My mission for this weekend.... spezi (I was familiar with the drink, but I didn't know its name - thank you) and lager....
Le Mans to Berlin and a bit beyond
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I have had an adventure since returning, which required me peddling back to Seelow and dealing with some initial German intransigence. However, my natural charm melted the steely hearts of the women on the other side of the counter and all was well.
But, their initial and protracted refusal to be in any way understanding, delayed me from my dual intention of fulfilling the one missing objective of the day, it by then being firmly shut. Hey ho, I’ll do my best to tick it off.
But, their initial and protracted refusal to be in any way understanding, delayed me from my dual intention of fulfilling the one missing objective of the day, it by then being firmly shut. Hey ho, I’ll do my best to tick it off.
When I was at college in Scotland the locals drank a similar concoction. Fresh orange and coke. They called it puddle water.
It does indeed resemble very watery, old engine oil.
I’m just waiting for my snaps to transfer across from my phone to my iPad. Why some materialise and others not, is a matter beyond my comprehension.
While I wait patiently for the snaps to come over, two simple things today from my visit to Seelow town, showed the importance not of the town of Seelow itself but of another key town on the heights.
At the viewpoint at Seelow, looking out across the flat farmland way across to the Oder and the fortress town of Kustrin, there’s a simple concrete model of what you are looking out over:
Seelow is at roughly six o’clock and Kustrin (now in Poland) is at 12 o’clock. The straight blue line is Highway 1, which runs straight from Kustrin to Berlin. The road was vital to the Russians as it is raised above the boggy fields and dead end roads that are on the flood plain.The wriggly blue line is the river Oder, which formed the front line before the Russians established small bridgeheads on the west bank of the river, which they fought to expand, vital for the next phase of the battle to take the Seelow Heights themselves and secure the route to Berlin.
At about 2 o’clock, there is a finger sticking out from the Seelow Heights. This is the Reitwein Spur, vital for the Germans to hold and for the Russians to take. Why? It’s above the flood plain, another commanding position giving views and lines of fire down into the flat land for anyone who held it. It also provides a flanking position for Russian troops to try to move along the spur to come at Seelow from the south. I plan on visiting Reitwein and the spur tomorrow.
Here’s a snapshot of the map, which shows the places pretty clearly:
Here’s the view down from the viewpoint in Seelow, looking eastwards towards the Oder and Kustrin. The camera flattens the slope, but it’s a steep down to the floodplain of the Oder. You can see the straight row of trees to the left of the chimney at roughly 11 0’clock, which marks Highway 1. Though flattened by the camera, you can easily see how the heights gave the Germans (though heavily outmanned and out gunned) a commanding strategic advantage, turning the bog of the flat floodplain into a killing field 12 miles deep:
The second thing I saw today in Seelow, but it’s modern. But its simplicity sums up the importance of taking the town of Seelow, atop the heights. It’s a simple standard yellow road sign at the roundabout / crossroads in the middle of Seelow….. The next place of any significance westwards is, Berlin itself:
At the viewpoint at Seelow, looking out across the flat farmland way across to the Oder and the fortress town of Kustrin, there’s a simple concrete model of what you are looking out over:
Seelow is at roughly six o’clock and Kustrin (now in Poland) is at 12 o’clock. The straight blue line is Highway 1, which runs straight from Kustrin to Berlin. The road was vital to the Russians as it is raised above the boggy fields and dead end roads that are on the flood plain.The wriggly blue line is the river Oder, which formed the front line before the Russians established small bridgeheads on the west bank of the river, which they fought to expand, vital for the next phase of the battle to take the Seelow Heights themselves and secure the route to Berlin.
At about 2 o’clock, there is a finger sticking out from the Seelow Heights. This is the Reitwein Spur, vital for the Germans to hold and for the Russians to take. Why? It’s above the flood plain, another commanding position giving views and lines of fire down into the flat land for anyone who held it. It also provides a flanking position for Russian troops to try to move along the spur to come at Seelow from the south. I plan on visiting Reitwein and the spur tomorrow.
