Hitler, Donitz, and the Baltic Sea

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Hitler, Donitz, and the Baltic Sea Page 41

by David Grier


  ———. A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994.

  Werth, Alexander. Russia at War, 1941–1945. London: Barrie and Rockliff, 1964.

  Whitley, Mike. “Das Desaster in der Bucht von Narwa: Die Minenoperation der 6. T-Flotille vom 18./19. August 1944.” Translated by Friedrich Forstmeier. Marine-Rundschau 80, no. 10 (1983): 466–70.

  ———. Destroyer! German Destroyers in World War II. London: Arms and Armor, 1983.

  ———. “Kriegsschauplatz Finnenbusen 1944: Der Verlust der Zerstörer Z35 und Z36.” Translated by Friedrich Forstmeier. Marine-Rundschau 78, no. 5 (1981): 263–67.

  Wolff, Willy. An der Seite der Roten Armee. Berlin: Militärverlag der DDR, 1982.

  Yelton, David. Hitler’s Volkssturm: The Nazi Militia and the Fall of Germany, 1944–1945. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2002.

  Ziemke, Earl. The German Northern Theater of Operations, 1940–1945. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1960.

  ———and Magda Bauer. Moscow to Stalingrad: Decision in the East. New York: Military Heritage, 1988.

  ———. Stalingrad to Berlin: The German Defeat in the East. Washington, D.C.: Office of the Chief of Military History, 1968.

  Zydowitz, Kurt von. Die Geschichte der 58. Infanterie-Division 1939–1945. Kiel: Podzun, 1952.

  Index

  Note: Because of their frequency of occurrence in the book, the names Hitler and Dönitz, are not entered separately in the index but rather appear as subentries where appropriate (e.g., “Allies: Hitler’s strategy and”).

  A-4 rocket. See V-2 rocket

  Aa Postion, 53. See also Aa River

  Aa River, 49, 51, 52, 83

  Admiral Hipper (German battleship), 77

  Admiral Scheer (German battleship), 13, 77, 118

  Åland Islands, 18, 32, 41, 43, 155, 159, 161, 165, 183

  Allies, xxi, 2, 97, 175, 182, 197, 213

  Dönitz on, 33, 55, 166, 169–70, 174, 176, 184, 189, 191, 198, 201, 204, 206, 211

  in France, 55, 189, 191

  and German codes, 176, 180

  and German supply transports, 153, 154, 181

  German U–boats against, 168–69, 170, 172, 174, 175–76, 178, 180, 184

  in Germany, 96, 122

  Hitler’s strategy and, xviii, 147, 148, 153, 156, 176, 188–89, 198, 207, 217, 218, 223

  in Holland, 148

  in Italy, 23, 28, 140

  in North Africa, 2, 156, 188, 204

  in Scandinavia, 153, 156, 157, 162, 164, 165, 188, 191

  Skl on, 143, 162, 175

  Speer on, 202

  and Sweden, 153, 155, 162, 218

  Wagner on, 165

  Walter on, 175. See also Normandy, invasion at

  Apennine Position, 140

  Ardennes Offensive, 92, 105, 115, 147–48, 149, 150, 151, 190, 206, 207, 216, 217

  Arensburg, port of, 67, 72

  Army Detachment Grasser, 51, 52, 53, 82, 104

  Army Detachment Narva, 24, 26, 27–28, 29, 30, 45, 48, 50, 51, 62, 63. See also Army Detachment Grasser; Narva

  Army Group A, 10, 90, 111, 114. See also Army Group Center

  against Soviet forces, 110, 135, 149

  collapse of, 104, 110

  Guderian and, 128, 139

  Hitler and, 140

  Schörner and, 106

  Army Group Center, xix, 3, 39, 40, 104, 108, 109, 110, 111, 114, 140, 215

  and Army Group North, 59, 61, 62, 89

  in Belorussia, 24

  collapse of, 25, 26, 33, 41, 44, 56, 62, 75, 104

  Dönitz and, 33

  in East Russia, 54

  Freissner and, 26

  Gehlen and, 138–39

  Guderian and, 128, 139

  at Memel, 53

  Reinhardt and, 109

  at Riga, 50

  Schörner and, 29, 47, 89

  and Soviet forces, 9, 23, 24–30, 27, 37, 60, 107, 109, 110, 117, 135

  and Third Panzer Army, 57, 109

  and XXVIII Corps, 108

  Army Group Courland (formerly Army Group North), xxi, 85, 105, 107, 111, 140, 142, 149, 212, 219

