There, the newly arrived 85th and 100th Gebirgs Regiments pulled from Army Group North reserve had leapt from the trains and just barely managed to hold on to the city. It commanded the major rail line leading east to Smolensk, and if that city were to fall, and the Russians reached the lines of their encircled comrades that had been stubbornly defending Kirov, then that pocket would suddenly form the southern and western wall of a new pocket that would be four times its size—only this time the tables would be turned and it would be filled with German troops, every unit the Wehrmacht had thrown at Moscow. It would leave over 50 divisions encircled, and with no secure line of communications back to points south and west, and Germany.
One particularly vital train just squeaked through Orsha carrying units of the 11th Army that were taken from the forces assigned for the Crimea. These vital fresh infantry divisions would attempt to stop the encirclement of Smolensk, at least on the westernmost side of that double pincer attack.
This halted the retrograde movement made by those three infantry Corps between Orsha and the lines east of Smolensk, and now they would be under threat of encirclement should the Russians achieve their strategic aims in that sector. In other places, Hitler picked up wood blocks representing the panzer divisions that had been withdrawn to rear areas for refitting, and began to assemble them in a group he intended to use to smash the Soviet attack. The only problem was the fact that these unit markers could be moved on the map far easier than the units themselves could be moved on the field, and attack orders would soon reach bewildered Panzer Commanders where no concentration of battle ready troops even existed.
Halder was having his own fits, and threw up his hands in utter frustration with Hitler’s ceaseless fuming diatribe. It also galled him that, in the south, no major enemy offensives had been aimed at Manstein’s forces, which created the impression in Hitler’s mind that his new favorite General was now the only commander he could rely on, the only one not in distress and still contemplating offensive operations.
Yet soon the full breadth and scope of the Soviet attack would finally be seen, and Manstein’s offensive, poised to resume operations towards Volgograd as soon as weather and ground permitted, would find itself caught up in the winter war blowing in from the icy north.
* * *
Far to the south, where temperatures were less severe, Manstein’s drive between the Don and Donets had also ground to a halt in January. If viewed on a map, the line of his advance resembled a massive wolf’s head, with the eyes and forehead of the beast being the position of his tough SS Divisions. Realizing conditions were not favorable for continuing his attack, he had waited to bring up 14th and 16th Panzer Divisions, and the 25th Motorized Division into the snout of the wolf, where they were planning to strike south towards the vital crossing of Voroshilovgrad on the Donets. If taken, it would cut off 18 to 20 divisions north of that river above the Donets Basin. Without either destroying or forcing the withdrawal of these units, Manstein could not continue his planned offensive east towards Volgograd, which now had to be postponed until the Spring.
To smash this force and compel its withdrawal, he had been husbanding all the new heavy tank brigades being sent from Germany and holding them in the city of Kharkov. There were 501, 502 and 503 Schwerepanzer Brigades, and three more smaller Panzerjager battalions that had been receiving new equipment, with 88s mounted on a mobile chassis, called the “Nashorn.” He decided to move them east on the short open rail line to Kupyansk, and use this mass of armor as a hammer to break through there and aim another drive at Lischansk on a looping bend in the river.
Yet just as this force assembled to begin its operations, the news of the massive enemy offensive to the north came in, and Manstein himself was summoned to Berlin. After a long cold flight home, he met with Hitler in OKW headquarters and learned the real reason he had been recalled from the front.
“The incompetence of my Generals astounds me,” Hitler began. “After months of hard fighting, they have given the enemy vital ground back and put our forces in real jeopardy—particularly Guderian. He was the worst of the lot. His withdrawal order led to the collapse of the entire flank along the road from Orel through Tula to Serpukhov. I have had to relieve him of command and will now take control of the situation personally.” He pointed to the map, which Manstein now saw with updated positions neatly drawn in by Halder’s staff.