Here’s a snapshot of the map, which shows the places pretty clearly:
Here’s the view down from the viewpoint in Seelow, looking eastwards towards the Oder and Kustrin. The camera flattens the slope, but it’s a steep down to the floodplain of the Oder. You can see the straight row of trees to the left of the chimney at roughly 11 0’clock, which marks Highway 1. Though flattened by the camera, you can easily see how the heights gave the Germans (though heavily outmanned and out gunned) a commanding strategic advantage, turning the bog of the flat floodplain into a killing field 12 miles deep:
The second thing I saw today in Seelow, but it’s modern. But its simplicity sums up the importance of taking the town of Seelow, atop the heights. It’s a simple standard yellow road sign at the roundabout / crossroads in the middle of Seelow….. The next place of any significance westwards is, Berlin itself:
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Thursday, continued…..
Following my change of plan to do everything on my bicycle, I started my ‘holiday on the Oder’ by going to Seelow, the town that gives its name to the ridge of the Seelow Heights and was the very centre of the Russian’s strategic plan for the battle. Zukhov, the overall commanding Russian general, was under immense pressure to take Berlin and had promised Stalin that the heights and town of Seelow would fall on day one. That plan and promise failed, it finally took three days of intense bombardments and continuously hard fighting for the Russians to advance the 20 km (12 miles) from their bridgeheads on the river Oder to the town of Seelow.
The tiny hamlet where I’m staying is right in the centre of the Russian central advance. Though not mentioned specifically in the books I’ve read, it must have featured in the battle, alongside the villages that are mentioned. The map I was loaned is helpful. We start in Friedenstahl, taking the small country road, crossing the single track railway line running north to south (this railway formed a part of the battle) before turning right at Dolgelin, to pass through Frieddersdorf to Seelow itself to end at the Russian memorial on the edge of the Seelow Heights, looking back towards Kustrin:
The little single track railway line, running north south and was a target for the Russians to cut is still there:
Dolgelin is a simple crossroads hamlet of a few houses. However, crossroads (like Bastogne, miles away in Belgium) are strategically important to defender and attacker alike. It featured heavily in the battle of day one and beyond,, as these snippets record:
We’ll turn right at Dolgelin and follow the road north through Friedresdorf to Seelow, but here’s an extract from the book describing the Russian bombardment onto Dolgelin and its surroundings, all around where we are standing now:
Gnr Hans Hansen with the 3rd Battery, Ist Battalion, 26th Flak Regiment, 23rd Flak Divi-sion, which was deployed in a field west of the Sachsendorf-Dolgelin road, described his experience of the opening barrage and went on to write:
The account was given by an Luftwaffe Auxiliary soldier, probably not much more than a boy. It confirms not just the intense fighting but also that by now the Germans (scraping the very bottom of the barrel for troops and weaponry) had pressed troops that were untrained in ground fighting into desperate action in an attempt to stop the Russians.
While most traces of the war (bar the trenches that can still be found in some of the fields and woods) are now gone, the starkest reminder lies in fact that there are no old houses at all anywhere. Everything was destroyed and then each hamlet rebuilt in I guess the 1950’s.
On the road / cycle path (which is excellent) you pass over one of the many drainage dykes that litter the floodplain:
The number of ditches and small canals, combined with the waterlogged ground following the April thaw from winter, all impeded the Russian advance.
We are now coming into Seelow, a journey by bicycle which took me maybe 15 minutes, but which took the Russians about three days:
Following my change of plan to do everything on my bicycle, I started my ‘holiday on the Oder’ by going to Seelow, the town that gives its name to the ridge of the Seelow Heights and was the very centre of the Russian’s strategic plan for the battle. Zukhov, the overall commanding Russian general, was under immense pressure to take Berlin and had promised Stalin that the heights and town of Seelow would fall on day one. That plan and promise failed, it finally took three days of intense bombardments and continuously hard fighting for the Russians to advance the 20 km (12 miles) from their bridgeheads on the river Oder to the town of Seelow.
