Festung (the commanders)

[majorplm]

Hello,

Below some photos the day of surrender of :

Fortress St. Malo
Commander
15.2.44-18.8.44 Col Aulock, Andreas

St. Malo
19 Jan 1944? - 17 August 1944: Oberst Andreas von Aulock (as Festungskommandant)







Happy collecting !


Philippe
http://www.majorplm.com/

[pgu]

Many!
These comes first to mind:

St.Nazaire, Hoek van Holland, Hanstholm, Thyborön, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim.+++

Erik

As far as I know, the Hanstholm area was not declared a 'Festung', but only 'Verteidigungsbereich' (Defence Area).

Thyborøn was definitively not a 'Festung', but I can't remeber if it was a 'Verteidigungsbereich' or just a 'Stützpunkt' (Support Area).

/Peter

[Dora]

All,
Does anyone have evidence of when declaring a city or area a fortress or fortified made a difference in the outcome of the conflict?
Dora

[JAJACEK]

Below some links to photos and information about Festug Warschau 1944:
http://www.werttrew.fora.pl/viewtopic.php?t=146
http://www.werttrew.fora.pl/viewtopic.php?t=103

http://www.werttrew.fora.pl/

[K.Kocjancic]

So far I have seen just Festungen on West and East front.

Where there any such "appointments" in Italy, former Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Greece, Bulgaria,...?

Regards,
Klemen

[ducatim901]

A festung designation was another one of those crazy declarations by Adolf Hitler of any city or village to hold out to the "last man, last bullet". By calling such places fortesses I guess he thought they should hold out forever or whatever.

The whole iditotic idea was very similiar to his unrealistic "stand-fast" orders which were constantly derided, and in Hitler's mind dis-obeyed, by German generals.

In retrospect, as the war progressed, any city/town about to be lost to the allies was a "Festung".

A Festung in the Atlanticwall had food and munition for 54 days (could be a day less or more), and you are right that Hitler himself chose the places that had to become a Festung, most Festungen in the A-wall were rounded up during the Allied ride through Europe but for instance Dunkerque held it untill the total capitulation of Germany, but not every city that was to be overrun by the Allied became a Festung, the place had to be of great strategic value.
Greetings Jack.

[Stefano]

In November 1944 the city of Pola, in Italy (now Pula, in Croatia), was declared by Hitler a Seefestung because of its strategic importance as a port on the Istria peninsula.
Stefano

[K.Kocjancic]

In November 1944 the city of Pola, in Italy (now Pula, in Croatia), was declared by Hitler a Seefestung because of its strategic importance as a port on the Istria peninsula.
Stefano

Thanks!

Regards,
Klemen

[byron]

Hi there,

Die Kernfestung Kreta

Fstgs.Kdr.: 22.09.44-08.05.45 Gen.Major Hans-Georg Benthack
Bildung des Stabes aus Stab Fstg.Div. 133 und Restteile des Stabes
Ia. (Führung): Major Werner Kaminsky

Gruss, Byron

[michalst]

Leandoer & Ekholm will be publishing a new series about fortificated cities (the first ones will be out this fall/vinter).
Festung Posen
Festung Konigsberg
Festung Kustrin
Festung Breslau
Festung Kolberg
Festung Schneidemuh

And in two years;
Festung Kowel and Festung Kholm

[Andreas]

Here is a wartime view from the other side of the hill on German Festungen:

http://sill-www.army.mil/famag/1944/OCT ... 90_692.pdf

All the best

Andreas

[Rossano]

Here are some more that I dug up.

Doug



Kommandeur des Verteidigungs-Abschnitts Venedig
3 July 1944 - 27 Dec 1944: GenLt Franz Gall (Killed at Mestre/Italy)

Kommandant des Verteidigungsbereichs Bremen
5 April 1945 - 27 April 1945: GenLt Fritz Becker

Befehlshaber im Verteidigungsbereich Swinemunde
28 March 1945 - 8 May 1945: GenLt John Ansat

Kommandeur des Verteidigungs-Abschnitts Marseille
18 Sept 1943 - 5 Dec 1943: GenMaj Franz Gall

Kommandeur des Verteidigungs-Abschnitts Elba
5 Dec 1943 - 22 June 1944: GenMaj Franz Gall

Kommandant des Verteidigungsbereichs Dresden
8 March 1945 - 5 May 1945: Gen d. Inf Werner-Albrech Freiherr von und zu Gilsa
Kommandant des Verteidigungsbereichs Stettin
10 Feb 1945 - 13 March 1945: Gen d. Inf. Walter Hoernlein
13 March 1945 - 15 April 1945: GenLt Werner Huhner

Abschnitt-Kommandant bei der Verteidigung Wien
8 April 1945 - 16 April 1945: Gen d. Inf. Rudolf von Bunau

