Battle of Lubeck

The Battle of Lubeck

West German Forces:

 * 7th Panzer Grenadier Brigade
 * 74th Panzer Battalion
 * 73rd Panzer Grenadier Battalion
 * 72nd Panzer Grenadier Battalion
 * 71st Panzer Grenadier Battalion
 * 36th Jager Battalion

East German Forces:

 * 8th Motor Rifle Division
 * 27th Motor Rifle Regiment
 * 28th Motor Rifle Regiment
 * 29th Motor Rifle Regiment
 * Tank Regiment

Battle
At 03:00 Central European Time the city of Lubeck came under fire from 108 guns the fire from which mostly targetted the districts of Karlshof and Innenstadt where West German troops had been spotted. The 28th Motor Rifle Regiment which was responsible for storming the city split into three columns each roughly with the strength of one Motor Rifle Battalion and an attached Tank Company.

By 03:30 CET both the Southern and Central columns from the 28th MRR had been engaged in the Sankt Gertrud district with their advance being reduced to a crawl.

At 03:45 CET forward elements of the 27th MRR arrived at the A20 Trove bridge to find it guarded by troops from the West German 73rd PzrGr. Battalion. Despite fierce resistance by 04:25 the 27th MRR established itself on the North bank of the Trove however one span of the bridge was destroyed in the fighting.

By 05:00 the 28th MRR had taken the Harrentunnel across the Trove unopposed. In the city itself the West German 36th Jager Battalion had been pushed back to within 1.2km of the river bank in the North. The K-18 road bridge was succesfully destroyed by the defenders forcing a temporary halt to the Southern columns advance.

At 05:45 a succesful raid was launched by a company-sized element of the 73rd PnzrGr. Battalion against the rear-line services of the 27th MRR along the A20 motorway. The raid inflicted heavy losses on the 27th MRR however the attacking force came under heavy MLRS and helicopter fire and was forced to withdraw into the city by a counter attack.

With the 27th MRR now North of the city the cities defenders were in danger of being cut off. The final straw for the defenders occured when a battalion from the 29th MRR supported by artillery and air power appeared in Sankt Jurgen and was able to force a bridge onto Innenstadt itself. At 07:30 the order was given for West German forces to withdraw from the city. Fighting continued until the last major contingent of West German troops broke out of the city at 09:00.