Figure 1.--Here we see Germans from what we believe is an East Prussian village joining the Wehrmacht retreat (October 1944). They seem to be moving north. They have set some of the buildings afire to prevent the approachiong Red Army from obtaining useful supplies. Notice how the Wehrmacht vehicles are passing the slow-moving civilian column. The German caption read, "W�hrend der K�mpfe im Osten: Mit massierten Kr�ften unternehmen die Sowjets st�ndig ihre Vort�sse gegen die deutschen Linien. In gef�hrdeten Abschnitten bringt sich die Bev�lkerung der vomn deiutschen Truppen besetzten Gebiete vor dem Mordterror des Bolsohewismus in Sicherheit. Auf Panje-Wagen begeben sie sich unter den Schutz der deutschen Wehrmacht." This means something like, "During the battles in the East. With concentrated forces the Soviets keep constantly attacking German lines. The (German) population is being saved and protected in the areas of German occupation in order to stop the Bolshewist terror. In horse carts they go under the protection of the German Wehrmacht." These refugees actually were fortunate. They were evacuated before the weather turned cold. Many Germans were forced to evacuate in the dead of winter. The photograph was dated October 31, 1944. This was the date the photograph was released to the press so it may have been taken a little earlier. We do not know to what extent German newspapers actually used images like this of the retreating Wehrmacht. Source: PK-Aufn. Kriegsber. Hoepner (Atl). A German reader weites, "This is typical of the German Wehrmachtbericht at the end of the war, Even while admitting to all kind of defeats the daily communiqu� still used to be optimistic. There always were the threads of the monster Bolshevists to make people fight till the end. I still hear that voice "Hier ist der Wehrmacht Bericht. Aus dem F�hrer Hauptquartier, etc."

The Red Army with Operation Bagration destroyed the German Army Group Center (June-July 1944), this was the strongest remnaining German formation. This opened the Eastern Front in the North wide open. After Stalingtad (November 1942-January 1943), the Red Army had primarily focused on the Ukraine in the south. The Red Army victory at Kursk (July 1943) opened up the liberation of the western Ukraine and a drive toward central Europe and the Balkans. The northern lines remained relatively stable except for relieving Lenningrad. Bagration changed this. Before Bagration the Red Army faced a still very potent military force. Although outnumbered, the Germans were well dug in. American Lend Lease trucks, however, gave the Red Army unprecedented mobility for both Bagration and the drive west. OKW was stunned at the speed of the Red Army advance. Mobility had been the great German advantage with Barbarossa and the stunning early successes. Mobility was an advantage the Germans no longer had. Finland was knocked out of the War . The destruction of Army Group Center opened up Bylorusia (Bielorrusia/Belarus), the Baltics, East Prussia, and Poland. And these were areas with large numbers of German civilians, especially East Prussia and western Poland. As the Red Army moved into Bylorussia (which had been eastern Poland before the War) they began to reach the sites of NAZI death camps. Red Army units first pierced the pre-War boundaries of the Reich in East Prussia. Thus for the first time in the War we begin to see German civilians fleeing advancing armies. The Germans had set Russian and Ukranian villages afire. Now German towns and villages were afire. The movement west of ethnic Germans would eventually become one of the largest mass movemrnts in history. The civilians often joined the retreating columns of Wehrmacht soldiers. The withdrawl was very poorly handeled. Hitler resisted issuing withdrawl orders until the situation had deteriorted and a retreat to prepared positions was no longer posssible. A major force was cut off in Latvia--the Courland Pocket. Civilians faced similar problems. Local NAZI officals to demonstrate their support of the War effort often did not authorize evacuation until the Red Army was close. Thus when the top NAZIs finally sped west in their big Mercedes, the slow-moving refugee colunns might be overtaken by the Red Army. Without gas (petrol) the civilians were forced to flee on foot or in horse-drawn carts. Evacuees from the various towns often formed caravans and tried to keep together. Evacution orders were rarely issued in time for the rails to be used. Even if they were still running, they were reserved for the Wehrmacht. Both soldiers and civilans were terrified of being captured by the Soviets. Goebbels' propaganda machine stoked this fear to stiffen resistance. Stalin ordered the Red Army to stop at the Vistula, allowing the Germans to supress the Polish Home Army in Warsaw (August 1944). When East Prussia was cut off, civilian except for military age men were evacuated by sea. Hitler's decesion by the time this photograph was taken to stike at the Western Allies with his remaining offensive capability (the Bulge) to divide and stop them before turning on the Red Army in the East. This meant that few resources were available to bolster the Reich's eastern defenses. Hitler seized on the expedient of Fortress Cities to slow the Soviet advance west.

