Panzers on the Eastern Front: General Erhard Raus and His Panzer Divisions in Russia 1941 - 1945 by Peter Tsouras

Author:Peter Tsouras [Tsouras, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783031665
Publisher: Frontline Books
Published: 2011-11-30T22:00:00+00:00

As a result, it was necessary to immediately deal the enemy a single blow which would eliminate him completely. For this purpose, the division commander decided to concentrate the division within a very small area behind the covering parties of the bridgehead, which were in contact with the enemy, and then push forward along the hilly range on both sides of the rail line and to penetrate through the entire depth of the enemy corps. Thereafter, the 11th Panzer Regiment, together with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Panzergrenadiers, which had been covering the bridgehead and would then be available, was to liquidate the enemy forces situated on the western flank in the Verkhne-Yablochny area by a powerful blow so as to render any further detachment of troops for the protection of the flank superfluous. In order to employ a maximum number of troops for both these missions, it was necessary to carry out the missions successively. The large-scale breakthrough had to be followed as soon as possible by a lunge to the side to crush the remnants of the cavalry corps situated on the flank. The following narration of the course of events shows how this unusual plan was realized.

Before dawn on 12 December, the 6th Panzer Division and, on its right, echeloned in depth, the 23rd Panzer Division were ready for the attack. The combat troops of the 6th Panzer Division had assembled without incident in the bridgehead north of Kotelnikovo. It was still dark. The occupied old sectors looked the same as ever. A sunny winter day dawned. The officers looked at their watches. They and their men were fully conscious of the significance of the approaching hour.

Suddenly the silence was disrupted by the sounds of explosions. All the guns of the division fired, and it almost seemed as if the shells were going to hit the assembling German troops. Involuntarily, everyone flinched and stooped, but the first salvo had already screamed over the heads of the men and was coming down on the Gremyachi station. The earth quivered from the explosion of the heavy shells. Stones, planks, and rails were hurled into the air. The salvo had hit the center of the enemy’s chief strongpoint. This was the signal for the Witches’ Sabbath which followed. Both corps were assigned to the 51st Army during the Stalingrad operation.73

While the artillery maintained a rapid rate of fire, the motors of the tanks were started. The majority of the tanks began to move. Like a spring tide, they overran the enemy position and advanced through the steppe in deep wedge formations. Their guns sent death and ruin into the fleeing enemy forces.74

So abrupt and forceful was the impact of the catastrophe on the surprised enemy that he was unable to rescue his heavy combat equipment. His light and heavy batteries stood intact in their firing positions. They had been enveloped and caught in the rear by German tanks before they had been able to fire an accurate round. The limbers which the Russians had moved up quickly had not reached the guns.

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