Chapter 40 Chapter 10 Leningrad | Feterbsk

While the divisions of the Eleventh Army were resting, I also went to Romania for vacation, leaving only a few staff members to draw up a plan for an offensive across the Kerch Strait.At this time, the German army's southern flank has launched a major offensive, and our army plans to join this operation.During my vacation, my Chief of Operations, Colonel Busey, kept in touch with me so that I would not lose touch with the preparers.But unfortunately, all this planning was just a waste of time. Hitler committed the old habit of pursuing too many goals at the same time, overestimating the initial success of the offensive, abandoning its original intentions, and no longer focusing on The Eleventh Army joined in this operation.

When I returned to the Crimea on August 12th, I was greatly perplexed to find orders from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief awaiting me.This plan to lead the entire army across the strait had been cancelled, and in its place an operation would have involved only the headquarters of the 42nd Corps, the 46th Division, and some Romanian forces.The Eleventh Army itself was ordered to capture Leningrad, so the artillery that would have been used in the siege of Sevastopol had already begun to move north.What is even more unfortunate is that our strength has been drawn by another three divisions.The 50th Division remained in the Crimea.The 22nd Division was now ordered to be converted into an airborne division and sent to Crete, although it was one of our best units, it sat there almost unused for the rest of the war.Finally, after we had moved, the 72nd Division was assigned to the Central Army Group to deal with a localized crisis.Therefore, the original troops remaining in the Eleventh Army are only the military headquarters of the 54th Army, the military headquarters of the 30th Army, the 24th, 132nd and 173rd Army. Infantry Division and the 28th Light Division.Whatever the intentions of the High Command, it was never appropriate to dismember units of an army that had been working together for a long time.Mutual trust and understanding gained through bitter fighting is one of the most important factors in war and should never be ignored.

But more important is another matter.Now that the Eleventh Army has got rid of the concerns of Crimea, should it be withdrawn from the southern flank of the Eastern Front and used on another less important task (the capture of Leningrad)? ?As far as Germany was concerned, the battle in the summer of 1942 was decisive only at the southern end of the front.For this task, our forces are by no means too strong, especially now, because Hitler wants to achieve two goals at the same time, Stalingrad and the Caucasus, so the offensive is divided into two directions, so the more Going eastward, the northern side of its spearhead will become longer and longer.

Subsequent facts have proved that if the Eleventh Army can be kept on the southern flank, no matter whether it is to cross the Kerch Strait to prevent the enemy from retreating to the Caucasus, or to attack the rear of the Army Group as a reserve, the result will be the same. much better. When I flew to the north to take up my post, I went to Hitler's headquarters halfway to ask for instructions. I had a detailed discussion with the Chief of the General Staff, General Halder.Halder made it clear that he totally disagreed with Hitler and wanted to attack Leningrad in addition to carrying out the southern offensive, but he said that Hitler insisted on this and refused to give up his idea.However, when I asked him if he thought there would actually be no problem in withdrawing the entire Eleventh Army from the south, he said that there should be no problem.I myself was very puzzled, but of course I could not refute the opinion of the Chief of the General Staff in advance.

At the same time, I was appalled by the bad relationship between Hitler and his chief of staff.As a result of a limited Russian offensive in the area of ​​​​Army Group Center, a local crisis was created, and this question was brought up for discussion in the daily report. In fact, this crisis compelled us to dial the Seventy-second division.Hitler took this opportunity to condemn those fighting on the front lines.However, Halder did not hesitate to make a fool of himself. He pointed out that the strength of the troops had already been exhausted, and the high losses of officers and non-commissioned officers would definitely have an impact.Although what Halder said was very objective, it aroused Hitler's anger.He asked Halder in the most brutish tone whether he had any right to contradict him, and declared that he had been an infantryman at the front in the First World War, and since Halder had never had such experience, he Ask yourself Bihar Absolutely has better judgment.

