Rearguards of the VI. army corps try to slow down the russian advance in Masuria.

Masuria 1945

Winter 1944/45 in East Prussia. 'The russians are coming!' Millions of civilians try to reach western regions and escape from the feared russian troops. The incidents at Nemmersdorf gave the germans an impression of what to expect from the soviet soldiers.

Escape from the Red Army

67000 men have been drafted for the east prussian Volkssturm between October 1944 and April 1945. Partially they put up an excellent fight, for instance near the town of Goldap where this photo was taken in autumn of 1944 where Volkssturm battalions fought along with Heer units and Luftwaffe ground forces.