Chaos ensued.įormations had been created with officers but no soldiers. The order to execute the planned reorganization was given. Built hastily with no real plan, they were little more than a few trenches and dugouts. The defenses they left were completely inadequate. Seeing the Russians coming, the officials had fled. The job of building them had been given to local Nazi Party officials. However, the fortifications were nowhere near strong enough. The defenses were intended to give the fire brigades time to regroup and attack the Russians as they advanced. The Tirschtiegel was a system of field fortifications built around lakes east of the Oder River which was part of the border between Germany and Poland. The new brigades were to be used alongside the Tirschtiegel defensive positions. Grossdeutschland’s officers built a strong all-arms battle group around their super fire brigade. The German solution was the creation of “super fire brigades.” The small but powerful battle groups were expected to have greater flexibility in dealing with a changing situation. The collapse of the Eastern Front was a real possibility. Reorganisationīy the autumn, Grossdeutschland was fighting against enemy advances in East Prussia. In one engagement alone, the Grossdeutschland Panzer regiment destroyed 56 enemy tanks. The German General Manteuffel launched a counterattack in which the tanks played a leading part. There was no time for Langkeit and his tanks to regroup. Großdeutschland Division tanks in Romania in 1944. Grossdeutschland’s panzer regiment partook in a four-day battle that eventually exhausted the Soviets, compelling them to stop and rest. Twenty infantry divisions and an enormous number of tanks struck the German lines. On April 26, the Russians launched a massive assault. To lose troops as well as the oil would be even worse. Romania’s oil fields were vital to the German war effort, and their loss would be a huge blow for the Reich. There, the unit provided a rearguard for retreating German forces. When Langkeit arrived, Grossdeutschland was operating in Romania. In March 1944, Langkeit joined Grossdeutschland as commander of the division’s panzer regiment. Some of his best work came in the fighting around Rostov. His career there featured a series of injuries, awards, and promotions. He spent most of the war fighting the Russians. He had earned an Iron Cross for his service in Poland and had been part of the western operations of 1940. Willi Langkeit was one of the greatest German tank commanders of the war.
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