German Newsreel Europa Woche 93 - KURLAND COMBAT & KETTENKRAD

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Episode 230
ORIGINALS for sale...
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EUROPA WOCHE Nr. 93
5.12.1944
1:00 - The painter Professor Franz Eichenhorst in his studio
2:27 - Reception by GFM Maximilian Freiherr von Weichs
3:02 - Athletes during indoor training
3:43 - Water polo game
4:36 - Germany: Production of dried potatoes
5:30 - Germany: Apprentices training to become locomotive drivers
7:07 - Germany: testing of special motorcycles with caterpillar drives
8:45 - Eastern Front: Withdrawal of German troops from the Sworbe Peninsula
10:28 - BONUS: Combat in Courland (Kurland)
The Courland Pocket was an area of the Courland Peninsula where Army Group North and the Reichskommissariat Ostland were cut off and surrounded by the Red Army for almost a year, lasting from July 1944 until 10 May 1945.
The pocket was created during the Red Army's Baltic Offensive, when forces of the 1st Baltic Front reached the Baltic Sea near Memel during its lesser Memel Offensive Operation phases in October 1944. This action isolated the German Army Group North from the rest of the German forces, having been pushed from the south by the Red Army, standing in a front between Tukums and Libau in Latvia, with the Baltic Sea in the West, the Irbe Strait in the North and the Gulf of Riga in the East behind the Germans. Renamed Army Group Courland on 25 January, the Army Group in the Courland Pocket remained isolated until the end of the war. When they were ordered to surrender to the Soviet command on 8 May, they were in "blackout" and did not get the official order before 10 May, two days after the capitulation of Germany. It was one of the last German groups to surrender in Europe.
Battles of the Courland Bridgehead
On 9 October 1944, the Soviet forces reached the Baltic Sea near Memel after overrunning the headquarters of the 3rd Panzer Army. As a result, Army Group North was cut off from East Prussia. Hitler's military advisors-notably Heinz Guderian, the Chief of the German General Staff-urged evacuation and utilisation of the troops to stabilise the front in central Europe. However, Hitler refused, and ordered the German forces in Courland and the Estonian islands Hiiumaa (Dagö) and Saaremaa (Ösel) to hold out, believing them necessary to protect German submarine bases along the Baltic coast.
Timeline
From 15 to 22 October 1944 - Soviets launched the Riga Offensive Operation on the 15th at 10:00 after conducting a heavy artillery barrage. Hitler permitted the Army Group Commander, Ferdinand Schoerner, to commence withdrawal from Riga on 11 October, and the city was taken by the 3rd Baltic Front on 13 October.[6] The front stabilised with the main remnant of Army Group North isolated in the peninsula.
From 27 October to 25 November - Soviets launched an offensive trying to break through the front toward Skrunda and Saldus including at one point initiating a simultaneous attack by 52 divisions.[5] Soviet forces also attacked southeast of Liepāja in an attempt to capture that port. 80 divisions assaulted the Germans from 1 to 15 November in a front 12 km wide.[citation needed] The Soviet breakthrough stalled after roughly 4 kilometers.[7][page needed]
The third phase of the fighting (also known as "the other Christmas Battle") started on 21 December with a Soviet attack on Germans near Saldus. The Soviet 2nd Baltic (northern sector) and 1st Baltic Fronts (southern sector) commenced a blockade, precipitating the German defence of the Courland perimeter during Soviet attempts to reduce it. In this battle, serving with the 2nd Baltic Front's 22nd Army, the Latvian 130th Rifle Corps faced their opposites in the Latvian 19th SS Division. The battle ended on 31 December and the front was stabilized.
On 15 January 1945, Army Group North was renamed Army Group Courland under Colonel-General Lothar Rendulic. In the middle of January, Guderian got Hitler's permission to withdraw 7 divisions from Courland, however, Hitler refused to consider a total withdrawal. The 4th Panzer Division, 31st, 32nd, 93rd Infantry Divisions, 11th SS Division Nordland and the remnants of the battered 227th, 218th and 389th Infantry Divisions and 15th Latvian SS-Division were evacuated over the sea. On 23 January Soviet forces launched an offensive trying to break through the front toward Liepāja and Saldus. They managed to take the bridgeheads on Bārta and Vārtāja rivers but were once again driven off by the Germans.
The fifth battle started on 12 February with a Soviet attack against the Germans towards Džūkste [lv]. Other attacks took place south of Liepāja where the Soviets massed 21 divisions, and south of Tukums where 11 divisions tried to break through the German front and take the town. On 16 February the Soviets started an offensive against the 19th Division.

[@daj473]

The Kettenkrad vehicles are certainly an odd, ungainly seeming vehicle. However, their capabilities regarding transportation of soldiers and supplies, and their capacity to haul weapons systems, ammo and equipment would make them invaluable on the poor road net which existed in Russia. Very interesting watching them traverse some rough terrain.

[@M1945]

I want one

[@daj473]

@@M1945 Looks like it might be similar to riding a bucking bronco. That's just a guess, since I've never ridden one!

[@kameronsharp8691]

#cruzinonmykettenkrad

[@herd118]

Kettenkrads are pretty much the first small all terrain vehicle. Handy for moving ammo and a squad.

[@gerhard6105]

​@@M1945I know somebody who has three of them and the extremely rare hanger (Anhänger) that you also see in this vid. First I saw one, then we went upstairs and there were the other two. He said: no, I do not sell them.. At the end of this month, there will be many driving Wehrmacht vehicles at Overloon, Netherlands, at the Militracks event. Last year there was a Tiger 1 and about 150 driving vehicles.

