From October 1944 to April 1945 the Red Army fought a series of bloody battles in an effort to destroy the German Army in East Prussia and capture the capital city of the province, Königsberg. This book, The Battle of Königsberg, follows these events and recounts in detail the desperate defensive actions the Germans undertook to hold off the Red Army, from the Memel and Gumbinnen Offensives of October 1944 which saw Russian soldiers break into the frontier districts of East Prussia, through the overwhelming attacks of January 1945, to the final stand in Königsberg made by Otto Lasch and his garrison of soldiers, Police and Volkssturm in April 1945. Drawing on primary sources, The Battle of Königsberg recounts the terrible story of these campaigns from both German and Soviet perspectives. It provides a detailed and uniquely in-depth study of the final battle for control of the city, giving the reader an insight into one of history’s forgotten last stands, of the fall of Fortress Königsberg.
What's inside The Battle of Königsberg:
Chapter One Königsberg: A Brief History
Chapter Two The War in the East
Chapter Three The Frontier Battles
Chapter Four The January Storm
Chapter Five The First Battle for Königsberg
Chapter Six Fortress Königsberg
Chapter Seven The Final Battle: The First Day
Chapter Eight The Second Day of the Assault
Chapter Nine Encirclement Complete
Chapter Ten The Bitter End
Chapter Eleven After the Battle