Opening Moves (The Red Gambit Series)

by Gee, Colin

  Umpires from Corps Headquarters, who had quartered overnight in Lasberg , had been rudely awakened by the distant sound of artillery and shortly after by the arrival of a jeep containing soldiers with incredible news.

  That news was soon handed to Major-General Holmes Ely Dager, a competent, capable man born for combat. He had spent the night in the magnificent Schloss Weinberg and was well refreshed.

  Immediately organising his units by radio, he pulled his formation into defensive order, moving to command them from close by a house on the six hundred metres line north of Rudersdorf, around which his armored-infantry were already arraigned.

  Swiftly he pulled the ‘enemy’ units of the 63rd and 41st behind the lines drawn by the 63rd’s ‘friendly’ companies, sending the infantry of C/63rd to extend the line across the front of the tankers at Netzberg and retaining some as a mobile reserve in the same area.

  Making sure his tank companies had topped off on fuel at first light as instructed, the problem of practice rounds was addressed. Each vehicle had retained only mock main rounds to avoid any accidents but each company had its own supply train close at hand with war rounds aboard. None the less, it was a long process and would take time to complete.

  The infantry units had live rounds available nearby and the exchange went swiftly and without problems, a testament to the steady nature of the men, for all was conducted under the increasing noise generated by artillery moving its fire zones closer.

  C & D/41st had withdrawn through the infantry lines and were rearming themselves, C/41st having made rendezvous with their ammunition trucks in the fields south of Neustadt where they commenced the exchange of rounds. D/41st had met with their supply vehicles parked on an overgrown country road in the woods to the south of Rudendorf and were already well into the rearming process.

  A new problem for the silent American defenders arrived overhead, as four Ilyushin-II’s, the famous Shturmoviks, flew down the road line towards Linz.

  Fig#10 Kefermarkt

  D/41st, although nearer to the flight line, benefited from the overgrown road and was not spotted. C/41st was not so fortunate.

  Off to the right one, pilot saw tanks and lorries concentrated in a small open area, oblivious to their presence.

  Amazed that they should find enemy tanks so exposed, they held off the attack whilst the leader radioed his contact report and the position of his targets.

  All four then turned and drove hard and fast, aiming at the tanks gathered around the Neustadt-Matzelsdorf road.

  Each carried a very successful Soviet tank-busting weapon, the PTAB, which was essentially a small bomblet with a shaped charge capable of penetrating the top armour of most battle tanks, as well as killing any men close enough to the point of explosion. Today the PTAB’s, each aircraft was carrying two hundred, were dropped like a carpet all over the tankers of C/41st as they desperately toiled to load with ammunition.

  The Sherman carried medium armour when dealing with tank versus tank combat but its roof armour of 25mm was not capable of resisting direct impacts from the PTAB’s.

  Of the sixteen tanks targeted, twelve were knocked out by either direct hits or fires and explosions caused by strikes on the tankers and trucks around them. The casualties were enormous and few capable men survived, effectively removing the whole company from action in a few seconds.

  All four aircraft circled lazily to assess the damage, undertaking individual strafing runs on the site before they flew back to re-arm, completely untouched and in celebratory mood.

  The shock of that attack was felt in the headquarters tent of General Dager but he quickly adjusted to the loss and reorganised his right, ordering A/41st nearer to the centre in the woods to the south of Wittinghof and re-siting its supporting elements from C/63rd accordingly. D/41st would move as soon as rearmament was complete, secreting themselves in the woods to the east of Neumarkt.

  Artillery was now starting to fall upon his infantrymen but caused few casualties, as they were dug-in. In any case, the barrage quickly passed on as it was supposed to be sweeping ahead of the advancing rifle corps it was supporting.

  Overhead came the sound of an aircraft engine, immediately causing consternation until it was recognised as an L-1 Vigilant Observation aircraft, and more importantly, friendly.

