The main Soviet attack had blown a hole in the line that was now 16 kilometers wide, and there was no hope that it could be closed. The SS Nordland , with the rest of 3rd Panzergrenadier Division, had been forced into a cauldron that was trying to protect the approaches to Chuguyev through Malinovka, but there was nothing to guard the line of the Donets as it wound its way down to Zimyev.
Further east, von Etterlin’s wise decision not to commit his 17th Panzer Division had allowed him to organize a new defensive front along that minor river flowing through Volkov Yar, which he now held. The 173rd Reserve Infantry Division had come up from Balakleya to make contact with his southernmost flank, and so now the Germans had some semblance of a line all the way from the Donets at Balakleya, in a wide arc through Volkov Yar and then east to the Oskol river south of Kupyansk.
Vatutin was now in a most enviable position. He had strong mobile forces at his command, moving rapidly through a clean breakthrough, and a host of choices before him. He could turn south to Volkov Yar, reclaiming that town and smashing the 17th Panzer Division in the process. He could bend north and attempt to force the Donets at Chuguyev, taking the most direct route to Kharkov. Or he could make a wider envelopment as Kuznetsov had done with Operation Red Star, and push for a crossing at Zimyev. Lastly, he could forsake all of that and simply drive for Andreyevka on the Donets, where Popov had achieved his bridgehead the previous month.
That choice would be determined as much by what the Germans did, and both Rokossovsky and Vatutin knew who they were up against as they spoke on the phone that afternoon.
“They have put their foot in the bear trap with this offensive,” said Rokossovsky. “I did not think they would accommodate us, but they did. Nothing could be better. What is your situation?”
“Operation Comet has broken through,” said Vatutin. “We must now select an objective that we can take, and keep.”
“Reconnaissance reports there is little defense in Kharkov,” said Rokossovsky, “but they are now concentrating a lot of Steiner’s troops near Belgorod. They could move by rail south very quickly.”
Vatutin thought for a moment. “If we go for Kharkov, by any route, what will Manstein do?”
“That is clear enough,” said Rokossovsky. “He will send enough troops to the city to make it difficult for us, while trying to find a way to cut off your forces and compel a withdrawal.”
“He would have to get very far south to do that,” said Vatutin. “Our spoiling attacks at Volchansk and Stary Saltov were meant to prevent him from crossing the Donets there.”
“Yes, but he may still try.” Rokossovsky was hedging his bets. “I still think it is premature to attempt a major crossing of the Donets. We could not sustain it. No, if we do cross, I think we must go for Kharkov, and leave off any idea of reaching the Dnieper. Choose the route that serves you best, but be ready for a street fight if you get there.”
Chapter 14
The situation reports from the front came as one shock wave after another, and Hitler’s mood went from elation, to guarded optimism, to frustrated anger.
“Seven panzer divisions!” he exclaimed. “Steiner’s entire Korps! How could they fail to break through?”
“My Führer, they did break through, as the map clearly shows, but swallowing two Soviet armies was bound to slow the advance. Then two more Armies appear to replace those that were pocketed, and the enemy was able to restore the front. But that is not the issue this hour. There is grave danger in the south.” Zeitzler was remaining calm, seeing that Hitler was a boiling kettle that could pop off in a rage at any moment.
“What about 57th Panzer Korps?”
“It was clearly unable to stop this enemy counterattack.”
“What is wrong with my divisions? We clear the Kuban, soundly defeat Volkov after that, but we cannot go to Baku or Astrakhan. The Soviets were all but beaten last November. Now they attack us with armies that we knew nothing about! Manstein drives them back, but here they come once again. When will we settle this matter so I can proceed with Operation Downfall?”
“General Manstein is marshalling forces for counteroperations at this hour,” said Zeitzler.
“Yes, I am quite sure of that. Now you will tell me that Operation Zitadelle must be canceled. Yes? That is the only place such forces exist. Steiner, Steiner, Steiner!” Hitler slapped the table with the palm of his hand. Is he the only General I have who can get the job done? I should remove this General Manstein. All he does is issue grave warnings and talk of yielding more and more ground to the enemy. You will not hear such talk on the lips of a man like Steiner.”