“As you can see, Guderian allowed them to push right through Orel and all the way to Bryansk to reach the Kirov Pocket. They have also reached this pocket from the north at two places, though I have ordered our infantry to hedgehog in place. To make matters worse, a second wave of this enemy offensive has begun north and south of Kursk. I cannot imagine where they have found all these troops to fling at our positions.”
“My Führer, I can tell you that in one word—Volkov.”
“Volkov? What did he have to do with this?”
“His offensive across the Volga north of the city has been stalled for some time, because the Soviets poured massive reinforcements into that sector. In one sense this was helpful for us, as those were troops that might have otherwise gone to the battle for Moscow. Yet now, Volkov’s position west of the Volga has collapsed. He gave the order to withdraw east of the river two weeks ago, and this has changed everything. I sent reports to this effect at that time. Were they heeded?”
“Halder has turned this entire headquarters into a shambles!” Hitler fumed. “I was not aware of this development until it was too late.”
“Well that is the reason the enemy has fresh, well tested troops to make this attack in the Kursk sector. Once Volkov withdrew, the defense on the Volga could be managed by a single army posting good divisions on the few available crossing points along the river. This left the bulk of the troops, possibly three or four field armies, free to be moves west to Kursk. Halder informed me there was a new enemy offensive underway there, but I was not aware of its extent.”
Hitler shook his head, his anger barely contained. “Under the circumstances, your big offensive in the south will have to be postponed. I will need your mobile troops and the new Panzer Brigades, to deal with this Kursk situation. Can you move them?”
Manstein studied the map. “My Führer, realizing the gravity of the situation, and knowing that you would take immediate steps to salvage it, I have already taken the liberty of withdrawing 14th Panzer Korps from the snout of the Wolf’s head, here. I am moving them west, back through Valyuki to Belgorod. As for the SS Korps, it is only now being relieved by newly arriving infantry. We have the enemy well contained on the Crimean peninsula. They are holed up in Sevastopol, and have no offensive capability there. So I took the liberty of sending the Italians there to relieve 17th Army. Those infantry divisions are well rested, and they can take over positions in the Wolf’s Head while I move the SS west to deal with this Kursk offensive. Once we restore the front there, then we can meet to plan how best to undo the enemy gains in the north. In the meantime, who has taken charge of 2nd Panzer Armee if Guderian was recalled?”
“I am managing that personally.”
“My Führer, as you will have much to do in the vicinity of Smolensk, may I suggest that Model take command in Guderian’s place?”
“Model? He is just a division commander.”
“I know the man. He has a particular genius for defensive operations like this. If you give him the latitude he needs for a flexible defense, rest assured, that that segment of the front will be rendered secure. Then we can focus on Smolensk. That city is vital. The Russians are attempting to cut the lines of communication back through Minsk, and this will take some smart generalship to undo. I will coordinate with Model in the east, and let us see what kind of pressure we can bring to bear. This may help relieve the situation around Smolensk. In the meantime, you will need a good man on the scene there to see that your orders are properly carried out. I recommend Rundstedt, but my Führer, you must allow him to make adjustments to the front lines to secure a
proper defensive front again.”
“If you mean withdrawals, then I will have no patience with such a strategy.” Hitler folded his arms, his dark eyes smoldering.
“Tactical withdrawals may be necessary in certain circumstances,” said Manstein. “A blanket stand fast order ignores the situation on the ground, and communication to this headquarters may be spotty at best. We may think a division is securely in place, when it fact it may have its flank or rear areas exposed.”
“Then they should adopt an all around defense. The ground must be held. We have fought for it too long, and at great cost.”
“Mere terrain,” said Manstein dismissively. “There will be segments of that ground that are of no use to us. Look here, this sector being held by three valuable infantry Korps is one good example. See how the Soviets are attempting to encircle it? Note the lack of good roads into that area and then realize supplying those troops will be damn near impossible. Yet if those valuable infantry divisions were here,” Manstein pointed to the vital road from Smolensk to Orsha further west. “Then they would be well concentrated, and possibly capable of counteroffensive operations that will be impossible to contemplate where they are posted now. This is smart generalship.”
