Ironfall (Kirov Series Book 30)

by Schettler, John

  (See Map: “The Oboyan Salient” at www.writingshop.ws)

  Chapter 26

  Zeitzler shrugged, clearly frustrated, but he resolved to try again.

  “My Führer,” he persisted. “It requires five divisions to hold that salient, but this line, across its base, could be held by three. That would free up two divisions that Model would put to very good use. This is only reasonable.”

  “Do not presume to lecture me,” said Hitler. “My grasp of the situation is far superior to that of any man here. Who stopped the Russians in the Winter of 1941? I did, with an iron will and enough nerve to stand my ground when it looked like the situation was on the verge of collapse. I have read all of Clausewitz, and Moltke, just as you have, General Zeitzler. So I am well aware that we will free up units if we withdraw as you suggest, yet the price is Oboyan, and all the ground between the Pena River and that city. How long do you think we can give them such terrain without having to fight for it? My Generals have been very generous—oh so very generous. You all wanted to give them back Moscow last year, but I put a stop to that, and so that city remains under our thumb.”

  Exasperation. Sideward glances. The Generals had been dealing with this for hours. Every time Zeitzler would bring the discussion to the point requiring a definitive decision, Hitler would launch into a diatribe like this, and then seize upon the next situation report to simply change the subject to some other area of the front.

  Unfortunately, those reports kept coming in, one crisis after another, and Hitler move the topic of discussion to another point in the line. So Model would get no permission to withdraw that day. Events would have to conspire to force the matter, and that was what was now underway at Tomarovka.

  The position was right on the seam between 4th and 2nd Armies. Hunten’s 39th Division was on the right, a part of 12th Korps in the 4th Army, its lines reaching for Tomarovka from a position north of Belgorod. On the left was Friesner’s 102nd Division, now attached to 5th Korps in the 2nd Army, and its line was near vertical, reaching north along the right side of the initial Soviet Breakthrough. The Pioneer Battalion that reported those armored cars was just about the only unit in the gap between those divisions, and it was about to get a lot of bad company.

  When news reached Model, he asked Heinrici if he could send the 22nd Panzer to Tomarovka, even if it meant he would have to move his infantry east to cover the ground it was holding. That was what was decided, so it was almost like a defensive back shifting laterally to follow a receiver on the football field…. But this receiver had protection, the full power of six Guards Rifle divisions pushing into the breach.

  Model knew that this attack was not something a single panzer division could master, and he was sending any reserve unit he could get his hands on, which included two military police companies, and the Stug Battalions from his 6th Korps further east, moving quickly by rail to the threatened sector. General Rodt of the 22nd Panzer had no hope of attacking with any success, but he could throw his division at the left shoulder of the breakthrough zone and see if he could at least impede its progress.

  Frustrated to still have four infantry divisions strung out from Tomarovka north to Oboyan, Model again sent an urgent message to OKW. “Strong new enemy attack has developed at Tomarovka. Requesting immediate permission to consolidate front along the River Pena. Situation very serious. Enemy breakthrough imminent.” (See Map: “The Breakthrough at Tomarovka.”)

  * * *

  That was true almost everywhere.

  The Russians were over the Donets on a wide front south of Volchansk. Their 3rd Guards Rifle Corps had obtained a bridgehead 10 kilometers wide between Stary Saltov and Verkhne Saltov, and it had become Sepp Dietrich’s first order of business after he withdrew from Volchansk west of the river. Further south, the rest of 3rd Guards Army stormed over the river in an even bigger attack and now Himmler’s new SS Division was trying to hold back that attack as well as the push by 3rd Shock Army in the big river bend to the south. Elements of that army were also mustering near Chuguyev to try and gain a bridgehead for the 1st Guards Tank Corps. This sector was being held by the 106th Division of Korps Raus, and they reported that there was also considerable movement south of Chuguyev, and that area was only being held by Luftwaffe Field Division battalions.