He stopped, his hand quivering, blinking at the latest situation reports. Then he seemed to master his anger and pointed at the map. “Where? Where is that attack going?”
“We believe it is a second attempt to take Kharkov, said Zeitzler. “Thus far, they have not moved towards the lower Donets, but that could change.”
Hitler shook his head. “We went to take Kursk from them, and now they come for Kharkov. Well, they will not have it! Order Steiner to stop this attack at once. Zitadelle is a complete failure! Not one of you had the good sense to provide adequate reserves to prevent this enemy attack. This is sheer incompetence!”
Zeitzler stiffened at the remark, his upper lip taut. “I must remind you that General Manstein argued strongly that Operation Habicht should have been conducted first to dissipate the enemy’s offensive potential in the south, but he was overruled. He predicted this move by the enemy, but it was not his order that decided the matter.”
“Is that so…. Now you wish to blame your Führer for this debacle? Nonsense! It is clear that no provision was made to adequately guard the southern portion of the front. Do not argue with me, General Zeitzler. There is no time for that now. How will this new enemy offensive be stopped?”
“Steiner has suspended operations and is marshaling his Korps to move south. General Manstein has also ordered Grossdeutschland Division to move directly to Kharkov. If they want that city, they will not get their hands on it easily. He vows to fight there to the last man, but they will not take Kharkov. Dietrich is moving a Kampfgruppe to forestall their advance on the city should they cross the Donets and move in that direction.”
“What is this division?” Hitler pointed to a spot on the southwest edge of the Tomarovka pocket.
“That is 11th Panzer Division.”
“Order it to attack the pocket, and annihilate it.”
“Are you certain we should use that division? It is one of our very best in the regular army.”
“Do not ask me if I am certain when I give an order, General Zeitzler. Simply see that it is carried out. I want those armies destroyed. That will at least offer some consolation for the failure to reach Kursk!”
As the hours passed, Manstein began to realize that there would be no miraculous counterblow this time. There were simply too many places along the line where the enemy was pressing and expanding bridgeheads over the Donets. Even though these attacks did not have secondary forces available to exploit their successes, he knew that he could not ignore them.
Grossdeutschland Division arrived at Kharkov before sunrise on the 29th of May. It had been only four days since it formed up to make the grand attack north towards Kursk. Now here it was in Kharkov, the Führer’s Fire Brigade, and with orders to protect the city at all costs. To the east, the two Reichsführer Brigades had tried to stop 3rd Guards Army, but there were now undefended penetrations both north and south of its positions. The 196th Infantry Division was now retreating over the bridges at Chuguyev, with the SS Nordland Division and 3rd Panzergrenadiers, though elements of both those last two divisions were still trying to disengage.
The entire front between Stary Saltov and Chuguyev was therefore in a state of disruption, and he knew it would take one strong division to stabilize the situation. Then, north of that mess, opposite Volchansk, the Soviet 7th Guards Army had doggedly expanded its bridgehead. One spike after an
other was being driven into the wall, and they had to be hammered down. He could not do this and still have forces available in sufficient strength to launch a counterattack. However, if he did use Steiner’s divisions to push back these penetrations, they would end up on the Donets, with the possibility they could then cross as he had envisioned.
So it was that Paul Hausser’s 2nd SS Division would be sent against the 7th Guards, and Sepp Dietrich was ordered to get his troops on the trains near Belgorod and move south as soon as possible. They would flow through Kharkov that morning and continue on south to prepare a blocking position, as the enemy was expected to cross the Donets that morning. 3rd SS would have to stay in the north and hold the shoulder against 5th Guards Army.