Bagrarion (June-July 1944)

The Red Army with Operation Bagration destroyed the German Army Group Center (June-July 1944), this was the strongest remnaining German formation. This opened the Eastern Front in the North wide open. After Stalingtad (November 1942-January 1943), the Red Army had primarily focused on the Ukraine in the south. The Red Army victory at Kursk (July 1943) opened up the liberation of the western Ukraine and a drive toward central Europe and the Balkans. The northern lines remained relatively stable except for relieving Lenningrad. Bagration changed this. Before Bagration the Red Army faced a still very potent military force. Although outnumbered, the Germans were well dug in. American Lend Lease trucks, however, gave the Red Army unprecedented mobility for both Bagration and the drive west. OKW was stunned at the speed of the Red Army advance. Mobility had been the great German advantage with Barbarossa and the stunning early successes. Mobility was an advantage the Germans no longer had.

Finland

Finland was knocked out of the War. Th Finns wanted to exit earlier, but were afaris of the German reaction. With Bagration, they had bo choice. Along with Bagration, the Red Army lainched the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive (June 1944). TheSoviers drove the Finns from most of the territories they had reclaomed during the Continuation War. (This was Finnish territory seized by the Soviets during the Winter War.) The Finns halted the Soviets (August 1944). It was clear, hiwever, that this was inly a temporary halt. Wuth the Germans driven west, the Finns had no ability to defeat the massive Red Army. TheDinns asked for an asrmistice. A cease fire as agred to (September 5). The Moscow Armistice was signed (September 19). One of the conditions of the conditions of the Armistice was that the Finns would expel the German troops still in northern Finnish territory. This led to the Lapland War between Finland and Germany.

NAZI Death Camps

As the Red Army drive into Bylorussia (which had been eastern Poland before the War) they began to reach the sites of NAZI Death Camps. The NAZIs chose isolated lovations deep into their expamding Reich to nuild their horific death camps. Hitler and Himmler believed that they were hoing to win the War and no one would ever dusciver or care about what they were giing to do at these camps. never be The Germans has evacuated the death camps and ried to desoy ecidence that they has ecer esisted. The Red rmy moved so fast that the Geramns could not destry Mydanak. Thre was not much reaction in the Western press, koweverm because the camps were not full of stabing and btutalized vuctims. The likking at the camps liberated by the Western Allies wasca small part of the gorror unleased on the innocent Jewish people at the eastern Death Canos.

The Baltics

Red Army units first pierced the pre-War boundaries of the Reich in East Prussia. Thus for the first time in the War we begin to see German civilians fleeing advancing armies. The Germans had set Russian and Ukranian villages afire. Now German towns and villages were afire. The movement west of ethnic Germans would eventually become one of the largest mass movemrnts in history. The civilians often joined the retreating columns of Wehrmacht soldiers. The withdrawl was very poorly handeled. Hitler resisted issuing withdrawl orders until the situation had deteriorted and a retreat to prepared positions was no longer posssible. A major force was cut off in Latvia--the Courland Pocket. When East Prussia was cut off, civilian except for military age men were evacuated by sea.

German Civilians

The destruction of Army Group Center opened up Bylorusia (Bielorrusia/Belarus), the Baltics, East Prussia, and Poland. And these were areas with large numbers of German civilians, especially East Prussia and western Poland. Civilians faced similar problems. Local NAZI officals to demonstrate their support of the War effort often did not authorize evacuation until the Red Army was close. Thus when the top NAZIs finally sped west in their big Mercedes, the slow-moving refugee colunns might be overtaken by the Red Army. Without gas (petrol) the civilians were forced to flee on foot or in horse-drawn carts. Evacuees from the various towns often formed caravans and tried to keep together. Evacution orders were rarely issued in time for the rails to be used. Even if they were still running, they were reserved for the Wehrmacht. Both soldiers and civilans were terrified of being captured by the Soviets. Goebbels' propaganda machine stoked this fear to stiffen resistance.

Poland

Bagration had driven the Germans out of Eastern Poland. Stalin ordered the Red Army to stop short of the Vistula, allowing the Germans to supress the Polish Home Army in Warsaw (August 1944). The result was that the Grmas were abkle to destriy the poorly armed forces of the Hime Army and then destroy the city and commit the survibing civilans to the concentration camps in thevshrinking Reich. .

The Bulge (December 1944)

Hitler's decesion by the time this photograph was taken to stike at the Western Allies with his remaining offensive capability (the Bulge) to divide and stop them before turning on the Red Army in the East. This meant that few resources were available to bolster the Reich's eastern defenses. Hitler seized on the expedient of Fortress Cities to slow the Soviet advance west. The bulk of Germany's reamiming combat strength was to be thrown at the Western Allies in a second Ardennes Offensive to split the British and Amrican fores and desroy the Western Alliance.

Silesia

Silesia has been Polish territory until the Polish Partirions (18th century). Prussia and Austria fought over Silesia and Prussia got most of it. This province helpedvto make Prussia an important European power abd a matcgh for Austrai in the stryggle for German unfucation. Silesia was resource rich and would be heavily industrailized. Much of the province was Germanized. Ny the end of 1044 the Red Any was ready to attack into Silesia.

Sources

Created: 9:44 AM 1/27/2013
Last updated: 8:35 PM 1/27/2013