  Within a few seconds, a radio burst into life as a Colonel tasked as an observer in that aircraft and who had expected nothing more than a few hours flying over exercising tanks, called in a sighting report. He indicated infantry and light vehicles advancing towards Kefermarkt from the north. He reported no tanks and, on Dager’s instructions, a confirmation was requested and received.

  The Soviets were vulnerable.

  This was something that Major Adam Yartsov of the 64th Rifle Division was only too aware of, despite the success of his mission so far. A handful of wounded was all his unit had suffered on its drive from Freistadt towards Linz and, even though one of those was his best non-com, he could not complain at getting away so lightly.

  His 440th Rifle Regiment had not always been so lucky and leading an attack was pretty much always a poisoned chalice.

  Prior to moving forward into the valley, Yartsov surveyed the ground. His route of advance took him between two heights, with the River Feldaist running down the eastern flank, and a few small brooks running off it towards the western heights. His prime route headed south-west, over two small bridges.

  The ground was undulating with hollows and raised areas in equal measure.

  What troubled Yartsov was the scant cover available and he quickly decided to get through the potential killing zone as quickly as possible.

  Mounting his men back into their vehicles, he summoned the recon force commander and gave him his orders.

  He received the news of the Shturmoviks attack on the allied tanks with mixed feelings. If the air force had killed them all as they claimed then that would be just fine with him, but he knew how excitable fliers could get so he expected tanks in his way very soon. However, more air support should be available to cater for that if necessary and the large column of smoke coming from behind the hills could even mean that the claims were correct although it seemed closer than the location given by his regimental commander. In their joy, the airmen had falsely stated that the destruction of the American tank regiment had been to the south-west of Gallneukirchen.

  That error contributed much to what then came to pass, especially as Yartsov, unusually and fatally seeing what he wanted to see, wrongly attributed the presence of track marks on the road to the destroyed company withdrawing ahead of his advance. A view he supported with information gained from an Austrian police officer in Lasberg, regarding the swift movement south of a group of American tanks, and by observing the hastily abandoned and churned up site where the 11th’s troops had laagered overnight.

  Sat in his Gaz67 4x4, he moved slowly along behind his lead elements as they pressed forward, taking the south-west road out of Kefermarkt.

  His soldiers, preceded by a hastily designed artillery barrage, moved forward slowly in their hotchpotch of vehicles. American lorries and halftracks were mixed in with their own Gaz and Zis vehicles.

  Two SU-57 halftracks mounted 57mm anti-tank guns, and these were both immediately behind him where he could more easily direct them.

  As they moved further south, he was pleased to see that the barrage had not knocked out any of the bridges on his route of advance. He indicated to his driver to pull over at a junction just in before the second of these bridges and surveyed the heights to his right and left.

  His lead recon element was halted at the Wittinghof road junction, the young officer standing bold and proud in the turret of his BA64 armoured car. A second element was on the east road, level with the same road junction.

  A perfect place for an ambush for sure but air had reported nothing, except for the tanks and infantry they had savaged south of Gallneukirchen. The commanding general had been satisfied with that and refused perm
ission for Yartsov to wait for armoured support just in case the Americans still had fight, especially as Gallneukirchen was nearly ten kilometres away.

  Like most general officers Adam had met in the last few weeks, his own commander was contemptuous of the Americans ability to fight. As a frontline soldier, he decided he would wait until the experience had come and gone before judging.

  Still, orders were orders, and so he did not halt his battalion as it advanced, despite his misgivings, although he did harry the new young officer and ordered the recon platoon on a surge forward, instructing the commanders to pay close attention to the silent heights on either side and the woods to their front.

  Preparing to give the order to move forward behind his two SP halftracks, Yartsov took one final sweep and almost missed a small movement on the corner of his vision as he ended looking east. Focussing his binoculars immediately on that spot, he saw nothing except a cleared area of woods and fallen tree trunks. As his eyes bored in on the spot he saw another movement and he knew what was about to come.