[@tekis0]

This channel should have 20 times as many subscribers!

[@M1945]

Thank you, we are on our way

[@88Truc]

Great Video Fred. I feel like im their how you edit so well. Nick

[@eisernesk7170]

1975/76 war ich bei der BW. Unser Chef war Oberstleutnant Foertsch, Sohn des Generalfm. Foertsch, Verteidiger vom Kurland😎

[@M1945]

Das ist aber interessant. Hast du die Möglichkeit gehabt mit ihm darüber zu reden?

[@TheLobohobo]

@@M1945/ Na klar, ein Schnack mit dem Oberstleutnant bei Schnitzelbrötchen & Bier! Welche Waffengattung ? Welche Litze hatte „eisernesk“ wohl ?!

[@eisernesk7170]

@@M1945 Leider nicht. Ich war 18/19. Ich war im Offizierscasino in Mengeringhausen seit März 76. Im August 76 Manöver in Grafenwöhr. Hatte eine Pocket und durfte ihn mit anderen Offizieren fotografieren. Leider ist das Foto nichts geworden. Ich war nur Gefreiter. Unsere Kaserne hiess Prinz Eugen Wünsche Euch alles Gute Kameraden

[@eisernesk7170]

@@TheLobohobo Wenn man Monitor schaut.... Ich war damals Gefreiter und im Offizierscasino tätig. Da sieht man eben einiges. Da Sie nicht gedient haben, können Sie sich nicht ein Offizierscasino vorstellen. Ich war bei der PzAri. Roter Kragenspiegel. Bevor man also Quatsch schreibt, Gehirn einschalten.

[@JGCR59]

I love the Internet: at 5:58 you see locomotive 86 576. A database told me this engine was build in 1942 and was put out of service in 1965 in Nürnberg

[@gerhard6105]

Interesting Wochenschau because they talk about Czechs instead of einwohner von Böhmen und Māhren and he said the word retreat. My mother German aunt was at t he Reichsbahn during the war and she told me she has a red sharp or so over her uniform. Ein Rotes Band. And she was in Dresden working when it got bombed and shetold me in 1992 that it was Furchtbar ( horrible). From her husband i got his Wehrpass andtwo medals personally. He was under Gen.Hoepner towards Leningrad and then towards Moscow, in the 4th Panzergruppe. He was a Grenadier and had a Gewhr 98 and a MG34 ( that is written in the Wehrpass). Mot. Ers. Batt. 29. All dates are still in the Wehrpass so i can exactly see where his unit was, from about week to week. His brother also survived and he was a Feldwebel ( sergeant-major) at Inf Reg. 52 and he had the wounderbadge in gold. I am named after him. I would to know all about Inf. Reg. 52. I know they went into Czechoslovakia because of his medal and some pieces of video, here on YT. Maybe thes channel can provide me some info. Narrator?....

[@TheWilferch]

Very unique and not-often-seen footage anywhere else for followers of WWII history....another winner from Frederick......

[@emilioalcazar-su9vi]

Impressive insuperable documental material..

[@M1945]

I do love these reels

[@CarlWedderkop]

07:08. Marsch Teichmann "Unter dem Sonnenbanner"

[@mdsf01]

Eichenhorst's paintings are far more static when compared with Liska's action scenes. Beautiful nonetheless though.

[@hansvandijk1487]

The Field Marshall’s name is ‘Schoerner’. Greetings from the Netherlands 🇳🇱.

[@user-ls7ui9el8w]

Vielen Dank.

[@M1945]

Bitte!

[@larrybedouin2921]

Kettenkräder❤

[@JGCR59]

I always find if funny that they use "der Poglavnik" as title for Ante Pavelic (leader of the croatian WW2 state). Basically the croatian equivalent of Führer or Duce. I havent seen a Wochenschau yet featuring Marshal Antonescu to see if they called him der Conducador

[@tobilinooo]

In 'Deutsche Wochenschau 1943 / 659' he was called Marshall Antonescu.

[@mariuszjaroszek5635]

Lubie patrzeć jak się ruscy z niemcami tłuką mogliby się wykasować nawet

[@TtKKr]

Agram = Zagreb, capital of the Independent Croatian State.

[@sm70911]

@5.10 why does that little tank need the handlebar set and front wheel - you steer it using tracks - is there some over engineered German solution to transfer motion to lever stear ?

[@M1945]

It's more motorcycle than tank

[@SiloSoundStudios]

It's more fun to drive that way. You actually don't need the front wheel to operate it.

[@M1945]

@@SiloSoundStudios I'd love to try driving one

[@helmuthaberkost4901]

​@@M1945you can in England. War & peace show - hope farm!!!

[@_afw_]

2:00 ein Panzer III mit 5 Laufrollen?

[@helmuthaberkost4901]

Mach die Augen auf, 6!!!

[@user-xj2el9dy1b]

Tomorrow we`ll have our Russian V-Day holiday. But there is terrible snowstorm in Moscow today. Nevertheless invite all folks to visit the exhibition of demolished Western war machinery brought from Ukraine !

[@M1945]

I understand an American trying to visit an X-girlfriend in Vladivostok a few days ago was picked up at the airport immediately. He'll be held hostage as a supposed spy by the fascist regime in Moscow. Don't think many westerners are much interested in visiting Russia right now.

[@DarryllC]

I wish I could be there to stroll amongst the wreckage I had to help pay for. Enjoy it! Sorry for all the trouble it is causing.

[@user-RedStar]

Dear Kamerad. These "folks" are sure that Russia can only produce "caloshi" and play "balalaika".