Manstein pulled off his gloves, then decided to reinforce his advice with flattery. “I am certain you would have seen this if properly informed of the situation on the ground. You would have ordered those troops to this vital road sector at all costs. Look how this Soviet push down from Vitsyebsk is so desperately reaching for that area as an objective. We must not allow them to occupy that ground. However… this position just southwest of Vitsyebsk should be held—not one backward step! We will need it later when we retake that city and pocket all these enemy forces west of Smolensk. As for this last pincer west of Orsha, it was meant merely to cut the rail lines coming up from Minsk and Vilnus. It is not a serious threat, and Armee Group North should be able to deal with it.”
Manstein’s manner, a calm deliberation that exuded confidence, impressed Hitler. While the entire center of German operations had been flung into disorder and distress, Manstein’s southern front was still secure, and so much so that all its mobile units could now be moved to stop the enemy offensive from Kursk. He had just pointed out things in the long sinuous front lines that Hitler’s mind had never even seen, let alone understood. His casual remark about the recapture of Vitsyebsk hinted at plans and strategies already hatching in his mind to restore the situation. It made Hitler feel as though the disaster he had been facing was now salvageable, and gave him some heart.
“Very well,” he said. “I will see that the orders go out to move those troops as you advise.”
“Excellent,” said Manstein. “With your permission, I will return to the front and get to work! Remember—Model and Rundstedt. They are your eyes and ears on the ground. Rely on them. They will not let you down.”
Chapter 6
The man who would now take command of 2nd Panzer Armee would become a whirlwind of dynamic energy on the field to replace the lassitude that had fallen on Guderian in those final terrible months in the snow. Model now began establishing his new line of strongpoints behind the river, and then he slowly pulled units out to build mobile kampfgruppes behind that line, also sending equipment and vehicles into certain units to begin building at least one or two divisions up to full strength. He had his shield well in hand, but now he needed a sword.
By the time Manstein returned to organize his counterattack the winter was slowly thawing into late March, though temperatures were still very cold, and the ground remained firm. He had selected the key road and rail hub at Belgorod north of Kharkov to form up his legions, with the 14th Panzer Korps north of that city, and his SS Korps to the northwest. Further west, the big second offensive launched from Kursk had already pushed outliers some 200 kilometers to the southwest. These were mostly small, fast moving cavalry, recon, and light tank units, probing forward on a wide front. Fighting continued well behind them, where the main attack had enveloped and swarmed around the unlucky 42nd Infantry Korps under General Kuntze near Oboyan. He was seeing his three divisions systematically destroyed, regiment by regiment being isolated and then stormed by continuous waves of Red infantry supported by tanks.
Realizing that more help was needed to stem the advancing tide, Hitler had ordered five fresh infantry divisions in a new 51st Korps under Von Seydlitz to the scene, and Manstein used them as a blocking force to stop the enemy outliers from advancing further, and slowly roll them back. In the meantime, he began throwing his mobile divisions against the main enemy attack, which had pushed down through Oboyan and was aimed right at him. There at a small hamlet called Prokorovka, Germany’s new heavy tank brigades would lead the assault in what would become a smaller version of the much greater Battle of Kursk that was fought later in the old history.
Yet his divisions had taken some time to be relieved from the Wolf’s Head position, and get onto trains leading into Belgorod, so they were arriving piecemeal. He kept jogging left, hoping to find the flank of the enemy advance while the situation was still fluid, but these moves only pulled in more Soviet units freed up as the 42nd Korps was overcome. Soon a great bulge was formed in the front, the Kursk Bulge, and whether by happenstance or fate, many of the units now assembling near Belgorod were the very same troops that had made an ill fated attack there in one recording of the history in 1943.
Kuntze would be captured with his men and go into a long cold life in a Soviet prison camp. By the time Manstein’s forces even got close to Oboyan, the 42nd Korps had virtually ceased to exist. On April Fool’s Day the Spring thaw would finally set in, making the ground soft and boggy. Both sides knew it would only get worse over the next few weeks, and so the fighting was more aimed at staking out a good line on either side, and positioning forces in favorable locations for renewed offensive operations after the ground firmed up again.
