Capture of Hamburg

Battle of Hamburg
Part of the Invasion of Germany during World War II
A British tank in the city center after the battle.
Date 18 April - 3 May 1945 Location Hamburg, Germany Result British Victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Miles Dempsey Evelyn Barker Lewis Lyne	Kurt Student General Woltz
Units involved
VIII Corps XII Corps (elements)	1st Parachute Army (elements)
Strength
3 Divisions Approx: 10,000 troops	2 Divisions (Understrength) Approx: 3,000 troops
Casualties and losses
	Heavy

The Battle of Hamburg was one of the last battles of World War II, where the last remaining troops of the 1st Parachute Army fought the British VIII Corps for the control of Hamburg, between 18 April and 3 May 1945. British troops were met with fierce resistance inside the city as Hamburg was the last significant remaining pocket of resistance in the north. Once the British captured the city, they continued their advance north-east and sealed off the remnants of the 1st Parachute Army and Army Group Northwest in the Jutland peninsula.

Background

After the Western Allies crossed the River Rhine, the German armies in the west began to fall apart. Army Group B, under the command of Walter Model, was the last effective German defense in the west. However the Army Group, consisting of three armies, were encircled and captured by the 1st and 9th American armies, thus ending effective German resistance in the west. After the defeat of Army Group B, the Germans were only able to organize resistance in a few cities and were not able to communicate with each other very well. The allied armies started a general advance across Germany, with the Americans pushing the center and the British holding their northern flank. The main British thrust came from the 2nd Army, under the command of Miles Dempsey. The army's objective was to advance across northern Germany and push onto Berlin. The British came across little resistance, as compared to the Americans in the south and advanced at a steady and fast pace. The 1st Parachute Army and the newly formed Army Group Northwest, were the last German forces in the north. As the British continued their advance, the German high command in Berlin, which was under siege by the Red Army, refused to send reinforcements. The Germans managed to resist the British in Bremen for a week until surrendering and the last of the troops retreated to the Jutland peninsula. The last remaining defense was the city of Hamburg and the Germans sought to make a last stand there. After capturing Soltau the 7th Armoured Division of the VIII Corps was poised to assault the city.

Battle

The British advance towards Hamburg was spearheaded by the 7th Armoured Division, assaulting Harburg and advancing to the River Elbe across from Hamburg, with the 15th Division assaulting the southern town of Uelzen. Elements of the XII Corps assaulted the city from the northwest. On their way to Harburg, the 7th Division captured Welle and Tostedt on 18 April and advanced into Hollenstedt the next day. By this time, the Germans built up defenses in Harburg as the British neared closer. On 20 April, the division captured Daerstorf, 8 miles west of the city. The RHA Forward Observation Officers (FOOs) reached the Elbe and started to fire upon troops and trains on the other side of the river. On the same day, the 131st Infantry Brigade took Vahrendorf just 2 miles south of Harburg. The Division halted the advance for 5 days just short of the city, set up a perimeter and prepared for their assault on the city itself. However on 26 April, the 12th SS Regiment, supported by Hitler Youth troops, sailors and policemen, counterattacked at Vahrendorf. Supported by 88cm flak guns and 75mm howitzers, the Germans advanced into the town center, but were pushed back once British tanks arrived. The battle continued until the next day, when the Germans retreated back to Harburg leaving 60 dead and 70 prisoners. On 28 April the British began their assault on the city. The 5th Royal Tank Regiment, 9th Durham Light Infantry and 1st Rifle Brigade captured Jesteburg and Hittfeld, where the autobahn was. However the Germans blew up parts of the autobahn slowing the British advance. Once the British entered Harburg, they were met with fierce resistance and house to house combat as the Germans wouldn't surrender. By this time the troops of the 1st Parachute Army were a mix of SS and paratroopers, Volkssturm along with regular Wehrmacht soldiers, supported by sailors, police, firemen and Hitler Youth. As the advance through the city continued, the German resistance grew fiercer as the Germans were desperately fighting to cross over the autobahn back into Hamburg. Later that day, the first British troops crossed the Elbe into Hamburg itself. 88 cm flak guns were spread around the city but became infective as the battle progressed. Many German troops containing a Tank destroyer battalion, a Hungarian SS unit and many Panzerfaust troops were still located in the woods south of Harburg, as the British bypassed the area and were now mopping it up. The 53rd Division, supported by the 1st Royal Tank Regiment assaulted the woods and captured all remaining German troops totaling 2,000. As the battle continued the German defenses started to fall apart. On 29 April, Hitler committed suicide in Berlin and Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, who was commanding forces in the north, ordered General Woltz to discuss surrendering the city to the British. General Woltz along with a small German delegation arrived at Division HQ on 2 May and formally surrendered the city on 3 May. The same day the 7th Division entered the devastated city.

Aftermath

Hamburg was the last remaining defense for the Germans in the north. After the battle the last remaining troops of the 1st Parachute Army along with Army Group Northwest retreated into the Jutland Peninsula. Most of the troops retreated to Kiel, where they met with troops of the ailing Army Group Vistula, retreating from Soviets on the Eastern Front. The 7th Armoured Division advanced unopposed to Lübeck, where news of the German surrender came on 4 May.