  The combination of fast moving Mech Battalions in the 1st Guard Mech Corps, supported by three strong Guards Rifle Divisions meant the Luftwaffe could not prevent a crossing near Zimyev. By the afternoon of the 15th, it was already advanced 5 kilometers deep. Then word came that Soviet tank columns had attacked the 173rd Reserve Division and captured Andreyevka on the Middle Donets. They were also approaching Balakleya some distance downstream. These were the fast moving columns of the Popov Shock Group, intending to secure bridgeheads at both those cities and await orders to proceed. Needless to say, the news of all these bridgeheads over the Donets enraged Hitler at OKW.

  “Where are the panzers I have sent?” his anger rising quickly. “Panzers, panzers, panzers!” He pounded the table with his fist. “Why do I not hear of any counterattack by Knobelsdorff? What is Manstein doing in the Don sector? I gave him the free hand he wanted there. Where is he now? Where is Steiner?”

  Zeitzler tried to explain that a heavily mechanized Korps like that takes time to pull itself together after an action and then move 200 kilometers by road or rail to a new assembly point. He mollified Hitler by reminding him that Knobelsdorff was assembling three divisions near of Kharkov, and a counterattack was imminent. 11th Panzer was in the city, and the 9th would arrive later that evening by rail. In the midst of all these reports, the crisis with Model’s 2nd Army was completely lost. Hitler only had eyes for Kharkov, and with each position update, he grew more and more tense, his temper hotter, his anger more biting.

  Serious situations only get attention when they slip down the treacherous slope of trouble to the edge of complete disaster, and that was to be the case that day. As the Staff officers at OKW studied the map, updating positions with new reports, it was beginning to look like the Soviets were going to now attempt a double envelopment of Kharkov.

  If the breakthrough at Tomarovka continued south as expected, it would have good defensible ground on its right flank along the Vorskla River, and with Model ordered to continue to hold the Oboyan Salient, he could not muster any troops to threaten it. The only consolation the Germans had there was the fact that Tomarovka was 80 kilometers north of Kharkov, and it would take time to reach the city. In the south, the 1st Guards Army at Chuguyev and points south was an even more dangerous threat to the city, and only needed to push another 30 to 35 kilometers to reach its objective.

  * * *

  Model had been frustrated with the silence from OKW, believing he had no recourse other than to begin making preparations to hedgehog the northern end of the Oboyan Salient. He sent instructions to Siebert to move his headquarters to Kurasovka, a town about 18 kilometers south of Oboyan. He was to assume command of the three divisions that made up the nose of the salient, the 299th on the left, 72nd at Oboyan in the center, and 294th on the right. The two divisions on the wings were to make ready to fold back and close their lines at Kurasovka.

  “Sorry you get the luck of the draw,” he told Siebert, “but it does not look like I’ll get permission for a general withdrawal. I’m going to have to fold back the lower ends of the salient tomorrow, orders or no orders. If you have Army level assets, get them southwest to General Hell. You may take your own supply columns and Korps artillery. You’ll need them. Hold on as best you can. I can promise you we’ll do everything possible to get to you in time, but be prepared to hold for a while.”

  “What about the 46th Division. It’s west of the 299th, and still on the River Psel.”

  “I’m going to move the regiment nearest the breakthrough tonight, but I may not be able to get that one out either. In that case, it’s yours. I’ll inform you tomorrow.”

  “299th sent a regiment to the right shoulder. S
hould I leave it there or bring it back to join its division?”

  “I’ll make that decision tomorrow. I will do my best to get Manstein to intervene here. Maybe OKW will listen to him if they insist on ignoring me.”

  That plea had prompted Manstein to make a heated call to Zeitzler. “You will have Oboyan, for what it’s worth, but you will lose an entire Korps of good infantry for that. What is going on there? Come to your senses. We must conduct an elastic defense!”

  “I agree with you completely,” said Zeitzler, but we cannot persuade Hitler. He insists that the entire line of the Psel be held.”

  “Well I do not have the time to fly there and haggle with him. Do your best, Zeitzler. Try to get Model a free hand. Whisper sweet nothings in his ear if you must.”

  “When can I report a counterattack is underway? That would help calm him down.”

