Walking the Ground – Märkisch Buchholz

Whilst the town of Halbe became the focal point of the “Halbe Pocket”, it actually contained dozens of small towns and villages – all of which saw brutal fighting in April & May 1945.

One of those towns was Märkisch Bucholz.

Positioned roughly 5 kilometres east of Halbe, it was a crucial location during the battle as it presented a key transport hub containing multiple bridges over the river Dahme. – These bridges provided a lifeline to the fleeing 9th Army, as they enabled the troops and refugees to cross the Dahme river, reach Halbe, and then break-out to the west.

As a result, Märkisch Bucholz was bombed relentlessly by the Red Army Airforce, as the Soviets knew the destruction of the town’s bridges would severely hinder the retreating Germans. And by the 25th of April, the bridges had been so severely damaged that the columns of troops & refugees were forced to continue their escape through the fields and forests around Märkisch Bucholz instead. 

As the pocket shrunk in size, the front lines went right through Märkisch Bucholz, and the German defenders hastily erected anti-tank barriers throughout the town. But the defences didn’t stop the Soviets for long, and in the subsequent fighting, approximately 70% of the town was destroyed, including the church, which was completely burnt out.

After the war, reconstruction of the church dragged on for decades, and it was only in 1977 that the church was fully restored with a new organ. 

In 2018, to commemorate the battle, Märkisch Bucholz opened the “Dunkler Weg” footpath, which is a 10.4 kilometre long hiking trail featuring information boards telling the story of the Halbe Pocket. These info boards detail exactly where the anti-tank barriers (“Panzersperren”) were placed in Märkisch Bucholz, and they also include a photo of the church’s destruction in 1945.

Lastly, the cemetery in Märkisch Bucholz also contains the graves of over 200 German soldiers and civilians – along with 7 unknown victims.

The war graves, the memorial footpath, and the rebuilt church, are all reminders that many towns in the area – not just Halbe – were scarred by the brutality of the fighting within the Halbe Pocket.