  commanders of, 88–94. See also Hilpert, Model, Rendulic, Schörner, Vietinghoff

  and Soviet forces, 81–106, 83, 100

  supply lines of, 97–99, 143

  Army Group F, 146

  Army Group G, 146

  Army Group North, xix, 2, 50, 60, 108, 135, 178, 208. See also Army Group Courland

  and Army Group Vistula, 119

  Assmann, and, 35–36

  at Aaland Islands, 41

  Bagramian and, 28

  and Baltic Isles, 65, 78

  Buchardi and, 184

  commanders of, 198. See also Hilpert, Model, Rendulic, Schörner, Vietinghoff

  at Courland, 47–64, 52, 55, 60, 61, 64, 81, 91, 107, 132, 147, 148, 150, 207. See also Army Group Courland

  Dönitz and, 32, 33, 36, 37–38, 42, 45, 55, 59, 64, 72, 120, 141, 220

  in Estonia, 33, 35, 37, 44, 47, 55, 62, 64, 152, 184

  in Finland, 30, 31, 32

  Foreign Armies East on, 138

  Freissner and, 26

  Gehlen and, 137–38

  and the German Navy, 7–20, 34, 35, 38, 60, 65, 68

  Guderian and, 47, 57, 60, 61–62, 121

  Hitler strategy and, 25, 26, 30, 35, 40, 60, 62, 68, 80, 120, 121, 132, 148–49, 218

  Kummetz and, 55

  at Libau, 54, 71, 187

  Meisel and, 38, 71

  Model and, 25

  at Narva, 10, 11, 14, 18, 76

  OKH and, 54, 58

  at Panther Position, 7, 12, 18, 22, 24, 27, 41

  Rendulic and, 89

  Schörner and, 47, 63, 90, 91, 93, 216

  and Skl, 13, 56, 72

  and Soviet forces, 1, 3–5, 7, 9, 13, 22, 23–46, 48, 51, 53, 60, 65, 107, 111, 135, 137, 211, 215

  supply lines of, 38–39, 42, 70, 98, 119, 121, 122

  at Sworbe, 71, 72

  and Third Panzer Army, 39, 57

  troop strength of, 135, 142

  Voss and, 55

  at Vyborg Bay, 31

  Weiss and, 113

  Army Group South, 3, 23, 89

  Army Group South Ukraine, 90, 92

  Army Group Vistula, 107, 113, 119, 142, 215. See also Vistula River

  Heinrici and, 127

  Himmler and, 114

  Hitler and, 123, 124, 126

  OKH and, 115, 127

  and Soviet forces, 116, 135

  troop strength of, 135

  Artste Line, 68, 80

  Assman, Heinz, xiii, 12–13, 16, 21, 32, 35–36, 38, 41–42, 43, 59, 122, 190, 206, 207

  “Aster,” code name, 48–50, 53, 58, 59, 62–63, 64

  Atlantic Wall, 33

  Axis forces, 22, 146

  Bagramian, Ivan, 28

  Balga Peninsula, 120, 121

  Baltic fronts. See First Baltic Front; Second Baltic Front; Third Baltic Front

  Baltic Gap, closing of, 37, 39, 44

  Baltic Isles. See Dagö, Ösel, Moon

  Battle of the Bulge. See Ardennes Offensive

  Bay of Biscay. See Biscay, Bay of

  Bay of Danzig. See Danzig, Bay of

  Belorussian fronts. See First Belorussian Front; Second Belorussian Front

  Bird, Keith, xxi, 220

  Biscay, Bay of, 10, 175, 204

  Black Sea, 2, 15, 146, 149, 171, 187, 204

  Blanc, Adalbert von, xiii, 73–74, 77, 100

  “Blitz,” code name, 51, 53

  Boheman, Erik, xiii, 31

  Böhmer, Kurt, 38

  Bonin, Bogislaw von, xiii, 40, 54, 67, 71, 72

  Bulgaria, 23, 208, 213

  Burchardi, Theodor, xiii, 59, 70–71, 73, 74, 76, 77, 79, 126–27, 184–85

  Cherkassy Pocket, 6

  code breaking, 157, 180

  code names

  “Aster.” See “Aster”

