Festung Königsberg |
Published in Germany 
- Social interactions and entertainment - 13 - 16 Apr 20 16:46
On January 13 the East Prussian offensive (Vostotsno-Prusskoi operatsii) commenced from its starting points at the borders of the province. The goal of the campaign had been the occupation of East Prussia, which was considered as the ‘cradle of militarism and fascism’.1 The combined operations, of which the offensive was a part, brought the Soviet frontline from the Vistula river to 70 kilometres from Berlin within weeks.
Nonetheless, this frontline was discontinuous due to a series of ‘pockets’. One of these pockets consisted of the Fortress city Königsberg and its surroundings. The outskirts had been reached by the Soviets on 27 January, but the city had remained in German hands. Therefore, Königsberg was hailed in newspapers throughout Germany for its heroic defence against the Slavs and a telegraph send from the Fortress to another Fortress, Breslau, even made it to the national radio, causing great turmoil among the High Command of the city.2 The city was presented as one of the most successful ‘ Wellenbrecher ’ (breakwaters) against the Soviets, its garrison as tough, patriotic and persistent.3
Behind the scenes the situation proved more complex. The city was packed tight with large numbers of refugees, the living conditions grew tougher each day and Gauleiter Erich Koch, despite having fled the city, regularly interfered with the cities defence.4 In late- February, after a successful break-out which restored the connection with the west, the city was able to tackle the former two problems. As for Koch: he even tried to increase his influ- ence after the reconnection, hampering the defence even further. Nevertheless, the city held out till early April, when it was finally stormed by the Armies of the Third Belorussian Front.
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