Hitler's Wave-Breaker Concept: An Analysis of the German End Game in the Baltic by Lunde Henrik

Author:Lunde, Henrik [Lunde, Henrik]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: HISTORY / Military / World War II
ISBN: 9781612001623
Publisher: Casemate
Published: 2013-07-19T07:00:00+00:00

General Schörner ordered the start of an evacuation from Riga on September 26, mostly the depots established there. The Third Panzer Army of Army Group Center had been transferred to Army Group North on September 21. This transfer included responsibility for the sector held by the Panzer army. The transfer meant that Army Group North became responsible for the protection of the port of Memel. The Third Panzer Army remained part of Army Group North until October 11.

The Soviets ceased their attacks against Sixteenth Army at the end of September and turned their attention to the front of the Third Panzer Army to the south. When the Soviet attack came the main effort was made by the First Baltic Front under General Bagramyan. His mission was to cut his way through Third Panzer Army to the Baltic. The Leningrad Front headquarters had been dissolved29 and Marshal Govorov was given command of the Second and Third Baltic Fronts. Govorov’s forces were to attack on a broad front against Riga and to follow the Germans if they withdrew to the Courland Peninsula.

The First Baltic Front attacked west of Shaulyay in the direction of Memel with three armies on a 50-mile (80km)-wide front. The Third Belorussian Front on the left of the First Baltic Front made a supporting attack in the direction of Tilsit. While Schörner rushed reinforcements to the Third Panzer Army front, the Soviets achieved a clear breakthrough on October 7. On October 9 the Fifth Guards Tank Army and the Forty-Third Army reached the coast north and south of Memel. The Third Panzer Army’s command post was overrun and the staff was lucky to escape to Memel, where the XXVIII Corps of the Third Panzer Army had been forced into a beachhead around the port.

Schörner told Hitler he would attack in the direction of Memel, but he had to assemble forces to carry out that assault. He recommended the evacuation of Riga and pointed out that the city was hardly worth holding, since it was already under artillery fire and Soviet submarines were operating in the Gulf of Riga. Hitler delayed a day before giving his permission. Schörner also had to worry about his rear, since Soviet forces on the Baltic islands would soon have only 19 miles (30km) of water to cross before they reached the northern end of the Courland Peninsula. Schörner needed to rush forces north to protect his backyard.

On October 11, the Third Panzer Army was again assigned to Army Group Center to protect its flank against the Soviet attack toward Tilsit. The Panzer army had only one available corps, with one being encircled at Memel and one cut off with Army Group North. East Prussia was now under direct threat. On October 16, three Soviet Armies attacked across the German border, headed toward Gumbinnen. The stump of Third Panzer Army was moved behind the Neman River. Army Group North was ordered to go over to the defensive in Courland after a report on October 21

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