---
title: "Battle of Texel"
description: "The Battle of Texel, was a Georgian revolt against the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War which played out on the island Texel in The Netherlands."
url: "https://www.normandy1944.info/home/battles/battle-of-texel"
date: "2026-08-08T14:14:47+00:00"
language: "en-GB"
---
# Georgian revolt on Texel
## This battle started on: 5 April 1945
Objective: Rehabilitation for the Georgians for the fact that they had entered German service
[](#) [](#)
- [Georgian revolt on Texel](#)
- [ Intro to the battle ](#intro)
- [ Into detail ](#indepth)
- [ Aftermath ](#aftermath)
- [ Cite this page ](#cite)
## Commanders of the Battle of Texel
### Sjalva (Sjaliko) Georgiëvitsj Loladze
Nationality: Georgian
Former Soviet Georgian POW and an officer in the German Wehrmacht who headed the revolt of the Georgian soldiers against the Germans
### Klaus Breitner
Nationality: German
Klaus Breitner was furious about the "high treason" the Georgian soldiers committed starting in the night of April 5th 1945.
### What Was the Battle for Texel?
The **Battle of Texel**, also known as the **Georgian Revolt on Texel**, was one of the final battles fought in Europe during the Second World War. The fighting took place on the Dutch island of **Texel** during the last weeks of the German occupation of the Netherlands. The uprising began during the night of **5 - 6 April 1945**, when Georgian soldiers serving in the German army turned against their German commanders. Fighting continued until **20 May 1945**, when Canadian troops finally arrived on the island, more than two weeks after the German surrender in the Netherlands on **5 May 1945**.
Because the fighting continued after the official German capitulation, the Battle for Texel is often referred to as **the last battlefield in the Netherlands**, and sometimes even as one of the final battles of the Second World War in Europe.
### The 822nd Georgian Battalion “Queen Tamar”
The uprising was carried out by the **822nd Georgian Infantry Battalion “Queen Tamar”**, a unit that formed part of the German **Ostlegionen** (“Eastern Legions”). These units were largely made up of Soviet prisoners of war and volunteers from occupied Soviet territories.
After the German invasion of the Soviet Union in **1941**, thousands of Georgian soldiers were captured by the Wehrmacht. Conditions in German prisoner-of-war camps were extremely harsh. Hunger, disease, cold, and mistreatment caused many deaths. For numerous prisoners, enlistment in German service appeared to be the only way to survive.
Some Georgians joined reluctantly, while others hoped that fighting alongside Germany might eventually help free their homeland from Soviet rule. Regardless of their motives, all former Soviet soldiers who served under German command were later regarded by the Soviet authorities as traitors.
### Arrival on Texel
The battalion arrived on **Texel** on **6 February 1945** under the command of **Major Klaus Breitner**. Before reaching the island, the battalion had previously served in France and later near **Zandvoort** in the Netherlands. According to the final personnel count on **5 April 1945**, the battalion consisted of approximately **756 Georgian soldiers** and **around 400 German personnel**, including officers and support troops.
The Georgians were mainly quartered in the **Texla bunker complex** near **Den Burg**.
### Strengthening the Atlantic Wall
The battalion’s main task on Texel was to strengthen the German **Atlantic Wall** defenses. On Texel, this defensive system consisted of hundreds of military structures, including coastal batteries, anti-aircraft positions, bunkers, minefields, and observation posts intended to defend the Dutch coast against an Allied invasion.
Adversaries in this battle
### 822nd Georgian battalion
Consisted of 756 Georgian and 246 German soldiers
### German forces
The revolt was aimed against the 246 German soldiers of the Battalion
### Battle specifications
### Date of the battle
5 April 1945
---
### Duration of the battle
20 May 1945
---
### Reason for the battle
Rehabilitation for the Georgians for the fact that they had entered German service
---
### Location
Texel, The Netherlands
---
### Battle result
Undecided, Canadian troops landed on Texel on 20 May 1945 and ended the uprising.
