Upper Silesian offensive

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Upper Silesian offensive
Part of the Silesian offensives on the Eastern Front of World War II

Russian map of the Silesian offensives
Date15–31 March 1945
Location
Upper Silesia, Germany
Result Soviet victory
Belligerents
 Germany  Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Nazi Germany Ferdinand Schörner Soviet Union Ivan Konev
Strength
unknown 408,400[1]
Casualties and losses
unknown 66,801 (including 15,876 irrecoverable)[1]

The Upper Silesian offensive (

war in Europe
on May 8, 1945.

Prelude

After the end of the Soviet summer offensive of 1944 (Operation Bagration), the frontline of the Eastern Front had stabilised roughly in the middle of Poland, running from Riga on the Baltic coast over Warsaw via the Vistula to the Carpathian Mountains. Most of the pre-war German territory was still under control of the Third Reich at the end of 1944. On 12 january 1945, Soviet troops launched the simultaneous Vistula–Oder and Western Carpathian offensives.

The front lines in Silesia had been established at the end of the

Lower Silesian offensive operation, taking place in February, had seen the northern wing of Konev's forces make further gains, closing up to the Neisse River. This had, however, left a long exposed flank to the south and east in the Sudeten Mountains
, still held by Schulz's troops, which formed a potential threat to the proposed Soviet advance on Berlin.

Operation Gemse: the German counter-attacks at Lauban and Striegau

Joseph Goebbels awards 16-year-old Hitler Youth member Willi Hübner the Iron Cross for the defense of Lauban.

The commander of

XXXIX Panzer Corps were grouped under the command of General Nehring; a two-pronged attack began on 1 March, with the 17th Panzer and Führer Grenadier Divisions attacking in the north, and 8th Panzer Division to the south.[2]

The 3rd Guards Tank Army was initially taken by surprise, though by 3 March German forces found themselves threatened by Soviet counterattacks from

6th Volksgrenadier Division. By 4 March, the encirclement was closed, though large numbers of Soviet troops were able to escape; within 4 days the trapped force had been destroyed (the fighting in Silesia has been characterised as "merciless", with German forces not taking prisoners).[3]

Despite the limited nature of the victory, the recapture of

5th Guards Army on the night of 11–12 March; there was an outbreak of panic amongst the trapped troops, who were massacred by Schörner's men as they tried to escape.[4]

Schörner began to organise a more ambitious offensive to the north to relieve the besieged city of

4th Tank Army from the northern flank of his Front, he redeployed it near Grottkau in order to spearhead a major attack into Upper Silesia, neutralising the threat to the left flank of his forces and taking the area around Ratibor
.

Deployments

Red Army

Wehrmacht

Divisional assignments to Corps as of 31 Dec. 1944.[5] Units tended to move between Corps depending on situation.

Also present:

20th
Panzer Divisions. These tended to pass between Corps. Also
Panzer Division Hermann Göring.[8]

The offensive

Konev launched his main attack on 15 March. The 4th Tank Army broke through the German lines west of Oppeln and drove directly southward, heading for Neustadt. A subsidiary attack by the 4th Guards Tank Corps fanned out to take Neisse. South-east of Oppeln, the 59th and 60th Armies also broke through, the former swinging westwards to link up with the 4th Tank Army. The First Panzer Army's XI Corps, holding the lines near Oppeln, was now threatened with encirclement.

In the south, the 38th Army attacked German troops of the

LIX Corps defending with their backs to the highlands of Moravia. By means of a limited tactical withdrawal on 10 March, Heinrici was able to minimise the damage inflicted by the preparatory bombardment, and the front in this sector remained firm.[9]

The encirclement at Oppeln

The

SS and 168th Infantry Division found themselves trapped by the advance of the 4th Tank Army and 59th Army which linked up near Neustadt. By the 22nd, Soviet forces of the 59th and 21st Armies succeeded in reducing the Oppeln 'cauldron' (German: Kessel), claiming to have killed 15,000 and captured a further 15,000 of the German troops trapped there.[10]

Konev launched further attacks on 24 March, and by 31 March, when Ratibor and Katscher were taken, was able to declare the offensive phase of operations over.[11]

Aftermath

The Upper Silesian Offensive succeeded in stabilising Konev's left flank in preparation for the advance on Berlin, and removed the threat of any German counter-attacks from Army Group Centre. The lines in Silesia remained largely unchanged until the end of the war, when Schoerner's force surrendered.

Notes

  1. ^
    Grigoriy Krivosheev, at soldat.ru
  2. ^ Duffy, p. 139.
  3. ^ Beevor, p. 127.
  4. ^ Duffy, p. 141.
  5. ^ Gunter, p. 293.
  6. ^ Gunter p. 21.
  7. ^ Gunter p. 255.
  8. ^ Gunter p. 222.
  9. ^ Duffy, p. 147.
  10. ^ Beevor, p. 129.
  11. ^ Duffy, p. 146.

References

Further reading

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