Unity of Command II - Berlin 45. Hard Mode, Courland Pocket #22

Описание: Over half a million men participated at any one time in six major battles of unimaginable ferocity in Courland between October 1944 and May 1945.

German and Latvian forces utilized the swampy, forested terrain to maintain control of the vital ports of Liepāja and Ventspils, which acted as lifelines for supplies and the evacuation of the wounded. The conflict was deeply tragic for the local population; during the Christmas Battles, Latvians in German uniforms frequently faced fellow countrymen serving in the Red Army.

The cost of the siege was staggering, with an estimated 150,000 German casualties and approximately 400,000 Soviet troops killed or wounded.

The exact number of encircled men is debated, but it is estimated around 600,000 men were initially encircled in October 1944 (figure being total ration number i.e: combat troops, rear area, auxiliaries,"Hiwis",Luftwaffe personnel,PoWs and some police).

Accordig to Franz Kurowski and Vincent Hunt in January 1945: "A headcount of German men and machines was taken: 400,000 men, broken
down into 375,000 soldiers, 20,000 Luftwaffe, 12,000 Waffen-SS and police, 10,000 civilians and Hiwis [labourers]. There were also 10,000 PoWs."
(this looks a little misleading at first since the math doesn't add up, but keep in mind it says "German men", so don't count a part of the foreign SS,the hiwis,PoWs and it makes sense)

Then the figure of those who surrendered on the 8th of May 1945:
"more than 200,000 men of Army Group Courland laid down their arms and became Soviet prisoners, The Courland Pocket was over. Forty-two generals, 8,000 officers and 180,000 men surrendered, along with 14,000 Latvians."

For many, the struggle did not end with the ceasefire; approximately 4,000 Latvian fighters retreated into the woods to begin a partisan war ("Forest Brothers") against the Soviet occupation that continued well into the 1950s.

On May 9, on the orders of Admiral Dönitz, the German armed forces sent out one final message.
…"Our armies in Courland tied down superior forces of Soviet infantry and
tanks for months and won immortal fame in six great battles. They rejected all possibility of an early surrender. Only seriously wounded soldiers and fathers with many children were flown out to the West. The staff and officers remained with their troops. In accordance with the conditions signed for, at midnight the German side ceased all movement and fighting…
Since midnight the guns have fallen silent on all fronts. By order of the Gros
Admiral, the Wehrmacht has halted what has become futile fighting. With that, almost six years of heroic struggle has come to an end. It has brought us great victories but also difficult defeats. The Wehrmacht has maintained its honour: it has submitted to massively superior forces. The Wehrmacht remembers in this most difficult hour its comrades who have fallen in the face of the enemy. The dead compel us to unconditional loyalty, obedience and discipline to the Fatherland, which is bleeding from innumerable wounds."

What is striking is how the numbers of troops decreased constantly, a sign that, when possible, the Germans were indeed evacuating the pocket. However it looks like they were prioritizing civilians,wounded and rear area personnel and rightly not active fighters.