In 1946, Stalin signed a decree according to which 12 thousand families must be resettled “on a voluntary basis” for permanent residence.
Over the course of three years, residents of 27 different regions of the RSFSR, union and autonomous republics arrived in the region, whose reliability was carefully monitored. These were mainly immigrants from Belarus, Pskov, Kalinin, Yaroslavl and Moscow regions
Thus, from 1945 to 1948, tens of thousands of Germans and Soviet citizens lived together in Kaliningrad. At this time, German schools, churches, and other public institutions operated in the city. On the other hand, due to the memory of the very recent war, the German population was subjected to looting and violence by the Soviets, which manifested itself in forced evictions from apartments, insults and forced work.
However, according to many researchers, the conditions of close living of two peoples in a small territory contributed to their cultural and universal rapprochement. Official policy also tried to help eliminate hostility between Russians and Germans, but this vector of interaction was soon completely rethought. The deportation of Germans to Germany is being prepared.
The “peaceful displacement” of Germans by Soviet citizens did not produce effective results, and by 1947 there were more than 100,000 Germans on the territory of the USSR. “The non-working German population does not receive food supplies, as a result of which they are in an extremely depleted state. As a result of this situation, there has recently been a sharp increase in criminal crime among the German population (food theft, robbery and even murder), and also in the first quarter of 1947, cases of cannibalism appeared, of which twelve were registered in the region.
In order to liberate Kaliningrad from the Germans, permission was issued to return to their homeland, but not all Germans were able or willing to use it. Colonel General Serov spoke about the measures taken: “The presence of the German population in the region has a corrupting effect on the unstable part of not only the civilian Soviet population, but also the military personnel of a large number of the Soviet army and navy located in the region, and contributes to the spread of venereal diseases. The introduction of Germans into the life of Soviet people through their fairly widespread use as low-paid or even free servants contributes to the development of espionage.” Serov raised the question of the forced relocation of Germans to the territory of the Soviet occupation of Germany.
After this, from 1947 to 1948, about 105,000 Germans and Letuvinniks - Prussian Lithuanians - were resettled to Germany from the former East Prussia.
It was argued that the resettlement organized by the Germans during World War II, which, in particular, led to the Holocaust, justified this deportation. The resettlement took place practically without casualties, which was due to the high degree of its organization - the deportees were given dry rations, allowed to take a large amount of cargo with them, and were treated conscientiously. Many letters of gratitude from the Germans, written by them before the resettlement, are also known: “With great gratitude we say goodbye to the Soviet Union.”
Thus, Russians and Belarusians, Ukrainians and former residents of other union republics began to live in the territory that was once called East Prussia. After the war, the Kaliningrad region began to rapidly become militarized, becoming a kind of “shield” of the USSR on the western borders. With the collapse of the USSR, Kaliningrad became an enclave of the Russian Federation, and to this day retains memories of its German past.
Even in the late Middle Ages, the lands located between the Neman and Vistula rivers received their name East Prussia. Throughout its existence, this power has experienced various periods. This is the time of the order, and the Prussian duchy, and then the kingdom, and the province, as well as the post-war country until the renaming due to the redistribution between Poland and the Soviet Union.
History of the possessions
More than ten centuries have passed since the first mention of the Prussian lands. Initially, the people inhabiting these territories were divided into clans (tribes), which were separated by conventional borders.
The expanses of Prussian possessions covered the part of Poland and Lithuania that now exists. These included Sambia and Skalovia, Warmia and Pogesania, Pomesania and Kulm land, Natangia and Bartia, Galindia and Sassen, Skalovia and Nadrovia, Mazovia and Sudovia.
Numerous conquests
Prussian lands throughout their existence were constantly subject to attempts at conquest by stronger and more aggressive neighbors. So, in the twelfth century, the Teutonic knights - the crusaders - came to these rich and alluring spaces. They built numerous fortresses and castles, for example Kulm, Reden, Thorn.
However, in 1410, after the famous Battle of Grunwald, the territory of the Prussians began to smoothly pass into the hands of Poland and Lithuania.
The Seven Years' War in the eighteenth century undermined the strength of the Prussian army and led to some eastern lands being conquered by the Russian Empire.
In the twentieth century, military actions also did not spare these lands. Beginning in 1914, East Prussia was involved in the First World War and, in 1944, in the Second World War.