The scene was so embarrassing that I immediately left the wargame room.It was not until Hitler calmed down that he asked me to go in again.Afterwards, I was condemned by conscience and had to report this unfortunate incident to General Schmund, the personnel director, who was also Hitler's chief bodyguard.I told him that it was impossible to get along like this between the commander-in-chief and the chief of staff. Hitler must listen to the opinions of his chief of staff and at least show him due respect, otherwise Halder would have to resign automatically.Unfortunately, neither side was able to do so, and it was not until six weeks later that Halder was finally removed from office.

On August 27, the Eleventh Army headquarters reached the Leningrad front and studied the possibility of launching an attack in the Eighteenth Army area and drew up a plan to attack the city.The intention was that once the offensive was launched, we should take over the northward part of the Eighteenth Army's frontage, while the latter would maintain its eastern frontage on the Volkhor River.The front allocated to the Eleventh Army can be divided into three parts: 1. The area of ​​the Neva River from Lake Ladoga to the southeast of Leningrad; 2. The area south of Leningrad 3. The front near Oranienbaum on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, which also includes the huge bridgehead position that is still in the hands of the Russian army.

In addition to the powerful assault artillery (some of which was brought from Sevastopol), the army can use more than thirteen divisions, including the Spanish Blue Division (Blue Division), a Panzer divisions, a mountain division and an SS brigade.However, since two divisions were needed on each front, only nine and a half divisions were left to attack Leningrad.Because the enemy has an army there, consisting of nineteen infantry brigades, an international guard brigade, and one or two independent armored brigades. Judging by the relative numbers here, it would certainly be of great help to us if the Finns, who already had the strength to blockade the Carelian headland north of Leningrad, could join the offensive.However, when Gen Erfurth, the German liaison officer in Finland, raised the issue, the Finnish authorities refused.According to General Ivers' report, the Finns argued that since their founding in 1918 they had been determined not to pose a threat to Leningrad.The Finnish contribution to the offensive was therefore not considered.

The Eleventh Army now found that it had to devote all its strength to this task.We all know that the success of this operation is quite doubtful, especially the fact that this operation was unnecessary, so it makes us all the more unhappy.In the summer of 1941 we may very well have the opportunity to take Leningrad by surprise.Although in the initial stage, Hitler himself thought that the early capture of the city should be the top priority, but due to various reasons, this opportunity was finally missed.Later Hitler thought he could use starvation to force Leningrad to surrender.The Russians resupplied the city by the route across Lake Ladoga, by ship in summer and by railway lines laid on the ice in winter.The frontal line now left by the Germans, from Lake Ladoga to the west of Alanibaum, is a constant drain on their resources.If it is ideal to be able to retreat, but when the southern flank is about to seek a decisive battle, it is really arguable to attack the city at the same time.As Schiller (German poet) said, missing an hour means losing eternity. (Now or never).

But since we have been ordered to attack the city, we must make the best preparations.Anyone who conducts reconnaissance along the front line south of Leningrad will feel that the city seems to be under control, although it is closely protected, and the field fortifications distributed vertically and horizontally constitute a complete defense. net.We can see the Kolpino factory on the Neva River, which continues to produce tanks.The Pulkovo shipyard in Finland is also in sight.A little further is the outline of St. Isaao's Cathedral, the minaret of the Admiralty and the fortresses of Peter and Paul.In clear weather, it is also possible to see a battlecruiser destroyed by artillery fire on the Neva River.That was exactly the 10,000-ton warship we sold to the Russians in 1940.Some old palaces of the imperial family were also destroyed in the war. I paid homage there in 1931, and hearing this news made me even more sad.It was all burned by Russian shells.