---
[### Battle of Texel Location Map
Map of the Battle of Texel
](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/battles/texel/texel-german-map-defense-structures.jpg)
---
### Allied casualties
- Killed: 515
---
### Axis casualties
- Killed: 471
---
Page updated on: 12 July 2026
Military awards associated with this campaign
### Georgian arm patch
Georgian
### German Wehrmacht cap eagle
German
### NSB arm patch
Dutch
### Wehrmacht cloth uniform eagle
German
[](#)
[](#)
Some original WW2 formation patches and medals shown here are from my own personal collection.
Footage of this battle
Video courtesy of: Prospektor (Arnold van Bruggen)
Video courtesy of: Geschiedenis24 (Dutch)
### The Revolt begins
On **5 April 1945**, **Major Klaus Breitner** informed the Georgian commander, former Soviet Air Force captain **Shalva “Shaliko” Loladze**, that the battalion was to prepare for departure to the mainland the following morning. The Georgians would likely be deployed against advancing Allied forces in the eastern Netherlands.
The Georgians realised that Germany was losing the war and feared severe punishment by the Soviet Union for serving in German uniform. The battalion leadership therefore decided to revolt before being transferred to the front.
### “Day of Birth”
At approximately **01:00 a.m. on 6 April 1945**, the uprising began under the codename **“Day of Birth”**. Georgian soldiers attacked German troops across the island. To avoid raising alarm, many Germans were killed silently with knives and bayonets while they slept. During the first hours of the revolt, hundreds of German soldiers were killed. However, the Georgians failed to capture several strategic German positions, including the batteries at **De Mok**, **Loodsmansduin**, and the southern coastal defenses.
**Major Klaus Breitner** managed to escape and alerted German headquarters in **Den Helder**. German command immediately ordered the uprising to be crushed.
### The German Counterattack
On **6 April 1945**, German reinforcements crossed from Den Helder to Texel by ferry. Additional troops arrived with machine guns, mortars, artillery, and armoured vehicles under the command of **Major Erich Neumann**. That same afternoon, German artillery batteries at **De Mok**, **Loodsmansduin**, and **Fort Erfprins** opened fire on **Den Burg**. Heavy shelling caused severe destruction and civilian casualties.
Over the following days, more German reinforcements arrived on the island and gradually forced the Georgians northwards.
### The Texel Resistance
Encouraged by the Georgians, members of the **Texel resistance** attempted to organise local support for the uprising. Posters appeared in Den Burg calling on Texel men to report to the **Texla bunker complex** and take up arms against the Germans. Although around **200 islanders** responded, only a limited number had military experience or weapons. In practice, relatively few civilians became directly involved in the fighting.
### Diary of Piet Bremer
In his diary, Texel resident **Piet Bremer** described the confusion and fear during the first days of the revolt. Rumours spread quickly that the “Russians” — the Georgian soldiers, had turned against the Germans.
Heavy artillery fire soon followed. Batteries around Texel and Den Helder opened fire, while machine-gun and rifle fire echoed through the streets of **Den Burg**. By the morning of **6 April 1945**, German reinforcements had landed and retaken parts of the village after intense shelling.
The Georgians withdrew toward the northern part of the island, especially around **Eierland**, while civilians faced destruction, casualties, and uncertainty.
### Related insignias
[ 1 Canadian Army Corps
Original WW2 item
](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/1st-Canadian-Army-Corps.png)
[ NSB arm patch
Original WW2 item
](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/NSB-Dutch-Arm-patch.png)
[ Dutch Resistance Cross
Original WW2 item
](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/medals/nl/Verzetskruis-NL.png)
Some of these original WW2 badges and insgnias from my own personal collectioin.
