Fort No. 10 "Kanitz"

Fort No. 10 Kanitz (Kanitz) is located in the southwestern part of the fort belt of Königsberg / Kaliningrad. The construction date is 1877-1881. It is named after Major General Christoph Albert von Kanitz. It has a water moat. The gorge pillbox is made of brick. It has not undergone significant modernization, except for the installation of additional exits from the barracks section to the inner courtyard.

Structurally similar to forts No. 4, 5, 9, 11. From the time of construction until 1945, it did not distinguish itself in any way. There is an opinion that during the assault on Königsberg on April 6-9, 1945, Fort No. 10 Kanitz did not resist, and some sources claim it surrendered immediately on April 6, 1945. Such information is abundant in articles on the internet. We will provide some evidence that this information is incorrect and, in a sense, even an offensive slander.

Forts No. 8 and No. 10 were in the direction of the main strike of the 11th Guards Army.

So what happened during the assault? Let us turn to the sources.

K.N. Galitsky, "In the Battles for East Prussia":

The 83rd Division is engaged in a stubborn fight for Fort No. 10. It is impossible to approach it closer than 150-200 meters. Strong fire is coming from it. The 252nd Regiment blocks it, the rest continue the advance.

Fierce battles unfolded for the forts; only in the morning did the remaining part of the garrison of Fort No. 10, more than 100 people, surrender.

N.M. Khlebnikov, "Under the Roar of Hundreds of Batteries":

The 305 mm artillery battery made 172 hits on Fort No. 10. There were only two places with through penetrations.

A.P. Ovsyanov:

The assault on Fort No. 10 was assigned to the assault detachment of the 252nd Rifle Regiment of the 84th Rifle Division under the command of Captain Fyodorov. Our command did not expect that 172 hits from 305-mm caliber shells would lead to the complete destruction of the fort artillery located in combat positions on the fort rampart, and significant losses to the garrison. Understanding that it was impossible to take the fort "head-on" with the forces and means of the assault detachment, a rather bold maneuver was employed. At dusk on April 6, while the Germans could still observe what was happening around, by order of Captain Fyodorov, a simulated preparation for an assault from the front was staged (installation of artillery guns, making passages through explosive and non-explosive obstacles, preparation of assault bridges). In the morning, under the cover of pre-dawn darkness, most of the firepower was transferred to the rear of the blockaded fort and concentrated to fire on the central gates. Fire was opened a few minutes before the attack signal. When the signal to attack was given at dawn, the guards artillerymen increased the intensity of fire from the front and rear. Under the cover of artillery fire, sappers made passages through the minefield and non-explosive obstacles directly in front of the fort. At the end of the artillery preparation, the machine gun crews of Sergeant Kalinin and privates Kibalsky and Shapka, skillfully changing positions, provided reliable fire cover for the advancing soldiers. Private Radchenko with his fighters was the first to break through to the fort gates and threw grenades into the embrasures of the gorge (rear) caponier. Realizing that the main efforts of the attackers were concentrated against the central entrance, the fort commandant, Major Makht, concentrated the main forces of the garrison there. At this time, the remaining part of the assault detachment in the northern part of the fortification, using rafts and assault bridges, crossed the moat under the cover of a smoke screen and, firing on the move at the slope, reached the combat rampart and inner courtyards. The hand-to-hand fight in the passage to the central sally port decided the fate of the fort. Soon a white cloth—the sign of surrender—appeared from the slightly opened gates. Then about a hundred Hitlerites came out of the central sally port, led by the commandant and two officers.

Later, during interrogation, the commandant, explaining the reason for surrender after a short fight, said that further resistance was pointless due to the overwhelming superiority in forces and means of the attacking assault detachment, although in reality there was no such superiority. The fort was taken as a result of thorough assault preparation, the heroism of soldiers and officers, and the competent distribution of forces and means of the assault detachment by Captain Fyodorov.

Fort No. 10 was taken on the morning of April 7, 1945. About 100 German soldiers and officers were captured, along with 6 guns, 38 machine guns, 200 rifles, four 81.4 mm mortars, fuel depots, ammunition, and food supplies.

As can be seen from the sources, Fort No. 10 was defended, and special powerful artillery strikes were applied against it. As a result, it sustained significant damage, which can still be seen today.

Until the late 1970s, the fort served as a reserve mobilization point and was in perfect condition. There was even an officers' sauna.

In 1981, the Gorky Film Studio shot the film "Order to Cross the Border." The military provided Fort Kanitz to the film's sound engineers for recording sound effects—the explosion of real fortifications. Several explosions of about 100 kg each were carried out. In the film, this took one and a half minutes. After the explosions, photographs were taken and used in some memoirs as evidence of the war.

Until 2012, it was under the Ministry of Defense, but then it was abandoned. Today it stands in a neglected state. We hope for a miracle that it will finally find owners, be put in order, and possibly a new museum will appear.

Sources:

https://gid39.su/fort-10-kanitc/ — Blog of Nikita Zagorny

https://urban3p.ru/object13750