Slaughter at Halbe: The Destruction of Hitler's 9th Army

by Tony Le Tissier

Overview

Operation "Berlin," the Soviet offensive launched on 16 April, 1945, by Marshals Zhukov and Koniev, isolated the German Ninth Army and tens of thousands of refugees in the Spreewald "pocket," south-east of Berlin. Stalin ordered its encirclement and destruction and his subordinates, eager to win the race to the Reichstag, pushed General Busse's 9th Army into a tiny area east of the village of Halbe. To escape the Spreewald pocket, the remnants of 9th Army had to pass through Halbe, where barricades constructed by both sides formed formidable obstacles and the converging Soviet forces subjected the area to heavy artillery fire.

By the time 9th Army eventually escaped the Soviet pincers, it had suffered 40,000 killed and 60,000 taken prisoner. Teenaged refugees recount their experiences alongside Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS veterans attempting to maintain military discipline amid the chaos and carnage of headlong retreat. While army commanders strive to extricate their decimated units, demoralized soldiers change into civilian clothing and take to the woods.

Relating the story day by day, Tony Le Tissier shows the impact of total war upon soldier and civilian alike, illuminating the unfolding of great and terrible events with the recollections of participants.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780750998055
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	06/01/2022
Edition description:	Second Edition,New edition
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.08(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Lt Col TONY LE TISSIER MBE served with the British Army's Royal Corps of Military Police until 1977. He was British governor of the infamous Spandau Prison in Berlin from 1981 to 1987. Tony is the author of many books on the Second World War including 'With Our Backs to Berlin'.

Table of Contents

Maps vii

Abbreviations viii

Introduction ix

1 Preparing for 'Operation Berlin' 1

2 Breaching the Oder-Neisse Defences 18

3 9th Army Encircled - 21 April 1945 35

4 Destroy the 9th Army-22 April 1945 48

5 12th Army to the Rescue - 23 April 1945 57

6 The Soviets Close In - 24 April 1945 69

7 No Luck for von Luck-25 April 1945 79

8 Preparing the Break-Out - 26 April 1945 104

9 The Pocket Shrinks - 27 April 1945 115

10 The Eye of the Needle - 28 April 1945 127

11 Breaching Koniev's Lines - 29 April 1945 169

12 12th Army Waits - 30 April 1945 200

13 The Last Leg - 1 May 1945 216

14 Retreat to the Elbe 230

15 Aftermath 242

Appendices

A Soviet Forces Engaged Against the HalbePocket 257

B Order of Battle: German 9th Army 265

C Order of Battle: German 12th Army 268

Bibliography 270

Index 274