Скачать или смотреть Siege of Velikiye Luki 1942: 120 Days of Brutal Urban Combat

THE SIEGE OF VELIKIYE LUKI: The Little Stalingrad of the North

On November twenty fourth, nineteen forty two, while the world watched Stalingrad, another German garrison faced encirclement eight hundred miles to the north. This is the story of Velikiye Luki.

THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE

Velikiye Luki controlled vital rail lines connecting German Army Groups North and Center. The city sat on the Lovat River, dominating a key logistics hub. German forces had fortified it extensively throughout nineteen forty two with concrete bunkers and defensive positions.

THE ENCIRCLEMENT

Soviet Third Shock Army attacked on November twenty fourth with overwhelming force. Within three days, they surrounded approximately seven thousand German defenders from the Eighty third Infantry Division. Infantry Regiment Two hundred seventy seven, commanded by Oberstleutnant Eduard Freiherr von Sass, formed the core of the garrison. Von Sass had assumed command only days before the offensive began.

THE SIEGE

For seven weeks, the garrison fought under impossible conditions. Temperatures dropped below minus thirty degrees Celsius. Supply drops by Luftwaffe Junkers fifty two aircraft provided minimal relief, with many containers falling into Soviet hands. Ammunition and food dwindled rapidly.

Hitler personally radioed von Sass on December sixteenth, ordering the garrison to hold like iron until relief arrived. Von Sass replied that Velikiye Luki would be held until the last man.

THE RELIEF ATTEMPTS

Operation Totila launched on January fourth, nineteen forty three. German relief forces advanced to within eight kilometers of the city before Soviet counterattacks stopped them. The relief attempt failed with catastrophic casualties.

THE END

On January fifth, Soviet forces split the city in two, isolating the Citadel garrison from the main defensive sector. The final assault came January fifteenth. After four hours of bombardment, Soviet infantry overran the remaining positions.

Von Sass transmitted his final message on January sixteenth, reporting that breakout was impossible due to two thousand wounded. The garrison surrendered that day. Only one hundred eighty six men escaped to German lines. Approximately five thousand defenders died. Nearly four thousand were captured.

THE AFTERMATH

Total German casualties including relief attempts reached seventeen thousand men. Von Sass and other officers were tried by Soviet military tribunal in nineteen forty six for war crimes related to anti-partisan operations. Von Sass was executed by hanging in Velikiye Luki.

The battle demonstrated that even well-fortified positions could not be held without adequate relief forces. The Soviet victory severed rail communications between German army groups and contributed to the eventual German withdrawal from the Rzhev salient.

SOURCES:
Battle of Velikiye Luki, Wikipedia
US Army Pamphlet twenty dash two thirty four: Operations of Encircled Forces, German Experiences in Russia, nineteen fifty two
Feldgrau.net historical archives, Eighty third Infantry Division records
Forczyk, Robert. Velikiye Luki nineteen forty two dash forty three: The Doomed Fortress, Osprey Publishing, twenty twenty

This educational content examines a significant but often overlooked Eastern Front battle. Understanding these historical events helps us appreciate the human cost of war and the importance of strategic decision-making in military operations.

Support this channel to gain access to the following benefits:
   / @shadowsofconflicts  

Music By:
'Decoherence' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au