The Battle of Koenigsberg occurred from 25 January to 9 April 1945 when the Soviet Red Army laid siege to the major German city of Koenigsberg in East Prussia. The German garrison consisted of battered troops who had just seen action against the Soviets as they advanced into Poland and Germany, and the Germans fought for every inch of ground. By 9 April 1945, 80% of the city had been destroyed and the German citizens had been evacuated, and the German commander Otto Lasch ignored Adolf Hitler's orders to defend the city to the last man and surrendered to the Soviets.
Background[]
In January 1945, 1,500,000 Soviet Red Army troops launched an offensive into East Prussia and pushed past a web of German fortifications, defensive lines, and minefields until they cut off the city of Koenigsberg on the Samland peninsula by reaching the shores of the Vistula Lagoon. The German garrison of 130,000 troops under Otto Lasch, troops who had battered by warfare with the Soviets, were supplied by sea, and they were named "Army Group North" after Adolf Hitler redesignated his armies due to a change in the situation. The Soviets cut off the land routes of escape, so the German civilians would have to live on 180 grams of bread a day, cross the front lines and hope that the Soviets did not rape and kill them (as they had done in Pomerania and Silesia), or cross the frozen Vistula Lagoon in hopes of finding an evacuation ship to board. There was no hope of escape for the German 3rd Panzer Army.
Battle[]
A Soviet SU-76 tank destroyer rolling down the streets of Koenigsberg
Throughout February 1945, the Germans made failed attempts to break out of the city to link up with the other German forces in Samland, and the Soviets eventually settled on assaulting the city rather than besieging it. The city had been designed to resist superguns, and it had extensive tunnel and bunker networks which were built in 1888. On 6 April 1945, the Soviets began an all-out assault on the city, supported by artillery and air support. Soviet troops bypassed enemy strongholds and encircled them, leaving it to rearguard troops to deal with them as they advanced towards the city center. On 7 April, the Soviets began to assault Forts 5 and 8, sending sappers to sabotage the walls. The Germans offered heavy resistance, fighting for every inch of the ruined city, and Hitler ordered General Lasch to fight to the last soldier. On 8 April 1945, the Germans failed in a breakout attempt, and 40,000 German troops were marooned in the city center. On 9 April 1945, going against the direct orders from Hitler, General Lasch accepted Marshal Aleksandr Vasilevsky's demand to surrender. 200,000 German civilians had fled the city, while 50,000 Wehrmacht troops were killed and 80,000 captured. The Soviets lost 60,000 dead or wounded, including 3,700 losses in the final assault.