  He had no time to shout before the sound of an explosion rose above the sound of vehicle engines, and all eyes were drawn to the BA-64 armoured car of the recon officer burning fiercely on the edge of the woods ahead. The second BA-64 was already reversing as fast as it could go, before finding a small area of dead ground to conceal itself in. Mortars found it in an instant and made it a victim of the previous night’s preparations, for the American weapons were all nicely zeroed in on numerous points throughout the valley floor.

  Machine guns started hammering from the direction of Wittinghof and the nearby woods, and his men started to go down. More mortars started to land to the east side of his strung out convoy whereas the heights to his west stayed silent.

  The east side recon element was not moving, thin wisps of smoke escaping the lend-lease scout car, betraying its fate.

  Yartsov did not like it but saw no option as to stay was to die. He ordered his battalion to make for the trees to their west.

  The two 57mm SP guns were directed to take the machine-guns to his front under fire to distract and suppress them whilst his infantry surged for safety. His mortar platoon was an ace up his sleeve and, under orders, it fell back quickly and set up in a defile just south-west of Kefermarkt, where the mortar platoon of the second battalion joined it on the orders of 2nd Battalion’s commander. Firing smoke, they attempted to mask the 3rd Battalion’s desperate move to the heights.

  2nd Battalion’s soldiers were already dismounted and moved west as fast as their legs could carry them, intent on achieving the heights before they were noticed.

  The first of Yartsov’s Su-57’s ceased firing as a direct hit from one of the armored-infantry’s own 57mm anti-tank guns took the front off the stationary vehicle. The whole crew survived without a scratch and found refuge in a small hollow. The crew of the second vehicle threw smoke grenades and tried to withdraw but only succeeded in throwing a track as they hit a large stone, making them easy meat for another 57mm. Only one man was killed in the vehicle but none survived the withering bursts of MG fire that sought them out as they tried to escape.

  None the less, they had deflected some of the American fire from Yartsov’s men, fire that was again switched to the flanks of the 3rd Battalion toiling to find cover.

  In war, timing is important, and the American commander had timed his ambush to perfection. All the mortars were switched to the suspected location of the enemy mortars, and within seconds, the Russians found themselves swept with high explosive equipped with surface detonating fuses. The carnage was immense and both mortar platoons ceased to function immediately, additional casualties being wrought by exploding Soviet ammunition.

  At the same time as the mortar support platoons were smashed, the 57mm anti-tank guns sought out and found the Gaz containing the artillery officer whose job it was to call in support from the batteries behind. No such support would be forthcoming until his replacement reached the scene, so the artillery continued to fire on his last orders, which were to drop smoke down the east side of the valley to screen the troops from the heights found there. The only eyes that looked down on Yartsov from the eastern heights were those of an Austrian woodcutter and his nephew, sat comfortably with bread, cheese and beer, intent on watching the mock battle they had heard was being staged that day.

  The heights to the west, upon which the Russians had set their hopes of safety, erupted in fire and cut down many soldiers from both battalions instantly. Having faced the German and his MG42 before these men were used to extreme firepower but this was very different. Not only did the armored-infantry have numerous machine guns, from tried and trusted m1919 .30cal to the murderous M2 .50 cal, they also possessed the finest infantry rifle of the period, namely the M1 Garand, which gave American infantry units awesome fire power.

  Hundreds of infantrymen were dug-in along the leading edge of the heights and they accurately poured round after round into the confused Soviet troops, who started to fall back, their expected refuge now so obviously a death trap.

  Yartsov watched as his command was butchered, impotent, raging, unable to do anything but weep for his men. 2nd Battalion had fared no better and the survivors were falling back into Kefermarkt, the bridge over which they needed to pass being brought under fire by mortars, causing more casualties.

