by Ian Baxter
On the Eastern Front, the fighting had intensified. The Russians were determined not to allow the Germans any respite and launched a massive attack, overrunning Feldmarschall von Manstein's positions on the River Mius. Both ‘Totenkopf’ and ‘Das Reich’ were rushed north to protect Manstein's left flank.
A heavy MG42 machine gun position. The battle of the Kursk was probably the first modern Soviet operation of the war. Despite the fact that the Red Army lacked the technological superiority of individual weapons, they had a well-prepared defensive programme, which included elaborate deception plans to confuse the enemy.
SS troops converse with their commander during a pause in the heavy fighting at Kursk. Within days of the battle the Red Army had managed to ground down many of the SS units including those of the Wehrmacht as well.
A Wehrmacht anti-tank unit belonging to the 9th Army with their well camouflaged PaK38. All over the German northern front troops tried their best to push forward under relentless Russian fire. To the German soldier in this battle, it was unlike any other engagement they had previously encountered.
At Kursk Waffen-SS troops converse with their commander. Within days of the attack the Russians had managed to throw its offensive timetable completely off schedule. It was here on the blood soaked plains at Kursk that for the first time in the war the Red Army had savagely contested every foot of ground and was finally on an equal footing.
SS troops wearing their familiar SS camouflage smocks watch the battle unfolding across a field. Throughout the Kursk offensive the professionalism and technical ability of the SS was second to none.
Three photographs showing Waffen-SS MG42 machine gunners in one of the many trenches that littered the battlefield at Kursk. Through sheer weight of Soviet strength and stubborn combat along an ever-extending front, the German mobile units were finally being forced to a standstill as a result both SS and Wehrmacht troops used trenches to mount various attacks.
A heavy Wehrmacht MG42 machine gun position during intensive fighting against stubborn Russian resistance. In front of the German Army at Kursk stood six major defensive belts, each of which were subdivided into two or even three layers of almost impregnable strongholds.
A Waffen-SS machine gun crew with their MG34 machine gun. The primary gunner was known as the Schütze 1, whilst his team mate, Schütze 2, fed the ammunition belts and saw that the gun remained operational at all times.
A close-up view of an MG34 machine gunner using the optical sight provided with heavy machine guns. All three soldiers wear camouflaged canvas helmet covers, which were widely used by the Wehrmacht during this period of the war during the summer months.
Riflemen prepare to move forward into action. Within five days of heavy fighting many German units had lost immeasurable amounts of men and material. After a week of the attack the German Army had moved some 8-miles.
Four photographs showing an 8cm sGrW 34 mortar in action against an enemy target. Each battalion fielded some six of these excellent 8cm sGrW 34 mortars, which could fire 15 bombs per minute to a range of 2,625 yards. Aside from high-explosive and smoke bombs, this weapon also fired a “bounding” bomb. It was very common for infantry, especially during intensive long periods of action, to fire their mortar from either trenches or dug-in positions where the mortar crew could also be protected from enemy fire.
Three infantryman sit beside what is more than likely a captured Soviet shelter during. The Germans built very similar shelters too, which were called Halbgruppenunterstande (group and half-group living bunkers). These were to become essential for the Landser if they were to survive the ceaseless artillery and later the terrible freezing weather conditions.
A camouflaged battery of 15cm heavy field howitzers in a field. One of the howitzers is in a fixed position and its two steel wheels have been removed by the crew. The artillery bombardment that opened up the German offensive at Kursk was massive. After it subsided infantry and armour poured forward with artillery units following in the wake of the forward spearheads.
An anti-tank crew during a lull in the fighting. In the 9th Army, XIII Army Korps was by far the strongest Korps in both men and anti-tank guns. It faced the strongest defensive positions in the entire salient and was used as a battering ram against the strong Russian defensive positions.
An MG42 light machine gun position. Although a machine gun troop was normally a three man squad, due to the high casualty rates suffered on the Eastern Front they were commonly reduced to just two, but still highly effective.
Two photographs showing the 15cm Nebelwerfer 41 being prepared for firing and launching the deadly six-barrelled rocket launcher into action. This weapon fired 2.5kg shells that could be projected over a range of 7,000 metres. When fired the projectiles screamed through the air, causing the enemy to become unnerved by the noise. These fearsome weapons that caused extensive carnage at Kursk served in independent army rocket launcher battalions, and later in the war in regiments and brigades.
A soldier on look-out during a lull in the fighting with his well dug-in 8cm sGrW 34 mortar. It was very common for infantry, especially during intensive long periods of action, to fire their mortar from either trenches or dug-in positions where the mortar crew could also be protected from enemy fire.
Wehrmacht troops are in the process of digging a defensive position. Slowly and systematically the Red Army began to pulverise the German lines into the ground prompting many units to go onto the defensive and dig trenches and other forms of defensive positions to stay alive.