And after the victory of the Soviet troops in 1945, it ceased to exist altogether and was transformed into the Kaliningrad region.
Existence between the wars
During the First World War, East Prussia suffered heavy losses. The 1939 map had already had changes, and the updated province was in terrible condition. After all, it was the only territory of Germany that was swallowed up by military battles.
The signing of the Treaty of Versailles was costly for East Prussia. The winners decided to reduce its territory. Therefore, from 1920 to 1923, the city of Memel and the Memel region began to be governed by the League of Nations with the help of French troops. But after the January uprising of 1923, the situation changed. And already in 1924, these lands became part of Lithuania with the rights of an autonomous region.
In addition, East Prussia also lost the territory of Soldau (the city of Dzialdowo).
In total, about 315 thousand hectares of land were disconnected. And this is a considerable territory. As a result of these changes, the remaining province found itself in a difficult situation, accompanied by enormous economic difficulties.
Economic and political situation in the 20s and 30s.
In the early twenties, after the normalization of diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Germany, the standard of living of the population in East Prussia began to gradually improve. The Moscow-Konigsberg airline was opened, the German Oriental Fair was resumed, and the Konigsberg city radio station began operating.
Nevertheless, the global economic crisis has not spared these ancient lands. And in five years (1929-1933) in Koenigsberg alone, five hundred and thirteen different enterprises went bankrupt, and the number of people increased to one hundred thousand. In such a situation, taking advantage of the precarious and uncertain position of the current government, the Nazi Party took control into its own hands.
Redistribution of territory
A considerable number of changes were made to the geographical maps of East Prussia before 1945. The same thing happened in 1939 after the occupation of Poland by the troops of Nazi Germany. As a result of the new zoning, part of the Polish lands and the Klaipeda (Memel) region of Lithuania were formed into a province. And the cities of Elbing, Marienburg and Marienwerder became part of the new district of West Prussia.
The Nazis launched grandiose plans for the repartition of Europe. And the map of East Prussia, in their opinion, was to become the center of the economic space between the Baltic and Black Seas, subject to the annexation of the territories of the Soviet Union. However, these plans could not be translated into reality.
Post-war time
As Soviet troops arrived, East Prussia also gradually transformed. Military commandant's offices were created, of which by April 1945 there were already thirty-six. Their tasks were a recount of the German population, an inventory and a gradual transition to peaceful life.
In those years, thousands of German officers and soldiers were hiding throughout East Prussia, and groups engaged in sabotage and sabotage were active. In April 1945 alone, the military commandant’s office captured more than three thousand armed fascists.
However, ordinary German citizens also lived on the territory of Königsberg and in the surrounding areas. There were about 140 thousand people.
In 1946, the city of Koenigsberg was renamed Kaliningrad, as a result of which the Kaliningrad region was formed. And later the names of other settlements were changed. In connection with such changes, the existing 1945 map of East Prussia was also redone.
East Prussian lands today
Today, the Kaliningrad region is located on the former territory of the Prussians. East Prussia ceased to exist in 1945. And although the region is part of the Russian Federation, they are geographically separated. In addition to the administrative center - Kaliningrad (until 1946 it was named Koenigsberg), such cities as Bagrationovsk, Baltiysk, Gvardeysk, Yantarny, Sovetsk, Chernyakhovsk, Krasnoznamensk, Neman, Ozersk, Primorsk, Svetlogorsk are well developed. The region consists of seven urban districts, two cities and twelve districts. The main peoples living in this territory are Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Armenians and Germans.
Today, the Kaliningrad region ranks first in amber mining, storing in its depths about ninety percent of its world reserves.
Interesting places in modern East Prussia
And although today the map of East Prussia has been changed beyond recognition, the lands with the cities and villages located on them still preserve the memory of the past. The spirit of the vanished great country is still felt in the present Kaliningrad region in the cities that bore the names Tapiau and Taplaken, Insterburg and Tilsit, Ragnit and Waldau.
Excursions at the Georgenburg stud farm are popular among tourists. It existed as early as the beginning of the thirteenth century. The Georgenburg fortress was a haven for German knights and crusaders, whose main business was horse breeding.
