Soviet troops liquidated the bridgehead on the Oder

On March 19, 1945, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front captured the town of Altdamm, a significant stronghold in the German defense in front of Stettin. A fortified German bridgehead on the right bank of the Oder River was also destroyed. This is reported by the newspaper Izvestia.

"Yesterday, Soviet units advancing along the right bank of the Oder River in a northerly direction reached the settlement of Podeyukh. The Nazis stubbornly defended this point. The enemy's tanks and infantry launched 10 fierce counterattacks one after another. With powerful blows from our artillery, which followed along with the storming infantry units, the enemy resistance was broken. One of our units started fighting for the Finkenwalde railway station, cutting off the German garrison of Altdamm from the south-western crossing of the Oder River," the newspaper said on March 19, 1945.

At the same time, other units attacked Altdamm from the northeastern side. Fierce fighting continued throughout the night. German troops illuminated the city streets with rockets and delivered powerful artillery strikes.

There were exactly 51 days left before the Great Victory.

"The Soviet units cleared the enemy block by block. Having captured the railway station, our units pinned the Germans to the only remaining crossing over the Oder west of Altdamm. This crossing was protected by an armored train. With well-aimed volleys, our artillery smashed an enemy armored train. Early this morning, assault groups cleared the airfield of the Nazis and cut the Altdamm–Stettin highway," the article says.

The Soviet troops increased the intensity of attacks on the enemy, who defended the city. Soon the organized resistance was broken, and Soviet troops captured Altdamm. A fortified German bridgehead on the right bank of the Oder River, east of Stettin, was also destroyed. In the battles for Altdamm, German troops suffered significant losses.

The material was published as part of the Izvestia special project "80 days to Victory."

All articles of Izvestia during the Great Patriotic War can be found in the electronic archive.