guns (152 mm and 203 mm) and 160 mm mortars allocated to the commanders of the rifle divisions. To destroy particularly durable buildings, structures and engineering structures, corps and divisional groups were created, which were given specially powerful rocket artillery. Assault military groups were also saturated with artillery to the limit: they had up to 70% of divisional artillery, and in some cases, heavy guns.

The operation involved two air armies of the 3rd Belorussian Front, part of the aviation forces of the Leningrad, 2nd Belorussian Fronts and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet and heavy bombers of the 18th Air Army of Long-Range Aviation under the leadership of Chief Marshal of Aviation A.E. Golovanov - up to 2500 aircraft in total!

After the artillery and air bombardment of enemy positions, by the evening of April 6, the unified defensive system of Koenigsberg virtually no longer existed. The Germans feverishly erected new fortifications, barricaded streets, and blew up bridges. The fortress garrison was ordered to hold out at all costs. On the night of April 7, the fascist command tried to establish broken control and put its battered units in order. On the morning of April 7, hot battles broke out in the suburbs and in Koenigsberg itself. The desperate enemy launched fierce counterattacks, throwing hastily assembled Volkssturm units into battle. The Nazis carried out a hasty regrouping of forces and brought their last reserves into battle, transferring them from sector to section. But all attempts to stop the attackers failed. The second day of the fight for the city was decisive. Our fighters advanced another 3-4 km, captured three powerful forts and occupied 130 blocks.

Having overcome stubborn enemy resistance on the inner defensive perimeter of the fortress, the 43rd Army cleared the northwestern part of the city. At the same time, the 11th Guards Army, advancing from the south, crossed the Pregel River. Now it was dangerous to conduct artillery and mortar fire: it was possible to hit our own people. The artillery had to fall silent, and throughout the last day of the assault our valiant soldiers had to shoot exclusively from personal weapons, often engaging in hand-to-hand combat. By the end of the third day of the assault, 300 blocks of the old fortress were occupied.

On April 8, Marshal Vasilevsky, trying to avoid pointless casualties, turned to German generals, officers and soldiers of the Koenigsberg group of forces with a proposal to lay down their arms. However, there was a refusal, and on the morning of April 9, the fighting flared up with renewed vigor, but this was already the agony of the garrison. By the end of the fourth day of continuous fighting, Koenigsberg had fallen, and its commandant, General Lasch, also surrendered.

4 days after the capture of Koenigsberg, Soviet troops began to eliminate the 65,000-strong German group on the Zemland Peninsula. By April 25, they captured the Zemland Peninsula and the seaport of Pillau. The remnants of the German units (22,000 people) retreated to the Frische-Nerung spit and surrendered there after the surrender of Germany.

In the city and its suburbs, Soviet troops captured about 92,000 prisoners (including 1,800 officers and generals), over 3,500 guns and mortars, about 130 aircraft and 90 tanks, many cars, tractors and tractors, a large number of different warehouses with all kinds of property.

The Battle of East Prussia was the bloodiest battle of the 1945 campaign. The losses of the Red Army in this operation exceeded 580,000 people (of which 127,000 were killed). The damage to the Red Army in equipment was very large: in terms of tanks and self-propelled guns (3525) and aircraft (1450), it surpassed other operations of the 1945 campaign.

German losses in the Heilsberg pocket, Königsberg and the Zemland Peninsula alone amounted to about 500,000 people (of which approximately 300,000 were killed).

Decades later, traitors were found...

The storming of Koenigsberg showed examples of mass heroism of our soldiers and officers. The guardsmen, without hesitation, went to the most dangerous places, boldly entered into an unequal battle, and if the situation demanded it, they sacrificed their lives, says the Orthodox Warrior website. Guardsmen Lazarev, Shayderyavsky, Shindrat, Tkachenko, Gorobets and Veshkin took the lead and were the first to cross the Pregel River, which blocked the path to the city center. The Nazis managed to surround a handful of brave men. The warriors took on an unequal battle. They fought to the last bullet and all died the death of the brave, preserving their guards honor and immortalizing their names forever. In the area where Russian soldiers fought, there were 50 dead Germans. At the battle site, our soldiers found a note that said: “The guardsmen fought here and died for their Motherland, for their brothers, sisters and fathers. They fought, but did not surrender to the enemy. They fought to the last drop of blood and life.”