That left the push being made by the 3rd Shock Group north of Chuguyev needing attention, and so Manstein ordered General Hörnlein to put together a Kampfgruppe and halt the enemy advance. He chose the Fusilier Regiment, augmented by two panzer companies, half the division artillery and three companies of the recon battalion. This attack would continue to pull in additional assets, but the whole of the Grenadier Regiment, and most of the Pioneers, would remain at Kharkov. Hörnlein was free with his panzers, because that morning all the Panthers of KG Decker pulled into Kharkov, with the two battalions of heavy Ferdinand Panzerjags.
That morning Mikhail Katukov accelerated his attack toward the trapped 5th Shock Group. He was relentless, using 3rd Mech and 31st Tank Corps to batter his way through the defensive lines of the 9th Panzer Division, and drive within five kilometers of the pocket. Hearing their comrades charging to their rescue, 5th Shock Army commander, Kamenko, ordered an attack to the north. His army had been weakened by days of fighting, with ammunition for the artillery nearly depleted, severe losses. 5th Tank Army was even worse off, with its 24th and 25th Tank Corps largely destroyed. But the 29th Tank Corps still had some punch, and it threw in an attack to try and break out.
The rescue of that army was going to be inevitable. The German front trying to contain those two Soviet armies to the north could not hold, and casualties and equipment losses, particularly the panzers, were mounting. Balck was advised of the situation and decided that he might do better by reinforcing the outer perimeter, instead of grinding his way through the lines of 5th Shock Army. He stopped 31st Tank Corps, in a massive tank battle at the village of Novocherkass, the heavy Lions dueling with T-34/85’s. 100th Tank brigade would lose 15 of 30 tanks in that fight, finding the new German armor just too good in spite of the many upgrades made to the reliable T-34.
Tank shock had again shifted to the Germans, and this would likely hold true for the remainder of the spring and summer until more Kirov-I models could be produced. Yet not to be outdone, Katukov shifted a full regiment of his 3rd Mech Corps against a battalion of Panzergrenadiers from 9th Panzer, and opened another small hole five kilometers to the west. The fast-moving infantry halftracks surged through the gap, quickly racing to the northern edge of the pocket. 29th Tank Corps had been concentrated there, and now the attack began from two sides.
Those mobile units would be among the first to break out, joyfully linking up with their comrades, but the slower moving infantry in the pocket would fare much worse. That night the linkup was complete, but only two rifle divisions and the Guard Cavalry would be rescued. The 300th and 315th Divisions had been completely destroyed, along with much of the artillery, three brigade sized units, and the service troops. All told, the Soviets would lose the equivalent of two Tank Corps and four rifle divisions in that pocket, but they saved Kursk, and gave the army every good prospect for the liberation of Kharkov, which was now uppermost on Vatutin’s mind.
It would soon be on Manstein’s mind as well.
* * *
Further south, Das Reich had managed to seal off the breach over the Donets west of Volchansk, but not before a brigade of Soviet tank hunters had slipped through and raced west. They split into smaller company sized units, fanning out, intent on wrecking any rear area troops they came upon. Some of Hausser’s recon companies had just come south, and they went into action against the SU-122s, overmatched on firepower, but having the agility to out maneuver the larger beasts and get good side shots with their 75mm guns. They had knocked out 9 of the Russian SPGs but then learned that one battalion had moved north towards Kazaye Lopan, where they had achieved their primary mission—to tear up the rail line between Belgorod and Kharkov.
These units had 152mm guns, and they found and routed a battalion of rail workers that had been repairing the line, then fired at the railway embankment itself, blasting segments and sending both steel and wood ties cascading into the air. This was the life line that Steiner had used to get three of his heavy divisions rapidly south, but now it was cut. It seemed a small thing, those twin steel rails disrupted over a 10-kilometer segment of the line, but it was going to matter. The Germans would suddenly realize that they had lost the advantage of interior lines, losing the ability to rapidly shift forces north and south as they had just done.
* * *
Sepp Dietrich telephoned Manstein in Kharkov, and it was not good news. “My Division is spread out over a 28-kilometer front,” he said. “We’ve halted their advance towards Kharkov, but I simply cannot concentrate to counterattack. They have two Mech Corps here, very fast and agile troops in halftracks. There are more motorized infantry coming up as well.”
