Brest-Litowsk and Barbarossa

This map shows the situation on 15th of juli 41 east- and southward Mogilev, I guess that´s what you´re looking for, right? View attachment 18321

 

here a map showing the operation crossing the Djnepr
View attachment 18322

 

I will give some more detailed information about the attack of 45. infantry-division attacking the citadel of Brest-Litowsk:

Part I

The 45th Infantry Division in the battle for Brest - Litovsk in June 1941

The 45.ID. belonged at the beginning of the Russian campaign, together with the 31.ID. the XII. Corps under Lieutenant General Schroth. It was allocated for the first assault over the river Bug to Panzer Group 2 under Guderian. The PzGr.2 subordinate to the 4th Army. The structure of Armored Group 2 for the first attack on 22[SUP]nd[/SUP] of june: in the center, in the space of Brest-Litovsk was the XII. Infantry Corps, then towards north the XLVI. Armored Corps and south the XXIV Armored Corps. The XLVI. Panzer Corps remained in reserve. The duties of the XII. Corps as part of Armored Group were - according to Guderian - the inclusion of Brest-Litovsk, the cleansing of the land between the forward-driving armored thrust wedges and securing the inner edges of the two Armored corps.
The XIL Corps had grouped its divisions in the following way: in the center, directly opposite Brest-Litovsk, the 45.ID. , left the 31.ID. and on the right 34.ID.. The orders for the 45[SUP]th[/SUP] division was: the infantry-regiment133 will be subordinated under XII. Corps as reserve of the corps and reconnaisance Bataillon 45 as division-reserve. The rest of the division will attack on B-day at X-time, consists in the possession of the citadel of Brest-Litovsk and takes the railroad bridge northwest of the Citadel and the Muchawez bridges southwest and southeast of the city. In continuation of the attack she wins the height 140 and the area north of it (on the eastern edge of the city) and comes from there to the high ground at Point 144 (west of Telmy Wlasne). The execution of this command will open the way to the east for the armored division which were waiting behind the infantry divisions. The regiments of the 45th ID were grouped in that way: on the left flank, following the infantry-regiment 82 of the 31.ID., the infantry-regiment 135 of the 45.ID and on the right wing, in line with the infantry-regiment 80 of the 34.ID the infantry-regiment 130 of 45 infantry-division.

The regiments and bataillons of 45.ID. had following detailed orders:. IR.135 (without second battalion which was part of the division reserve) should take the Citadel, with the exception of the South Island, the South island was in attacking strip of 130[SUP]th[/SUP] infantry regiment. The railway bridge should be taken in an immediately coup at the start of the attack and kept save from any damage. In the further attack the regiment should win the western edge of the city and meets - depending on enemy situation - either following the retreating enemy through the city or bypasses the city, if it is defended and sealed off from the east, to avoid a costly urban fight house by house. For the first assault, the regiment is reinforced by insinuation following units: 1./PiBtl.81 with nicks and obstacle demolition squads and flamethrower groups, 8[SUP]th[/SUP] and 12[SUP]th[/SUP] machine-gun companies of infantry-regiment 133 and an infantry-engineer squadron of 133 infantry-regiment. Small and large raft sacks and assault boats allow the crossing of the rivers.

Task of the infantry-regiment 130 is crossing over the river Bug, capturing with the left battalion the South Island of the Citadel and with other parts penetrate towards the Muchawez bridges to take them unharmed in possession and save them. Assault boats of the engineer batallion pushes ahead on the rivers and prevent any attempts to destroy the bridges and keep them undestroyed to the descendants of the infantry-units.
Afterwards the regiment wins the southeast edge of the city, clean and locked together with infantry-regiment135 from the east. Finally, it continues the attack until the removal of the height 144[SUP]th[/SUP]. As reinforcing the regiment, the 2./PiBatl.81 (2.company of engineer bataillon 81) is assigned to the regiment. At the beginning of the attack the post of division-command is set up in an old blockhouse near the cemetery in Terespol.
[FONT=&quot]So far the pre-disposition of the attack - what really happened will be Part II[/FONT]

 

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Part II

The actual sequence of the attack, however, was different from what the Germans had planned. Well according to the plan the capture of the intact bridges over the river Bug and Muchawez succeeded. That was a major success, because it created the necessary prerequisite, the armored units were able to cross the borderline and the rivers eastward without delay and this was very important for the quick development of the first phase of the war. But in the citadel the fighting developed in an extent way that no one expected.

Just a few hours after the attack started, the corps had to release the infantry regiment 133 for the full deployment in the citadel. All of the division reserves had to be thrown into the fight in the early morning. For six days, the fortress of Brest-Litovsk held the entire 45. infantry division fixed in this fight.
In execution of the orders for the assault (operation “Barbarossa”) the assault battalions went eastwards to the Russian frontier in the night of 20 on the 21th June 1941. At the same time all the units got an command by the Führer Adolf Hitler announced .The command should declare why the attack om SU was launched and that the onset of the operation will be the 22 on Sunday June 1941 at 03:15 clock in the morning. Now clarity was created and any further doubt was eliminated. As always, in advance of larger assaults, in the various posts and positions of the division services been held, the last still on 21 June south by about 20:00 p.m. at the recent forest camp of the divisional staff of Wolka Dobrinska. All those hours before the attack was launched the officers and normal soldiers were very serious and collected in mind.
In total darkness and by quiet strictest discipline a vigorous movement began. The units did all their final preparations for the attack, and the first wave of units went into their initial positions. At 03:15 am. the first artillery strike began. Like a hurricane the artillery shells roared across the river, just straight over the heads of the provisions combat units. For this first artillery strike the 45 infantry division had nine light and three heavy batteries available. Besides there was the Werfer-Regiment z.b.V. No. 4 that bombed with his heavy throwers - from nine portable batteries it was able to fire 2880 shells in very short time and there were 2 60cm mortars. The disadvantage of these weapons was that they could only fire a shot every five minutes.
A further strengthening of the artillery power was the fact that some days before the attack was launched , nine 21 cm mortars had been assigned to the division, but only with a small operator unit. The artillery regiment AR.98 thus gained a mortar department from their own resources in a very short time which was fully operational. In addition, two mortar departments were instructed from the adjacent sections, set for the start of the attack on the citadel. This gigantic barrage could literally shake the earth. Thick black smoke fountains rose on the enemy side like mushrooms.

Since the moment the enemies made ​​no resistance, it was assumed on the german side that everything in the citadel was already laid in ruins. Immediately after the last artillery shot, the infantry crossed the river Bug and tried taking advantage of the Citadel by surprise. But here there was soon a bitter disappointment. The artillery destroyed only little of the heavy walls of the houses, to the cellars and casemates the artillery fire was proved ineffective. The Russians were shot out straight from their sleep, but astonishingly they recovered quickly and began a tenacious defense.
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The "Ostfort" on the North Island was the fortress which continued defending himself longest. Here all existing german weapons – shells, mines, flamethrowers, granates etc. failed. After heavy bombing by the Luftwaffe on 29 this part of the fortress of Brest-Litovsk surrendered. The great sacrifice of blood, which had to be paid for this success were extremely regrettable. Overall, on this first cemetery in Russia 482 killed soldiers of 45. infantry-division were buried. For reminding of this combat one main street of Brest-Litovsk was named as "Street of 45.Division". This name remained until 1945.[/FONT]

 

Although bearing the same title, was there any -- I meant any -- indication that the Stalin government considered a second Brest-Litowsk agreement or treaty with the Third Reich, yield Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belorussia, some parts of Ukraine and Karelia?