Churches built in the fourteenth century (in the former cities of Heiligenwald and Arnau), as well as sixteenth-century churches in the territory of the former city of Tapiau, are still quite well preserved. These majestic buildings constantly remind people of the past times of prosperity of the Teutonic Order.
Knight's castles
The land, rich in amber reserves, has attracted German conquerors since ancient times. In the thirteenth century, the Polish princes, together with them, gradually seized these possessions and built numerous castles on them. The remains of some of them, being architectural monuments, still make an indelible impression on contemporaries today. The largest number of knight's castles were erected in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Their construction sites were captured Prussian rampart-earthen fortresses. When building castles, traditions in the style of orderly Gothic architecture of the late Middle Ages were necessarily maintained. In addition, all buildings corresponded to a single plan for their construction. Nowadays, an unusual thing has been discovered in the ancient
The village of Nizovye is very popular among residents and guests. It houses a unique local history museum with ancient cellars. Having visited it, you can say with confidence that the entire history of East Prussia flashes before your eyes, starting from the times of the ancient Prussians and ending with the era of Soviet settlers.
One of the most significant operations carried out by the Red Army in 1945 was the storming of Königsberg and the liberation of East Prussia.
Fortifications of the Grolman upper front, Oberteich bastion after capitulation/
Fortifications of the Grolman upper front, Oberteich bastion. Courtyard.
Troops of the 10th Tank Corps of the 5th Guards Tank Army of the 2nd Belorussian Front occupy the city of Mühlhausen (now the Polish city of Mlynar) during the Mlawa-Elbing operation.
German soldiers and officers captured during the assault on Konigsberg.
A column of German prisoners walks along Hindenburg Strasse in the city of Insterburg (East Prussia), towards the Lutheran Church (now the city of Chernyakhovsk, Lenin Street).
Soviet soldiers carry the weapons of fallen comrades after a battle in East Prussia.
Soviet soldiers learn to overcome barbed wire barriers.
Soviet officers inspect one of the forts in occupied Konigsberg.
An MG-42 machine gun crew fires near the railway station of the city of Goldap in battles with Soviet troops. 
Ships in the frozen harbor of Pillau (now Baltiysk, Kaliningrad region of Russia), late January 1945.
Königsberg, Tragheim district after the assault, damaged building.
German grenadiers are moving towards the last Soviet positions in the area of the railway station in the city of Goldap.
Koenigsberg. Kronprinz Barracks, tower.
Koenigsberg, one of the inter-fort fortifications.
The air support ship Hans Albrecht Wedel receives refugees in Pillau harbor.
Advanced German troops enter the East Prussian town of Goldap, which was previously occupied by Soviet troops.
Koenigsberg, panorama of the ruins of the city.
The corpse of a German woman killed by an explosion in Metgethen in East Prussia.
The Pz.Kpfw tank belonging to the 5th Panzer Division. V Ausf. G "Panther" on the street of the city of Goldap.
A German soldier hanged on the outskirts of Königsberg for looting. The inscription in German “Plündern wird mit-dem Tode bestraft!” translated as “Whoever robs will be executed!”
A Soviet soldier in a German Sdkfz 250 armored personnel carrier on one of the streets of Koenigsberg.
Units of the German 5th Panzer Division move forward for a counterattack against Soviet forces. Kattenau region, East Prussia. Ahead is a Pz.Kpfw tank. V "Panther".
Koenigsberg, barricade on the street.
A battery of 88 mm anti-aircraft guns is preparing to repel a Soviet tank attack. East Prussia, mid-February 1945.
German positions on the approaches to Koenigsberg. The inscription reads: “We will defend Koenigsberg.” Propaganda photo.
The Soviet self-propelled gun ISU-122S is fighting in Koenigsberg. 3rd Belorussian Front, April 1945.
German sentry on a bridge in the center of Konigsberg.
A Soviet motorcyclist passes by German StuG IV self-propelled guns and a 105 mm howitzer abandoned on the road.
A German landing ship evacuating troops from the Heiligenbeil pocket enters Pillau harbor.
Koenigsberg, blown up by a pillbox.
Damaged German self-propelled gun StuG III Ausf. G in front of the Kronprinz Tower, Königsberg.
Koenigsberg, panorama from the Don Tower.
Koenisberg, April 1945. View of the Royal Castle
A German StuG III assault gun destroyed in Königsberg. In the foreground is a killed German soldier.
