Chapter 459: Easy
If the air war had been a one-sided affair in favor of the German Luftwaffe, then on the ground, the Soviet Army put on an outstanding performance that stunned the world. The German panzer forces did not appear at the various counter-attack points as expected. Instead, the Soviet tank units provided cover for their own infantry and broke through the German defensive positions in several places.
Khrushchev, as the overall person in charge of the German front, was discussing the Red Army’s offensive strategy with several generals. The few Soviet Red Army generals were mostly wooden puppets left over from the Great Purge, and the entire frontline command was more or less a one-man show for Khrushchev.
And this frontline commissar, Khrushchev, had also learned his own lessons from the failure of the attack on Poland. This lesson had prompted him to cram military knowledge for several months before coming to the front.
From the letters and analyses provided by Zhukov to the Soviet high command, he had memorized the analysis of the German army’s combat capabilities. He knew that Germany’s weakness was its artillery disadvantage in a defensive posture, and he knew the basic principles of the German Blitzkrieg. To put it bluntly, Blitzkrieg didn’t seem all that remarkable; it was simply a matter of committing armored forces to tear open the enemy’s defensive system, and then pouring in more troops through that breach to penetrate deep into the enemy’s heartland.
Therefore, Khrushchev felt that he too could fight a Blitzkrieg, using the Germans’ own spear to pierce the Germans’ own shield. So he divided the several main groups under his command into five main attack zones, attacking the German lines simultaneously from several directions.
On this first day of the war, the news he received was heartening. All five of his offensive groups had broken through the German lines, and even the dozen or so feint attacks had made astonishing progress. The German defensive lines, just as Zhukov had predicted, seemed to be truly vulnerable.
However, if Zhukov had been there, he would certainly have slapped Khrushchev. He had said that the German defense was weaker than their offense, but when had he ever said that the German defenses were vulnerable? The German tactic of ceding several defensive sectors was as obvious as it could be—the Germans were planning an encirclement and annihilation! And you’re still pouring troops into the pockets they’ve set up for you? Is your head full of paste?
At the northernmost end of the Soviet offensive, the famous Soviet general Timoshenko, who was in charge of the northern theater, disobeyed Khrushchev’s orders and commanded his troops to stop transferring forces into the defensive sectors that the Germans had given up. However, the troops he could command were not the main force of the Soviet front, and only about 200,000 men were willing to obey his command.
At the same time, in the south, Marshal Voroshilov had always been known as a good old man. He maintained an alliance with Khrushchev and was more or less obedient to his decisions. So the central and southern theaters, which Khrushchev directly controlled, as well as the majority of the main Soviet forces in the northern theater, all poured into the encirclements that the Germans had long since prepared.
It was as if someone had offered them a pillow just as they were getting sleepy, as if they had dug a pit and the prey had jumped in on its own. The German generals commanding the front, such as List, Model, and von Bock, were somewhat puzzled by the Soviet army’s cooperation. They found it hard to believe that their operational objectives would be achieved so easily and even suspected that this was a deliberate attempt by the Soviet army to lure them into a trap.
“The 17th Infantry Corps is setting up a new defensive line in the town of Kalyu to the east. The 99th Infantry Division is engaged in fierce fighting with the Soviet army here and here,” an operations staff officer said, pointing to some areas on the map. “General Guderian’s Army Group G is on standby here. The 502nd Tank Battalion of the 3rd SS Panzer Division is conducting a limited counter-attack against the Soviet tank units here.”
“The 74th Panzergrenadier Division is flanking. There are approximately 190,000 Red Army soldiers in the first encirclement. Their tanks are about to run out of fuel, and they lack artillery support and ammunition resupply,” another staff officer said, pointing to another map of the southern region as he briefed von Bock on the progress of the battle. “The 6th Division has lost 500 men, but their defensive positions are still intact. The damage rate to the 6th Infantry Corps’ defensive line is still within an acceptable range.”
“The 3rd Panzer Corps has begun a counter-attack against the Soviet central offensive group on the left flank of the No. 14 encirclement. They have met with stubborn resistance from the Red Army, but their advance is satisfactory,” List reported to Brauchitsch on the latest situation in the central theater. “The Soviets have committed large-caliber artillery here, here, and here, and in these areas, to destroy our positions. Air force bombing has destroyed some of the Soviet weapons, but the enemy still insists on firing every half hour.”
“Approximately how many Soviet troops have entered the encirclements we’ve set up?” Brauchitsch asked, pointing to the huge, circular defensive positions that looked like the gates of hell.
