53rd directive

by Luka Bilić

In his 53rd directive(Fuhrer order 11) issued in 8th March 1944, Hitler eatablished an institution of Fortress city(Festung Platz). It was to be assigned to places of strategic importance with idea of holding key transport centers in isolation and denying them to the Soviets, which would slow down their offensive and give time to the Wehrmacht to re establish solid front line. In this way they were to have a role similar to castles of the old age. Garrison was expected to hold out as long as possible, usually to the last man, in order to hamper Soviet rapid exploitation in depth for maximum time. It was known as Himmelfahrtscommandos (Mission to Heaven). Fortress was to be commanded by a General, subordinated directly to Army Group, but actually Fuhrer’s headquarters as it was only from there that fortress could be relieved of its mission. Fortress commander was automatically given authority of corps commander, because that was the lowest rank authorized to autonomously bring death sentences.

Imo though vehemently criticized after the war, order wasn’t all that irrational. If by sacrificing several thousand foot soldiers enemy’s uncontrolled advance into rear could be slowed by denying him railroads and forcing him on to secondary roads or even cross country terrain, thus enabling majority of forces to more effectively stop enemy offensive and create new line, than this tactic would had been very worthy. The problem was that Soviets were by that time masters of off road/poor road movements, their pontoon units significantly better than German ones ever were, engineers master builders of improvised roads etc. American trucks, especially 4X4 types, that were finally coming in huge numbers by 1944 also greatly added to Red Army cross terrain mobility, which was significantly greater than Germans ever achieved. By choosing to ignore this again and again and rejecting to accept that the Red Army was simply superior to Wehrmacht in some aspects, the fortress cities were bringing more harm than benefits, wasting away precious, deficiary and irreplaceable German infatry for dubious and very temporary advantages.