German equipment on Mitteltragheim street in Königsberg after the assault. To the right and left are StuG III assault guns, in the background is a JgdPz IV tank destroyer.
Grolman upper front, Grolman bastion. Before the capitulation of the fortress, it housed the headquarters of the 367th Wehrmacht Infantry Division.
On the street of Pillau port. Evacuated German soldiers throw their weapons and equipment before loading onto ships.
A German 88-mm FlaK 36/37 anti-aircraft gun abandoned on the outskirts of Königsberg.
Koenigsberg, panorama. Don Tower, Rossgarten Gate.
Koenigsberg, German bunker in the Horst Wessel Park area.
Unfinished barricade on Herzog Albrecht Alley in Königsberg (now Thälmann Street).
Koenigsberg, destroyed German artillery battery.
German prisoners at the Sackheim Gate in Königsberg.
Koenigsberg, German trenches.
German machine gun crew in position in Koenigsberg near the Don Tower.
German refugees on Pillau Street pass by a column of Soviet SU-76M self-propelled guns.
Koenigsberg, Friedrichsburg Gate after the assault.
Koenigsberg, Wrangel Tower, fortress moat.
View from the Don Tower on Oberteich (Upper Pond), Königsberg.
On the street of Koenigsberg after the assault.
Koenigsberg, Wrangel Tower after the surrender.
Corporal I.A. Gureev at his post at the border marker in East Prussia.
A Soviet unit in a street battle in Koenigsberg.
Traffic police officer Sergeant Anya Karavaeva on the way to Konigsberg.
Soviet soldiers in the city of Allenstein (currently the city of Olsztyn in Poland) in East Prussia.
Artillerymen of the guard of Lieutenant Sofronov are fighting on Avider Alley in Konigsberg (now Alley of the Brave).
The result of an airstrike on German positions in East Prussia.
Soviet fighters are fighting in the streets on the outskirts of Koenigsberg. 3rd Belorussian Front.
Soviet armored boat No. 214 in the Koenigsberg Canal after a battle with a German tank.
German collection point for faulty captured armored vehicles in the Königsberg area.
Evacuation of the remnants of the "Gross Germany" division to the Pillau area.
German equipment abandoned in Konigsberg. In the foreground is a 150 mm sFH 18 howitzer.
Koenigsberg. Bridge over the moat to the Rossgarten Gate. Don Tower in the background
An abandoned German 105-mm howitzer le.F.H.18/40 at a position in Konigsberg.
A German soldier lights a cigarette near a StuG IV self-propelled gun.
A damaged German Pz.Kpfw tank is on fire. V Ausf. G "Panther". 3rd Belorussian Front.
Soldiers of the Grossdeutschland division are loaded onto homemade rafts to cross the Frisches Huff Bay (now Kaliningrad Bay). Balga Peninsula, Cape Kalholz.
Soldiers of the Grossdeutschland division in positions on the Balga Peninsula.
Meeting of Soviet soldiers on the border with East Prussia. 3rd Belorussian Front.
The bow of a German transport sinking as a result of an attack by Baltic Fleet aircraft off the coast of East Prussia.
The observer pilot of the Henschel Hs.126 reconnaissance aircraft takes pictures of the area during a training flight.
A damaged German StuG IV assault gun. East Prussia, February 1945.
Seeing off Soviet soldiers from Koenigsberg.
The Germans inspect a damaged Soviet T-34-85 tank in the village of Nemmersdorf.
Tank "Panther" from the 5th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht in Gołdap.
German soldiers armed with Panzerfaust grenade launchers next to an MG 151/20 aircraft cannon in the infantry version.
A column of German Panther tanks is moving towards the front in East Prussia.
Broken cars on the street of Königsberg, which was taken by storm. Soviet soldiers in the background.
Troops of the Soviet 10th Tank Corps and the bodies of German soldiers on Mühlhausen Street.
Soviet sappers walk down the street of burning Insterburg in East Prussia.
A column of Soviet IS-2 tanks on a road in East Prussia. 1st Belorussian Front.
A Soviet officer inspects the German Jagdpanther self-propelled gun that was knocked out in East Prussia.
Soviet soldiers sleep, resting after the fighting, right on the street of Königsberg, which was taken by storm.
Koenigsberg, anti-tank barriers.
German refugees with a baby in Konigsberg.