The homeland highly appreciated the military exploits of its sons. All participants in the assault on Koenigsberg were presented with commendations from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the medal “For the Capture of Koenigsberg,” approved by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in June 1945, which was usually done only on the occasion of the capture of state capitals. 98 formations received the name “Koenigsberg”, 156 were awarded orders, 235 soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In accordance with the decisions of the Allies, Koenigsberg and part of East Prussia became part of the USSR, and the city itself was soon renamed Kaliningrad. And now decades have passed, and in our country (and in its leadership) there were people who thought of returning the Kaliningrad enclave to Germany! In May 2010, the authoritative German magazine Der Spiegel reported that in 1990, when negotiations on the future unification of Germany were in full swing at the initiative of Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet representatives approached West German diplomats in Moscow with a proposal to discuss the status of the Kaliningrad region. And the fate of Kaliningrad was then actually saved by the Germans themselves: after an introductory conversation held at the Moscow Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, they refused further negotiations. And if they had agreed, Gorbachev’s leadership probably would not have flinched...

Thank God that the above-mentioned heroic guardsmen Lazarev, Shayderyavsky, Shindrat, Tkachenko, Gorobets and Veshkin, as well as 127,000 of our soldiers who died on the battlefields in East Prussia, and all those who stormed Koenigsberg in 1945, but did not live to see 2010, they did not find out about this betrayal. Eternal memory to them. And eternal shame to the traitors from the Soviet leadership.

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The “absolutely impregnable bastion of the German spirit” was captured by Soviet troops in just three days

Today is the anniversary of the outstanding military feat of our grandfathers and fathers. 67 years ago, on April 9, 1945, the Sovinformburo solemnly announced: “The troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front, after persistent street fighting, completed the defeat of the Koenigsberg group of German troops, stormed the fortress and the main city of East Prussia, Koenigsberg, a strategically important center of German defense on the Baltic Sea. The remnants of the Koenigsberg garrison, led by the commandant of the fortress, today, at 21:30, stopped resistance and laid down their arms.” Thus, the centuries-old bridgehead of German expansion into Rus' and Russia fell.

The Germans themselves did not expect such a rapid outcome. During interrogation at the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front, the captured German commandant of the city, General Otto Lasch, admitted: “It was impossible to assume that such a fortress as Koenigsberg would fall so quickly. The Russian command developed this operation well and carried it out perfectly. At Koenigsberg we lost our entire army of one hundred thousand. The loss of Koenigsberg is the loss of the largest fortress and German stronghold in the East.”

Hitler was enraged by the fall of the city and, in an impotent rage, sentenced Lasch to death in absentia. Of course: before that, he declared Koenigsberg “an absolutely impregnable bastion of the German spirit”! And the city, indeed, seemed ready to give a decisive battle to the advancing Red Army. A Red Army soldier wearing a Civil War-era Budyonnovka looked down at the city residents from large colored posters pasted onto street bollards. With his mouth bared brutally, he raised his dagger over a young German woman clutching a child to her chest. On public buildings it was written in large letters: “Fight like the Russians in Stalingrad!” And in the very center of the city, on the banks of the Pregel River, on the brick wall of the castle of the Prussian kings there was an inscription in Gothic font: “The weak Russian fortress of Sevastopol held out for 250 days against the invincible German army. Koenigsberg - the best fortress in Europe - will never be taken!

But it was taken, and in a matter of days: the assault on Koenigsberg itself began on April 6, and by the evening of the 9th, the “absolutely impregnable bastion of the German spirit,” the city from where all “Drang nach Osten” began, fell. The spring of power of the Red Army, compressed to the limit by the Germans at Moscow and Stalingrad, once released, was no longer unstoppable.

But over many centuries, the website russian-west.narod.ru reports, the rulers of East Prussia turned Koenigsberg into a powerful fortress. And when the Red Army troops approached the borders of East Prussia and then invaded its borders, the German high command hastily began modernizing old and building new fortifications around the city.