“The Red Army in the north has Timoshenko in command. It’s possible that 300,000 troops have not attacked our pocket defenses, so General Model has already rushed to the north to personally oversee the situation. About half of the Red Army forces in the central and southern sectors have entered our encirclements. Our counter-attack can begin at any time,” List said, his hands clasped behind his back.
“In 24 hours, order the troops to execute ‘Operation Requiem.’ The counter-attack begins!” Brauchitsch said firmly, looking at the huge sand table in the center of the command post. “Notify Kesselring. The operation begins!”
Boom! Rein leaned against the commander’s hatch of his Tiger tank, watching as his vehicle’s cannon spat a searing flame, destroying a poor T-26 tank 900 meters away with an armor-piercing shell. He then pressed the intercom and ordered Bruce to reload. He knew that in distant Britain, Wittmann had already painted his 104th kill ring on his cannon barrel, while he himself had only just reached his 68th.
He wondered how Carius was doing on the southern front, whether he had had the same good luck to score a tank kill on the first day. He raised his binoculars and looked at the ridge in the distance. There were already 30 burning wrecks of Soviet tanks there. All of them had been destroyed by his company. It was no different from target practice.
“Marcus! Fall back! Everyone, leave this position!” Rein looked at his watch. The defensive battle had been going on for about 20 minutes. He felt that since he was now the commander of five Tiger tanks, he should be a bit more prudent. So he ordered his men to begin to withdraw. “Tank 111, provide cover! 112, Marcus! Watch the slope on the flank. Baumann! Let’s reverse as well!”
The teaching company began an orderly withdrawal, leaving the stunned Soviet armored unit in the distance. Their radio channels were in chaos. They had still not managed to organize an effective attack, and no one had remembered to call for artillery support or suppression.
“They’re in the woods! I saw the smoke from their muzzles!” a Soviet commander screamed hysterically from among the jumble of tanks behind the ridge.
“We don’t have a chance to get up there and fire. The armor of the KV-1 can’t handle the German tank. Its frontal armor was penetrated! It was penetrated!” another tank commander said over the intercom, his head poking out of his hatch as he looked at a wreck not far away that had just been knocked out by a German Tiger the moment it had crested the hill.
A few minutes after Rein ‘s tanks had withdrawn from the woods, the Soviet artillery finally arrived late to the party. One after another, large-caliber shells landed in the now-empty forest, sending splintered branches and dirt flying several stories high. The display of power was impressive.
“The Soviets seem to be angry,” Marcus’s voice came through Rein ‘s headset, making Alice laugh. They crossed a road at the edge of the woods and then set up another ambush position on the other side. They carefully camouflaged their tanks, covering the turrets with branches and other things.
A motorcycle from the reconnaissance company drove up from the distance. A dust-covered scout, an MP-44 assault rifle slung across his chest, stopped next to the teaching company’s tanks and pointed to the woods not far away. “The Soviet tanks have just entered the woods. There are some infantry behind them. I can’t see the numbers clearly, but I estimate a battalion.”
“Are the infantry positions behind us ready?” Rein asked.
“I don’t know about that, but you should hold on for as long as you can. I’ll go back and ask. If their positions are ready, I’ll have the company commander radio you.”
“Alright! We have no problem holding here for 20 minutes. You should go, quickly,” Rein nodded. He then climbed out of his hatch, stood on the tank’s turret, and raised his binoculars to look at the Soviet forces in the distance. It’s not clear what he saw, but after only a few seconds, he ducked back down. “Andre, aim for the 11 o’clock position on the left flank. The enemy has learned their lesson this time. They might try to outflank us.”
As he spoke, the turret began to rotate with a mechanical grinding sound. He held onto the hatch, jumped back inside, and, while adjusting his seat, commanded loudly, “Teaching company, prepare for battle! Tank 111, 112 Markus, 114, you are responsible for the front. The flanks are mine. Tank 115, watch the right flank. If you see an enemy tank, open fire.”
“Yes, sir!” “Understood!” the other commanders replied through the headset. At the same time, Marcus’s voice came through. “Good man! You know to leave the front to me.” Just a dozen seconds after these replies, the cannon of tank 114 spat fire, and the second battle began just as quickly.
For the battle-hardened soldiers of the 502nd Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion, fighting a war like this could almost be described as “easy.”
Published: 2025-08-26T05:12:28.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2025-11-16T07:06:00.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c459-easy-137361692
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