Vistula-Oder OffensiveVinko Pavlovic

THESIS

The Soviet Union trekked hundreds of miles through Nazi territory and were successful in their goal of reaching the Oder River and tightening the noose around Germany’s neck.

The NationsGermany Soviet

Union

Poland

The Commanders and Their Forces

Ferdinand Shörner / Josef Harpe …Army group A

Ninth Army LVI Panzer Corps XXXXVI Panzer Corps  VIII Corps 

Fourth Panzer Army  LXII Corps  XXIV Panzer Corps  XLVIII Panzer Corps 

17th ArmyLIX Corps XI Corps XI SS Corps

Georgy ZhukovFirst Belorussian

Front 47th Army 1st Polish

Army  3rd Shock Army 61st Army 1st Guards Tank Army 2nd

Guards Tank Army

5th Shock Army 8th Guards Army 

69th Army  33rd Army

Ivan KonevFirst Ukrainian Front

21st Army 6th Army

3rd Guards Army 13th Army 4th Tank Army 3rd Guards Tank

Army

52nd Army 5th Guards Army

59th Army60th Army

The Objective

Invade Germany from the West

The Beginning

The Soviets had… 160+ Divisions 2,200,000+ Troops 4,500+ Tanks 2,500+ Assault guns 5,000+ Aircrafts 13,500+ Pieces of

Field Artillery(76 mm or more)

14,500+ Mortars 5,000≈ Anti-Tank

Guns

The Nazis had… 450,000 ≈ Troops 1,150 Tanks (Most

from the Battle of the Bulge)

4,100 Artillery Pieces 1,300 Aircrafts

German Intelligence gathered information that Soviet forces had 3 times more fire power…. The Soviets actually had 5 times the firepower of the Germans.

Because the main defensive forces of the German Army were close together, they were easily targeted for Artillery Strikes.

Soviets on the Offensive

The Soviets Began their Offensive On the Vistula River The Vistula is the biggest river in Poland

First Battle took place at 04:35 on January 12, 1945 Soviets 1st Ukrainian front attacked 48th Panzer Corps

▪ Attacked from Baranow Bridgehead with Heavy Artillery Barrages followed by infantry attack.

▪ At 10:00 second wave of Artillery strikes began and four hours later another infantry attack began, overwhelming the Germans and created many gaps.

Soviets Pressed forward quickly because of boosted morale and overwhelming numbers. Germans did not give up and even after losing continuously, they

drafted more and more soldiers.

Hitler Retaliates (sort of)

Hitler finally intervenes on January 15 1945.Hitler Orders Panzerkorps

Grossdeutschland to counter attack from East Prussia towards 4th Panzer Army. (Against the advice of General Heinz Guderian).The Counter attack is quickly met by the 1st

Belorussian Front and is pushed back to the Southwest.

Nazis Retreat

On the Evening of January 16th German Troops Evacuated Kielce.

On January 17th Warsaw(Capital of Poland) was captured by Soviets.

Hitler was furious. He ordered the stationed forces there to fight till the very last man dies.

Head of the Operations Branch of the German Army High Command, Colonel Bogislaw von Bonin, was arrested

General Smilo von Luttwitz and General Theodor Busse are fired.

Soviets Conquer

On January 17th Konev is ordered to capture the industrial region of Upper SilesiaEn route they captured Krakow

unopposedBy January 18th the Soviet troops

reached Lodz (3rd biggest city in Poland) They captured it the next day.Hitler upset with the failure of Colonel

General Josef Harpe and replaces him with Colonel General Ferdinand Shorner.

Soviets Begin to Reach Oder and Urban Warfare Begins On January 22nd Soviet troops begin to

reach the Oder River a several locations. Several bridgeheads are established in

preparation for upcoming battles. On January 25th Posen, Germany (Present

day Poznan, Poland) becomes the target of brutal street fighting. This occurs as a result of the Soviet 1st Guards

Tank Army and 8th Guards Army attack

Germans Retreat out of Poland and Auschwitz Concentration Camp is Captured

January 25th: General Schulz of German 17th Army requests for his remaining 100,000 troops to withdraw from Katowice, Poland. His pleas are authorized by Shorner the second time he

begs for the evascuation. The Evacuation is completed the night of January 27. January 28 Soviet troops enter Katowice.

January 27th: Soviet troops reached the Auschwitz Concentration Camps in Germany as they further their advance.

Final Captures and Offensive is Complete

January 31st: Soviet troops capture Kienitz, Germany on the West bank of the Oder River.Allowed Ukrainian First established two

bridgeheads. February 1st: Kustrin, Germany is surrounded

by Soviets and is declared a Fortress City. February 2nd: First Belorussian Front reaches

Oder River near Frankfurt, Germany.Soviet Stavka(Military Headquarters) in Moscow

declare the Vistula-Oder Offensive Complete

The Aftermath

Soviets suffered 44,000 deaths and 150,000 troops wounded.

150,000 Nazi’s were killed and 70,000 were captured

When the Stavka announced the operation as complete there were conflicting ideas. Zhukov believed that it was for the best that the

forces should secure East Prussia and Pomerania because if they continued towards Berlin they would be outflanked in the North.

Chuikov argued that the forces were only 70 kilometers (40 miles) to the west and Berlin’s defenses were weak at this point.