A short rally in the 8th company after reaching the state border of the USSR.
A group of pilots of the Normandie-Niemen air regiment near a Yak-3 fighter in East Prussia.
A sixteen-year-old Volkssturm fighter armed with an MP 40 submachine gun. East Prussia.
Construction of defensive structures, East Prussia, mid-July 1944.
Refugees from Königsberg moving towards Pillau, mid-February 1945.
German soldiers at a rest stop near Pillau.
German quad anti-aircraft gun FlaK 38 mounted on a tractor. Fischhausen (now Primorsk), East Prussia.
Civilians and a captured German soldier on Pillau Street during garbage collection after the end of the fighting for the city.
Boats of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet undergoing repairs in Pillau (currently the city of Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad region of Russia).
German auxiliary ship "Franken" after an attack by Il-2 attack aircraft of the Baltic Fleet Air Force.
Bomb explosion on the German ship Franken as a result of an attack by Il-2 attack aircraft of the Baltic Baltic Fleet Air Force
A gap from a heavy shell in the wall of the Oberteich bastion fortifications of the Grolman upper front of Koenigsberg.
The bodies of two German women and three children allegedly killed by Soviet soldiers in the town of Metgethen in East Prussia in January-February 1945. German propaganda photo.
Transportation of the Soviet 280-mm mortar Br-5 in East Prussia.
Distribution of food to Soviet soldiers in Pillau after the end of the fighting for the city.
Soviet soldiers pass through a German settlement on the outskirts of Konigsberg.
A broken German StuG IV assault gun on the streets of Allenstein (now Olsztyn, Poland.)
Soviet infantry, supported by the SU-76 self-propelled gun, attacks German positions in the Konigsberg area.
A column of self-propelled guns SU-85 on the march in East Prussia.
Sign "Motorway to Berlin" on one of the roads in East Prussia.
Explosion on the tanker Sassnitz. The tanker with a cargo of fuel was sunk on March 26, 1945, 30 miles from Liepaja by aircraft of the 51st mine-torpedo air regiment and the 11th attack air division of the Baltic Fleet Air Force.
Bombing of German transport and port facilities of Pillau by Red Banner Baltic Fleet Air Force aircraft.
The German hydroaviation mother ship Boelcke, attacked by an Il-2 squadron of the 7th Guards Attack Aviation Regiment of the Baltic Fleet Air Force, 7.5 km southeast of Cape Hel.
To this event, friends, I dedicate this photo collection.
1. The commander of the 303rd Soviet Aviation Division, Major General of Aviation Georgy Nefedovich Zakharov (1908-1996), assigns a combat mission to the pilots storming Koenigsberg from the air. 1945
2. View of one of the forts of Koenigsberg. 1945
3. Line of trenches near Koenigsberg. 1945
4. A Soviet infantry unit passes through a destroyed settlement on the outskirts of Koenigsberg. January 30, 1945 East Prussia.
5. Soviet guards mortars at a firing position. South-west of Koenigsberg. 1945
6. The heavy gun of battery commander Captain Smirnov at a firing position fires at German fortifications in Konigsberg. April 1945
7. Soldiers from Captain V. Leskov’s battery deliver artillery shells on the approaches to Koenigsberg. 1945
8. Soviet soldier guardsman-artilleryman with a cannon shell on which is written: “Around Koenigsberg.” 1945
9. A Soviet infantry unit is fighting on one of the streets of Koenigsberg. 1945
10. Soviet soldiers during the battle for Koenigsberg, heading to a combat position under the cover of a smoke screen. 1945
11. Self-propelled guns with a landing of machine gunners attack enemy positions in the Konigsberg area. April 1945
12. Guardsman V. Surnin, the first to break into one of the buildings in Koenigsberg during the attack on the city, strengthens the flag with his name on the roof of the house. 1945
13. The corpses of German soldiers on the side of the Primorskoye Highway southwest of Koenigsberg, left after the battle. Movement of carts with Soviet soldiers of the 3rd Belorussian Front. March 1945
15. Group of Heroes of the Soviet Union of the 5th Army, awarded this title for battles in East Prussia. From left to right: Guards ml Lieutenant Nezdoliy K., Guards. Captain Filosofov A., Major General Gorodovikov B.B., Guards Captain Kotin F., Sergeant Major Voinshin F. 1944 East Prussia.