From the results of the reconnaissance, we realized that the Eleventh Army should not be involved in any battles within the Leningrad construction area in any case, otherwise its strength will be exhausted quickly.As for Hitler's belief that a horrific air raid by the Eighth Air Force could force the surrender of the city, we had no confidence in that, and the experienced commander of that army, Admiral Richthofen, shared our feeling. So our intention is first to break through the front south of Leningrad with maximum artillery and air support, but no further advance beyond the southern perimeter of the city should be made.The two armies should then turn eastward and swiftly cross the Neva River southeast of the city in order to destroy the enemy forces caught between the site and Lake Ladoga, cut off the supply line across the lake, and isolate Leninger from the east. Le.In this way it might be possible, as in the old case of Warsaw, to bring the city down quickly without any serious street fighting. Unfortunately, Schiller's dictum soon proved to be all too true.Quite naturally, the enemy did not fail to notice the German reinforcements in the Leningrad area. As early as August 27, he launched an attack on the Eastern Front of the Eleventh Army, forcing us to take The 170th Division went into battle.It became apparent within a few days that the Russians were conducting a powerful rescue offensive designed to neutralize our attack. On the afternoon of September 4th, I received a phone call from Hitler himself.He informed me of the necessity of my immediate intervention in case Volkhov got into trouble head-on, and he asked me to assume overall command and restore the situation by offensive action.During that day the enemy made a wide and deep breakthrough on the thin front of the Eighteenth Army south of Lake Ladoga. Obviously, we are in a difficult situation.Adding these extra burdens when we were about to attack Leningrad was unpleasant for all staff officers.The plan to attack Leningrad had to be temporarily shelved, and a new battle was fought south of Lake Ladoga. In the area north of the eastbound railway line from Leningrad, the enemy had penetrated a five-mile-wide gap in the Eighteenth Army's front and penetrated a distance of eight miles to Mga. some point above.The first problem was to use the strength of the Eleventh Army to stop the advance of the enemy.After several hard battles, this goal was finally achieved in the next few days, and after gathering the rest of the troops, the Eleventh Army was able to start the offensive.That is to attack from two sides that have not yet shaken, in order to cut off the enemy's spearhead fundamentally. The attack to the south was under the command of the XXX Corps, which consisted of the 24th, 132nd and 173rd Infantry Divisions plus the 3rd Mountain Division.The attack in the north was under the command of the 26th Army, which consisted of the 120th Infantry Division, the 5th Mountain Division and the 28th Light Division.After fierce fighting, on September 21, the enemy's intruding force was finally cut off.In the next few days, in order to rescue the besieged spearheads, the enemy's new force launched fierce attacks from the east again and again, but they were all repelled.The Russian army in Leningrad also used eight divisions to cross the Neva River and attack from the south of Leningrad, but it was also unsuccessful. But at the same time, we have to destroy the powerful enemy forces besieged between Galtolovo and M'ga.As usual, although their position was hopeless, and from the point of view of the whole operation, it was pointless to continue to resist, the enemy had no intention of giving up.On the contrary, they have repeatedly made plans to break through.Since the whole area is densely forested (where we would never attempt to break through), our infantry would suffer heavy losses if they attempted to destroy the enemy.Therefore, the Eleventh Army mobilized the maximum artillery firepower from the front of Leningrad as much as possible, so as to continuously bombard the encirclement 24 hours a day and night.Several days of such bombardment, coupled with repeated bombing by the Air Force, finally turned the area into a wasteland.The diary of a Russian regimental commander shows what we have achieved and how ruthless the commissars were, forcing the besieged troops to useless resistance. Using this method, on October 22, we finally ended the encirclement.The enemy's Second Shock Army had put into battle a total of sixteen infantry divisions, nine infantry brigades, and five armored brigades.Among them, seven infantry divisions, six infantry brigades and four armored brigades have perished in the encirclement.The rest of the troops have also suffered very heavy losses in trying to rescue the besieged forces.A total of 102,000 people were captured, and more than 300 artillery pieces, 500 mortars, and 224 tanks were either captured or destroyed.The number of enemy deaths is several times higher than the number of prisoners. When the task of restoring the Eighteenth Army's position on the Eastern Front was completed, our own divisions had