The tiny hamlet where I’m staying is right in the centre of the Russian central advance. Though not mentioned specifically in the books I’ve read, it must have featured in the battle, alongside the villages that are mentioned. The map I was loaned is helpful. We start in Friedenstahl, taking the small country road, crossing the single track railway line running north to south (this railway formed a part of the battle) before turning right at Dolgelin, to pass through Frieddersdorf to Seelow itself to end at the Russian memorial on the edge of the Seelow Heights, looking back towards Kustrin:
The little single track railway line, running north south and was a target for the Russians to cut is still there:
Dolgelin is a simple crossroads hamlet of a few houses. However, crossroads (like Bastogne, miles away in Belgium) are strategically important to defender and attacker alike. It featured heavily in the battle of day one and beyond,, as these snippets record:
We’ll turn right at Dolgelin and follow the road north through Friedresdorf to Seelow, but here’s an extract from the book describing the Russian bombardment onto Dolgelin and its surroundings, all around where we are standing now:
Gnr Hans Hansen with the 3rd Battery, Ist Battalion, 26th Flak Regiment, 23rd Flak Divi-sion, which was deployed in a field west of the Sachsendorf-Dolgelin road, described his experience of the opening barrage and went on to write:
The account was given by an Luftwaffe Auxiliary soldier, probably not much more than a boy. It confirms not just the intense fighting but also that by now the Germans (scraping the very bottom of the barrel for troops and weaponry) had pressed troops that were untrained in ground fighting into desperate action in an attempt to stop the Russians.
While most traces of the war (bar the trenches that can still be found in some of the fields and woods) are now gone, the starkest reminder lies in fact that there are no old houses at all anywhere. Everything was destroyed and then each hamlet rebuilt in I guess the 1950’s.
On the road / cycle path (which is excellent) you pass over one of the many drainage dykes that litter the floodplain:
The number of ditches and small canals, combined with the waterlogged ground following the April thaw from winter, all impeded the Russian advance.
We are now coming into Seelow, a journey by bicycle which took me maybe 15 minutes, but which took the Russians about three days:
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I’ll continue with Seelow itself later, as it’s time for me to get on with the day! I’m off to the Reitwein Spur, after breakfast…
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I had forgotten to finish this little story.
Whilst in Seelow, I had gone to the supermarket to buy some provisions to see me through the next few days. Whilst there, I bought a jar of their premium brand cherry jam. On my return to my camp base three or so miles away, I noticed that the lid of the jar was making that ‘click’ sound, which meant the seal had been broken. The top was loose and the inside mouldy. Rather than just write it off, I decided to pedal back the three miles and have it exchanged. The journey could also be justified by me dropping by the Seelow German war cemetery which I’d missed earlier.
I arrived at the supermarket’s ’Help desk’ and via a mixture of mime and interpretative dance, ‘explained’ my problem. The two ladies behind the counter were very suspicious, especially when I could not produce a receipt to prove the purchase, in short the shutters were coming down. But, like Russian troops taking Seelow (and no doubt where the supermarket now stands) I was not about to be put off by a lack of paperwork.
I hit on the idea of showing the ladies (resolute in their refusal) the one credit card transaction for that day on my Halifax app, clearly showing the location and the higher amount I had spent. That still didn’t work quite right, as Halifax display the total in GBP not EUR, so - again via dance - I explained this as best I could. There then followed some earnest discussion between the pair of them, doubtless weighing up whether I was carrying out some cunning fraud and (given that they were off a certain age, had probably grown up under Soviet rule in East Germany, where suspicion of tricksters from the West was ground into them) whether I should be arrested.
Eventually it must have dawned on them that I was not about to retreat and that my cheerful face was still there. They gave up and with much tutting, huffing and tapping of a keyboard they accepted the item back. I would have been perfectly happy with an exchange, but no! Refunds have to be made in cash! This required more tapping to open a till and some apparently high level mathematics to count out the two euro and cents. This done, it was handed to me with a withering look, bordering on poisonous, to which I was cheerfully immune.
I found a new jar and paid at the checkout; job done! Now onto the cemetery to complete my mission. Disaster! The performance had taken so long that it was now very firmly shut! So maybe the store’s harridans had the last laugh after all.
Now I really must get going as Friday’s weather is starting to heat up already.
Laters, as the kids say…..
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Back from the Reitwein Spur and beyond, arriving to my camp place, just moments ahead of the huge thunderstorm that is banging and crashing outside. I’ll get on with finishing yesterday’s day out, before I move on to today’s.
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ooooh nazi stuff....
not keen on the commies....
not keen on the commies....
Thursday continued….
