26. Dezember 1944
GEO & MIL INFO | ||||
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Libau | ![]() | |||
Jūrmalciems | ![]() | |||
Peipas | ![]() | |||
X. A.K. | 18. A. | H.Gr. Nord again | ||
GC: GenLt Dr-Ing Mayer[1],WP | temporarily in charge: Gen d Inf BoegeWP
CoS: GenMaj Foertsch[2],WP |
OB: GenOb SchörnerWP |
Field post letters/Red Cross cards | ||||
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✉ to parents |


26.12.44. Our transporter vessel enters the harbour of Libau[4] and moors to the quay. The companies disembark with great speed. They immediately make their way to the nearest streets, where they wait in the shelter of the houses for the unloading to end. Soviet bombing raids on the harbour are the order of the day. After all, the 3rd Kurland Battle is in full swing. That’s why air raid protection measures are necessary. Then we gather in a square in the harbour area, where another PK officer awaits us and encourages us again. In the meantime, our commander had already driven ahead to be briefed on the positions. A short time later, the 1st company was already being marched. The other companies were distributed to the individual houses in the neighbouring streets, where they were to wait to be called up. I myself go back to the quay. The derricks are still swinging back and forth, and the piles of our ammunition boxes and other equipment are growing on the quay. I struck up a conversation with a leading seaman who invites me and another officer to dinner. We go on board and disappear into the NCO’s mess, where the leading seaman serves us a heaped plate of roast potatoes, red cabbage and meat.
In the meantime it has become dark,[5] without any further orders arriving for us. So it’s time to wait. We therefore go to the accommodation barracks of the naval flak, which is responsible for protecting the harbour here.[6] The sailors tell us exciting episodes from their battles with the Russian bombers. They are mighty proud of the high number of their kills, and they are not exaggerating, because the whole city is witness to them taking the attacking bombers out of the sky piece by piece.
Gradually we get tired. The conversation falls asleep. Some of the sailors have already retired behind their berth curtains. We two infantrymen are bent over the table dozing. Then, after several hours of waiting, the order to march off finally comes.
We march for a few hours and reach a small village in the dark[7], actually a scattered settlement, as the few farmsteads are far apart from each other. This is where the company offices are to be set up. So the companies leave their heavy rucksacks here. My company assembles their packs in platoons, prepares the smaller trench packs - assault packs - and then moves into the positions under my leadership. It’s a continuous trench with a strong forward position. When we move into the positions, it is still dark. The bunkers of my company command post are in a farmstead fifty metres behind the trench. I immediately have a look at the position sketch and the mine and fire plan. There are only a few mines in front of the trench. There are no barbed wire fences at all. I quickly run along part of the positions. I will do the rest tomorrow.
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- ↑ In his short biography, this short-time employment (21-27 Dec) is not mentioned. – The HQ of X. A.K. was initially located further inland and from 27 December served to command the previous Group GenLt Thomaschki on the coast.
- ↑ the later Inspector General of Bundeswehr
- ↑
Transcript:
{{Gruppe Thomaschki Ia., Group HQ, 26 Dec 1944
Ia daily report to A.O.K. 18 [...]
4.) [...] M.G.-Btl. "Berlin" arrived with 745 men. [...]
7.) Detachment of one Btl. and Rgt. staff G.R. 4 by M.G.-Btl. "Berlin" and Sich.Btl. 653 [...]
Takeover of the Gren.Rgt. 4 section by Rgt.Staff z.b.V. 185. [...]}} - ↑ „Charlotte Cords“ entered at 2.45 a.m. (the author would probably have mentioned this nocturnal time), „Robert Möhring“ at 5.00 a.m. (still at dark, but not unusually early), cf. footnote 1 of the previous day. Sunrise at 10.10 a.m..
- ↑ sunset at 5 p.m.
- ↑ presumably Naval Artillery Battalion 534, recently formed from Naval Flak Battalion 711
- ↑ Jūrmalciems