  Looking around him the Soviet Major saw an abandoned half-track, engine still running. Ordering his own driver to accompany him, he determined to drive to the rescue of his men and get as many out of the death trap as he could.

  The vehicle leapt forward and benefited from smoke drifting over from the west side, permitting it to proceed some distance before being spotted. Yartsov served the .50cal on its pedestal mount and was rewarded with the sight of his rounds striking home on an anti-tank gun position now visible on the heights. Shouting and beckoning to nearby survivors, he went back to the gun and emptied the whole belt into the woods.

  He bent down to pick up a new box of ammunition at the moment a 57mm shell struck the vehicle, killing his driver, and wrecking the engine and machine-gun mount. Yartsov dropped to the floor of the burning vehicle trying hard to work out what had happened, trying to stand on ruined legs, and wondering at the silence that suddenly enveloped him.

  Mercifully, he was dead before the flames started to consume his body.

  The commander of the 2nd Battalion, himself wounded in the stomach, reported back to his regimental commander on the destruction of his and Yartsov’s commands.

  The Soviet attack had been stopped dead in its tracks.

  Major-General Dager was a satisfied man. He had undoubtedly destroyed the best part of two Soviet infantry battalions already, which, even though it did not balance with the terrible losses to one of his tank companies sustained in the air attack, did show that his boys could meet the Reds, and beat them. His butcher’s bill was remarkably light. One of the anti-tank gun crews had been killed, and twenty-three of his armored infantrymen. Add one man from the mortar platoon who had just dropped down dead whilst portering ammunition and his total of dead was twenty-eight, with forty-three wounded.

  He fully expected it would be different the next time the Soviets pushed, for they would not come in so dumb a second time. He organised a situation report to be sent to his corps commander and then handed over command to one of his subordinates, recommending some reorientation to some of the defence for the next round. His place was rightly elsewhere and he left a capable Colonel with the responsibility of holding the line.

  Hans Konig and his nephew were extremely impressed with the show.

  At 11am Moscow time, a Soviet radio broadcast informed the world that the Red Army had responded to threats and intimidation on the part of America and Britain, acting to pre-empt a likely attack upon their territory by invading the remainder of Germany

  Much play was made of the peace-loving nature of Soviet man, and how no choice had been left but to attack, especially as the treacherous Capita
list Governments had cosseted German war-criminals and the voice accused the Allied leadership of substituting one sort of Fascist for another.

  Minister Molotov, the speaker, soothed certain nations such as Sweden, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, assuring their borders and confirming no aggressive intent against them if they remained firmly neutral and unsupportive of the Allied forces.

  His voice took on a different tone when warning others such as Mexico, Brazil and Italy to immediately assume a neutral stance or suffer the consequences of their association with the Western Allies. Or as Molotov so eloquently put it, ‘these Imperial fascist states, attempting to preserve their old order with their scheming, threatening the new world peace so recently won by the blood of the Soviet Union’.

  Yes, it was just rhetoric mainly designed for home consumption and for those easily influenced but it also served the purpose it was intended for, which was to say to the world, ‘You are either with us or against us and there is no middle path.’

  2102 hrs Monday, 6th August 1945, Headquarters, US Forces in Europe. I.G.Farben, Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany.

  The ambush of Yartsov’s command had been an impressive yet simple affair, given the preparation that had occurred, some stupidity by the enemy troops and the nature of the ground on which it was fought. However, it would not be repeated as events elsewhere meant that the position had to be abandoned before the defenders found themselves isolated, as Soviet forces were knocking on the outskirts of Linz. Kefermarkt had been one of a handful of successes on a day that went very badly for the Western Allies.

  At SHAEF headquarters, briefing officers delivered sobering reports from up and down the line, each of which acknowledged that another piece of Germany was now in Soviet hands. Some of the losses were important, and when cities like Passau were holding it was a rare occurrence and not always good news, as sometimes a prime defensive position was already outflanked and would have had to be vacated in any case.