suffered considerable losses, and the amount of ammunition originally intended for the attack on Leningrad had been depleted.Therefore, we cannot immediately launch a new offensive.Even so, Hitler was still unwilling to give up his intention to attack Leningrad.The Eleventh Army insisted that it must not attack the city without proper rest and replenishment.In this kind of discussion, one plan over another, and October has been dragged on like this. It is perplexing that we are stuck in the north when our offensive to the south seems to be running out of steam just outside the gates of the Caucasus and Stalingrad.Not surprisingly, my adjutant, Lieutenant Spichter, was quite sulky because he had nothing to do at headquarters.Knowing his distress, I sent the 170th Division to participate in the battle on the Neva River.He also fought in the division when he was in the Crimea.The poor boy lost his life in a plane crash, and we held his funeral on October 25th.His death was a heavy blow to everyone, especially myself.We can no longer hear that melodious laugh from him.How can I lose this young companion who has been with me in trouble!After my good friend Nagel, he was the second person in my confidant to lose his life in the war on the Eastern Front.I happened to be flying to the High Command to receive the Field Marshal's scepter just before Spicht's funeral.It would be great if he could go with me! Hitler had treated me well up to this point, expressing his deep appreciation for the performance of the troops of the Eleventh Army in the Battle of Lake Ladoga.I took this opportunity to explain to him that too much was demanded of our infantry.In fighting on the Eastern Front with such a tenacious enemy as the Russians, our losses are bound to be very heavy, so it is very important that the infantry regiments are constantly restored to strength quickly and never delayed.But since the beginning of the Russian campaign, replenishment has never been delivered on time, so that infantry units are often forced to fight with insufficient strength, with the inevitable result that the strength of the fighting force wears down as time goes by Get better. Now we know that according to Hitler's order, the Luftwaffe is starting to organize 22 so-called Luftwaffe Field Divisions, from which 170,000 people can be drawn.This is not surprising.Goering has always been very generous in his own field, not only in terms of funds and facilities, but also in terms of manpower.The air force has 170,000 people who can be transferred. This is the surplus manpower that should have been used long ago. Since the Battle of Britain, the dream of strategic air warfare has actually been disillusioned. Now these 170,000 people are going to be organized into private units of the Air Force for use in ground combat.Because the Air Force has a vast range of manpower to choose from.So there is no doubt that these divisions will be composed of soldiers of the first class.If in the autumn of 1941 these personnel could be used to supplement the Army divisions so that the latter could maintain sufficient combat strength, then in the winter between 1941 and 1942, many crises may have occurred. You can get through it safely.But if these excellent troops are organized into divisions in the structure of the Air Force, it can be said to be an unreasonable folly.Where will they get the necessary close combat training and experience working with other units?Where did they get combat experience?This is the most important thing on the Eastern Front.Where does the Air Force go to find division commanders, regimental commanders and battalion commanders? All these aspects were analyzed in detail when I spoke to Hitler, and shortly afterwards I drew a further memorandum for his attention.He listened attentively to my opinion, but insisted that he had given the matter enough thought to decide not to change his mind.Not long after, the former Chief of Operations of Army Group Center told me why Goering asked Hitler to allow the Air Force to organize separate divisions.This person has a deep friendship with Hitler's guards, so he knows all kinds of inside information.Goering declared that he could not hand over his men to the army, which had been brought up in the spirit of the National Socialist Party, while the army still had priests, and its officers were still governed by the traditions of the German Empire.He has already told his subordinates that the air force must also sacrifice, and the army should not be allowed to excel. This is the reason Goering persuaded Hitler! Our Leningrad mission is now drawing to a close.When I was in Vinnitsa, Hitler had said that my headquarters might be moved to the Veterbsk area of ​​Army Group Center, because there were signs of a huge enemy offensive there.If so, our task is to launch an offensive against it too.But at the same time he said that if he and his headquarters left Vinnytsia, I would be given command of Army Group A.Since Field Marshal Liszt was dismissed for no reason because of disagreements, Hitler has also assumed the role of commander-in-chief of this army group. In the long run, this is an