  “Blitz,” 51
/>   “Map Exercise Königsberg,” 47

  “Rain,” 53

  “Rotdorn,” 34, 37

  “Sunshine,” 53

  “Tanne East,” 41–43, 56, 64. See also Hogland island

  “Tanne West,” 41–43, 56, 161. See also Åland Islands

  “Thunder,” 53

  “Weissdorn,” 34, 37

  codes, Germany’s, 156, 157, 176

  Conrady, Heinz-Dietrich von, xiii, 43, 56, 57, 60, 68, 69

  Courland, xviii, xxii, 81, 87, 220. See also First Courland Battle; Second Courland Battle; Third Courland Battle; Fourth Courland Battle; Fifth Courland Battle; Sixth Courland Battle; Seventh Courland Battle

  Army Group North at, 47–64, 52, 55, 60, 61, 64, 81, 91, 107, 132, 147, 148, 150, 207

  and OKH, 84, 96, 98, 99, 101, 104, 142

  and OKW, 99

  and Skl, 56, 60, 100, 102, 103

  Stalin and, 86–87, 140–41

  Cranz, 111–13, 112

  Crimea, 9, 63, 70

  Dönitz on, 198, 204, 208

  Hitler strategy in, 40, 140, 141, 146, 150

  Dagö island, 49, 65–67, 66, 72, 76, 78

  Danzig (city), 60, 109, 112, 114, 116, 122, 124, 125, 126, 129, 180, 182

  Danzig port, xxi, 115, 120, 122, 127

  shipyards, 173, 177

  Danzig, Bay of, 34, 35, 36, 98, 101, 102, 112, 116, 123, 126, 127, 185, 193

  Danzig–Gdynia sector, 113, 116, 125, 126, 135, 141, 185. See also Gdynia

  decryption. See code breaking

  Denmark, German occupation of, 153, 154, 157, 158, 159, 163, 165, 188–89, 191, 197

  Doblen, 51, 53, 82, 84

  Don River, 149, 150

  Dorpat, 26, 29, 30, 40, 48, 50, 63

  Dülffer, Jost, xxi

  Düna River, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 33, 35, 39, 48, 49, 52, 83

  Dünaburg, 25, 26, 27, 28

  Durchhalt strategy, Hitler’s, 36, 206–14, 220, 223

  Dutch. See Holland

  East Prussia, 1, 34, 95, 96, 112, 115, 122, 128, 130, 140, 187, 201

  Army Detachment Samland in, 113

  Army Group A in, 110, 111, 135

  Army Group Center in, 53, 54, 108, 109, 110, 111, 135, 138

  Army Group North in, 34–36, 38, 39, 44, 45, 57, 61, 118–19, 135

  Army Group Vistula in, 135

  Assmann strategy in, 35–36

  Bargramian strategy in, 136

  Bonin strategy in, 54

  Cherniakovskii strategy in, 113

  Dönitz strategy in, 34, 36, 38, 45, 53, 118, 121–24, 126, 128, 201

  Fifth Panzer Division in, 114

  First Belorussian Front in, 136

  Fourth Army in, 110–14, 135

  Gehlen strategy in, 135, 137–41

  German army in, xviii, xxi–xxii, 109–14

  German forces isolated in, 45, 60, 61, 62, 100, 104, 111, 114, 118, 138

  German troop strength in, 135, 136

  Guderian strategy in, 59, 60–62, 116–17, 128, 137–41

  Hitler strategy, 87–88, 106, 111, 114, 118, 119, 121, 127, 131, 136, 141, 149, 206

  Reinhardt strategy in, 109, 110, 111

  Rendulic strategy in, 89, 112, 113, 134

  Schörner meets Hitler in, 50, 51

  Schörner strategy in, 53, 54, 137–41

  Second Army in, 110–11, 113, 135

  Second Belorussian Front in, 109–10, 136

  Soviet offensives in, 23, 28, 54, 57, 59–62, 80, 87–88, 94, 107, 108, 109–14, 134–36, 137–41

