Ironfall (Kirov Series Book 30)

by Schettler, John

  There was no question that the little town of Krasnoye would fall, as it did on the morning of April 10th when Oberst Schubert and his pioneers were forced from their nest as the heavy guns of the 5th Tank Destroyer Brigade began pummeling their positions with 122mm HE rounds. Falling back from the village, they soon were met by elements of the German 305th Infantry, which had been posted as local reserves. Schubert’s little Kampfgruppe was well scattered now, but he learned his second pioneer battalion had not yet been attacked.

  Krasny Oktyabr also fell just before dawn, and that became the most serious breach in the line. The 24th and 25th Tank Corps were waiting to push through, and the growl and rattle of the tanks joined the boom of artillery as they attacked. A frantic call came in from General Oppenländer of the 305th Infantry to his 5th Korps commander, General Siebert at his HQ, and it was necessarily brief—Russian tanks had broken through west of Prokhorovka and his HQ at Komsomets was being overrun. That was 10 kilometers behind Prokhorovka, where the rail line snaked its way northeast towards the town. (See map for 5th Shock Group Operations).

  “They hit us on both flanks! Word is that we’ll have a breakthrough on the right as well. I must go, they are right on top of us!”

  Siebert knew Oppenländer to be a steady hand, which was why his division had been posted in that fortress town, but it was clear that this was something more than anyone expected that morning. He barked orders to get any local Korps assets moving to Komsomets, then he got on the telephone to Model.

  Reports kept migrating up the chain of command, and eventually went directly to Manstein, who was busy looking over maps on the battle for Groznyy when the signal came in. Initially, he was not overly concerned, since the action seemed confined to the vicinity of Prokhorovka, and appeared nothing more than chest thumping from the other side. Yet the question always lingered when a quiet sector of the line suddenly became active. Was this something big, or merely a local head butting as often happened along the extended front?

  Reports began to come in, slowly filling out the details of what was happening. It looked like an operation to pinch off one of the dimples in the line. That could mean the Russians were trying to tidy up the front, which meant Oboyan might be next. Seeing that Model’s 5th Korps under Siebert was involved, he decided to get on the telephone and contact the 2nd Army Commander at his HQ.

  “Model? What is happening up there? Are the Russians trying to spoil my party?”

  “Someone rang the doorbell early this morning,” said Model. “A strong attack has developed since. They overran Schubert’s KG this morning, right on the edge near the Army boundary with Heinrici. Now they have their foot in the door and a strong right shoulder pushing hard.”

  “Tanks?”

  “At least three corps reported. One is trying to get around Siebert’s flank near KG Schubert, and two more have broken through west of Prokhorovka. They’ve reached the rail line and spoiled Oppenländer’s breakfast.”

  “Then you believe they are just trying to isolate the bastion at Prokhorovka?” Manstein probed for Model’s assessment of the situation.

  “You know Zhukov,” said Model. “When he commits a full tank army, he means business. This is no spoiling attack. It has some depth. We have reports of units from three separate armies already involved, and one is a Guards formation.”

  “Anything happening further west along your lines?”

  “Not yet,” said Model. “I’ve been watching my other flank, but there’s no activity there. Thus far, this appears to be an isolated attack, but with a lot of mechanized units. It could be a prelude to something more.”

  “Any word from Heinrici?”

  “Nothing. His 56th Infantry Division was just to the right of this attack on Schubert, but aside from some pressure there, his entire front is quiet, all the way to the Oskol River, and then down to Valuki—dead quiet.”

  “Which is somewhat strange,” said Manstein. “This may be a bull, but so far it only has one horn if they intend anything more with this.”

  “What do you want me to do?” asked Model. “24th Panzer Korps is long gone, off to Germany for the refit. My problem now is that I’ve had to put damn near every division on the line to hold the front, so I’ve very little in reserve.”

  “Dietrich is at Kharkov,” said Manstein.

