Battle of Memel
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The Battle of Memelalso known as the Siege of Memel was fought on the Eastern Front of World War II in late 1944 and early 1945.
Prelude
On Tuesday 10 October 1944 at the end of Operation Bagration, the Red Army reached the Baltic north of the city of Memel, cutting off Army Group North (26 divisions) for the rest of the war in the Courland Pocket. On the 12 October the Germans managed to hold a line at the Neman River, defending the main part of East Prussia. On 13 January 1945, General Ivan Chernyakhovsky's 3rd Belorussian Front launched the East Prussian Offensive against stiff resistance from the German Third Panzer Army, ending any hope of overland relief for Memel.[World War II Eastern Front, Time Line (1944)][World War II Eastern Front, Time Line (1945)]Siege
The German defenders attempted to hold the besieged city against the Soviet attack. This gave time for many of the inhabitants to evacuate the city and head west, via the sea or the Curonian Spit. The city was captured by the Red Army on January 28, 1945.Aftermath
With the defeat of Germany, and the occupation of one third of its eastern territory, by the Red Army, the area was made part of the Lithuanian SSR, in 1945. With the re-establishment of the independent Republic of Lithuania, in 1990, the city and its surroundings, are presently within its borders.
Further reading
- [Map of the Soviet Advance into East Prussia & Siege of Königsberg January 13 - May 9, 1945] This shows clearly how Memel was already surrounded and besieged.
Footnotes
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