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The Demyansk Pocket (; ) was the name given to the pocket of German troops encircled by the Red Army around Demyansk (Demjansk), south of Leningrad, during World War II on the Eastern Front. The pocket existed mainly from 8 February-21 April 1942. A much smaller pocket was simultaneously surrounded in Kholm, about to the southwest. These both resulted from the German retreat following their defeat during the Battle of Moscow. The successful defence of Demyansk, achieved through the use of an airbridge, was a significant development in modern warfare. The pocket provoked an inordinate response on the part of the Soviets, absorbing resources that could have been utilised for offensive actions elsewhere. Its success was a major contributor to the decision to try the same tactic during the Battle of Stalingrad. ==Encirclement== The encirclement began as the Demyansk Offensive Operation, the first phase being carried out from 7 January-20 May 1942 on the initiative of General Lieutenant Pavel Kurochkin, commander of Northwestern Front. The intention was to sever the link between the German Demyansk positions, and the Staraya Russa railway that formed the lines of communication of the German 16. ''Armee''. However, owing to the very difficult wooded and swampy terrain, and heavy snow cover, the initial advance by the Front was very modest against stubborn opposition. On 8 January, a new offensive called the Rzhev–Vyazma Strategic Offensive Operation started. This incorporated the previous Front's planning into the Toropets–Kholm Offensive Operation between 9 January and 6 February 1942 which formed the southern pincer of the attack that, beginning the second phase of the northern pincer Demyansk Offensive Operation between 7 January and 20 May, which encircled the German 16th Army's (''Generaloberst'' Ernst Busch) II Army Corps, and parts of the X Army Corps (''General der Artillerie'' Christian Hansen) during winter 1941/1942. Trapped in the pocket were the 12th, 30th, 32nd, 123rd and 290th infantry divisions, and the SS-Division ''Totenkopf'', as well as RAD, Police, Todt organization and other auxiliary units, for a total of about 90,000 German troops and around 10,000 auxiliaries. Their commander was ''General der Infanterie'' Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt, commander of the II Army Corps. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Demyansk Pocket」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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