  Sepp Dietrich was indeed posted there, and with all of his 1st SS Leibstandarte Division. “If this is something big, then tell Oppenländer to give them Prokhorovka if they want it. You have my permission to make any adjustments to your line that you deem necessary. I’ll notify Dietrich. Otherwise, hold your front. If those tanks continue south, then they want Belgorod; and if they want that, then they’re after Kharkov.”

  “A pity they sent all my Panzer Divisions home last month to refit,” said Model.

  “Not all of them. 22nd Panzer moved back to Poltava to get ready for the trip home, but it looks like that will have to be delayed. I’ll alert them to the trouble, but for now, let’s see what develops. I’ll contact you tonight.”

  Oppenländer’s situation became more serious hour by hour. Both the red villages had been taken, his flanks penetrated and pushed back, and he was perhaps two hours away from finding his whole division in a pocket centered on Prokhorovka. Siebert finally got hold of him again by radio, finding that he had moved his HQ just east of the rail line near Belenkino. That was where most of the divisional and Korps support artillery had been positioned, which had been firing nonstop for the last hour. With permission to withdraw in hand, he now had to decide whether he could pull the maneuver off. Oppenländer and his entire division, had escaped the carnage of Stalingrad, finding this post with Model’s 2nd Army to be a lucky reprieve from the heavier fighting—until now.

  It seemed that fate was capricious and vengeful, and was conspiring to put the division into a little pocket all on its own. Moving men from long held defensive bunkers was never easy. His division would become scattered, exposed to attack the whole time, and it would likely be days before he could get it back in any semblance of order. Yet if he left the men in place, they might find themselves in an enemy POW camp soon, or worse. He decided to stand his ground, ordering his division to assume all around defensive positions and ride out the storm. The division artillery was sent north, into the pocket that would now form. The Korps artillery he sent south, hoping there would be better use for it when the Army came back to relieve him. Oppenländer then ordered his staff north towards Prokhorovka, saying nothing to their wide-eyed stares. When a staff Lieutenant complained under his breath, he turned on the man with an angry rebuke.

  “That is our division fighting up there, and we will fight right alongside them. Understand?” The General had seen far worse in the first war, and he had the medals on his chest to prove it.

  Model was a whirlwind once he knew what was happening. Heinrici’s 12th Korps near Prokhorovka was already starting to fold back its left flank, with 56th Infantry there still under heavy pressure. The 305th was already pocketed, and there was now a gap in the front 20 kilometers wide. The only division Model had in reserve was the 102nd, but it was well to the west, south of Sumy. His right flank was now Siebert’s middle division, the 294th, and Siebert himself was already motoring northwest with his HQ to avoid being overrun. His problem was that “Festung Oboyan” was now sticking out like a sore thumb where the River Psel made its turn to the southeast. As long as he was charged with holding that city, he would have to hold that flank. The first thing he did was to put in a call to General Hell in the 7th Korps, the center Korps of the three that made up 2nd Army.

  Learning that Hell still had s single regiment of the 299th in reserve, he ordered him to send it east immediately to shore up Siebert’s right flank. Then he looked to Schmidt’s Korps for the one major reserve he still had in hand. Friesner’s 102nd Infantry Division was behind Sumy, and he told Schmidt to send it to Siebert.

  “I know it’s a long march, but the situation demands it.
”

  “General,” said Schmidt. “I just unloaded my latest supply delivery at Nizhnaya. That’s what Friesner’s men were doing. I’ll put them all right on that train and simply send it east.”

  “Perfect!” Model was elated. “That rail comes right to me here at Tomarovka, and this attack might be heading my way. So send it here, Schmidt. Heinrici has a division screening Belgorod, and with the 102’nd we might just be able to throw up another defensive front. Get it moving as soon as you can. And if you can spare any Sturmgeschutz Battalions, send them as well.”

  What Model really needed now was the power to counterattack, but that would only be possible if he could mass at least three infantry divisions, or get his hands on a Panzer division. Knowing the 1st SS Division was at Kharkov was a good consolation, but all that had happened up to this point was but a prelude.

