In the name of history I did a little bit of “Walking the Ground” around ‘Kummersdorf Gut’ – a former Wehrmacht weapons testing site, located roughly halfway between Halbe and Beelitz, in Brandenburg.
In the middle of the night between April 29th and April 30th 1945, the bloodied and battered German 9th Army breakout group fought tooth and nail to dislodge the Soviet infantry who had occupied the buildings around Kummersdorf Gut, and there are reports of how fleeing German civilians within the breakout column joined the fight to secure the complex.
The Kummersdorf Gut complex represented the halfway point for the German 9th Army on their escape route from the Halbe Pocket.
The group rested here for a few hours, sharing out what ammo, food, and water they had left.
This was no peaceful rest, as Soviet troops and tanks continued to harass the group. But the grounds of the Kummersdorf Gut provided a *brief* respite for the fleeing columns of troops and refugees.
However, there was still 30km to go until they would reach the safety of General Wenck’s 12th Army waiting near Beelitz.
(This is a repost from Instagram from January 31st, 2025)
A weekly podcast exploring the lesser-known battles and stories of the Second World War, with a particular focus on the Eastern Front.
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If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com or visit https://davidsumnerhistory.com/
Introducing a new podcast series examining the events of the Halbe Pocket in April & May 1945.
To help you follow along with the towns and locations mentioned throughout the series, here is a map showcasing the route taken by the German 9th Army.
If you have any comments or questions about the show, please get in touch via davidsumner.podcast@gmail.com
You can also follow me on instagram at davidsumnerhistory or visit my site davidsumnerhistory.com
