The Siege of Kustrin 1945: Gateway to Berlin - Softcover

Tony Le Tissier

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1848845537 ISBN 13: 9781848845534

Publisher: Pen & Sword Military, 2011

Synopsis

The unexpected arrival of Soviet troops at the end of January 1945 at the ancient fortress and garrison town of Küstrin came as a tremendous shock to the German High Command - the Soviets were now only 50 miles from Berlin itself. The Red Army needed the vital road and rail bridges passing through Küstrin for their forthcoming assault on the capital, but flooding and their own high command's strategic blunders resulted in a sixty-day siege by two Soviet armies which totally destroyed the town. The delay in the Soviet advance also gave the Germans time to consolidate the defences shielding Berlin west of the Oder River. Despite Hitler's orders to fight on to the last bullet, the Küstrin garrison commander and 1,000 of the defenders managed a dramatic break-out to the German lines. The protracted siege had an appalling human cost about 5,000 Germans were killed, 9,000 wounded and 6,000 captured, and the Russians lost 5,000 killed and 15,000 wounded. Tony Le Tissier, in this graphic and painstakingly researched account, has recorded events in extraordinary detail, using the vivid eyewitness testimony of survivors to bring the story of the siege to life.

About this title

About the Author:

Tony Le Tissier lives in England.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1848845537
• ISBN 13: 9781848845534
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320