  At dawn on the 11th of April, the other shoe fell. Zhukov launched his second pincer from the Oskol River between Novyy Oskol and Valuki. The attack in the north would be made by Shurkin’s 63rd Army, and the Popov Mobile Group, with two Tank Corps and a column of three motorized brigades. To their immediate south, in the center of the breakthrough zone, the entire 1st Shock Army under Yeremenko would focus on one point in the line near Volokonovka, and just south of that, all of Kuznetsov’s 1st Guards Army would cross the river. This force had 1st Guard Tank, 1st Guard Mech, three Guards Rifle Divisions, the 81st Motorized, six other rifle divisions, and a lot of heavy artillery. It would be strongly supported on the left by Morozov’s 3rd Shock Army, and down near Valuki, where the five divisions of 3rd Guards Army would force a bridgehead there. Gagen’s 58th Army held the southern flank of this intended breakthrough zone, and Shurkin’s 63rd Army would hold the north shoulder. This was a much bigger attack than the attack near Prokhorovka, and once it got over the Oskol River in force, there was good open country to the west.

  The full scope of Operation Red Star would soon become apparent. (See map for Red Star General Plan).

  Chapter 21

  Manstein had been keeping one eye on the situation in the north, while he monitored the progress of the assault over the Terek River east of Groznyy. The sector west of that city was a maze of heavy fortifications, and he had been hammering at them for three days. Yet his real hope was on the cross-river operation east of Groznyy, as it would unhinge this defense by threatening to flank the entire city. He had every confidence in Model’s ability to handle this attack near Prokhorovka. Then he got the news of the second Soviet offensive.

  So… The other horn of the bull, he thought. They always come in pairs. It is obvious that they are now attempting a pincer operation against 4th Army, but that is an awful lot to chew on. Heinrici has seven decent infantry divisions, and they are well rested. Model’s army is even stronger, completely rebuilt over the winter, with three strong infantry Korps—ten divisions. If this attack had come in February, he would also have all of 24th Panzer Korps in reserve, but for now, the 22nd division will have to do.

  Model is concentrating his reserves near Belgorod and his HQ at Tomarovka, right in the danger zone; always on the scene where the trouble is. It would put him in a position to counterattack that northern pincer if it continues south, but he’ll need panzers. Yet this attack over the Oskol is a matter of some concern. It seems a good deal bigger than the one in the north…. So they are trying to pocket 4th Army, and this pincer is strong enough to move on Kharkov as well. That will be a tall order. Do they think they could really pocket the whole of Heinrici’s 4th Army, and take Kharkov as well?

  The answer to that got more complicated when the enormity of Operation Red Star emerged from the misty eastern shores of the Oskol River. There, the morning stillness was broken by the roaring thunder of the Breakthrough Artillery Division assigned to prepare the offensive. This division alone had 48 mixed guns in the 122mm to 152mm range, and another 48 super heavy 203mm howitzers. It would be joined by all the various army artillery, the thump of the mortar brigades and the hiss of well over 100 Katyusha rocket launchers, well over a thousand guns.

  Covered by that intense bombardment, the line of the river was soon seething with Soviet infantry. Pontoon Engineers were dragging pre-assembled bridging units down to the river, where battalions were already crossing with assault boats. They were screened by woodland along the river, which stretched in a wide bend from Novyy Oskol, down to Valuki, where it made a sharp turn to the southwest, passing through Urazovo before flowing down to Kupyansk. It would continue south, eventually meeting the Donets about 10 kilometers southeast of the major crossing city of Izyum. One day Zhukov hoped to take that, but not this day.

  The iron was falling on the weakest sector of the German line, held by the 1st Luftwaffe Field Korps with three “Divisions” that were really regiments in actual size. To their south as the river flowed to Valuki, the Osttruppen gathered from the 2nd and 4th Armies were patched into the line to fill gaps. The massive storm of steel and men that Zhukov was now throwing at this thin line was certain to break through, and from there, golden opportunities lay ahead, the first prize being Kharkov as planned.

