(the «people’s militia»), but, at the same time, practically lose the opportunity to move around the crowded thousands of people, carts and horses to roads. Soviet tanks, if there is a need to immediately preempt the deployment of enemy forces, use the highway, despite the presence of any foreign vehicles on them. The struggle is complicated by the presence of many, even from the time of the founding of the Teutonic Order – fortifications, also lakes, pre-targeted roads, equipped enemy airfields. The forces of the parties: the USSR – 1.7 million people, 3,800 tanks, 3,100 aircraft. Wehrmacht: 580,000 sodat and officers, as well as 200,000 people. Volkssturm, 1000 tanks and automatic control systems, 550 aircraft. Losses: the Soviet Union – 126,000 people, 3,000 tanks (including recharges), 1,400 aircraft, German aircraft – 106,000 killed, 220 thousand prisoners, virtually all tanks, 360 aircraft.
The German fleet organizes the largest operation in the history of evacuation of the civilian population (and not involved in the battles of the military) Hannibal. About 1.6 million people move to central Germany or neutral Sweden. At the same time, about 25,000 people die during the evacuation.
On January 30, at 21.04, the submarine S-13, under the control of A. Marinescu, in the above-water position, from the shore, and from a distance of less than a kilometer, launches the first torpedo in German transport Wilhelm Gustloff. The captain of the liner says «Das war’s», which means «That’s all». The vessel is repainted in gray camouflage color and, above all, therefore, has no protection of the Hague Convention. The fourth cocked torpedo «For Stalin» is stuck in the torpedo tube, it is difficult to disarm and dive. An hour later the transport goes to the bottom, somewhere near the submarine lying on the ground (at a depth of 45 m). 10,000 people die. Saving succeeds about 600.
Among the passengers there are 918 cadets of the submarine training division, the rest are refugees, members of the families of high-ranking officials of the SD and SS.
On February 10, the same C-13 fires two torpedoes, the liner «General Steuben» bound for Kiel. At this moment, the captain believes that in front of him – a light German cruiser «Emden». Killed about 3,600 people – mostly wounded soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht, are rescued 650.
A. Marinesco is the son of a Romanian sailor and a Ukrainian peasant woman. Dreams of the merchant fleet, but in the end, on the Komsomol voucher is sent to the courses of the commander of the Workers «and Peasants’ Red Navy, receives an officer’s rank. Before the march for two days leaves the submarine without proper supervision, in order to avoid the tribunal, during the «redemptive» raid it goes for everything for the sake of a high result. After the «attack of the century», the awarding of the Order of the Red Banner, respectively, getting rid of the threat of trial, the combat activity sharply loses, falls in rank, is appointed commander of a minesweeper, and in 1945 is dismissed into the reserve. 1949 – A. Marinesko, deputy director at a civilian institution, was sentenced to three years on charges of squandering socialist property. Dies in 1963. 1990 – after the resonant publication in the newspaper Izvestia, by the decree of M. Gorbachev, the ex-captain of the third rank receives the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
We can assume that the high rank of the Hero, in due time, the naval command does not confer A. Marinesko yet, because the number of civilian casualties (it does not matter that even the family members of the SA and SS leaders) is too large.
In Germany, the sinking of Wilhelm Gustloff up to the present time causes a painful reaction. Two feature films have been shot, published, widely distributed novels. Perhaps reflections on the situation of German refugees can push Germans and think about the fate of the 14 million civilians of the Soviet Union – which, as far as we know, the German media mentions (if that happens) as something not very significant.
The assault of Koenigsberg, the mystical and material bulwark of the German fighting spirit, began on April 6, 1945. It was necessary to break through three rings of defense and take 18 fortified forts. Human resources of the USSR are far from boundless; a lot of weapons, a well-established command system, but the army is already calling for the exhausted 17, even 16-year-olds. Almost all first-class infantry of the Red Army remained near Moscow, Leningrad, Rzhev and Stalingrad. The protracted siege of the citadel can reverse the winning situation, again putting the Soviet Union on the brink of disaster. The strength of the parties: the Soviet Army – 120,000 people, 540 tanks, 2,200 aircraft, the Wehrmacht – 100,000 people, 108 tanks, 170 aircraft.
After the artillery preparation and air strikes of Il-2 attack aircraft, heavy troops supported by heavy tanks, specially trained detachments, numbering 50—60 men, with two 45-mms, go into battle. tools and flamethrowers. They block, but, usually, do not attack large forts, cut communications, seep into the location of the German troops. The operation ends after 83 hours. In Koenigsberg, there have been cases of assault units attacking the civilian population; the only precedent for the whole war, since usually neither the Soviet Army nor the Anglo-British (ground) forces genocide of the Germans were engaged. Losses of the parties: the USSR: 3,700 people, 90 tanks and self-propelled guns, the Wehrmacht – irrevocably 42,000, and 92,000 prisoners (including part of civilians), as well as all the heavy equipment that existed at the beginning of the battle.
On the coast of the Baltic, in the north of Latvia (historical Kurland) remains the Kurland group, 350,000 people, communicating without any difficulties with the main forces of the Wehrmacht by sea. The offensive on the line of defense, based on tanks built into the ground along the tower, does not bring decisive success to the Soviet Army. Separate foci of resistance are smoldering, and are scattered by red sparks until May 23, 1945.
1. The air defense tower in Vienna. Almost every major German city, since 1940, has one or more similar, very colorful towers
2. The air defense tower (one of three) in Berlin. Each corner (small) tower has a double marine 105 mm. an instrument capable of «getting» an enemy aircraft at an altitude of 14,800 m., or (by firing at ground targets) at a range of up to 22 km., and several 4 × 4 × 20-mm Flak 400 cannons. The towers form a triangle with a side of three kilometers. The roof of the towers is 3.5 m high, reinforced concrete, the wall is 2 m. The building also has a bomb shelter function for the city’s population. The Berlin towers are dismantled. Several other buildings (for example, in Hamburg) have been refurbished… either under nightclubs, or shops
Soviet assault group. Often during the fighting in the city, soldiers wear steel cuirasses – 3 mm. bulletproof vests SN-38, protecting against small fragments and automatic bullets, fired at a distance of more than one hundred meters, as well as bayonet attacks. In some cases, the steel breastplate reflects a shot from the gun at point-blank range. When entering the field, where the best shelter is a dug trench in time, such facilities are less effective. In the Wehrmacht bulletproof vests (and also, we add, tank helmets) for some reason were not used
The IL-2 attack planes over Berlin
Soviet tanks on the outskirts of Berlin
A group of soldiers of the Soviet Army on the steps of the Reichstag. The soldier in the foreground is a soldier Grigory Bulatov. Together with the Kazakh Koshkarbaev Rakhimzhan (in this photo he is not), they first