  “Soon. Totenkopf is only now arriving on the trains from Kramatorsk. I will need to concentrate before we move. Tell the Führer that I am making a personal request that Model be allowed to reorganize his defense and save that Korps. We’re going to need it. And tell him not to worry. I will stop Zhukov here just as I stopped him last November.”

  * * *

  Seeing those pincers developing on the map was the medicine that finally moved Hitler from his order for obstinate defense to a more flexible approach. Zeitzler again pointed out the great liability represented by the Oboyan salient.

  “Other than to hold terrain, that city is presently useless, as is all the ground in this salient. It has been fatally compromised by this incursion at Tomarovka. Should that pincer turn north, it would pocket half of 2nd Army, but I do not think that is where it is headed. It will continue south, and constrained as he is to hold that useless ground, Model can do nothing whatsoever to stop it. The same can be said of 4th Army on the right closer to Belgorod. If you do not maneuver on defense, then you yield all initiative to the enemy. Knobelsdorff cannot move in two directions at the same time. He must choose one pincer or another for his counterattack, and that will most likely be here in the south. That leaves Model in limbo, and Heinrici could easily be cut off as well.”

  Hitler stared at the map, as if it was there to do nothing more than irritate him. Zeitzler knew he was on shaky ground, but tried one more time.

  “My Führer, if you let Model maneuver out of that trap, then he can probably muster two or three divisions on the right shoulder of that northern breakthrough. If we could free up even one Panzer Division, a good strong counterattack could be mounted to cut off the enemy breakthrough. It would be your master stroke that would stop that entire offensive in the north—assuming you have the nerve and will to let Model give you that opportunity.”

  That last bit was the sugar, and then Zeitzler waited, knowing that the person who spoke next would lose this argument. It was Hitler.

  “Very well,” said the Führer. “This was my plan all along, but it was necessary to see that Model held his ground to determine the enemy’s intentions. Now that is perfectly clear, and so I will authorize the measures you suggest here and deal with the situation.”

  Hitler had covered his tracks, laying claim to everything Zeitzler had said as if it were his own plan, something he had held in abeyance for the right time, and no one would ever say otherwise.

  There was an almost audible relief of the tension in the room, and Kluge simply moved his eyes, looking at a nearby adjutant, who then quickly retired to get to the signals room with the message the Generals had been chafing to send Model for the last twelve hours. “Your request to abandon Oboyan and redeploy on the Pena River is approved and should be implemented with all speed.”

  The Generals at OKW did not have to tell Model what to do after that. He was perhaps the most able master of defense in the German Army, and as soon as he had that signal in hand, he went to work, his energy inexhaustible, for he knew he was now trying to save his entire army. The only question is whether or not he would have the time.

  By the night of April 15th, the spearheads of 29th Tank and 3rd Mech had pushed another 15 to 18 kilometers to Borisovka, forcing Model to move his HQ northwest. It would now be possible to execute a turn to the east to flank the defense of 4th Army at Belgorod and enfilade the entire line stretching all the way down the upper Donets to Volchansk. That night the Soviet Generals on the scene met to discuss their options. Shumilov had the strong infantry force of the 7th Guards, and Rybalko and Katukov had the two mobile groups.

  “We have made a clean breakthrough,” said Katukov, “and we have encountered no resistance at Borisovka. I say we should continue south on that road.”

  “But it leads to Akythrya, not Kharkov,” said Rybalko. “I was tasked with moving on the main objective. Are you suggesting we split our forces?”

  “No,” said Katukov. “Moving on Akythrya may threaten their 2nd Army, but you are correct. You should move southwest, but only as far as Berezovka near the rail line. Then turn due south and follow that rail line all the way to Kharkov. That will be our widest envelopment. I will take my forces south immediately. That will raise the hair on the back of their necks. I’ll take Bessonovka, and they will think I am trying to envelop Belgorod, but that won’t be necessary. They will have to give it to us if we get south quickly, just as they are now giving us Oboyan. Speed is the medicine now. Let’s beat Kuznetsov to the city!”

