Bay of Danzig 1945

[Prit]

Folks

In their memoirs, Rokossovsky and Batov both say that they went to some lengths in an attempt to neutralise the firepower of the Kriegsmarine ships in the Bay of Danzig during the final assaults on Danzig and Gotenhafen. Specifically, 'special' long-range artillery units were organised to engage the ships, and the Soviet Air Force was tasked with attacking the ships.

Predictably, both claim that their tactics had considerable success, but other accounts seem to contradict this - for example, Heinz Schön describes how a German destroyer engaged Soviet artillery after the fall of the cities to stop the guns firing on civilian shipping near Hela. Indeed, even Batov describes how naval shells destroyed the headquarters of one of his divisions, killing amongst others the division commander.

My suspicion is that the Soviet anti-shipping measures were of limited value, and in particular I can find no records of significant damage being done to warships by Soviet aircraft. Does anyone have any further information?

Prit

[Heimatschuss]

Hello Prit!

I think you're correct with your suspicion.

The Soviet forces broke through to the Bay of Danzig in the Zoppot area on March 23rd, 1945.

Bekker (p.229) mentions that heavy Soviet artillery (estimated to be of 17 cm and 21 cm calibre) was stationed on the hills Hoch-Redlau and Steinberg south of Gotenhafen on March 26th, 1945 when they shelled the 'Lützow' which had to be covered in a smoke screen by torpedo boats T23 and T28. Activity of these batteries was also noted the next day but apparently they didn't score any hits.

Later Soviet batteries were situated on the Gotenhafen molo and on the Oxhöfter Kämpe ridge north of Gotenhafen shelling German ships on Hela berth but nothing seems to have come from it either. The only case where they possibly achieved success is the sinking of the freighter 'Emily Sauber' in April '45 ( http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/45-04.htm ).

All in all a deplorable result: No success in driving the Kriegsmarine's capital ships out of the Bay of Danzig, not even noteworthy hits on the stationary civilian shipping berthed off Hela for loading.

Soviet aircraft seem to have been slightly more successful:
According to Bekker (p.244) the 'Prinz Eugen' was hit by a rocket bomb on March 31st, 1945 which killed and injured several crew members but otherwise she remained operational.
Destroyer Z31 received a bomb hit at an undisclosed point of time before leaving together with the 'Lützow' on April 8th. ( http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/45-04.htm )

Except for these cases the only victims of Soviet aviators were just minor Kriegsmarine craft or civilian shipping.

Sources:
Cajus Bekker: Flucht über's Meer. Ullstein Verlag, 1979

Best regards
Torsten

[Erich]

you are both correct according to two friends one serving in the 1st Infantrie Divison and his brother serving in the Finnenbüsen towards land along the Baltic, Hela Bay, Danzig and final capture by the Soviets. The Soviet batteries in a nut shell did nothing, Soviet a/c on the other hand did do light damage to the heavier KM ships, smaller boots were sunk including T-boots. with all the proposed Soviet aerial attacks during the Baltic runs of civilians/military personell it is a wonder that more German shipping was not sunk. what I find interesting is that sadly there is not much written on the KM ships during the 1945 time frame in the Baltic and with regards to their own Fla(k) defenses to Soviet bomber and torpedo bomber attacks...........

back to the Soviet ground batteries they seemed to be pulverized into nothingness by the heavier caliber rounds of even the Zerstörers which often acted as Flak protection for the Prinz, Hipper, Scheer, Lützoe, etc. not to mention the heavier arms of the last ships named.........

Gruß

E ~

[panzermahn]

Hi guys

I remember Beevor mentioned in his book Berlin: The Downfall that the Soviets trained to adapt their tank's gun to engage targets at sea especially the KM ships during the battles around Danzig. And I read somewhere that one of the Prinz Eugen gun turrets managed to destroyed a Soviet T-34 tank

Regards
Panzermahn