Even though it had come late, the Soviet Winter offensive had achieved remarkable gains. The massive pocket they had formed by breaking through to their own beleaguered troops around Kirov was now holding most every unit that had participated in the drive on Moscow. There were 7th, 9th and 53rd Infantry Korps, the SS Poletzei Division, all of Guderian’s old 2nd Panzer Armee, (now commanded by Model), and all of 3rd Panzer Armee under Hoth. Another six divisions and scattered units from other broken formations were in a much smaller pocket about 100 kilometers from the city of Kirov, and now the action was focused on German efforts to re-establish a line of communications to troops further south and west.
To this end, Model ordered Reinhard to take the two Panzer Divisions he had been laboring to bring up to strength, the new 24th and the veteran 6th, along with 36th Motorized Division. They were to move southwest and mount a breakout operation to reach that smaller pocket, which had no viable supply source.
“We cannot simply throw those divisions away,” said the fiery Model. “Infantry is worth its weight in gold these days. In places, those divisions are manning the line with headquarters companies and bridging battalions! We simply have to get through. Moscow is now serving as a supply hub. All the Army stores are there, and along the major roads in reserve depots. The engineers have even found a good number of small machine shops in the city that can be put to good use. We’ll use them for vehicle repair shops. But your job is to get through to that infantry. Then we can truck in supplies. Beyond that, this operation will be a preliminary move to reestablish communications with Armee Group Center.”
Now it was down to this, small thrusts to open supply corridors, mop up rear area pockets, and plug holes to tidy up the new front lines that had formed. After the long misery in the frozen winter, the mud returned again, imposing a forced halt to most major operations. The troops were exhausted on both sides, supplies low, everything sinking into a morass of boggy ground. Reinhard’s attack ran right into the veteran 91st Siberian Rifle Division, part of the 24th Siberian Army that had fought hard to link up with out
side forces earlier. The action was in densely wooded terrain, with a single road that the Siberians stubbornly defended over two days of hard fighting.
This was going to be Germany’s war from that moment on. The Soviets had finally tasted blood. In spite of losing most of Moscow, they had not only surprised their enemy with the strength and scope of their attack, but they had recovered vast segments of lost territory, destroyed ten German divisions, pocketed another 50, and threatened or cut the two vital communications lines the Wehrmacht had used in their Autumn offensive. The line through Orel, Mtsensk, Tula and on to Serpukhov was now completely in Soviet hands. The line from Moscow through Mozhaisk to Vyazma and on to Smolensk had been completely overrun between those last two cities. The Germans managed to hold Smolensk, but were heavily pressed from the eastern quadrant of that city. Further west, they were still fighting to clear the road back through Orsha that led to Minsk.
Even with Sergei Kirov’s government operating from a farm house hundreds of miles north of Moscow, they had held the Soviet State together, and Georgie Zhukov had managed to do what he had long planned and promised—what had been foretold to Kirov in the scorched pages of the “the Material” burned in the old Red Archives. The mighty Wehrmacht had finally been stopped. If Germany would lose this war, this is where historians would say it had happened, where the sweeping tide of the German war machine had finally crested around the stolid rock of Moscow. The turning point in the long bitter war had finally been reached—the Soviet Winter offensive of 1941-42.
Now both sides would count their dead, mark the staggering losses, with over a million men dead for the Germans, and twice that number fallen for the Soviets. Hitler would think back on those early days of 1941 when Raeder was urging him to go all out and smash the British in the Middle East, and come to regret that he had not heeded that advice. For now a strong new enemy had come to stand with the British, and the Western Front was already simmering up with plans for operations to turn the tide there as well. What ten or twelve divisions might have done in early 1941, would now be on the shoulders of over 250 divisions in Russia.
Turning Point (Kirov Series Book 22) Page 5