Two photographs showing the gun crew of a modified 10.5cm le FH 18/42, preparing to fire the gun in anger. The 10.5cm was the standard light artillery piece deployed in the artillery divisions on the Eastern Front. However, in order to give the gun better punch on the battlefield the weapon was modified in 1942. The barrel was lengthened, a cage muzzlebrake was fitted, and the carriage was a lightened version of the le FH 18 design.
Infantry of the Das Reich Division advance along a road passing a burning building. During the first days of Kursk Das Reich had made exceedingly good progress and infiltrated enemy lines in front of them.
A Waffen-SS Sd.Kfz.251 halftrack armed with a 7.5cm short gun barrel of a Pz.Kpfw.IV during operations at Kursk in July 1943. Note the white painted kill rings on the barrel of the 7.5cm gun.
Two members of an MG42 prepare to open fire on suspected enemy targets. This light MG is being used from its bipod mount. With the bipod extended and the belt loaded, the machine gunner could effectively move the weapon quickly from one position to another and throw it to the ground and put it into operation, with deadly effect.
The MG42 had tremendous staying power against enemy infantry and during the last two years of the war soldiers took to continuously deploying their machine guns in the most advantageous defensive positions.
Two photographs showing a s.IG33 infantry gun from an SS regiment's infantry gun company being used against an enemy target. Much of the infantry regiments used on the Eastern Front were horse mounted and these heavy guns were almost invariably brought to the front by horse drawn transport.
A Waffen-SS crew have utilised their 8.8cm Flak gun against a ground target during heavy fighting. By 1943 the deadly 8.8cm Flak gun was used extensively both against ground and aerial targets.
A projectile is being placed inside the 5cm barrel of the leGrW36 mortar. The leGrW36 intended role was to engage pockets of resistance that were beyond the range of hand grenades. It was designed for high angled fire only (no less than 42°). The main drawbacks of the weapon were its inadequate range and the limited effectiveness of its ammunition, which were regarded as not heavy enough.
An MG34 machine gunner with ammunition feeder during the Kursk offensive. The MG34 machine gun was one of the most popular weapons used both in the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS. It had tremendous defensive staying power against enemy infantry during the last two years of the war.
A common scene during the later stages of the Kursk offensiv
e. Here Waffen-SS infantry have been driven from their positions and take cover along an embankment filled with mud and water.
Waffen-SS troops marching towards the front lines against growing enemy resistance. In spite of the heavy losses the units were imbued with optimism and continued to deliver the enemy heavy blows.
Here in this photograph a Waffen-SS MG34 machine gunner can be seen concealed in undergrowth with his weapon. The machine gun has the MG34 50-round basket drum magazine fitted.
Two photographs showing a Waffen-SS with their PaK gun. At Kursk the Russians had committed no less than seven corps, with more than 850 tanks and SU-85 assault guns. Wave upon wave of Russian T-34 tanks poured a storm of fire on to both SS and Wehrmacht positions.
In a field is a heavy MG34 machine gun. The MG34 is mounted on a sustained fire-mount. In every infantry battalion there fielded eight MG34 heavy machine guns on the sustained-fire mount, which was regarded in 1943, more than enough to keep open the flanks for attacking infantry.
SS troops press their Schwimmwagen amphibious car across a river during operations at Kursk. A motorcycle and its rider have been precariously positioned on the rear of the fourwheeled vehicle whilst the driver and his mate can been seen navigating the crossing.
Two photographs showing the MG34 heavy machine gun, one being transported by a schwimmwagen amphibious car still on the sustained-fire mount, whilst the other in action in a fixed position. Each infantry battalion contained an MG Kompanie, which fielded eight MG34 heavy machine-guns on the sustained-fire mount.
Five photographs showing the 8cm sGrW 34 mortar being loaded and fired in anger against an enemy target. Note how all the crew duck for cover to avoid the back blast as the projectile leaves the gun tube. Two of the ammunition handlers or loaders can be seen holding the tripod in order to keep it steady and accurate when firing. This mortar earned a deadly reputation in line on the Eastern Front and captured 34s were eagerly employed against the Germans.
Chapter Two
Fighting Withdrawal
As the winter of 1943 approached, a feeling of despair and gloom gripped the German front lines. To many of the soldiers there was a dull conviction that the war was lost, and yet there was still no sight of its end. Being always outnumbered, perpetually short of fuel and ammunition, and having to constantly exert themselves and their machinery to the very limits of endurance had a profound effect on life at the front. During the later half of 1943 the equipment situation continued to deteriorate, especially in the Panzer units. The effect of starving the experienced and elite formations like the Waffen-SS was a constant concern for the tacticians. The SS did receive a high proportion of tanks, artillery and assault guns, but this was in stark contrast to the enormous volume of armaments being produced by the Russians. The SS were thus faced with a dangerous and worsening prospect, but unlike the normal German soldier many of these elite troops retained their fanatical determination on the battlefield. Against the growing Soviet ‘menace’ they still proved to be first class formations. Their new role as the so-called ‘fire brigades’, being shuttled from one danger spot to another to dampen down heavy Russian attacks, typified their position during late 1943. In total there were seven SS divisions that became Hitler’s emergency ‘fire brigade’, and it was in October 1943 that these seven crack SS.Panzergrenadier Divisions – ‘Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler’, ‘Das Reich’, ‘Totenkopf’, ‘Wiking’, ‘Hohenstaufen’, ‘Frundsberg’, and ‘Hitlerjugend’ – were redesignated SS Panzer divisions.