The town of Seelow is, if you like the epicentre of the battle, in as much as it had to be taken at all costs. The battle did not start well for the Russians, despite their earth shattering opening bombardments. The Germans had arranged their defensive lines in three, almost parallel lines. They guessed correctly that the Russians would concentrate their bombardment on the frontmost line. So, undercover of darkness they withdrew the majority of their frontline of defence troops, meaning that the thousands of Russians shells fell without hitting too much by way of value. The Russians advanced but found no meaningful resistance in the front line and then slowed, fearing a trap. This left them exposed to German direct and indirect fire from the heights above. The Russians came to a standstill.
The second mistake the Russians made was to shine huge searchlights down their lines of attack. The theory (it had been tried only on a practice ground) was that the bright lights would blind the German defenders in the darkness before dawn. It was a disaster. The vast quantise of smoke, dust and dirt thrown up by the barrages, reflected the light back (as a car’s headlights do in fog) blinding the Russian soldiers. To add to the disaster, the Germans could see the advancing Russians silhouetted against what became a white background. Orders were sent back from soldiers, ordering that the lights be extinguished. More senior generals (doubtless whose idea it was) ordered them turned back on again. Things are not going well.
In desperation, Zhukov ordered his tank armies forward. It had been planned that these would only be committed once Seelow had fallen, in order to exploit the flat plains in front of Berlin. The mass tanks, which had to use the limited roads that existed, quickly ran into the troops ahead, forcing men and machines into the bogs. The invasion routes stalled, the Germans (though heavily outnumbered) poured defensive down. Not least, the Russian heavy and medium tanks could not climb the steep slopes of the Heights, forcing them to the north in the hope of securing a gentler approach.
In the end, the Russians did of course win out, simply by pouring men into the cauldron for four days, not the one day that their plans anticipated. As a consequence, Zhukov kept his head.
The town of Seelow is, if you like the epicentre of the battle, in as much as it had to be taken at all costs. The battle did not start well for the Russians, despite their earth shattering opening bombardments. The Germans had arranged their defensive lines in three, almost parallel lines. They guessed correctly that the Russians would concentrate their bombardment on the frontmost line. So, undercover of darkness they withdrew the majority of their frontline of defence troops, meaning that the thousands of Russians shells fell without hitting too much by way of value. The Russians advanced but found no meaningful resistance in the front line and then slowed, fearing a trap. This left them exposed to German direct and indirect fire from the heights above. The Russians came to a standstill.
The second mistake the Russians made was to shine huge searchlights down their lines of attack. The theory (it had been tried only on a practice ground) was that the bright lights would blind the German defenders in the darkness before dawn. It was a disaster. The vast quantise of smoke, dust and dirt thrown up by the barrages, reflected the light back (as a car’s headlights do in fog) blinding the Russian soldiers. To add to the disaster, the Germans could see the advancing Russians silhouetted against what became a white background. Orders were sent back from soldiers, ordering that the lights be extinguished. More senior generals (doubtless whose idea it was) ordered them turned back on again. Things are not going well.
In desperation, Zhukov ordered his tank armies forward. It had been planned that these would only be committed once Seelow had fallen, in order to exploit the flat plains in front of Berlin. The mass tanks, which had to use the limited roads that existed, quickly ran into the troops ahead, forcing men and machines into the bogs. The invasion routes stalled, the Germans (though heavily outnumbered) poured defensive down. Not least, the Russian heavy and medium tanks could not climb the steep slopes of the Heights, forcing them to the north in the hope of securing a gentler approach.
In the end, the Russians did of course win out, simply by pouring men into the cauldron for four days, not the one day that their plans anticipated. As a consequence, Zhukov kept his head.
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It is hard to show how steep the slope up to Seelow is, nor the steepness of the entire U-shaped curve of the Seelow Heights. That said, this picture, taken pointing down the hill leading to the Russian memorial maybe gives a decent enough impression:
In passing, the pave on the right looks nice but is bone shaking on a Brompton. There’s lots of it in the area.
In passing, the pave on the right looks nice but is bone shaking on a Brompton. There’s lots of it in the area.