The first line of defense was occupied by forts named after German commanders and statesmen. They were hills covered with mighty ancient trees and bushes, with wide ditches, half filled with water and surrounded by rows of wire fences, with reinforced concrete bunkers, mounds of pillboxes and bunkers, narrow loopholes for firing from all types of weapons. Speaking about the inaccessibility of the forts, the Gauleiter of East Prussia E. Koch called them the “nightgowns” of Koenigsberg, meaning that behind their walls one could sleep peacefully.

Map of the assault on Konigsberg

The basis of the second line were numerous stone buildings on the outskirts of the city. The Germans barricaded the streets, built reinforced concrete caps at intersections, and installed a large number of anti-tank and assault guns.

The third line of defense ran in the city itself, along the line of the old fortress wall. There were bastions, ravelins, towers with brickwork 1-3 m thick, underground barracks and ammunition and food warehouses.

Under these conditions, General I.Kh. later recalled. Bagramyan, “perhaps the most difficult mission this time fell to the lot of the chief of the engineering troops, General V.V. Kosyreva. Indeed, in ensuring the overcoming of such fortifications that were created around the city and in the city itself, the engineering troops had to play no less important role than aviation and artillery... With the beginning of the assault, the engineering troops had to clear mines and restore paths for the advance of tanks, artillery and other types of military equipment, and then clear the city streets and build crossings across the Pregel River and numerous deep canals. And all this work was carefully planned and completed in a timely manner.”

On April 6, 1945, Soviet troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front launched a decisive assault on Konigsberg, the capital of East Prussia. The capture of the city was supposed to be the crown of the entire East Prussian operation, which Soviet troops had been conducting since January 1945.

The commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, Marshal Alexander Vasilevsky, assessed the significance of this operation in his memoirs: “East Prussia was long ago turned by Germany into the main strategic springboard for an attack on Russia and Poland. From this bridgehead the attack on Russia was carried out in 1914... From here the fascist hordes moved in 1941.

During 1941-1945. East Prussia was of great economic, political and strategic importance to the German High Command. Here, in deep underground shelters near Rastenburg, until 1944, Hitler’s headquarters was located, nicknamed by the Nazis themselves “Wolfsschanze” (“Wolf Pit”). The capture of East Prussia, the citadel of German militarism, constituted an important page in the final stage of the war in Europe. The fascist command attached great importance to holding Prussia. It was supposed to firmly cover the approaches to the central regions of Germany. On its territory and in the adjacent areas of the northern part of Poland, a number of fortifications, engineering-strong frontal and cut-off positions, as well as large defense centers filled with long-term structures were erected. The old fortresses were largely modernized; all structures were firmly connected to each other in terms of fortification and fire. The total depth of engineering equipment here reached 150-200 km. The relief features of East Prussia - lakes, rivers, swamps and canals, a developed network of railways and highways, strong stone buildings - greatly contributed to the defense. By 1945, East Prussian fortified areas and defensive zones with fortresses included in them, combined with natural obstacles, were not inferior in power to the West German “Siegfried Line”, and in some areas surpassed it. The defense in our main direction - Gumbinnen, Insterburg, Koenigsberg - was especially well developed in terms of engineering.”

The powerful fortifications of East Prussia were complemented by a very large group of German troops. These were the troops of the Army Group Center (from January 26, 1945 - Army Group North) recreated after the defeat in the summer of 1944 in Belarus - the 3rd Tank, 4th and 2nd Armies. By mid-January 1945, the Army Group included 43 divisions (35 infantry, 4 tank, 4 motorized) and 1 brigade, according to Soviet estimates, with a total strength of 580,000 soldiers and officers and 200,000 Volkssturm troops. They had 8,200 guns and mortars, 700 tanks and assault guns, 775 aircraft of the 6th Air Fleet. Army Group North was headed by Colonel General Rendulic, and then by Colonel General Weichs.