Army Group South and an 8.8cm FlaK crew are seen here connecting the guns limber for transportation following the failure at Kursk in mid July 1943. By the end of July Army Group South had a total of 822,000 troops opposing an estimated 1,710,000 Soviet troops.
An SS crew of a Schimmwagen amphibious car smile for the camera. In front of them in a field are an Sd.Kfz.251 halftrack and a stationary Panther V tank. For the Waffen-SS and Wehrmacht the Eastern Front summer campaign had been completely disastrous.
Waffen-SS radio men with their Torn. Fu. Bl S/E radio pack during the summer of 1943. These widely used portable radios were carried by a soldier on a specially designed back-pack frame, and when connected to each other (upper and lower valves) via special cables, could be used on the march.
Another photograph showing a Panther V tank from the same regiment in a wheat field during operations on the Eastern Front in the summer of 1943. During Kursk the Panther saw its operational debut, but during the battle many of them experienced mechanical failure and other problems.
A typical scene after a heavy down pour of rain on the Eastern Front. Here SS troops including a Panzer crewman lend a hand to try and relieve a motorcycle combination from sinking further into the mire.
Waffen-SS anti-tank gunners in a field have extensively camouflaged their PaK gun with heavy foliage during operations on the Russian central front in the late summer of 1943. The PaK gun provided both the Waffen-SS and Wehrmacht with not only effective fire support but also defensive staying power as troops found themselves confronted everywhere by increasing numbers of enemy tanks.
The seven new divisions maintained and enhanced the military reputation of the Waffen-SS. As the Wehrmacht established defensive lines in the face of the advancing enemy, commanders looked at the aggressive and loyal striking force of the SS to be counted upon to snatch victory from defeat. It was for this reason that Hitler was forced to order the return of the ‘Leibstandarte’ from Italy. By November 1943, barely three months after departing, the division now completely rested, and re-equipped with the latest tanks and assault guns returned to its old fighting ground in the East.
The SS division arrived on the battlefield south of Kiev in early November 1943. It was to be the main attacking division in the 4. Panzer-Division and was to strike northwards towards Kiev, which had already fallen into enemy hands.
In other areas of the Eastern Front German units fought well with distinction to contain the Russians from marching across the western Ukraine. However, the unrelenting fighting had proven to be more costly. As the winter of 1943 reared its head during October, a feeling of further despair and gloom prevailed across the entire German Army. To the depressed soldiers that had to endure the third Russia winter a dull conviction gripped them that the war in the East was not lost – yet without any sight of its end. Both the German Army and Waffen-SS were still dug deep in to the heartlands of the Soviet Union. But unlike 1941 and 1942, they had lost the initiative. Slowly and defiantly the German soldier retreated back across a bleak and hostile landscape, always outnumbered, constantly low on fuel, ammunition and other desperate supplies. In three months following the defeat at Kursk Army Group South alone had only received some 32,000 replacements, although it suffered more than 130,000 casualties. The equipment situation too continued to decline, especially in Panzer units. The whole German Army in the East was thus faced with a dangerous and worsening prospect than ever before.
A well dug-in 5cm PaK 38 during the early autumn of 1943. The PaK 38 was the first antitank weapon to be produced as full-sized artillery. Although these anti-tank guns proved deadly during the earlier part of the war, German gunners soon realised that they required something more potent to counter the growing menace of Soviet armour.
To make matters worse, an anti-partisan conflict added yet another dimension to the war in Russia. With word of the advancing Red Army, Ukrainian nationalist partisans, Polish underground groups and communist partisans began raiding German outposts, barracks, police stations, rail depots, supply dumps, ambushing convoys and trains. As the German troops withdrew they had to clear out the partisans before they became prey to the snipers and saboteurs. All this and continuous pressure from Hitler to defend every yard of land with their blood, made fighting even more inhumane. For the German Army and Waffen-SS the approaching winter passed like the summer and autumn, in a sequence of bitter bloodthirsty battles, which consequently sapped the will and energy of the German strength almost be
yond repair.
Troops with the standard 15cm Nebelwerfer 41. Because it was dangerous for the crew to remain close to the launcher while the piece was being fired, it was fired remotely using an electrical detonator attached to a cable, which ran to the piece.