Armádní skupina „Heinrici“ a první fáze bitvy o Moravskou Ostravu (10. až 23. března 1945)
Army Group “Heinrici” ant the First phase of the Battle of Moravská Ostrava (10 to 23 March 1945)

Summary/Abstract: Armeegruppe “Heinrici”, i.e. army-sized military formation that was named after its commander, Colonel General Gotthard Heinrici, was later retitled to the 1st Panzer Army (1. Panzerarmee) when General Walther Nehring took its command. During 10 to 23 March 1945, the army was involved in the first phase of the Battle of Moravská Ostrava during which fought against 4th Ukrainian Front, Soviet army group, that opened offensive with its goal to defeat German forces and to break into central Moravia. Based on the newly gained pieces of information in documents of German Military Archives (Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv) that enable the access to the decision-making process of German command, the study tries to describe the course of the battle from the point of view of German forces and to answer the question why did the Soviets failed to fulfil their task despite their numerical superiority in men and in equipment. The reasons were that German command was aware of Soviets aims and even the exact time of offensive of 4th Ukrainian Front; they also concentrated their units in the main direction of Soviet advancement; and especially they were able to relocated their units according to the development at the battlefield.

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