  Stalin strategy in, 86, 87

  Third Belorussian Front in, 26, 51, 109–10, 113

  Third Panzer Army in, 110–13

  XXVIII Corps in, 111–13

  Vasilevskii strategy in, 114

  Wellenbrecher doctrine in, 136, 139

  Zeitzler strategy in, 39

  East Wall, 2, 12, 59

  Eastern Front, ix, xxii, 12, 19, 20, 32, 44, 85, 213

  Assmann and, 12

  Dönitz and, 208

  Gehlen and, 138

  Guderian and, 48, 54, 60, 61, 149, 188

  Hitler strategy, 55, 104, 106, 121, 123, 132, 139–40, 145, 150–51, 167

  Kuchler and 1, 2

  Meisel and, 38

  OKH and, 54, 55, 218

  OKW and, 121

  Soviet offensives on, 23, 87, 138, 149

  Eighteenth Army, 3, 5–7, 9, 14, 82, 84, 91

  Eleventh Army, 9–10

  Eleventh SS Panzer Army, 114–15, 124

  English Channel, 2, 15, 33, 177, 188

  Enigma code machine, 176

  Estland-West Position, 48, 49, 50

  Fifth Courland Battle, 82, 89, 104

  Fifth Guards Tank Army, 28, 133

  Fifth Panzer Division, 114

  First Air Force, 29

  First Baltic Front, 25, 28, 51, 113

  First Belorussian Front, 110, 115, 136

  First Courland Battle, 82, 84, 87, 95, 137

  First Panzer Army, 149

  First Task Force, 35

  First Ukranian Front, 110, 136

  Foertsch, Friedrich, xiii, 47

  Foreign Armies East, 135, 136, 138

  Forshell, Anders, xiii, 159

  Fourth Army, 109, 110–14, 115, 119–22, 128, 135, 151

  Fourth Courland Battle, 82, 87, 104

  Fourth Panzer Army, 128

  Friedeburg, Hans-Georg von, xiii, 201

  Friessner, Hans, xiii, 25–26, 28, 29, 33, 34–35, 36, 39–40, 44, 202

  Fuchs, Werner, xiii, 174, 195

  Fürungsgruppe (OKH Command), 49. See also OKH

  Gdansk. See Danzig

  Gdynia, xxi, 32, 98, 113, 115, 116,120, 122–27, 129, 135, 141, 184, 185

  Gehlen, Reinhard, xiii, 133, 135, 137–39, 141

  German Army High Command. See OKH (Oberkommando des Heeres)

  Gersdorff, Curt-Ulrich von, xiii, 61, 69, 72

  Gneisenau (German cruiser), 188

  Godt, Eberhard, xiii, 34, 190, 191, 200, 201

  Goebbels, Joseph, 18, 28, 36–37, 45, 89, 93–94, 97, 104, 125, 136, 148, 155, 178, 179, 195, 203, 211, 212, 214, 219, 221

  Gollnick, Hans, xiv, 107–8

  Göring, Herman, xiv, 39, 129, 132, 133, 177, 195, 197–98, 200, 205

  Gotenkopf Position, 150

  Gothic Line, 23

  Govorov, L. A., 7

  Grasser, Army Detachment. See Army Detachment Grasser

  Grasser, Anton, xiv. See also Army Detachment Grasser

  Group Sponheimer, 6

  Group Strachwitz, 29–30

  Guderian, Heinz, xiv, xx, 27–28, 37, 38, 39, 40, 50, 55, 63, 67, 68, 69, 73, 80, 85, 99, 100, 115, 116–23, 126, 132, 133, 142, 144–45, 151, 152, 182, 185, 190, 195, 208, 216, 219–21

  and Army Group A, 128, 139

  and Army Group Center, 128, 139

  Army Group North, 47, 57, 60, 61–62, 121

  and Eastern Front, 48, 54, 60, 61, 149, 188

  and East Prussia, 59, 60–62, 116–17, 128, 137–41

  and Memel, 61, 108–9, 116

  and Skl, 123

  and West Prussia, 123

  Halder, Franz, xiv, 155

  Heidkämper, Otto, xiv, 111

  Heinrici, Gotthard, xiv, 127

  Hela Peninsula, 116, 123, 125, 126, 127, 135, 215

  Herwig, Holger, xxi

  Hessler, Günter, xiv, 191, 201

  Heusinger, Adolf, xiv, 13, 34, 35, 36, 39, 58–59, 140

  Hilpert, Carl, xiv, 69, 71–72, 88–89, 90, 99, 104–5, 106, 132, 201, 212

  Himmler, Heinrich, 37, 114–15, 123–25, 127, 129, 194, 195, 197, 198, 200, 211, 214, 221

