Demyansk Pocket 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 demanded an inordinate response on the part of the Soviets , stalling 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 ) IInd , and parts of the Xth 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 IInd Army Corps . Northwestern Front offensives . The intent of the Northwestern Front offensive was to encircle the entire northern flank of the 16th Army ' s forces , of which the 2nd Army Corps was only a small part , and the Soviet command was desperate to keep the Front moving even after this success . The first thrust was made by the 11th Army , 1st Shock Army and the 1st and 2nd Guards Rifle Corps released for the operation from Stavka reserve . A second thrust was executed on 12 February by the 3rd and 4th Shock Armies of the Kalinin Front , with the additional plan of directly attacking the encircled German forces by inserting two airborne brigades to support the advance of the 34th Army . The front soon settled as the Soviet offensive petered out due to difficult terrain and bad weather . After being assured that the pocket could be supplied with its daily requirement of of supplies by " Luftflotte " 1 , Hitler ordered that the surrounded divisions hold their positions until relieved . The pocket contained two fairly capable airfields at Demyansk and Peski . From the middle of February , the weather improved significantly , and while there was still considerable snow on the ground at this time , resupply operations were generally very successful due to weakness of the Red Air Forces in the area . However the operation did use up all of the " Luftwaffe " s transport capability , as well as elements of their bomber force . The Northwestern Front grew increasingly desperate to wipe out the pocket , and over the winter and spring , launched a number of assaults on the " Ramushevo corridor " that formed the tenuous link between Demyansk and Staraya Russa through the Ramushevo village that were repeatedly repulsed . In total , five Soviet Armies composed of 18 rifle division s and three brigades were tied up for four months . However , by the end of May , the Stavka reconsidered the overall situation and decided to shift its attention to the Moscow sector , where a new German offensive was expected in the summer . Breakout . On 21 March 1942 , German forces under the command of " Generalleutnant " Walther von Seydlitz - Kurzbach attempted to leave through the " Ramushevo corridor " . Over the next several weeks , this corridor was widened . A battle group was able to break out of the siege on 21 April , but the fighting had taken a heavy toll . Out of the approximately 100 , 000 men trapped , there were 3 , 335 lost and over 10 , 000 wounded . However , their strong resistance had tied up numerous Soviet units at a critical moment , units that could have been used elsewhere . Instrumental in the German breakout , was the first time use of the Mkb - 42 ( H ) , which would later be re - designated the MP - 43 and then finally the StG - 44 . Between the forming of the pocket in early February to the virtual abandonment of Demyansk in May , the two pockets ( including Kholm ) received of supplies ( both through ground and aerial delivery ) , 31 , 000 replacement troops , and 36 , 000 wounded were evacuated . However , the cost was significant . The " Luftwaffe " lost 265 aircraft , including 106 Junkers Ju 52 , 17 Heinkel He 111 and two Junkers Ju 86 aircraft . In addition , 387 airmen were lost . The Soviet Air Forces lost 408 aircraft , including 243 fighters , in a bid to crush the pocket . Fighting in the area continued until 28 February 1943 . The Soviets did not liberate Demyansk until 1 March 1943 , with the retreat of the German troops . For his excellence in command and the particularly fierce fighting of his elite unit , 3 . SS Division " Totenkopf " , " SS - Obergruppenführer " Theodor Eicke was the 88th person to be awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight ' s Cross on 20 May 1942 . The success of the " Luftwaffe " convinced " Reichsmarschall " Hermann Göring and Hitler that they could conduct effective airlift operations on the Eastern front . Göring later proposed a similar " solution " to supply the 6 . " Armee " when it was surrounded in Stalingrad . In theory , the outcome could be equally advantageous ; with the 6 . " Armee " trapped , but still in fighting condition , the Soviet army would have to use up much of its strength to keep the pocket contained . This could allow other German forces to re - group and mount a counterattack . However , the scale of the forces trapped in the two operations differed greatly . While a single corps ( about ⅓ of an army ) with about six divisions was encircled in Demyansk , in Stalingrad , an entire and greatly reinforced army was trapped . Whereas the Demyansk and Kholm pockets together needed around of supplies per day , the 6 . " Armee " required an estimated daily minimum of , delivered over a much - longer distance and faced by a much better organised Red Air Force . The air transport force had already suffered heavy losses , and was much further away from good infrastructure . The " Luftwaffe " simply did not have the resources needed to supply Stalingrad .