Career Rudolf Holste

on 22 april 1945, holste became part of poorly conceived , incredibly desperate plan wilhelm keitel , alfred jodl proposed adolf hitler. plan envisaged few remaining german forces in central germany attack soviet forces encircling berlin. plan called general walther wenck s twelfth army on elbe , mulde fronts turned around , attack towards east, linking south of berlin general theodor busse’s ninth army. both armies strike in northeastern direction towards potsdam , berlin. wenck’s objective autobahn @ ferch, near potsdam.

holste s directive attack area northwest of berlin xli panzer corps across elbe between spandau , oranienburg. give holste punch possible, steiner turn on holste mechanized divisions (the 25th panzer-grenadiers , 7th panzer). wenck s army did make turn around , attacked towards berlin, halted outside of potsdam strong soviet resistance. neither busse nor holste made progress towards berlin. end of day on 27 april, soviet forces encircling berlin linked , forces inside berlin cut off.

late in evening of 29 april, hans krebs contacted jodl radio berlin , requested immediate report on whereabouts of holste s spearhead. on 30 april, jodl replied holste s corps on defensive. on morning of may 1, holste reported have appeared @ twelfth army hq having abandoned troops. day later, on 2 may, battle berlin came end when helmuth weidling unconditionally surrendered city soviets. holste surrendered 8 may 1945. in 1947, released.