#### Photographs of Battle of Texel
German forces on Texel with commander Breitner
Group of German soldiers on Texel
Easy life before Aril 5, 1945
Kommandatur in Den Burg
Guard post at Den Burg
Dune stronghold on Texel
10,5 Anti Aircraft Guns
Island damage by shelling
Dead German soldiers the population was forced to bury
Group or Georgian soldiers
Canadians arrive at Texel
Canadians explore the island
The remains of the uprise
A liberation banner
A liberation victory arch
[](#)
[](#)
### The final weeks of fighting
During the weeks that followed, the Georgians gradually lost ground. German reinforcements continued to arrive from the mainland and slowly retook control of the island. The Georgian rebels nevertheless resisted fiercely, especially around the airfield and later near the lighthouse at **Eierland** in the north of Texel.
Many Georgians hoped that Allied forces would intervene, but no direct military support came. Hundreds of surviving rebels eventually went into hiding with the help of the local population.
### Mission to England
On **8 April 1945**, the Texel lifeboat **Joan Hodshon** secretly departed for England carrying four Georgian soldiers and several Dutch resistance members. Their goal was to request Allied support for the uprising. The group reached England after crossing the North Sea, but the Allies decided not to intervene militarily on Texel. Their resources remained focused on the final defeat of Germany.
British intelligence was already aware of the uprising through intercepted German communications decoded at **Bletchley Park**.
### Collapse of the Revolt
By **20 April 1945**, German forces had captured the lighthouse at Eierland, the final major Georgian stronghold. Shortly afterwards, **Shalva Loladze** was killed during fighting near **Hoge Berg**. German troops carried out harsh reprisals against captured Georgians and suspected supporters. Many prisoners were executed without trial. Even after the German surrender in the Netherlands on **5 May 1945**, fighting on Texel continued. Sporadic clashes lasted for another two weeks. Only on **20 May 1945**, when Canadian troops landed on Texel, did the conflict finally come to an end.
### Casualties
The uprising and the fighting that followed caused devastating losses. Approximately **565 Georgians**, around **120 Texel civilians**, and several hundred German soldiers were killed. Exact German casualty figures remain disputed among historians. Large parts of Texel suffered heavy destruction, especially farms and buildings in the **Eierland polder**.
### Executions and mass graves
On **6 April 1945**, German forces arrested a group of Texel civilians after premature celebrations of liberation. Ten civilians were executed at **De Mok** without trial. In the following weeks, dozens of captured Georgians were also executed. Several mass graves were discovered after the liberation, including graves near **De Mok** and **De Cocksdorp**.
### Georgian War Cemetery
The Georgian dead were later reburied at the **Georgian War Cemetery Loladze** near **Hoge Berg**, between **Den Burg** and **Oudeschild**.
### Return to the Soviet Union
The surviving Georgian soldiers left Texel in **June 1945** and were repatriated to the Soviet Union. Despite recommendations from the Dutch resistance and Canadian military authorities, many were punished for having served in German uniform. Some were sent to Soviet labour camps, while others were eventually allowed to return home.
Broader rehabilitation took place during the period of de-Stalinisation in the **1950s**.
### Later investigations
In **1979**, several former German officers connected to the events on Texel were tried before the court in **Oldenburg**, West Germany. Most charges were dismissed because of insufficient evidence or because the executions were judged under wartime military law. **Major Erich Neumann** had already died in **1976**.
### Thank You
A warm thank you to the people of **Texel**, **Ronald Keijser** of **Atlantikwall Texel**, and **Irene Maas** for helping me get the data and the information right.
### Famous battle quotes
### Battle of Texel
He had over twenty wounds, all over his body. After a while all my good bedsheets were gone because I had to renew his bandages over and over. He was in terrible pain but he still smilled. "Mutti Gut" was the only line I understood.
Elderly couple from Texel about helping Alexei, a badly wounded Georgian
---
[ Get in touch with me ](https://www.normandy1944.info/contact#contact)
External references on this battle
- [Atlantikwall, Texel
](https://www.atlantikwalltexel.nl)
- [Historische Vereniging Texel
](https://historischeverenigingtexel.nl/)
- [War Museum Texel
](https://www.lomt.nl/en/)
- [Atlantikwall Wadden
](https://www.atlantikwall-wadden.nl/en/bezoek/texel/georgische-opstand-op-texel)
- [The Russian War
](http://derussenoorlog.nl/)
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