16. Soviet sappers clear mines from the streets of Koenigsberg. 1945
17. V.E. Yashkov, photogrammetrist of the 136th Army Cannon Artillery Brigade (1st left) with colleagues at the German railway artillery range. 1945 Germany.
18. Soldiers of the Moscow Proletarian Division fire at the enemy on the Frisch Nerung Spit. 1945 East Prussia.
19. Soviet sappers clear mines from one of the streets of Tilsit with the help of service dogs. 1945
20. A border post with the inscription “Germany” (in Russian) on the street of a German city destroyed during the fighting. 1945 East Prussia.
21. Soviet soldiers in the battle for the Könisberg - Fischhausen railway line. 1945 East Prussia.
22. Mortar crew of the 11th Guards Army at a firing position on the approaches to the city of Pilau. 1945 East Prussia.
23. Soviet heavy guns are moving along the road, past one of the populated areas of East Prussia. 1945
24. Soldiers of the 5th Army of the 3rd Belorussian Front (from left to right): I. Osipov, P. Kornienko, A. Seleznev were the first to enter the city of Granz. April 1945
26. German transport, sunk by Soviet troops, in the port of Elbing. 1945
28. Residents of Elbing return to the city after the end of hostilities. February 1945
29. The artillery crew of the 11th Guards Army is fighting on the Frisch Nerung spit. 1945 East Prussia
30. Soviet guardsmen on Frisch Nerung Bay after the defeat of the enemy. April 1945 East Prussia.
31. Commander of the 11th Guards Army, Major General K.N. Galitsky and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General I.I. Semenov at the map. April 1945 East Prussia.
32. Soldiers of the 70th Army inspect shells intended for firing from the Su-76. 1945 East Prussia.
33. View of the city of Velau. The bridge over the Alle River, blown up by German troops during the retreat. 1945
35. Soviet trucks on one of the streets of the city of Elsa, occupied by troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front. March 1945
37. View of one of the streets of the city of Hohenstein, occupied by troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front. 02 February 1945
38. Submachine gunners of the 3rd Belorussian Front walk along a destroyed street in Insterburg. 06 February 1945
39. Cavalry and infantry of the 2nd Belorussian Front on the square of the city of Allenstein. 02 February 1945
40. Soviet soldiers march in formation past a monument erected at the burial site of M.I. Kutuzov’s heart on a square in Bunzlau. March 17, 1945
41. Soviet submachine gunners during a street battle in Glogau. April 1945
42. One of the streets of the city of Willenberg, occupied by troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front. 02 February 1945
43. Artillery of the 1st Ukrainian Front on one of the streets of Neisse. April 1945
44. Soldiers of the 3rd Belorussian Front escort German prisoners of war. 1945 Koenigsberg
45. Commander of the 11th Guards Army, Colonel General Kuzma Nikitovich Galitsky (1897-1973) and Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Ivan Iosifovich Semyonov, near the destroyed Royal Castle in Koenigsberg. April 1945
46. Preparations for the bombing operation of Koenigsberg in the 135th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment. 1945
47. Soviet soldiers walk along the embankment of Koenigsberg, destroyed in battle. 04/09/1945
48. Soldiers of the 3rd Belorussian Front run to attack on one of the streets of Koenigsberg. April 1945
49. Soviet soldiers pass through a German village on the outskirts of Konigsberg. 1945
50. German Jagdpanzer IV/70 tank destroyer (left) and Sd.Kfz.7 half-track tractor destroyed by Soviet troops during the assault on the street of Koenigsberg. April 1945
51. Soviet soldiers near German 150-mm infantry howitzers sIG 33 on Steile Strasse (now Grieg Street) in captured Königsberg. 04/13/1945
52. Commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky (left) and his deputy Army General I.Kh. Bagramyan clarify the plan for the assault on Koenigsberg. 1945
53. A column of Soviet self-propelled guns ISU-152 is moving towards new combat lines to strike the forts of Koenigsberg. April 1945
54. Soviet unit in a street battle in Koenigsberg. April 1945
55. Soviet soldiers pass through a German settlement on the outskirts of Koenigsberg. 01/25/1945
56. Abandoned German guns near the ruins of a building in Koenigsberg after the city was taken by storm. April 1945
57. A German 88-mm FlaK 36/37 anti-aircraft gun abandoned on the outskirts of Königsberg. April 1945
58. Soviet self-propelled gun ISU-152 “St. John’s wort” on the street of captured Koenigsberg. On the right in the column is the Soviet self-propelled gun SU-76. April 1945
59. Soviet infantry, supported by the SU-76 self-propelled guns, attacks German positions in the Konigsberg area. 1945
60. German prisoners at the Sackheim Gate in Königsberg. April 1945
61. Soviet soldiers sleep, resting after the fighting, right on the street of Königsberg, which was taken by storm. April 1945
62. German refugees with a baby in Konigsberg. March-April 1945
63. Broken cars on the street of Königsberg, which was taken by storm. Soviet soldiers in the background. April 1945
64. Soviet soldiers are fighting a street battle on the outskirts of Koenigsberg. 3rd Belorussian Front. April 1945
65. A German 150-mm heavy self-propelled gun (self-propelled howitzer) “Hummel” destroyed by a direct hit from a large-caliber projectile. April 1945
