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Demyansk Pocket
Part of The Second World War
Date 8 February 1942–21 April 1942
Location Demyansk, Russia
Result German victory
Belligerents
Nazi Germany Soviet Union

Demyansk Pocket (German: Festung Demjansk or Kessel von Demjansk; Russian: Демя́нский котёл) is a name for the encirclement of German troops by the Red Army around Demyansk (Demjansk), south of Leningrad, during the Second World War on the Eastern Front, which existed mainly from February 8 until April 21, 1942. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Demyansk (Демя́нск is an Urban-type settlement in the southern part of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, administrative centre of Demyansky District Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya Demyansk (Демя́нск is an Urban-type settlement in the southern part of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, administrative centre of Demyansky District Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River The Eastern Front of World War II (die Ostfront 1941-1945, der Rußlandfeldzug 1941-1945 (Russian campaign or der Ostfeldzug 1941-1945 (Eastern Campaign Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A much smaller pocket was simultaneously surrounded in Kholm, about 100 km to the southwest. Kholm (Холм is a town in the southern part of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, the administrative center of Kholmsky District. These were the results of German retreat following their defeat during the Battle of Moscow. The Battle of Moscow (Битва под Москвой Romanized: Bitva pod Moskvoy, Schlacht um Moskau is the name given by the Soviet historians to the two

The encirclement begun as the first phase of the Demyansk Offensive Operation (7 January 1942 - 20 May 1942) by the Northwestern Front's commander's initiative, General Lieutenant Pavel Kurochkin. The Northwestern Front was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. Pavel Alekseyevich Kurochkin (Павел Алексеевич Курочкин ( November 6, 1900 - 1989 was a Soviet military leader The intention was to sever the link betweent he German Demyansk positions, and the Staraya Russa railway that formed the lines of communication of the German 16th Army. Staraya Russa (Ста́рая Ру́сса is an old Russian town located 99 km south of Veliky Novgorod. A line of communication (or communications) is the route that connects an operating Military unit with its Supply base. However owing to the very difficult wooded and swampy terrain, and heavy snow cover, the initial advance by the Front was very modest against stubborn opposition. A swamp is a Wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water

On the 8 January 1942 a new Rzhev-Vyazma Strategic Offensive Operation begun that incorporated the previous Front planning into the Toropets-Kholm Offensive Operation (9 January 1942 - 6 February 1942) which formed the southern pincer of the operation that, beginning the second phase of the northern pincer Demyansk Offensive Operation (7 January 1942 - 20 May 1942) which encircled the German 16th Army's (Generaloberst Ernst Busch) IInd, and parts of the Xth Army Corps (General der Artillerie Christian Hansen) during winter 1941/1942. A pincer is a device with a pair of levers that act to concentrate force on a point Ernst Busch (6 July 1885 - 17 July 1945 was a German field marshal during World War II.

Trapped in the pocket were the 12th, 30th, 32nd, 123rd and 290th infantry divisions, as well as the SS-Division Totenkopf. The 32nd Infantry Division of the German Army was mobilized on August 1, 1939 for the upcoming invasion of Poland. SS Division Totenkopf ("Death's Head" or "Skull" is also known as 3 There were also RAD, Police, Todt organization and other auxiliary units who were trapped and assisted in the battle. The Reichsarbeitsdienst (or RAD Reich Labour Service) was an institution set up in Nazi Germany as an instrument to combat unemployment similar to the The Ordnungspolizei (Orpo was the name for the uniformed Regular German Police force in existence during the period of Nazi Germany, notably The Organisation Todt (OT was a Third Reich civil and Military engineering group in Germany eponymously named for its founder Fritz Todt, an In total, about 90,000 German troops and around 10,000 auxiliaries were trapped inside the pocket. Their commander was General der Infanterie Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt, commander of the IInd Army Corps. Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt ( 13 July 1887 &ndash 9 May 1943) was a German general of the Infantry, serving

Northwestern Front offensives

The Northwestern Front offensive was planned to encircle the entire northern flank of the 16th Army's forces, of which the IInd Army Corps was only a small part, and the Soviet command was desperate to keep the Front moving even after this success. The first thrust was made by the 11th Army, 1st Shock Army and the 1st and 2nd Guards Rifle Corps released for the operation from Stavka reserve. The 1st Shock Army (1-я ударная армия was a field army established by the Soviet Union 's Red Army during the Second World War. A second thrust was executed on 12 February by the 3rd and 4th Shock Armies of the Kalinin Front, with the additional plan of directly attacking the encircled German forces by inserting two airborne brigades to support the advance of the 34th Army. The 3rd Shock Army (Третья ударная армия was a Field army of the Red Army formed during the Second World War. The Kalinin Front was a Front (ie a military formation of roughly Army Group size of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. The front soon settled as the Soviet offensive petered out due to difficult terrain and bad weather.

After being assured that the pocket could be supplied with its daily requirement of 270 tons of supplies by the Luftflotte 1, Hitler ordered that the surrounded divisions hold their positions until relieved. Luftflotte 1 (Air Fleet 1 was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately The pocket contained two fairly capable airfields at Demyansk and Peski. From the middle of February the weather improved significantly, and while there was still considerable snow on the ground at this time, resupply operations were generally very successful due to weakness of the Red Air Forces in the area. However the operation did use up all of the Luftwaffe's transport capability, as well as elements of their bomber force. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force.

