Tony Le Tissier - Siege of Küstrin, 1945

I could say a lot about the looting carried out by German soldiers. One was often ashamed at how senseless and how mean German soldiers were to loot the homes of their countrymen. Often I heard it said: ‘The Russians could not be worse!’ I presume, however, that the higher commands have been informed of these deeds also from other places.

Heil Hitler!

Antipenko, Lt-Gen. N.A., In der Hauptrichtung (Militärverlag der DDR, East Berlin, no date)

Babadshanian, Col. A.H., Hauptstosskraft (Militärverlag der DDR, East Berlin, 1981)

Boehm, Oberst a.D. Prof. Erwin, Geschichte der 25. Division (Stuttgart, undated)

Bokov, Lt-Gen. F.I., Frühjahr des Sieges und der Befreiung (Militärverlag der DDR, East Berlin, 1979)

Chuikov, Vassili I., The End of the Third Reich , revised edition (Progress Publishers, Moscow; Panther edition, London, 1969)

Davies, Norman, Rising’44–The Battle for Warsaw (Macmillan, London, 2003)

Duffy, Christopher, Red Storm on the Reich (Routledge, London, 1991)

Eichholz, Diedrich, Brandenburg in der NS-Zeit (Verlag Volk und Welt GmbH, Berlin, 1993)

Erickson, Prof. John, The Road to Berlin (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1983)

Guderian, Col.-Gen. Heinz, Panzer Leader (Ballantyne Books, New York, 1965)

Hahn, Gerhard, report dated 21 January 1978

Katukov, Marshal Michail Jefremovitch, An der Spitze des Hauptstosses (Militärverlag der DDR, East Berlin, 1985)

Kazakov, V.I., Always with the Tanks, Always with the Infantry (Moscow, date unknown). Title translated from the Russian.

Knüppel, Fritz, Kreis Lebus: Ein leidgeprüftes Land (Heimatkreis Lebus, 1990)

Kohlase, Fritz, Mit dem Fusilier-Bataillon 303 in Küstrin (Brandenburgisches Verlaghaus, Berlin, 1993) [303]

Kohlase, Fritz, Küstrin-Aus der Geschichte der ehemaligen preußischen Festungsstadt (Author, 1993)

Kohlase, Fritz, Als Küstrin in Trümmer sank (self publication, 1996)

Kohlase, Fritz, Brennendes Oderland (Author, 1998) [BO, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4]

Kortenhaus, Werner, Lothringen, Elsass, Ostfront: Der Einsatz der 21. Panzer-Division (unpublished ms.)

Lammers, Frank, Küstrin–Stadtgeschichte und Stadtverkehr (Verlag GVE, 2005)

Melzheimer, Werner, Die Festung und Garnison Küstrin (Landmannschaft Berlin-Mark Brandenburg, Berlin, 1989)

Scheel, Klaus, Hauptstossrichtung Berlin (VEB Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften, East Berlin, 1983)

Schöneck, Friedhelm, ‘Die Zunge: Tagebuch & Erlebuisberichte aus dem Jahr 1945’ (unpublished ms.)

Schrode, Wilhelm, Die Geschichte der 25. Division: Die Wiederaufstellung der 25. Panzergrenadier-Division, Herbst 1944 bis Kriegsende (Ludwigsburg, 1980)

Simon, Hauptmann Manfred, Die Bildung und Erweiterung des Küstriner Brückenkopfes (Friedrich Engels Academy, Dresden, 1987)

Spaeter, Helmuth, Die Geschichte des Panzerkorps ‘Grossdeutschland’ , part III (Podzun-Pallas-Verlag, Friedeberg, 1968)

Thrams, Hermann, Küstrin 1945: Tagebuch einer Festung (Landesmannschaft Berlin-Mark Brandenburg, Berlin, 1992)

Tieke, Wilhelm, Das Ende zwischen Oder und Elbe: Der Kampf um Berlin 1945 (Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, 1981)

Twierdza Kostrzyn 2015 (Burmistrz Miasta, Kostrzyn nad Odra)

Wewetzer, Horst, ‘Erinnerungen zum Ausbruch aus Küstrin’ (unpublished article)

Zhukov, Marshal Georgi K., Reminiscences and Reflections (Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1974, English translation 1985)

First published in Great Britain in 2009 by Pen & Sword Military an imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd

47 Church Street

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Copyright © Tony Le Tissier, 2009

ISBN 978 1 84884 022 5

eISBN 9781848847163

The right of Tony Le Tissier to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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Thrams, p. 13.

Thrams, pp. 14–15.

Thrams, pp. 22–4.

Melzheimer, p. 180.

Kohlase [BO], p. 161; Thrams, p. 28.

Melzheimer, p. 180; Thrams, p. 26.

Thrams, p. 31.

Duffy, pp. 249–51; BMA RH 19/XV/13K3.

Chuikov, pp. 148–9.

Babadshanian, p. 217.

Chuikov, p. 159.

MA USSR, Stock 333, List 396, File 396, Sheets 58–9 [Bokov, p. 101]; Chuikov, p. 159.

Chuikov, p. 160, Order No. 00172 of 27 January 1945.

Babadshanian, pp. 218–20.

Kohlase [BO], p. 45.

Katukov, pp. 329ff; Spaeter, pp. 321–2.

Duffy, pp. 178–9; Tieke, p. 12.

Kohlase [AKTS], pp. 20–2.

Kohlase [AKTS], pp. 33–5.

Kohlase [AKTS], pp. 68ff.

Kohlase [AKTS], p. 145.

Thrams, p. 21.

Thrams, p. 19.

Kohlase [Band 4], p. 72.

Kohlase [Band 3], p. 32.

Kohlase [Band 4], p. 86.

Kohlase [AKTS], p. 89.

Kohlase [Band 4], p. 77.

Kohlase [AKTS], p. 71.

BMA RH XII/23, Sheet 352 and RH 19/XV/3 [Kortenhaus, pp. 105, 107]; Schrode, p. 82.

Kroemer and Zobel to the author.

Kohlase [BO], p. 45 [Bokov, p. 88] and [Band 4], p. 99; Thrams, p. 32.

Kohlase [Band 4], pp. 73–4.

Kohlase [Band 4], pp. 73–4.

Kohlase [Band 4], p. 87.

Kohlase [AKTS], pp. 71–2.

Thrams, pp. 29–32.

Melzheimer, p. 181.

Kohlase [AKTS], pp. 61–3.