“And there will be tanks coming,” said Manstein. “This is no good. Steiner’s entire Korps is spread out to deal with one crisis point after another. We should have simply given them Kharkov. If we did so, we know they would come for it and then we might mass on their northern flank and make some headway. We’re just putting out fires.”
“They’re going to get around my right flank,” said Dietrich, making things plain and simple.”
There was a long silence while Manstein considered. Bad news had piled on top of bad news. He had learned the rail line to Belgorod had been cut, and though his forces had sealed off the holes in the dike, the water was spilling over the top! To make matters worse, the Army itself was now split in two. From Hollidt’s left flank anchored on Balakleya, to Dietrich’s flank south of Kharkov, there was a 60-mile segment of the line along the Middle Donets that had a single German infantry division holding, the 36th sent from Army Group Center. That, with a few Ostruppen and Luftwaffe battalions at key crossing points, was the only thing to stop the Russians from crossing the Middle Donets and driving for the Dnieper if they choose to do so.
“Alright,” said Manstein. “Hold your line for the time being. I am going to pull back the units at Chuguyev. We’ll establish a tighter perimeter near Kharkov. Otherwise, if they go around your flank, they will be in the city in two days. Stand fast, until I can get those units back. Then be ready to move quickly when I send you the order.”
Manstein had already taken the great risk of ordering a halt to Operation Zitadelle and pulling all of Steiner’s troops out to shore up the Middle Donets. Now he was contemplating an even greater risk, and one that might very well cost him his head. He needed to give the enemy ground to reform his front with infantry, and get his panzers free to concentrate for an attack. If he had his way, Grossdeutschland Division would not have gone to Kharkov, nor would Sepp Dietrich be making his plaintive call in the night from his overextended front in the south. He would have mustered them all in one place, and if that meant the enemy would take Kharkov, so be it.
The only reason he had acted as he did was to appease Hitler. He knew the loss of the city would send the Führer into a terrible rage, moaning over the political ramifications, particularly after the demise of 5th Panzer Army in Tunisia. It would be a very hard blow to Army morale as a whole, but he held fast to the belief that he could correct the situation, just as he had done the previous month. He had been Hitler’s magician, always coming up with some plan and countermeasure for every crisis. But one must first have a hat in hand to pull out a rabbit, and he needed to concentrate his forces, buil
d something to fight with, and quickly.
He had hoped the enemy would take their breakthrough and reach for the lower Donets again. That would have made things so much easier. Instead, they had opted to envelop Kharkov from the south, and with each hour the gap between Dietrich and Hollidt would grow ever wider. If they were to suddenly produce yet another reserve army to exploit that gap….
There is only one other reserve I can call upon now. Hitler cancelled Operation Eisenfall and pulled the 5th SS out of Syria a month ago. It was reassigned to Steiner, but with orders to convert to a full Panzer Division. Nothing was available from the factories by the time it arrived, but the 24th Panzerkorps left a good amount of older equipment on the Dnieper when it was recalled home to rebuild. General Gille has had his division picking over that equipment for some weeks now, and getting some much needed rest after their visit to Damascus. Now I think I must call home Steiner’s lost sheep. I will also need to recall 3rd SS from the northern segment of my front. If that means Kempf must fall back on Kharkov, then that is what I will order. Should Hitler interfere to prevent this, then I will have to tender my resignation. I will fight the way I know I must, come what may.
Only God help the Army if it comes to the moment when I hand the Führer back this Field Marshal’s baton. I wonder how it will feel in his feeble hand?
Chapter 15
Manstein had good reason for his misgivings, for Operation Rumyantsev was planned to have two phases. Vatutin’s new Donets Front would lead in the south, and it had achieved a great breakthrough, halting the German offensive in the north, and forcing Manstein to recall Steiner to the defense of Kharkov. While this was going on, Rokossovsky liberated all he could of the trapped 5th Shock Group, and then began to prepare his armies in that sector for renewed offensive operations.
Nexus Deep (Kirov Series Book 31) Page 12