Key Facts
- Launch date
- 15 February 1945
- Offensive called off
- 18 February 1945
- Duration
- 3 days of active attack
- Berlin attack postponed
- From February to April 1945
- Follow-on operation
- East Pomeranian Offensive (24 Feb – 4 Apr 1945)
Strategic Narrative Overview
Launched on 15 February 1945, the operation was compromised by hasty planning and partially detected by Soviet intelligence. What had been envisioned as a major armoured thrust was scaled back to a limited attack. Soviet forces of the 1st Belorussian Front, under Marshal Georgy Zhukov, absorbed and repelled the German advance. By 18 February the offensive had stalled completely, and German commanders ordered it cancelled, having achieved none of its stated objectives.
01 / The Origins
By early 1945 the Eastern Front had collapsed across a broad front, with Soviet forces advancing deep into German-held Poland and Pomerania. The city of Küstrin on the Oder River was encircled and strategically vital for any Soviet drive on Berlin. German high command ordered an armoured counteroffensive from Stargard in Pomerania to relieve Küstrin, restore a defensive line, and slow the Soviet momentum threatening the Reich's heartland.
03 / The Outcome
The operation's failure left Küstrin unrelieved, and German forces in Pomerania remained vulnerable. However, the attack alarmed Soviet High Command (Stavka) enough to postpone the planned assault on Berlin from February to April 1945. Instead, Soviet forces shifted focus to the East Pomeranian Offensive, launched 24 February and concluded 4 April, first eliminating the German threat to their northern flank before resuming the advance on Berlin.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Georgy Zhukov.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.