The Northwestern Front grew increasingly desperate to wipe out the pocket, and over the winter and spring launched a number of assaults on the "Ramushevo corridor" that formed the tenuous link between Demyansk and Staraya Russa through the Ramushevo village that were repeatedly repulsed. In total five Soviet Armies composed of 18 infantry divisions and three brigades were tied up for 4 months. The term Army, besides its generalized meaning (see " Army " specifically denotes a major military formation in militaries of various countries including A division is a large Military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to thirty thousand soldiers A brigade is a Military unit Echelon: is

However, by the end of May the Stavka reconsidered the overall situation on the Front sector and decided to shift its attention to the Moscow sector where a new German offensive was expected in the summer.

Attempted breakout

On 21 March 1942 German forces under the command of Generalleutnant Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach attempted to leave through the "Ramushevo corridor" of the pocket. Events 630 - Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the True Cross to Jerusalem. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Please see " General " for other countries which use this rank General (genəˈraːl is presently the highest rank Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach ( 22 August 1888 – 28 April 1976) was a German General. Over the next several weeks this corridor was widened. A battle group was able to break out of the siege on April 21, but the battle had taken a heavy toll. Out of the approximately 100,000 men trapped there were 3,335 lost and over 10,000 wounded. However, their strong resistance had denied the Soviet High Command numerous units at a critical moment, units that would have otherwise been used elsewhere.

Between the forming of the pocket in early February to virtual abandonment of Demyansk in May, the two pockets (including Kholm) received 65,000 tons of supplies (both through ground and aerial delivery), 31,000 replacement troops, and 36,000 wounded were evacuated. Kholm (Холм is a town in the southern part of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, the administrative center of Kholmsky District. However, the cost was significant. The Luftwaffe lost 265 aircraft, including 106 Junkers Ju 52, 17 Heinkel He 111 and two Junkers Ju 86 aircraft. WikipediaWikiProject WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout In addition 387 airmen were also lost[1].

The Soviet Air Forces lost 408 aircraft, including 243 fighters in a bid to crush the pocket. The success of the Luftwaffe's contribution influenced Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring and Hitler that they had developed the methods and tactics that would guarantee any effective airlift operation on the Eastern front[2]. Hermann Wilhelm Göring (also spelled Goering) (12 January 1893 15 October 1946 was a German Politician, Military leader and a leading member The experience proved to be a false hope during the Battle of Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad is a commonly used name in English sources for several large operations by Germany and its allies and Soviet forces conducted with the

Fighting in the area continued until 28 February 1943. Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Soviets would not liberate Demyansk until March 1st, 1943 with the retreat of the German troops. For his excellence in command and the particularly fierce fighting of his elite unit, 3rd SS Division Totenkopf SS-Obergruppenführer Theodor Eicke[3] was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross (88th) on May 20, 1942. SS Division Totenkopf ("Death's Head" or "Skull" is also known as 3 Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest Theodor Eicke ( October 17 1892 &ndash February 26, 1943) was a Nazi official SS- Obergruppenführer, commander The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ( German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, often simply Ritterkreuz) was a grade of the Iron Cross Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

The success of the defence of the pocket would later cause Hermann Göring to propose a similar "solution" to supply the 6th Army, trapped in Stalingrad. Hermann Wilhelm Göring (also spelled Goering) (12 January 1893 15 October 1946 was a German Politician, Military leader and a leading member The Battle of Stalingrad is a commonly used name in English sources for several large operations by Germany and its allies and Soviet forces conducted with the The Battle of Stalingrad is a commonly used name in English sources for several large operations by Germany and its allies and Soviet forces conducted with the In theory the outcome could be equally advantageous; with the 6th Army trapped, but still in fighting condition, the Soviet army would have to use up much of its strength to keep them contained. This could allow other German forces to re-group and mount a counterattack. However, the scale of the forces trapped in the two operations differed greatly. While in Demyansk a single army corps (about one third of an army) with about six divisions was encircled, in Stalingrad an entire and greatly reinforced Army was trapped. Whereas the Demyansk and Kholm pockets together needed around 265 tonnes of supplies per day, the 6th Army required an estimated daily minimum of 500 tonnes to be delivered over a much longer distance and faced by a much better organised Red Air Force opposition. The Soviet Air Force, also known under the abbreviation VVS, transliterated from Russian: ВВС, Военно-воздушные силы ( Voenno-Vozdushnye The air transport force had already suffered heavy losses, and was working in a location much further away from good infrastructure. Aviation refers to activities involving man-made flying devices ( Aircraft) including the people organizations and regulatory bodies involved with them Infrastructure typically refers to the technical structures that support a society such as Roads Water supply, Wastewater, Power grids The Luftwaffe simply did not have the resources needed to supply Stalingrad, a major reason for its eventual surrender. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force.

References

  1. ^ Bergstrom 2007, p. 23.
  2. ^ Bergstrom 2007, p. 23.
  3. ^ previously the "inspector of concentration camps". Eicke's attitude of "inflexible harshness" also influenced the guards in the concentration camps; constant indoctrination removed any compassion for the detainees from the guards and created an atmosphere of controlled, disciplined cruelty that lived on even when Eicke was not involved with the concentration camps anymore. Eicke himself was killed on 26 February 1943, shortly after being promoted to SS-Obergruppenführer (equivalent to full general). While performing a battlefield reconnaissance during the opening stages of the Third Battle of Kharkov, his Fieseler Fi 156 Storch was shot down by Soviet troops near Oryol. His division launched a ferocious attack to secure the crash site and recover their commander's body. Eicke was portrayed in the Axis press as a hero, and soon after his death one of the Totenkopf's Infantry regiments received the honorific cuff-title Theodor Eicke.
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