Panzers on the Vistula: Retreat and Rout in East Prussia 1945

by Hans Schäufler, Tony Le Tissier (Translator)

Overview

Hans Schäufler fought as the commander of a Jagdpanther tank destroyer in rearguard actions against the Red Army in East Prussia in 1945. Then, as an infantryman, he took part in the doomed defense of Danzig and made a daring escape across the Baltic in a small boat. This is his story, and it is the story of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians who were caught up in the chaos and tragedy of the German retreat. His eyewitness account is one of the most revealing records we have of the experience of the collapse of the Third Reich in the east.

As well as giving a vivid insight into the German army’s tactics as they fell back before the Soviet advance, he describes the appalling conditions and the fear and panic that gripped the city. Acute shortages of men, equipment, ammunition and fuel crippled the defense, but extraordinary resilience, heroism and ingenuity still motivated the soldiers who were fighting for a lost cause and facing certain defeat.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526734310
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	11/16/2018
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Hans Schäufler was a second lieutenant and signals officer in Panzer Regiment 35, part of the 4th Panzer Division, on the Eastern Front in 1945. He took part in the German retreat from Latvia to East Prussia and was trapped in Danzig when the city fell to the Red Army. After the war he wrote this dramatic account of his experiences which has been translated into English for the first time. Among his other books is the best-selling Panzer Warfare on the Eastern Front.

During many years working in several senior official positions in Berlin – including spells as provost marshal and British governor of Spandau prison – Tony Le Tissier accumulated a vast knowledge of the Second World War on the Eastern Front. He has published a series of outstanding books on the subject including The Battle of Berlin 1945, Zhukov at the Oder, Race for the Reichstag, Berlin Battlefield Guide and The Siege of Küstrin 1945. He has also translated Prussian Apocalypse: The Fall of Danzig 1945, Soviet Conquest: Berlin 1945, With Paulus at Stalingrad and Panzers on the Vistula.

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

Preface ix

List of Plates xi

Maps xiii

Chapter 1 From Kurland to Danzig 1

Chapter 2 The Situation on the Vistula in Mid-January 1945 5

Chapter 3 Collecting Our Armour 9

Chapter 4 Gaining Time 15

Chapter 5 From Tuchel to Preussisch Stargard 25

Chapter 6 The Race to Danzig 31

Chapter 7 From Oliva to Heubude, 13-30 March 45

Chapter 8 In the Danzig Meadows 67

Chapter 9 The Küspert Group 75

Chapter 10 Waiting at the Mouth of the Vistula 81

Chapter 11 That was Hell 85

Chapter 12 The End on the Vistula 91

Chapter 13 Flight Over the Baltic 95

Chapter 14 After Zero Hour 107

Chapter 15 Ceasefire at Hela 115

Chapter 16 The March into Soviet Captivity 119

Chapter 17 Internment in Sweden 123

Chapter 18 The Stars Also Shine Over Griasovez 133

Timeline 137

Editorial Reviews

"Overall, this text offers a thought-provoking look at the final months of the war..."

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