Kommandant des Verteidigungsbereichs Toulon
16 Sept 1943 - 20 May 1944: GenMaj Heinz Kattner

Kommandant des Verteidigungsbereiches Rotterdam
20 March 1944 - 13 April 1945: GenMaj Fritz Kistner

Kommandeur des Verteidigungsbereiches Hamburg-Bremen
1 April 1945 - 15 April 1945: Gen d. Art Johann Sinnhuber

Kommandeur des Verbindungsstabes zur 2. ital Armee
21 May 1942 - 9 June 1943: Oberst Paul Diesener

Kommandeur des Deutschen Verbindungskommandos 182 zur ital. 3 Infanterie Division "San Marco"
1 Oct 1944 - 30 April 1945: Gen Lt Hans-Georg Hildebrandt

Kommandeur des Verbindungsstabes Nord
12 June 1941 - 5 Nov 1942: Gen d. Inf. Dr. phil. Waldemar Erfurth

Kommandeur des Bekleidungsamtes Hannover
22 Aug 1939 - 1 July 1942: GenMaj z.V. Detlev von Estorff

Befehlshaber des Verfugungsstabes Frankfurt/Oder
15 July 1941- 8 Jan 1942: Gen d. Pz Tr z.V. Ernst Fessmann

Kommandanten der Verteidigung der mittleren Ostsee
2 Feb 1945- May 1945: GenLt Oskar Cantzler

Kommandeur des Verbindugnsstabes Montauban
29 June 1944 - 31 Jan 1945: GenMaj Eugen Bilharz

Kommandant Kustenverteidigungsbereichs Riga
1 Oct 1944: Oberst Friedrich Werther

Hi, I have 10 questions about this list. Will You kindly reply to all of them ? Thanks ! Rossano

1) Where is Flushing ? It seems to be an english name. Maybe a village on an english island in The Channel ?
Which unit did Ob. Reinhardt command, or which position did he hold (besides being cdr. of Flushing) ?
2) was v.Gadolla a Lw. officer ? I can find his name nowhere in Army-lists.
Which unit did v.Gadolla command, or which position did he hold (besides being cdr. of Gotha) ?
3) Johannes Hoefer or Höfer ? When did Valence surrender/capitulate ?
Which unit did Hoefer?Höfer command, or which position did he hold (besides being battle-cdr. of Valence) ?
4) Maj. Enz was not cdr. of Gren.Rgt.21, eventually Btl. cdr. in this rgt. ?
When did Tirschenreuth (so correct) and Enz surrender/capitulate ?
5) Ob. Bacherer (with rests of his 77.ID) is said to have been in St. Malo when town
capitulated on 15.8.44. Did he escape on 15.8 to Dinard and really surrender there on 17.8 ?
6) You write that Gen.Maj. Karl von Dewitz(gen. v.Krebs) was cdr. of 137. ID.
I think that You are wrong, there is no evidence of that in his mil. career and in the divisional history.
Besides when he was battle-cdr. of Kischinew (7/8.44) the 137.ID did not exist (since end 43) any more.
7) OTL. Paul Marbach could not be cdr. of Jäg.Rgt. 38 when he was (3/4.45) battle-cdr. of Karlsruhe,
as Jäg.Rgt.38 was part of 8.Jäg.Div. and this division was 3/4.45 in Slovakia (not near Karlsruhe).
So which Rgt. did he really command 3/4.45 when he was also cdr. of Karlsruhe ? (Was he really ?)
8) Which unit did Ob. Meyer command, or which position did he hold (besides being battle-cdr. of Ansbach) ?
Was he an Army- or Lw. officer ? When did Ansbach and Meyer surrender/capitulate ?
9) Are You certain that there was an Ob. Sperling 3.45 as vice Fest.Kdt. Neisse ?
From/until ? I have 3.45 an Ob. Sparre as Fest.Kdt. Neisse. From/until ?
10) If v.Scholley was Wehrm.Kdt. of Stuttgart (from/until ?), of what was Kdt. Löser ? From/until ?

[Jan-Hendrik]

Befehlshaber im Verteidigungsbereich Swinemunde
28 March 1945 - 8 May 1945: GenLt John Ansat

Addenum:

Chef des Stabes Oberstleutnant Rüden (possibly Heinz-Friedrich?)
Ia Major von Bismarck (first name?)

Jan-Hendrik

[Jan-Hendrik]

Festungsdivision Frankfurt/Oder

Jan-Hendrik

[chris44]

Hi
this might be of interest concerning Festung Glogau
and Oberst von Eulenburg as commander

source: Schlesische Tageszeitung
Frontzeitung der Festung Breslau
16.Jahrgang/Nr.62 from 7.March 1945