  The attack created a huge rip in the line, thick with rifle divisions, motorized battalions and then the powerful tank brigades crossing the bridges in the pre-dawn hours. By sunrise, the bridgehead over the Oskol was 7 kilometers deep and nearly 30 kilometers long from north to south. The Osttruppen were native Russian “volunteers,” mostly pressganged into makeshift battalions and used to watch rear areas and report on their brothers in arms engaged in partisan warfare. They were turncoats to be sure, but their ranks were salted with Czechs, Hungarians, Poles, Serbians and even dissident Turkomen troops that had fled from Volkov’s regime. Needless to say, when the real heart and soul of the Soviet Army showed up, they had no stomach for the fight, and wanted to divest themselves of any association with the Germans as soon as possible, melting away and pretending to be woebegone peasant farmers simply caught up in the storm.

  Heinrici had put them on the line because he wanted to keep at least one good German Division behind his front as a reserve. He had thought the wider watercourse of the river near Valuki would offer them protection, but the Soviets were well prepared to make the crossing. The price Heinrici paid for this oversight was the quick collapse of the line from Valuki north. The Luftwaffe troops were putting up resistance near Volkonovka, but they were being flanked by the Popov group to the north, and 1st Guards Army to the south. Heinrici had ordered the single German division he had in reserve to move northwest and screen the approaches to Belgorod, so when this second storm broke, he had nothing he could send south to his right flank.

  There was one mobile unit that might react, the two Reichsführer brigades at Volchansk, where a fan of several tributary rivers converged to flow into the northern Donets. That was a theater reserve, technically now part of Steiner’s SS Panzer Korps, so to use it, he would have to get permission from Manstein. The General had his eye on it that morning as he looked over the map.

  Volchansk, thought Manstein. That is where this big attack over the Oskol must eventually go, and then we’ll see if they actually plan to cross the Donets in that sector. The Reichsführer is there now, and it would be a good place to send Dietrich. From there, he could also support Model’s defense of Belgorod, so that is where Leibstandarte must go. With the Reichsführer Brigades, I will have a little iron in hand, but it will take more than that to stop this offensive. I have Hausser’s 2nd SS at Izyum, and Totenkopf is further south at Donetsk. That is the force I will need, all of Steiner’s Korps.

  But it was not to be. It is said that bad things come in threes, and that proverb would be proved true the following morning on the Middle Don.

  * * *

  On the night of the 12th, Zhukov staged his surprise attack with the leading echelons of his main forces assembled for Operation Comet. As one division general after another was awakened in the night, the telephones were soon ringing off the hooks. A picture as blac
k as night began to emerge as staff members in the Rostov HQ updated the large wall map. The entire line of the lower Don, from Boguchar to Bokovskaya, was under attack.

  The left flank of that line was not strong, with the Luftwaffe 2nd Field Korps anchored on the river near Boguchar, a reserve infantry Korps in the center, and the 1st Luftwaffe Field Korps on the right. The latter two were under attack, along with the independent 17th Infantry Korps, as well as the 51st Infantry Korps. Those last two formations were under 6th Army control, and so now Paulus would be involved.

  What is Zhukov up to here, thought Manstein? This third offensive is very broad, over 150 kilometers wide! And like the attack on the Oskol, they are falling hard on the weak points in the line. This was well planned. Those Luftwaffe divisions won’t hold, so that means they will probably break through east of Millerovo by tomorrow morning. That is a key rail junction town, and the last bastion before the Donets crossings between Voroshilovgrad and Belaya Kalivta, and this is undoubtedly where this offensive is headed. If they get over the Donets, then I have Rostov to worry about, and that cannot be permitted.

  Very bold, he thought. Yet they may be trying to do too much here. If they had combined these offensives, then they would have had a real bull in the ring. As it stands, they might allow me to defeat these attacks in detail. All this happens just as I was ready to begin my offensive towards Elista. That Don sector had the divisions much more widely spaced, and with very little behind the main line. So this is dangerous. This whole operation so deep into the Caucasus is equally dangerous. Kleist is a good man, and he can handle the army here well enough, but for now I think I must turn my attention to the Don Front sector, and the upper Donets.