66. Soviet self-propelled gun ISU-122S is fighting in Koenigsberg. 3rd Belorussian Front, April 1945.
67. German assault gun StuG III knocked out in Konigsberg. In the foreground is a killed German soldier. April 1945
68. Koenigsberg, positions of German air defense troops after the bombing. A sound-reduction installation is visible on the right. April 1945
69. Koenigsberg, destroyed German artillery battery. April 1945
70. Koenigsberg, German bunker in the Horst Wessel Park area. April 1945
During the German counterattack on Kragau (East Prussia), artillery officer Yuri Uspensky was killed. A handwritten diary was found on the murdered man."January 24, 1945. Gumbinnen - We passed through the entire city, which was relatively undamaged during the battle. Some buildings were completely destroyed, others were still burning. They say that our soldiers set them on fire.
In this rather large town, furniture and other household utensils are strewn on the streets. On the walls of houses everywhere you can see inscriptions: “Death to Bolshevism.” In this way, the Krauts tried to conduct propaganda among their soldiers.
In the evening we talked with the prisoners in Gumbinnen. It turned out to be four Fritz and two Poles. Apparently, the mood in the German troops is not very good, they themselves surrendered and are now saying: “We don’t care where to work - in Germany or in Russia.”
We quickly reached Insterburg. From the car window you can see a landscape typical of East Prussia: roads lined with trees, villages in which all the houses are covered with tiles, fields surrounded by barbed wire fences to protect them from livestock.
Insterburg turned out to be larger than Gumbinnen. The whole city is still in smoke. Houses are burning to the ground. Endless columns of soldiers and trucks pass through the city: such a joyful picture for us, but so menacing for the enemy. This is retribution for everything that the Germans have done to us. Now German cities are being destroyed, and their population will finally know what it is: war!
We drive further along the highway in a passenger car from the headquarters of the 11th Army towards Königsberg to find the 5th Artillery Corps there. The highway is completely clogged with heavy trucks.
The villages we meet along the way are partially heavily destroyed. It is striking that we come across very few destroyed Soviet tanks, not at all like it was in the first days of the offensive.
Along the way, we meet columns of civilians who, guarded by our machine gunners, are heading to the rear, away from the front. Some Germans travel in large covered wagons. Teenagers, men, women and girls walk. Everyone is wearing good clothes. It would be interesting to talk with them about the future.
Soon we stop for the night. Finally we are in a rich country! Herds of livestock can be seen everywhere, roaming the fields. Yesterday and today we boiled and fried two chickens a day.
Everything in the house is very well equipped. The Germans left almost all their household belongings. I am forced to think once again about what great grief this war brings with it.
It passes like a fiery tornado through cities and villages, leaving behind smoking ruins, trucks and tanks mangled by explosions, and mountains of corpses of soldiers and civilians.
Let the Germans now see and feel what war is! How much grief there is still in this world! I hope that Adolf Hitler does not have long to wait for the noose prepared for him.
January 26, 1945. Petersdorf near Wehlau. - Here, on this section of the front, our troops were four kilometers from Königsberg. The 2nd Belorussian Front reached the sea near Danzig.
