Otto Heidkämper - Vitebsk: The Fight and Destruction of Third Panzer Army

VITEBSK

DIE WEHRMACHT IN KAMPF

The Fight and Destruction of the Third Panzer Army

OTTO HEIDKMPER

Translated by

LINDEN LYONS

AN AUSA BOOK

Published in the United States of America and Great Britain in 2017 by

CASEMATE PUBLISHERS

1950 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083, USA

and

The Old Music Hall, 106108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JE, UK

2017 Association of the U.S. Army

Hardback edition: ISBN 978-1-61200-548-5

Digital edition: ISBN 978-1-61200-549-2

Mobi edition: ISBN 978-1-61200-549-2

Cataloging-in-publication data is available from the Library of Congress and the British Library.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher in writing.

For a complete list of Casemate titles, please contact:

CASEMATE PUBLISHERS (US)

Telephone (610) 853-9131

Fax (610) 853-9146

Email:

www.casematepublishers.com

CASEMATE PUBLISHERS (UK)

Telephone (01865) 241249

Email:

Our knowledge of the apocalyptic battlefields at the Eastern Front is shaped by a number of battles, for instance Moscow, Stalingrad, and Kursk. But these were like icebergs in the ocean, and a lot of fighting took place beneath the surface, at other places and times during the years 194145. The fighting in the region of Vitebsk between the summer of 1943 and the final destruction of the German forces in the area during the 1944 Soviet summer offensive Bagration the period covered in this book is a good example of this. This intriguing book sheds light on the actions in this sector of the front.

This volume has to be seen in the context of its creation. It was first published in German in 1954, at a time when NATO was studying the German conduct of war against the Soviets during the Second World War. The tone of the book is very factual and can appear cold; it is clearly that of a general staff officer who is interested in the planning and conduct of operations, and the operational results of tactical actions, but who has less interest in the human dimension and the human suffering. While this is true for the account of the German side, it is even more so for the Soviets. For instance, the author comments on the threat that the Partisans (or Bandits, as he refers to them, in line with German terminology of the Second World War) posed to the Germans. What Otto Heidkmper fails to address is the question as to why there was a growing Partisan threat in the German hinterland, which was largely a consequence of the brutal German occupation. One reason for this failure might be the fact that Heidkmper was a member of the new breed of officers who were closely associated with the Nazi system and its ideology. Heidkmper, who ended the Second World War as Lieutenant-General and was awarded the Knights Cross on 8 February 1943, has been called by a German historian the embodiment of the warrior of the new Weltanschauung .

Despite this, the book adopts a theme that was typical for German (ex-)military writers of the 1950s and early 1960s: German operational excellence and unrivalled military expertise were undermined by Hitlers interference in operational matters. Heidkmper expresses this view very strongly. There was more than a kernel of truth in this assessment, but it can also be argued the generals followed Hitlers orders for too long, often against their better military judgement. This is also a theme that appears throughout the book, though probably unintentionally on the part of the author.

When Heidkmper wrote his book in the 1950s, he did not have the wealth of sources available that historians now have access to. As a consequence, some of his points might not stand up to academic scrutiny. Bearing this in mind, Vitebsk offers a fascinating insight into the fighting at this forgotten part of the Eastern Front, through the lens of one of the main actors on the German side. This alone makes this a worthy addition to the plethora of publications on the Second World War.

Dr. Matthias Strohn, M.St., FRHistS

Visiting Fellow, Centre for Historical Analysis and

Conflict Research

Senior Lecturer, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

Senior Research Fellow, Buckingham University

Christian Hartmann, Wehrmacht im Ostkrieg. Front und militrisches Hinterland 1941/42 , Munich 2010, p. 9.

Map 1: Situation of the Third Panzer Army (May 1943)

Map 2: Retreat of the VI Corps (16 September11 October 1943)

Map 3: Soviet breakthrough at Nevel on 6 October 1943. Development of the situation until 12 October 1943

Map 4: Nevel breakthrough area (29 October21 November 1943)

Map 5: Attack from the Lobok sector. Final attempt to close the fatal gap between Army Groups Centre and North (8 November 1943)

Map 6: Combat east and southeast of Vitebsk (8 November 194318 January 1944)

Map 7: Situation of the Third Panzer Army at the beginning of the first winter defensive battle around Vitebsk (13 December 1943)

Map 8: Combat on the northern wing of the Third Panzer Army (1318 December 1943)

Map 9: Combat on the northern wing of the Third Panzer Army (1831 December 1943)

Map 10: Combat northwest of Vitebsk (23 December 194314 January 1944)

Map 11: Situation of the Third Panzer Army (24 December 1943)

Map 12: Situation of the Third Panzer Army (31 December 1943)