The German preparations towards defending city and fighting of the 1st and 2nd Belarussian Front before the “Battle of Szczecin” (March–April 1945)

Abstract

In presenting article, an author has been made an analysis of the German’s command preparations to plans of defence of sc. “Stettin’s Bridgehead” and the “Festung Stettin” and preparations to fighting against the great Soviet offensive 1st (and as a perspective) 2nd Belarussian Fronts and the local battles between March–April 1945, between town Gryfino (germ. Greifenhagen), along the Upper Odra River and next Szczecin’s Right part. Capturing of this area by the Soviet troops had been given them a good positions to great attack in a near future in the Left part of Szczecin (as it’s main, historical and administrative part of this city). One of the important elements of the text is showing the fighting of Altdamm (act. Szczecin-Dąbie) and fighting to the Eastern Odra’s crossing points. About 20 April, Marshall Georgi Zhukov’s ordered most important strategic decision – great offensive towards Berlin as a general aim and a strategic point to defeating the Third Reich. The main burden of fighting for Szczecin next was a 2nd Belarussian Front commanded by Marshall Konstanty Rokossowski, changing Zhukov’s troops near Szczecin. Especially, this giant Soviet operations group, which had been come from Gdańsk and Gdynia in a long way marching, will play a most decisive role in a perspective of “Battle of Szczecin”. Since the second half of April, a great Soviet offensive towards crossing the Western Odra River has been started, and next to plans to destroy the German positions along this river. In a few days (the 20–25th of April), the forces of 2nd Belarussian’s Front, especially 65. Army commanded by gen. Pavel Batov, crashed during hard local battles the German’s troops on the line of Western Odra River, crossed on the second’s river shore, and finally made the real perspective of total strategic city encirclement. On the area of southern and western-southern outskirts of the Szczecin – villages Kurów (germ. Curow), Rosówek (germ. Neu Rossow), Moczyły (germ. Schillersdorf ) and the others, during a few days (the 20–23/24th of April) were a places of hard local battles of some troops of 2nd Front with the rests forces of a Waffen-SS foreign volunteers divisions. The 25–26th of April, were the most decisive moment of sc. “The battle of Szczecin”. Marshall Rokossowski had a new order and plan of an offensive towards Rostock and the keeping of Baltic shore. In that moment, Szczecin as a strategic point of offensive were finished and will be a not important strategic point, as earlier. For the German command of the city, and the main leadership and commanders of Pomeranian’s NSDAP party, the Marshall Rokossovski’s Front made a real perspective to closing and next completely destroying of Germans troops in “Festung Stettin”. It was a main reason to a great evacuation of detachment and many civil refugees without fighting from the city. The 26th April, the left side part of Szczecin (the main) was captured by the troops of the 65 Army and 2nd Strike Army. Military history of Szczecin was ended in that moment not as a result of a hard street fighting on the Left, main part of the city, but on it’s Right side (especially the great battle of Altdamm/Szczecin-Dąbie) and on the southern and western-southern outskirts. Finally, there were no hard battles and a new, decisive phase street fighting “Battle of Szczecin” on the Left shore of Odra River. This formula knowing as a “Battle of Szczecin” is really only a good – looking sentence, not a historical reality and true.