As Vasilevsky explained in his memoirs, “the East Prussian group of the Nazis had to be defeated at all costs, because this freed up the armies of the 2nd Belorussian Front for operations in the main direction and removed the threat of a flank attack from East Prussia against Soviet troops that had broken through in this direction " According to the plan, the overall goal of the operation was to cut off the armies of the Center group defending in East Prussia from the rest of the fascist forces, press them to the sea, dismember and destroy them in parts, completely clearing the territory of East Prussia and Northern Poland from the enemy. The success of such an operation in a strategic sense was extremely important and was significant not only for the general offensive of the Soviet troops in the winter of 1945, but also for the outcome of the Great Patriotic War as a whole.

First, the troops of the 3rd and 2nd Belorussian Fronts had to use coordinated concentric attacks to cut off the East Prussian enemy group from its main forces and press it to the sea. Then the troops of the 3rd Belorussian and 1st Baltic fronts were supposed to surround the enemy troops and destroy them piece by piece. At the same time, part of the troops was transferred from the 3rd Belorussian to the 1st Baltic Front, and from the 2nd Belorussian to the 3rd Belorussian. Headquarters sent additional military reinforcements from its reserve to these fronts. It was assumed that during the operation the 2nd Belorussian Front, in close cooperation with the 1st Belorussian Front, would be redirected for operations in the main direction - through Eastern Pomerania to Stettin. In accordance with the calculations made by the General Staff, the operation was supposed to begin in mid-January 1945.

Indeed, in January 1945, the Soviet offensive began to develop in two directions: through Gumbinnen to Königsberg and from the Narev area towards the Baltic Sea. Powerful forces were involved - over 1.66 million soldiers and officers, more than 25,000 guns and mortars, almost 4,000 tanks and self-propelled guns, over 3,000 aircraft. And yet, unlike the parallel Vistula-Oder operation, the advance of the Red Army in East Prussia was slow. The battles for the “cradle of Prussian militarism” were distinguished by great tenacity and bitterness. Here the Germans created a defense in depth, which included 7 defensive lines and 6 fortified areas. In addition, the thick fog characteristic of these places at this time of year made it difficult to successfully use aviation and artillery.

And yet, by January 26, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front, having reached the Baltic coast north of Elbing, cut off a significant part of Army Group North from the main German forces in the west. Having repelled the persistent attempts of the Germans to restore the coastal corridor, the Red Army began to dismember and eliminate the German troops cut off in East Prussia. This task was assigned to the 3rd Belorussian and 1st Baltic fronts. By the beginning of February, the East Prussian group of Germans was cut into three parts. The largest of them was located in the Heilsberg area (south of Koenigsberg), the other was sandwiched in Koenigsberg itself, the third defended on the Zemland Peninsula (west of Koenigsberg).

On February 10, the liquidation of 19 divisions in the Heilberg pocket began south of Königsberg. The fighting in this area, dense with defensive structures, became brutal and protracted. The fortification system of East Prussia had an incredible density of concrete structures - up to 10-12 pillboxes per square kilometer. In the winter-spring Battle of Heilsberg there was practically no maneuver. The Germans, who had nowhere to retreat, fought to the end. The army was actively supported by the local population. The militias made up a fourth of the total troops defending the region. Frontal bloody battles lasted a month and a half. The commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, General Ivan Chernyakhovsky, died in them. Instead, Marshal Vasilevsky took command of the front. Finally, on March 29, the remnants of the German troops desperately fighting in the Heilsberg pocket could not withstand the onslaught and capitulated. During these battles, the Germans lost 220,000 killed and 60,000 captured.

After the defeat of the Heilsberg group, units of the Red Army began to converge on Koenigsberg, the assault on which began on April 6. The united 3rd Belorussian Front by this time included the 2nd Guards, 43rd, 39th, 5th, 50th, 11th Guards, 31st, 28th, 3rd and 48th combined arms armies, 1st and 3rd air armies.

