Fort No. 12 "Oylenburg"

Fort No. 12 — Eulenburg (Eulenburg), originally had a different name – "Neudorf." It was named after the nearby settlement. It is located on the shore of the Engineer Lake, near the left branch of the Pregolya River. It was built almost to a standard design, without any special architectural features. The construction dates of Fort No. 12 are 1878-1883. Later, it was decided to immortalize the Eulenburg family in the name of the fortification. The fortification was built in honor of and bears the name of the representatives of the Eulenburg family. This ancient Prussian family is known in Germany for ministers, scientists, statesmen, and researchers. Local historians Alexey Gubin and Viktor Strokin, in an article about Fort No. 12, mention several representatives of this family: “Jonas Kasimir zu Eulenburg (1614–1667) – Major General, secret and military advisor to the Great Elector. Count Boto Heinrich zu Eulenburg was born in 1804 in Königsberg. He served in government positions in Prussian cities, and from 1855 to 1858 was president of the Prussian Landtag. Later he served in North Rhine and died in Berlin in 1879. Count Friedrich Albert zu Eulenburg was born in Königsberg in 1815. After graduation, he entered diplomatic service. He was envoy of the East Asian expedition to China, Japan, and Siam. In 1862, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs in Bismarck’s government. Author of works on state administration. He died in Berlin in 1881.”

It has a dry moat; the counterscarp gallery is structurally similar to Fort No. 8. It underwent modernization in 1894 and the 1930s, as well as in the pre-war period.

Above the main portal, shaped as a segmental arch, there is a parapet with battlements. Above the parapet rise two openwork turrets, topped with stylized machicolations framed by battlements and blind pointed arches.

In the gorge (rear part) there is a brick casemated pillbox protecting the entrance to the fortification.

During an inspection of the pillbox, German inscriptions and signatures were found on the brickwork inside, indicating that the fort was in service both before and after World War I. Several dates were identified; many texts are heavily worn and almost lost, but some can still be read clearly: 1914, 1918, 1919, 1929, 1937. The wall writings turned out to be expressions and memorials of those serving in the German army.

Unlike Fort No. 11, this one has a dry moat. Apparently, the designers considered the nearby natural water body as a water obstacle for attackers.

During the assault on Königsberg from April 6 to 9, 1945, "Eulenburg" was not subjected to massive artillery bombardment of special power and remained intact. The fort was in the zone of advance of the 83rd Guards Rifle Division and its 250th and 248th Guards Rifle Regiments.

Curious information was provided in his memoirs by the deputy commander of the 11th Guards Army for engineering troops, Mikhail Georgievich Grigorenko. The fortifications and sophisticated methods of warfare were all designed to inflict maximum damage on the Red Army troops. As soon as the attack on Fort No. 12 began, the Germans raised a white flag. The heavy wrought iron gates swung open, and 43 Hitler soldiers with raised hands quickly left the fort’s territory.

An assault group of about 100 soldiers passed by the surrendering troops, occupying the inner sections of the fortification. Many rejoiced that the battle ended without bloodshed or losses and "praised" the German soldiers for their cleverness.

The commander of the assault group was very suspicious of such an outcome — surrender without a single shot, a hasty abandonment of a well-defended shelter. He called in sappers to check the casemates. Sappers Babienko and Bogdanov entered inside; in three distant casemates, boxes of explosives prepared for detonation by electric detonators were found.

Bogdanov shouted to his comrade to quickly cut the wires, while he ran along the laid cables searching for the detonator or power source.

Moving through the labyrinth, around the next corner Bogdanov ran into a German soldier guarding the entrance with a ready-to-fire submachine gun. He did not have time to react; a grenade flew to his feet and did its job. Bogdanov burst through the door guarded by the sentry and saw a German officer fussing with the detonator, unable to understand why the explosion was not happening.

Just imagine, if the commander had trusted such a theatrical act, his entire assault group could have been caught in an inevitable explosion.

In the postwar years, Fort No. 12 was a restricted facility; thanks to this, it was not looted, and many details remained intact. This allowed for learning and understanding some features of the forts’ construction.

Report:

On the morning of April 7, 1945, with a consolidated group under Guards Colonel Bely, a consolidated cavalry regiment, and junior lieutenant courses of the 11th Guards Army, they captured: Adel Neudorf, the southern part of Seligenfeld. They stormed and captured Fort No. 11, and by nightfall also took Fort No. 12.

Currently, the fort is used by the military. Access to the territory is closed.

Sources:

https://www.prussia39.ru/sight/index.php?sid=537

https://gid39.su/fort-12/
Blog of Nikita Zagorny