Report from the Commander of the forces of the 1st Ukrainian front to the Supreme Commander about adversary's attempts to eliminate the bridgehead on Vistula.

23rd August 1944

Beginning on this year's 5th of August the forces of the 1st Ukrainian front are in constant fierce battles aimed at holding on and enlargening the bridgeheads on the Western bank of Vistula river and Vistloka river.

The enemy considers Krakow direction as very important because it covers the largest German industrial region in Silesia and has gathered considerable tank and infantry forces, pulled from the reserves of other fronts. In front of our bridgeheads the adversary has concentrated 8 tank divisions, 4 separate tank battallions, 2 separate brigades of self propelled guns (alltogether 600-700 tanks and SPGs), 9 infantry divisions, 1 motodivision, 5 separate infantry brigades, 1 artillery division.

Alltogether there are
8 tank divisions that operate against our front (1, 3, 8, 16, 17, 66, 23, 24),
1 motodivision (20th),
14 infantry divisions (253, 342, 241, 72, 88, 371, 213th protective, 96, 7, 544, 545, 208, 68, 114)
5 separate infantry brigades (1, 1133, 1134, 1135, 1136),
1 artillery division (18th),
4 separate tank battallions,
2 separate SPG brigades,
6 separate infantry regiments,
and up to 50 various separate battalions (reserve, sapper, protective, builder)

Adversary (for the period from 5th to 22nd August) has created a strike force on the Western bank of Vistula consisting of six tank divisions, one motodivision, and seven infantry divisions and others. He has launched four large counter attacks against our forces with objective (as discovered from prisoner interrogations and captured documents) to eliminate and throw back our forces to the Eastern bank of Vistula river.

In fierce battles our forces have broken the offensive intentions of the advarsary to eliminate the bridgeheads on the Western bank of Vistula and Vistloka and inflicted massive damage to the enemy in manforce, tanks and materials.

Over 40 thousand German soldiers and officers killed. Knocked out and destroyed 678 tanks and SPG, 465 artillery systems, 137 APCs, 119 airplanes, 484 mortars 854 machine guns.

Adversary, as the prisoner interrogations show, plans to continue his offensives with aim to eliminate our bridgeheads; is constantly reinforcing his troops and reparing vehicles. We get daily reports about reinforcements heading towards the front by railroads and highways from Krakow and Chenstohow in form of tanks, artillery and infantry.

Konev
Sokolovsky
Krainyukov

ЦАМО РФ. Ф. 236. Оп. 2712. Д. 56. Л. 429-430.

Directive Nr 11060 of Stavka of the Supreme Commander to the Commander of 1st Ukrainian Front about the elimination of the enemy group in the region of Kotbus and to the South of Berlin.

3 April 1945 21:00

The Stavka of the Supreme Commander orders:

1. To prepare and implement an offensive operation with the objective to eliminate the enemy group in the region of Kotbus to the South of Berlin. No later than on 10-12 day of operation take Beelitz, Wittenberg and further along Elbe to Dresden. Later, after Berlin is taken, prepare to advance towards Leipzig.
2. The main strike with forces of five combined arms armies and two tank armies should be made from the Triebel region in the direction towards Shpremberg, Beltzig.
   In the region of breakthrough gather six breakthrough artillery divisions to create artillery density of no less than 250 barrels per kilometer of 76mm and higher.
3. To support the main group from the South perform a supportive strike with forces of the 2nd Polish Army and parts of 52nd Army from the region of Kolfurt to the overall direction of Bautzen, Dresden.
4. The tank armies and combined arms armies of the second echelon must be sent in after the breakthrough is achieved to supplement the success in the direction of the main strike.
5. The left flank of the front must stay in a rigid defence with special caution to the Breslau direction.
   The 5th guards Army must be swapped and used in the offensive in the main direction.
6. Establish the following delimiting line from 15.04.1945 with the 1st Belorussian front: Up to Unrushtadt -as before, then lake Einsdorfer-Ze, Gros-Gastroze, Lubben (all points except Lubben for the Belorussian front inclusive). Responsibility for maintaining the joint as before.
7. The beginning of the operation is according to instructions you have received personally.

Stavka of the Supreme Command
J.Stalin, A.Antonov

Source: ЦАМО. Ф. 148а. Оп. 3763. Д. 139. Л. 231, 232.

Order of the commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front to the Commanders of the 13th Army, 3rd Guards Tank Army about the elimination of the Sandomierz enemy group and liberation of city Sandomier.

Based on Stavka directive Nr. 220155

03. August 1944.

In order to eliminate the Sandomierz enemy group as well as to enlarge and reinforce the bridgehead on the Western bank of Vistula river to the North West of Sandomier. As well to support Gordov’s 3rd Army crossing Vistula.

I order to:

1. The commander of the 1st Tank Army to decisively strike at Opatow, Ozharuw directions with the objective to eliminate the Sandomierz enemy group which is operating in front of the 3rd guards Army; by the end of 04.08 capture Ozharuw. To cover the army from the West, capture road links at Ostrovec and Laguv.
2. The commander of the 13th Army by using forces of five rifle divisions to strike from Kopshivnica, Klimontuw region at the direction of Kolechatuw, Sobutka with the objective to eliminate the Sandomierz enemy group in cooperation with the 1st Tank Army and to capture Sandomier by morning of 05.08. The region of Ivaniska, Bogorija, Stashuv shall be occupied by three rifle divisions to support the operation of the army from the West.
3. The commander of the 3rd guards Army must accelerate the crossing of Vistula river and while striking to Ozharuw, Ostrovec together with 13th Army and 1st Tank Army must eliminate the Sandomierz enemy group. By the end of 05.08 the main forces of the army must enter the region of Tarluw, Ozharuw, Opatuw.
4. The delimiting line between the 3rd grds and 13th Armies is the same until Ulyanuw, then the mouth of river San, Laguw, Kelytze - all the points except for Kieltze, inclusive for the 13th army.
5. Report about the given orders and their implementation.

Konev, Kraynyukov, Sokolovsky

ЦАМО РФ. Ф. 236. Оп. 17062. Д. 16. Л. 435.

Based on Stavka directive Nr. 220155