The commander of the defense of Königsberg, General Otto Lasch, also placed almost all men capable of carrying weapons in the ranks of the city’s defenders: the SD (security service), SA (stormtroopers), SS FT (military security groups), youth sports groups “Strength through Joy”, FS ( volunteer guards), units of the NSNKK (fascist motorized groups), parts of the Todt construction service, ZIPO (security police) and GUF (secret field police). In addition, the Koenigsberg garrison included 4 infantry divisions, a number of separate regiments, fortress units, security units, Volkssturm detachments - about 130,000 soldiers, almost 4,000 guns and mortars, more than 100 tanks and assault guns. 170 aircraft were based at the airfields of the Zemland Peninsula. By order of the commandant of the fortress, an airfield was built right in the city.

Our troops have already suffered serious losses. The combat strength of the units was sharply reduced, and the striking force of the front decreased. There were almost no reinforcements, since the Supreme High Command continued to direct all efforts to the Berlin direction. The front also experienced great difficulties with the material support of the troops, especially with the supply of fuel. The rear areas lagged significantly behind and were unable to provide troops in a timely manner. In such a situation, Vasilevsky, after the liquidation of the Heilberg pocket, decided to continue to beat the Germans piece by piece: first, with all his might, attack the troops gathered in the city, and only then engage in grouping on the Zemland Peninsula.

This is how he describes the beginning of the assault on the East Prussian stronghold: “...battles on the southern shore of Frisches Huff Bay. The spring flood brought the rivers out of their banks and turned the entire area into a swamp. Knee-deep in mud, Soviet soldiers fought their way through fire and smoke into the middle of the fascist group. Trying to break away from our troops, the enemy rushed in panic to barges, boats, and steamships and then blew up the dam. Thousands of Nazi soldiers remained under the waves that poured onto the plain.”

The plan for defeating the Koenigsberg group was to cut through the forces of the garrison with powerful blows from the north and south in converging directions and take the city by storm. To carry out the assault operation, troops that were part of the Zemland group were involved: the 43rd, 50th, 11th Guards and 39th armies. The main role in the assault on the city was given to artillery fire of all calibers, including guns of special power, as well as to the actions of aviation, which was supposed to accompany the troops and completely demoralize the defending enemy.

The headquarters provided the front with additional, most powerful means of suppression from the reserve of the Supreme High Command. By the beginning of the assault, the front had 5,000 guns and mortars, 47% of them were heavy guns, then large and special power ones - with a caliber from 203 to 305 mm. To fire at the most important targets, as well as to prevent the enemy from evacuating troops and equipment along the Koenigsberg Sea Canal, 5 naval railway batteries (11 130 mm and 4 180 mm guns, the latter with a firing range of up to 34 km) were intended. . The troops advancing on the city were assisted by large-caliber guns (152 mm and 203 mm) and 160 mm mortars allocated to the commanders of the rifle divisions. To destroy particularly durable buildings, structures and engineering structures, corps and divisional groups were created, which were given specially powerful rocket artillery. Assault military groups were also saturated with artillery to the limit: they had up to 70% of divisional artillery, and in some cases, heavy guns.

The operation involved two air armies of the 3rd Belorussian Front, part of the aviation forces of the Leningrad, 2nd Belorussian Fronts and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet and heavy bombers of the 18th Air Army of Long-Range Aviation under the leadership of Chief Marshal of Aviation A.E. Golovanov - up to 2500 aircraft in total!

After the artillery and air bombardment of enemy positions, by the evening of April 6, the unified defensive system of Koenigsberg virtually no longer existed. The Germans feverishly erected new fortifications, barricaded streets, and blew up bridges. The fortress garrison was ordered to hold out at all costs. On the night of April 7, the fascist command tried to establish broken control and put its battered units in order. On the morning of April 7, hot battles broke out in the suburbs and in Koenigsberg itself. The desperate enemy launched fierce counterattacks, throwing hastily assembled Volkssturm units into battle. The Nazis carried out a hasty regrouping of forces and brought their last reserves into battle, transferring them from sector to section. But all attempts to stop the attackers failed. The second day of the fight for the city was decisive. Our fighters advanced another 3-4 km, captured three powerful forts and occupied 130 blocks.