Thus East Prussia is completely cut off. As a matter of fact, it is almost in our hands. We are driving through Velau. The city is still burning, it is completely destroyed. There is smoke and German corpses everywhere. On the streets you can see many guns abandoned by the Germans and corpses of German soldiers in the gutters.
These are signs of the brutal defeat of the German troops. Everyone celebrates the victory. Soldiers cook food over a fire. The Fritz abandoned everything. Entire herds of livestock roam the fields. The surviving houses are full of excellent furniture and dishes. On the walls you can see paintings, mirrors, photographs.
Many houses were set on fire by our infantry. Everything happens as the Russian proverb says: “As it comes around, so it will respond!” The Germans did this in Russia in 1941 and 1942, and now in 1945 it is echoed here in East Prussia.
I see a weapon being transported past, covered with a knitted blanket. Not a bad disguise! On another gun lies a mattress, and on the mattress, wrapped in a blanket, a Red Army soldier sleeps.
To the left of the highway you can see an interesting picture: two camels are being led there. A captive Fritz with a bandaged head is led past us. Angry soldiers shout in his face: “Well, have you conquered Russia?” They use their fists and the butts of their machine guns to urge him on, pushing him in the back.
January 27, 1945. Village of Starkenberg. - The village looks very peaceful. The room in the house where we are staying is light and cozy. From a distance the sound of cannonade can be heard. This is a battle going on in Königsberg. The position of the Germans is hopeless.
And now the time comes when we can pay for everything. Ours treated East Prussia no worse than the Germans treated the Smolensk region. We hate Germans and Germany with all our hearts.
For example, in one of the village houses, our guys saw a murdered woman with two children. And you can often see killed civilians on the street. The Germans themselves deserved this from us, because they were the first to behave this way towards the civilian population of the occupied regions.
It is enough only to remember Majdanek and the theory of the superman to understand why our soldiers take East Prussia to such a state with such satisfaction. But German composure at Majdanek was a hundred times worse. Moreover, the Germans glorified the war!
January 28, 1945. - We played cards until two o'clock in the morning. The houses were abandoned by the Germans in a chaotic state. The Germans had a lot of all kinds of property. But now everything is in complete disarray. The furniture in the houses is simply excellent. Every home is full of a wide variety of dishes. Most Germans lived quite well.
War, war - when will you end? This destruction of human lives, the results of human labor and monuments of cultural heritage has been going on for three years and seven months.
Cities and villages are burning, treasures of thousands of years of labor are disappearing. And the nobodies in Berlin are trying their best to continue this unique battle in the history of mankind for as long as possible. That is why the hatred that is poured out on Germany is born.
February 1, 1945. - In the village we saw a long column of modern slaves whom the Germans had driven to Germany from all corners of Europe. Our troops invaded Germany on a broad front. The allies are also advancing. Yes, Hitler wanted to destroy the whole world. Instead, he crushed Germany.
February 2, 1945. - We arrived in Fuchsberg. Finally we reached our destination - the headquarters of the 33rd Tank Brigade. I learned from a Red Army soldier from the 24th Tank Brigade that thirteen people from our brigade, including several officers, had poisoned themselves. They drank denatured alcohol. This is what a love of alcohol can lead to!
On the way we met several columns of German civilians. Mostly women and children. Many carried their children in their arms. They looked pale and scared. When asked if they were Germans, they hastened to answer “Yes.”
There was an obvious stamp of fear on their faces. They had no reason to be glad that they were Germans. At the same time, one could notice quite nice faces among them.
Last night the soldiers of the division told me about some things that cannot be approved at all. In the house where the division headquarters was located, evacuated women and children were housed at night.
Drunken soldiers began to come there one after another. They chose women, took them aside and raped them. For every woman there were several men.
This behavior cannot be condoned in any way. Of course, it is necessary to take revenge, but not like that, but with weapons. Somehow you can understand those whose loved ones were killed by the Germans. But the rape of young girls - no, it cannot be approved!
In my opinion, the command must soon put an end to such crimes, as well as the unnecessary destruction of material assets. For example, soldiers spend the night in a house, in the morning they leave and set fire to the house or recklessly break mirrors and break furniture.
After all, it is clear that all these things will one day be transported to the Soviet Union. But for now we live here and, while serving as soldiers, we will continue to live. Such crimes only undermine the morale of soldiers and weaken discipline, which leads to a decrease in combat effectiveness."
