Flank Defense In Far-Reaching Operations by Generaloberst Heinz Guderian

Author:Generaloberst Heinz Guderian
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
Published: 2015-10-13T16:00:00+00:00

VI. Tula

On 25 October Army Group Center ordered the forces to be reorganized In consideration of Second Panzer Army's present task, the thrust against Tula:

XXXXVIII Panzer Corps with the 9th Panzer Division, the 16th Motorized Division and XXXIV and XXXV Corps wore put under Headquarters Second Army.

In place of these units, Second Panzer Army received LIII Corps with the 112th and 167th Infantry Division, as well as XXXXVIII Corps with the 31st and the 131st Infantry Division. The 25th Motorized Division of XXXXVIII Panzer Corps stayed with Second Panzer Army. The 1st Cavalry Division was transferred to East Prussia in order to be converted into an armored division.

Meanwhile, XXIV Panzer Corps had continued the advance along the Orel-Tula highway. An advance guard was formed by the bulk of the Army's tanks. Colonel Eberbach commanding, together with the Infantry Regiment "Gross-Deutschland." With this advance guard the commander-in-chief reached Plavsk on 28 October and on the following day the southern outskirts of Tula. At last fuel could only be furnished to one armored tank battalion on whose tanks one battalion "Gross-Deutschland" rode along. The attempt to capture Tula by a surprise raid failed under heavy losses in the face of strong defense.

The only highway In the Army's area, leading from Orel to Tula, could not withstand the demand by tanks and other vehicles during the wet season, A few days later the road bed collapsed. The Orel-Bryansk highway suffered the same fate. Dense minefields obstructed the advance along the highway. The forward movement slowed down gradually. The throat increased against the right flank, which was only insufficiently protected as a consequence of poor reconnaissance results, particularly since 27 October when reports came in regarding the arrival by rail of fresh Russian forces against this right flank.

In order to eliminate this menace to this flank, LIII Corps approaching from the west received on 30 October orders to advance against the line Yepifan-Stalinogorsk. This Corps moved up on 10 October, following; the battle of encirclement of Bryansk together with the 167th Infantry Division via Bolkhov-Gorachevo and with the 112th Infantry Division via Belev-Arsenyevo-Tsarevo. Corps suffered on this march under the inclement mud period and could not take along all of its heavy vehicles, especially not its entire artillery. The motorized elements had to take the detour via Orel-Mzensk.

When approaching Tyoploye on 2 November, the advanced elements of LIII Corps made contact with the enemy by surprise. The forces Involved consisted of two cavalry divisions, five Infantry divisions and one armored brigade which advanced on the road Yefremov-Tula with the intention to push into the rear of our XXIV Panzer Corps in front of Tula. It came to a battle which lasted from 3 to 13 November in the Tyoploye sector. In the course of the battle, LIII Corps succeeded through heavy fighting, after being reinforced by tanks of the Eberbach Brigade, to defeat the enemy and to throw his forces back in direction Yefremov. The enemy lost ninety guns, (Compare report of LIII Cops,

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