I'am suprised they did'nt show you a deep pockets short arms poster for 2 bucks;
Seelow was so significant to the Russians that they built a large patriotic ‘victory’ memorial, of which there are only three in Germany. It is worth a look, as is its associated museum close by. You have to remember that, after 1945 Seelow was well behind the Iron Curtain. This meant that only Russian versions of events and their role in the war were made public. The whole site became a political rallying point into the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s only changing when the wall finally fell.
As to the rest of Seelow? It’s a nice enough post-war former Soviet town, maybe still struggling to find its place in the post collapse of East Germany. They do do a very good ice cream, which the Germans (and indeed the Russians, too) love:
One last thought before we leave Seelow, though I’d still like to visit the German cemetery there.
By the spring of 1945 the Germans had, to put it simply, run out of men, millions of their soldiers having died in Russia. In a futile and arguably cruel attempt to fill the massive shortfall they mobilised the Hitler Youth (basically boys) and what was in effect their ‘Home Guard’ of men, many of whom had suffered dreadfully in the Great War and were otherwise too old or too injured to fight. There are accurate reports of senior German generals sending Hitler Youth ‘boy soldiers’ home, much to their dismay, they having been schooled and brain washed that it was their duty to fight. Some did, with many, many being horribly killed as a consequence to feed Hitler’s perverse vision of a Germany going down in flames.
The Home Guard was all but pitiful, armed mostly by ancient rifles (with little to no suitable ammunition), a Panzerfaust bazooka weapon and an armband. With these they were ordered to fight (basically, to die) opposing Russian tank armies. It was the logic of the madhouse, but reality had ceased to exist; only masses of total destruction and all but endless killing that outdoes the horrors of much of the Great War. That though is not to suggest it’s some kind of competition.
By the spring of 1945 the Germans had, to put it simply, run out of men, millions of their soldiers having died in Russia. In a futile and arguably cruel attempt to fill the massive shortfall they mobilised the Hitler Youth (basically boys) and what was in effect their ‘Home Guard’ of men, many of whom had suffered dreadfully in the Great War and were otherwise too old or too injured to fight. There are accurate reports of senior German generals sending Hitler Youth ‘boy soldiers’ home, much to their dismay, they having been schooled and brain washed that it was their duty to fight. Some did, with many, many being horribly killed as a consequence to feed Hitler’s perverse vision of a Germany going down in flames.
The Home Guard was all but pitiful, armed mostly by ancient rifles (with little to no suitable ammunition), a Panzerfaust bazooka weapon and an armband. With these they were ordered to fight (basically, to die) opposing Russian tank armies. It was the logic of the madhouse, but reality had ceased to exist; only masses of total destruction and all but endless killing that outdoes the horrors of much of the Great War. That though is not to suggest it’s some kind of competition.
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So, what became of Seelow when the battle was over?
In simple terms, it had all but ceased to exist, just as all of the villages and farms had been destroyed in the flood plain below.
It’s maybe best summed up by the church, which is often the case. Prior to the spring of 1945, the town had a large church, religion being a key part of German life. Realising that the Russians would use the spire as as reference point for artillery bombardments, German engineers blew the spire down. It fell, smashing the nave. The ruined church's crypt then served as a first aid station, until the town and the church was left utterly ruined:
It was later rebuilt and reconsecrated:
In simple terms, it had all but ceased to exist, just as all of the villages and farms had been destroyed in the flood plain below.
It’s maybe best summed up by the church, which is often the case. Prior to the spring of 1945, the town had a large church, religion being a key part of German life. Realising that the Russians would use the spire as as reference point for artillery bombardments, German engineers blew the spire down. It fell, smashing the nave. The ruined church's crypt then served as a first aid station, until the town and the church was left utterly ruined:
It was later rebuilt and reconsecrated:
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Next to Friday, when my snaps have moved over.
Reitwein Spur, Zhukov’s Bunker and on to the destroyed schloss at Klessin, which became a focal point of ferocious attack and all but incredible resistance as the Russians fought to establish a bridgehead on the west bank of the Oder, to launch a subsequent attack to take the vital Reitwein Spur.
Reitwein Spur, Zhukov’s Bunker and on to the destroyed schloss at Klessin, which became a focal point of ferocious attack and all but incredible resistance as the Russians fought to establish a bridgehead on the west bank of the Oder, to launch a subsequent attack to take the vital Reitwein Spur.
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