  * * *

  The two breakthroughs, each posing a host of serious threats, suddenly galvanized the German reaction. That was largely because General Manstein had left his headquarters at Rostov and moved to Slavyansk to be closer to the action he was busily planning.

  The 2nd SS Division was the to arrive, moving through Slavyansk by rail to Barvenkovo south of the Donets, and then assembling for a road march towards Balakleya. The Germans had moved in Armee Detachment Hollidt, with the 50th, 198th and 336th Infantry Divisions after a long train ride from the Black Sea coast. Hollidt was then tasked with screening the Donets between Balakleya and Krasny Liman, with his main focus being the defense of the important supply and crossing city of Izyum.

  That city was being slowly approached by the Soviet 63rd Army, and Hollidt posted his 50th Division north of Izyum between the Donets and Oskol Rivers. On the left of that defense was a less reliable unit, the 187th Reserve Division. It was actually on the other side of the Donets where the river began making wide bends through a heavily wooded area west of Izyum. A Regiment of the173rd Reserve Division had already been overrun at Andreyevka, its remnants retreating west and north, behind the river. The remaining regiment was at Balakleya, but it now retreated southeast to link up with the 187th.

  That regiment now represented the extreme left of Manstein’s infantry shield in the south near Izyum, but Das Reich was coming up fast. Manstein wanted it to watch what the enemy was doing at Balakleya, and he expected that they might continue to push out well beyond their bridgehead, which was now widening between Andreyevka and Balakleya.

  Manstein was finally on the scene, bringing Papa Hörnlein’s Grossdeutschland Division and Eicke’s 3rd SS Division. The Germans could make night marches too….

  Chapter 27

  16-APR-43

  Zhukov got the report around midnight, April 15th—a column of motorized troops, with armor support, was moving up towards Balakleya. This could only mean one thing—Steiner. So, he thought, they moved west very quickly, and where there was smoke, there was always fire.

  The Soviets knew all the cards that were in the German hand. They had seen Manstein deftly sweep away their feint towards Millerovo, adjusting and restoring the line in three days of fast paced operations. That was exactly what he had intended, but now they had finally realized what was happening and the jig was up.

  They will have three strong divisions there soon, he thought, all the rest of Steiner’s Group, including their elite Grossdeutschland . This means I must order 2nd Shock, 63rd and 57th Armies to halt and assume defensive positions until I determine what Manstein
is going to do here. As for my mobile reserve, I was intending to send it in Popov’s wake. We’ve a good bridgehead over the Donets now between Andreyevka and Balakleya, and Popov reports that there is very little resistance there.

  The roads are open all the way to Krasnograd and on to the Dnieper! I did not plan to cross the Donets until after Kharkov was secured, and in light of this development concerning Steiner, I think it best that I pull the reins on Popov. I can’t have him galloping on towards the Dnieper with Manstein on my flank. I will order Popov to pause and consolidate. Then we will see what develops. As for my mobile reserve—it stays where it is for now as well, right in the center of the board. One must always have a Knight handy when needed.

  * * *

  Another old chess player, Manstein had been playing well to Kingside in dealing with Zhukov’s gambit in the Don sector. The wily Russian General had taken a pawn, but his Knight was driven off by the Queen in the first defensive operation. Now Manstein had castled, developing a strong Rook as he did so in Das Reich. But he was not yet ready to attack. He wanted to get a few more major pieces developed, most notably, the 3rd SS Totenkopf Division, which was re-routed through Kramatorsk well south of Krasny Liman to re-coal the trains. He also had an errant Bishop he wanted to get into play, the 17th Panzer Division on its way from the Caucasus.

  Hollidt was getting his infantry into position to watch the river line east of Izyum, so now the General could begin clenching his mailed fist by concentrating his Panzer divisions. Instead of immediately launching the two heavy pieces he had in a premature attack, he opted for position play, maneuvering to watch the flank of any enemy move beyond the Donets from the vicinity of Balakleya. Every move he made had to be carefully considered. The enemy pieces were raging through the center of the board, but he was building up power on the flanks.