Скачать или смотреть Unity of Command II - Berlin 45. Hard Mode, Riga-Memel #16

In late September, the Soviets were hammering the "Sigulda" defensive line (Sigulda-Stellung) outside Riga. The German commander, Ferdinand Schörner, had concentrated his best Panzer divisions there, convinced their next offensive would be aimed at taking the city.

On September 24, Stavka changed the axis of attack. In just six days, the 5th Guards Tank Army and dozens of divisions,over 500,000 men, were moved nearly 160 kilometers to the south, toward Šiauliai.

The Soviets kept radio traffic heavy near Riga to simulate a buildup, while their tank columns moved at night with lights out. The Germans didn't realize the "hammer" had moved until it was already falling.

On October 5, the 5th Guards Tank Army struck a 19-kilometer sector held by the German 551st Grenadier Division which collapsed almost immediately.
The objective? Reach the Baltic coast near Memel.

General Erhard Raus, commander of the 3rd Panzer Army, was nearly captured in the opening hours. His headquarters were overrun so quickly he had to grab a rifle and fight his way into Memel with his staff.


On October 10, the lead elements of the 43rd Army reached the Baltic coast near Palanga, north of Memel (Klaipėda). It is said that, to prove the encirclement was complete, soldiers filled bottles with Baltic seawater and flew them directly to Moscow for Stalin. Nearly 200,000 Germans had been encircled in Courland in a couple of days.

While the offensive was a massive success, the city of Memel itself became a nightmare. It was a "Fester Platz" guarded by the Grossdeutschland Division.

The Soviets couldn't take the city immediately because of the Kriegsmarine. The heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen sat offshore, using its 203mm guns to create a "wall of fire".

When the Soviets finally entered Memel in January 1945, it was a ghost town. The Germans had evacuated almost the entire population of 45,000 by sea. Only about 50 civilians remained.