  Hogland island, 8, 18, 41–44, 45, 46, 58, 59, 62, 64, 75, 79, 161, 184, 216

  Holland, 10, 15, 148, 175, 185, 191, 204, 208

  Hossbach, Friedrich, xiv, 111

  Hungary, 24, 60, 94, 213

  Hungary, 109, 115, 123, 146, 151, 206

  intelligence

  Allied, 180

  German, 15, 24, 86, 88, 10
1, 108, 110, 117, 133, 137–38, 155, 184, 188

  Soviet, 115

  Swedish, 156–57, 161

  Irben Straits, 56, 57, 65, 67, 69–71, 77, 78, 160

  Italy, 22

  Allies in, 23, 28–29, 140

  Dönitz on, 196

  German losses in, 30, 45, 147

  Speer on, 151

  Vietinghoff and, 85, 89, 106

  Jodl, Alfred, xiv, 11, 33, 38, 118, 121, 127–28, 129, 148, 156, 157, 165, 191, 195, 211, 213

  Juhlin-Dannfelt, Curt, xiv, 155

  Karelian Isthmus, 4, 18, 30, 31

  Keitel, Wilhelm, xiv, 19, 31, 33, 48, 59, 80, 121, 123, 129, 162, 165, 195, 200, 203

  Kinzel, Eberhard, xiv, 3, 6, 28, 34, 59

  Kolgampia Peninsula, 59

  Kollontai, Alexandra, 18

  Königsberg, 47, 110, 111–14, 112, 118–22, 125, 136, 140

  Kovno, 25, 26, 29

  Kraus, Herbert, xxi, 220

  Kronstadt Bay, 9, 14, 16, 75, 102, 182, 183, 184, 187

  Kronstadt Island, 4, 8

  Kuban Peninsula, 12, 140, 141, 149–50, 187, 216

  Küchler, Georg von, xiv, 1–6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 20, 28, 202

  Kummetz, Oskar, xiv, 19, 32–33, 37, 38, 46, 55, 58, 59, 71, 73–74, 75, 76–77, 101, 102–3, 117–18, 160–61, 162–63, 185–86

  Kurgolowo Peninsula, 8, 59

  Kurl. Aa Position. See Aa Position

  Kursk, 2, 12, 150

  Ladoga Canal, 184

  Ladoga, Lake. See Lake Lagoda

  Lake Ilmen, 4, 5

  Lake Ladoga, 1, 2, 4, 9, 10

  Lake Peipus, 1, 6, 15, 27, 28

  Lake Vänern, 158

  Lake Wirz, 48

  Latvia, xviii, 62, 77. See also Courland

  Dönitz on, 72

  Gehlen on, 138

  German isolation on, 81, 88

  German offensives in, 29, 70

  German troop supplies, 99, 100

  Hitler strategy, xxi, 145, 149, 215, 216, 223

  Rendulic in, 89

  Schörner in, 47, 50, 93, 103, 134

  Soviet offensives in, 7, 34, 37, 50, 84, 133, 137

  Soviet withdrawl from, 87, 104, 134

  Stalin on, 87, 141

  Vietinghoff in, 89

  Leeb, Wilhelm Ritter von, xiv, 1, 2

  Leipzig (German cruiser), 77

  Leningrad Front, 4, 7, 26, 28, 48, 50, 51

  Libau, 27, 34, 37, 51, 52, 53–55, 56–57, 60–61, 62, 67–68, 71, 77, 81–84, 86, 89, 100, 101, 105, 108, 117, 143, 146, 159, 160, 187, 201

  Leo Line, 68

  Lielupe River. See Aa River

  Lindemann, Georg, xiv, 3, 7, 13, 19, 21, 24–25, 28, 39, 44

  Lithuania, xviii

  Dönitz and, 72, 185

  German navy and, 77

  Soviet offensives in, 7, 34, 107

  Luftwaffe, 2

  defeat of, 167

  Dönitz and, 76, 105

 

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