Dictionary of Meaning
<<Back
Please select a letter:
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
0-9
Click here for Shopping
German WWII strongholds
*** Shopping-Tip: German WWII strongholds
Towards the end of
World War II, the German leadership had not accepted defeat, but had begun to realise that a considerable attack on the Reich was inevitable. One of the tactics decided on, probably through a direct decision of
Adolf Hitler to resist the advance was the creation of strongholds (called '''Festung''' or
Fortresses in German) where the defenders were ordered to defend them at all costs.
In the East,
Stalingrad,
Warsaw,
Kolobrzeg Kolberg,
Kaliningrad Königsberg,
Kostrzyn Küstrin,
Gdansk Danzig and
Wrocław Breslau were selected as strongholds whilst in the west locations included the island of
Alderney.
The fate of the strongholds varied. Stalingrad, the first of the "fortresses" to fall is seen as a crucial turning point in the war and one of the key battles which lead to German defeat. In several cases (
Wrocław, and
Alderney for example) the fortresses were bypassed by the attackers and did not actually fall until long after they had been neutralised (though fighting in Wrocław was sustained). Warsaw was almost completely destroyed in the aftermath of the
Warsaw Uprising.
References
-
BBC article on Alderney
*
Europe: A History, ISBN 0060974680 - the history of
Europe; page 1038
See also:
*
Stalingrad
*
Festung Warschau
*
Kolobrzeg
*
Wrocław
*
Atlantic Wall
External link:
-
Festung Breslau/Fortress Wrocław
Category:Alderney