Having overcome stubborn enemy resistance on the inner defensive perimeter of the fortress, the 43rd Army cleared the northwestern part of the city. At the same time, the 11th Guards Army, advancing from the south, crossed the Pregel River. Now it was dangerous to conduct artillery and mortar fire: it was possible to hit our own people. The artillery had to fall silent, and throughout the last day of the assault our valiant soldiers had to shoot exclusively from personal weapons, often engaging in hand-to-hand combat. By the end of the third day of the assault, 300 blocks of the old fortress were occupied.

On April 8, Marshal Vasilevsky, trying to avoid pointless casualties, turned to German generals, officers and soldiers of the Koenigsberg group of forces with a proposal to lay down their arms. However, there was a refusal, and on the morning of April 9, the fighting flared up with renewed vigor, but this was already the agony of the garrison. By the end of the fourth day of continuous fighting, Koenigsberg had fallen, and its commandant, General Lasch, also surrendered.

4 days after the capture of Koenigsberg, Soviet troops began to eliminate the 65,000-strong German group on the Zemland Peninsula. By April 25, they captured the Zemland Peninsula and the seaport of Pillau. The remnants of the German units (22,000 people) retreated to the Frische-Nerung spit and surrendered there after the surrender of Germany.

In the city and its suburbs, Soviet troops captured about 92,000 prisoners (including 1,800 officers and generals), over 3,500 guns and mortars, about 130 aircraft and 90 tanks, many cars, tractors and tractors, a large number of different warehouses with all kinds of property.

The Battle of East Prussia was the bloodiest battle of the 1945 campaign. The losses of the Red Army in this operation exceeded 580,000 people (of which 127,000 were killed). The damage to the Red Army in equipment was very large: in terms of tanks and self-propelled guns (3525) and aircraft (1450), it surpassed other operations of the 1945 campaign.

German losses in the Heilsberg pocket, Königsberg and the Zemland Peninsula alone amounted to about 500,000 people (of which approximately 300,000 were killed).

Decades later, traitors were found...

The storming of Koenigsberg showed examples of mass heroism of our soldiers and officers. The guardsmen, without hesitation, went to the most dangerous places, boldly entered into an unequal battle, and if the situation demanded it, they sacrificed their lives, says the Orthodox Warrior website. Guardsmen Lazarev, Shayderyavsky, Shindrat, Tkachenko, Gorobets and Veshkin took the lead and were the first to cross the Pregel River, which blocked the path to the city center. The Nazis managed to surround a handful of brave men. The warriors took on an unequal battle. They fought to the last bullet and all died the death of the brave, preserving their guards honor and immortalizing their names forever. In the area where Russian soldiers fought, there were 50 dead Germans. At the battle site, our soldiers found a note that said: “The guardsmen fought here and died for their Motherland, for their brothers, sisters and fathers. They fought, but did not surrender to the enemy. They fought to the last drop of blood and life.”

The homeland highly appreciated the military exploits of its sons. All participants in the assault on Koenigsberg were presented with commendations from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the medal “For the Capture of Koenigsberg,” approved by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in June 1945, which was usually done only on the occasion of the capture of state capitals. 98 formations received the name “Koenigsberg”, 156 were awarded orders, 235 soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In accordance with the decisions of the Allies, Koenigsberg and part of East Prussia became part of the USSR, and the city itself was soon renamed Kaliningrad. And now decades have passed, and in our country (and in its leadership) there were people who thought of returning the Kaliningrad enclave to Germany! In May 2010, the authoritative German magazine Der Spiegel reported that in 1990, when negotiations on the future unification of Germany were in full swing at the initiative of Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet representatives approached West German diplomats in Moscow with a proposal to discuss the status of the Kaliningrad region. And the fate of Kaliningrad was then actually saved by the Germans themselves: after an introductory conversation held at the Moscow Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, they refused further negotiations. And if they had agreed, Gorbachev’s leadership probably would not have flinched...

Thank God that the above-mentioned heroic guardsmen Lazarev, Shayderyavsky, Shindrat, Tkachenko, Gorobets and Veshkin, as well as 127,000 of our soldiers who died on the battlefields in East Prussia, and all those who stormed Koenigsberg in 1945, but did not live to see 2010, they did not find out about this betrayal. Eternal memory to them. And eternal shame to the traitors from the Soviet leadership.