Vitebsk: The Fight And Destruction Of Third Panzer Army (die Wehrmacht Im Kampf)
by Otto Heidkämper /
2017 / English / PDF
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The city of Vitebsk in Belarus was of strategic
importance during the fighting on the Eastern Front, as it
controlled the route to Minsk. A salient in the German lines,
Vitebsk had been declared a Festerplatz—a fortress town—meaning
that it must be held at all costs. A task handed to 3rd Panzer Army
in 1943.
The city of Vitebsk in Belarus was of strategic
importance during the fighting on the Eastern Front, as it
controlled the route to Minsk. A salient in the German lines,
Vitebsk had been declared a Festerplatz—a fortress town—meaning
that it must be held at all costs. A task handed to 3rd Panzer Army
in 1943.
Otto Heidkämper was chief of staff of Georg-Hans Reinhardt's 3rd
Panzer Army, Army Group Center, which was stationed around Vitebsk
and Smolensk from early 1942 until June 1944. His detailed account
of the defense of Vitebsk through the winter of 1943 into 1944,
right up to the Soviet summer offensive, is a valuable firsthand
account of how the operations around Vitebsk played out. Twenty
maps accompany the narrative. During this time, 3rd Panzer Army
undertook numerous military operations to defend the area against
the Soviets; they also engaged in anti-partisan operations in the
area, deporting civilians accused of supporting partisans and
destroying property.
Otto Heidkämper was chief of staff of Georg-Hans Reinhardt's 3rd
Panzer Army, Army Group Center, which was stationed around Vitebsk
and Smolensk from early 1942 until June 1944. His detailed account
of the defense of Vitebsk through the winter of 1943 into 1944,
right up to the Soviet summer offensive, is a valuable firsthand
account of how the operations around Vitebsk played out. Twenty
maps accompany the narrative. During this time, 3rd Panzer Army
undertook numerous military operations to defend the area against
the Soviets; they also engaged in anti-partisan operations in the
area, deporting civilians accused of supporting partisans and
destroying property.
Finally, in June 1944, the Soviets amassed four armies to take
Vitebsk, which was then held by 38,000 men of 53rd Corps. Within
three days, Vitebsk was encircled, with 53rd Corps trapped inside.
Attempts to break the encirclement failed, and resistance in the
pocket broke down over the next few days. On June 27, the final
destruction of German resistance in Vitebsk was completed. Twenty
thousand Germans were dead and another 10,000 had been
captured.
Finally, in June 1944, the Soviets amassed four armies to take
Vitebsk, which was then held by 38,000 men of 53rd Corps. Within
three days, Vitebsk was encircled, with 53rd Corps trapped inside.
Attempts to break the encirclement failed, and resistance in the
pocket broke down over the next few days. On June 27, the final
destruction of German resistance in Vitebsk was completed. Twenty
thousand Germans were dead and another 10,000 had been
captured.