impossible arrangement.The strangest thing was what he said to me at the time.He said that he hopes to use a motorized army group to go straight from the Caucasus to the Near East next year!From this we can see how unrealistic his perception of the overall military situation and its strategic possibilities is. During my last days on the Leningrad front another great misfortune befell me.The death of my eldest son, Gero, was the hardest blow to my wife, myself and my children.On October 29, he was martyred for his country, and his position was a second lieutenant in the 51st Armored Infantry Regiment of my old 18th Division.The number of young Germans under my command who died in martyrdom is so numerous that it seems that this purely personal loss should not be mentioned here.My son sacrificed his life just like countless other German youths, and the same for their parents.However, in my personal memoirs, there should be a record of a son who died for the country.He lives forever in the hearts of his loved ones, like so many other young men who also died in their country. Our Jiro was born on New Year's Eve, 1922, and died in battle at the age of twenty.From birth, he was a frail child.He was sickly in childhood, and it was only my wife's careful rearing that made him physically fit for a soldier.Because of his illness, he lost a lot of fun in his childhood, but it also made him a special young man, and he was determined to overcome all difficulties and do everything that life required him to do. Giro was a very sweet boy, old, thoughtful, but always happy, and after graduating from high school in 1940 he volunteered to join the army and joined my own branch, the infantry in the German infantry Known as the queen of the battlefield, because throughout history, the infantry has been responsible for fighting.Needless to say, we parents are well aware of this desire to inherit from our ancestors, but we have no intention of influencing their career choices.It is entirely because of the inheritance of blood that he wants to be a professional officer who is the trainer of German youths in peacetime and their leader in wartime.So after graduating from secondary school, he joined the 51st Armored Infantry Regiment in Liegnitz.During the summer campaign of 1941, he fought in Russia as an ordinary soldier.He was promoted to corporal and was awarded the Iron Cross for rescuing wounded comrades on patrol with fellow volunteers.In the fall of 1941, he was sent to officer school for training, and in the spring of 1942 he was commissioned as an officer. After a serious illness, after returning from vacation, he joined the regiment he loved again, which is now fighting near Ilmen, under the command of the Sixteenth Army, but when he went to report for duty, he passed by my defense area, which is La During the Battle of Lake Doga, he stayed in my station wagon for a short time, and later on October 18, when I went to visit my old friend General Bush at the headquarters of the Sixteenth Army, I once again Met with him.Bush had also invited Giroux, and we spent a delightful evening together, father and son, Bush, and my adjutant, Spichter.A few days later, Spichter was killed in battle. On the morning of October 30, 1942, after the morning report had come in, my Chief of Staff, General Shirds, brought me the bad news that Girod had been killed by a Russian bomb during the night before .He went to the front line as a battalion deputy and encountered misfortune. The next day we buried the dear child on the shore of Ilmen.The Reverend Kruger of the 18th Armored Infantry Division began his address by saying: An Infantry Ensign.My son should be able to rest in peace. After the funeral, I flew home again to spend a few days with my old wife, for whom this child had always been dearly loved.He was very sick when he was young, which made us worry a lot.Now we commit his soul into the hands of God. Giraud was martyred like many other German youths.While I was still in Ligoniz, the headquarters of the Eleventh Army had been moved from Leningrad to Feterbsk in the Army Group Center area.I lived there for several weeks, and there were no important events to relate.Before any steps were taken against the expected offensive, the situation at the southern end of the Eastern Front gave us a new task. On November 20 we were ordered to form a new Don Army Group to command the areas on both sides of Stalingrad.I was on a troop inspection with my Chief of Operations, Colonel Busey, when a mine exploded under our train and we were delayed.There was guerrilla activity everywhere in that area, and travel had to be by armored vehicles or specially protected trains. Because the weather was too bad to fly, we had to leave Feterbsk by train on November 21, which was stopped by land mines.It was not until November 24, which was my fifty-fifth birthday, that I arrived at the headquarters of Army Group B, and it was temporarily in charge of our future theater.It is here that we know the situation of the Sixth Army and its nearby Fourth Panzer Army, Third and Fourth Romanian Armies.These are left to be elaborated in the chapter on Stalingrad.