Siege of Danzig (1945)

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Siege of Danzig
Part of
Danzig
Result

Soviet victory

  • Mass deportation of Germans
  • Poland regains access to Danzig
Belligerents  Germany

 Soviet Union
Polish rebels

PolandCommanders and leaders Nazi Germany Dietrich von Saucken

Soviet Union Konstantin Rokossovsky

Stanisław WojcickiUnits involved 2nd Army (Wehrmacht) 1st Kosciuszko DivisionCasualties and losses unknown unknown

The siege of Danzig was launched by the Red Army against Nazi Germany in March 1945.

Background

On 14 January, the

Danzig was eventually reached in early March, and as it was an important strategic location and the last German stronghold in the region, the Soviets started coordinating attacks.[1]

The battle

General Karl-Wilhelm Specht organised the defences. He was replaced by Dietrich von Saucken due to not agreeing to Hitler's policies on the defense of the city.[2] The Soviets began massive bombardments of Danzig on 15 March. A paratrooper unit was deployed in the Oliwa Forests (Lasy Oliwskie) on 18 March, which provoked the Soviets to enter it and start bloody fighting in the forest. The fight continued until 25 March and resulted in a Soviet victory. It is regarded as the most intense and bloody battle of the siege.[1]

On 21 March, the way to

Brösen, though it was stopped by the 62nd Grenadier Regiment, which had recently entrenched in the region. Intense fighting broke out in the downtown in the next few days, though the combat within the city was more limited.[3]

In the following days,

Neufahrwasser, an important port. Now, the gasworks in the Gdańsk Shipyard were only 100 metres away from Soviet-occupied territory. Fighting began in the remnants of German-held territory, and Śródmieście was burning. The lack of water and low accessibility caused the fire to continue, which did not give an advantage to either side.[2] Mass bombardments and common[clarification needed] Soviet attacks resulted in Red Army divisions in[clarification needed] the centre of the city to the mouth of the Vistula and its surroundings.[3] The Germans finally surrendered on 30 March.[4][1]

Aftermath

Danzig was left as ruins.[5] The bombardments, constant combat and continuous fires resulted in most of the city's landmarks being destroyed. On 30 March, the newly renamed Gdańsk was subject to the provisional government, which created the Gdańsk Voivodeship.[5] Mass deportation of Germans from the city started shortly after the battle in order to rise the government's popularity and manifest the new administration system.[6] By 1946, around 68% of the German population was gone.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c Voellner, Heinz (31 August 2020). "Bitwa o Gdańsk 1945". wiekdwudziesty.pl. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Abramowicz, Mieczysław (27 February 2017). "GDAŃSKIE HISTORIE: Marzec 1945 - straszny koniec miasta Danzig". gdansk.pl. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b Gliniecki, Tomasz; Panto, Dmitriy (27 February 2017). "Krzywy obraz wojny. Armia Czerwona w Gdańsku i Prusach w 1945 r." (PDF). gdansk.pl. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  4. ^ Stąporek, Marcin (15 March 2015). "Tak walczono o Gdańsk w 1945 roku". historia.trojmiasto.pl. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  5. ^ a b Bogusz, Tomasz (4 April 2020). "Jak Sowieci "wyzwalali" Gdańsk w marcu 1945 roku?". twojahistoria.pl. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  6. ^ Baliszewski, Dariusz (1999). Ilustrowany przewodnik po Polsce stalinowskiej 1944-1956.

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