Several T34s disintegrated under the force of the shells, metal shrapnel zipping across and through the infantry that survived behind. The hulls of the tanks were tossed into the air, turrets snapped from their lower bodies as the crew members inside were torn to pieces in their cabins.
Baumann glanced upwards, the screams from out in the snow chilling him. Russian tanks swept forward on either side, hurtling towards the trenches, the defenders lobbing grenades to deter the following infantry. Barbed wire cracked and was crushed under the tracks as the tanks got nearer, some tracks blown off from mines in the snow.
The paks fired again, their crews desperately ducking down as tank shells exploded all around their positions. Two 37mm guns were shattered, another pak collapsing onto its chassis as the shell burst next to it. The gunnery sergeant scrambled to the aiming scope, the gunner killed by shrapnel beside him, two more crewmen blown backwards from the emplacement, their screams spurring him on as he pulled on the firing mechanism, the T34 at two hundred metres erupting in flame. Bullets clanked against the front metal plate, the sergeant scrambling back to retrieve another shell as one of the wounded crew member crawled forward to help his commander, his blood soaked padded tunic smearing across the snow.
The engines roared and tracks whined as the T34’s ground over the trenches, German infantry ducking down further. Tatu scrambled forward, heaving the Teller mine upwards as he thrust it on top of one of the Russian tracks. Bullets clanked against the tanks sides as he dropped down, his chest heaving from the exertion. The tank continued, its front machine gun pouring bullets at the infantry gun position to the rear. The Teller mine rode along the upper track, then dropped down to the front, the tank lurching as it mounted the mine. The explosion tore the track from the armoured monster, the crew killed inside as the shock wave swept through the T34.
Petru lunged after another T34 as its track slipped into the trench leading to the rear, the driver’s intent on crushing the defenders. Pulling the pin on the heavy AT grenade, he grasped the back of the tank and thrust the metal object next to the fuel barrels on the back of the T34, exhaust smoke billowing around him. Unable to breathe, he pushed himself backwards, retching and throwing his head down as the tank rumbled on, screams coming from in front of the steel monster as several Germans ran from the tracks, two crushed and torn to shreds beneath them.
The eruption behind sent flames and smoke billowing into the air as the engine exploded, the armoured piercing grenade dislodging the turret, the screams from within as flames surged through the armoured compartment, the crew killed as their lungs were seared, their bodies peppered with shrapnel. The tank lurched forward…then jolted to a halt, acrid smoke billowing upwards.
A determined German infantrymen clamoured from the trench, bullets whipping around his head as he chased after the T34 that had just clattered over their position, a Teller mine grasped tightly in one of his hands. Shots cracked to either side as he neared the back of the Russian monster, his stumble and collapse detonating the mine as bullets penetrated his back.
On a slope to the rear, a mortar gunner squinted through his commander’s binoculars, frozen blood splattered across one of the lenses as he stared at the battle at the end of the long slope as the first Russian infantry began to approach the crushed barbed wire and smouldering T34s at the edges of the trenches. Turning, he scrambled back down the slope, shouting to the remaining crews, ‘Enemy within our range, fire NOW!’ The crews were crouched next to their mortar cylinders, shells held expectant for the shouts from their self-appointed commander. Instinctively they dropped the shells, twisting their bodies backwards and quickly raising their hands to their ears and opening their mouths. The metallic thud prompted them to reach and grasp the next shell, the process repeated.
Tatu was screaming at the soldiers, his PPSH 41 firing over the trench wall as most of the Russian tanks had passed, ‘Break their spirit! Drive them back!’
Rifle fire erupted from the trenches as the Germans gritted their teeth and rose up defiantly, the Russian infantry less than one hundred metres away as they opened fire. The remaining machine guns burst into life, their experienced crews having ducked down as the tanks approached their positions, the guns silent and therefore left untargeted. Mortar shells tore into the front Russian infantry, the bodies thrown into the air as shell after shell exploded amongst their ranks.
Hase fired again, his hands trembling as he pulled the bolt back, the rifle slipping up to his shoulder again. Udet was next to him, firing at the nearest infantry, his fever still lingering as he frantically reloaded. The two soldiers kept firing out, Russian soldiers falling wounded or dead before the trenches. Rifles cracked all across the front line, the defenders reloading desperately as the vast number of grey and brown clad infantry approached ever closer.
Meino and Petru were struggling after the Russian tanks, their chests heaving as they carried two AT grenades each and a Teller mine, the heavy weights taxing their bodies to the limit.
Leutnant Hausser ran along the trench, hearing the whine of tank tracks and roaring engines…a couple of Russian tanks turning into the trench system from the destroyed depressions. Turning into a bend, crushed bodies lying across the short section, he saw the tank ahead, exhaust billowing into the air as the engine struggled along the trench, the armoured monster at a forty five degree angle with one track in the emplacement. Grinding his teeth in hatred, he forced himself forward, his boots slipping off bodies and crushed equipment as he strained his eyes against his emotions. Reaching the back of the tank, he held his breath as he leapt onto the back of the armoured vehicle, the engine roaring as the tracks stuck temporarily.
His hands gripped the turret hatch to steady himself, mortar blast waves sweeping across his body as he wrenched the metal lid open, the shouts of surprise from inside as light spilled into the cabin…then a black MP40 barrel, the muzzle flashing as Hausser fired into the hull, the bullets ricocheting round the armoured plate as he thrust his upper body away. Bullets crashed against the sides of the hull as screams echoed around him, infantry in the trench desperately scrambling before the revolving tracks in desperation to escape. The T34 jolted, stalling as the driver collapsed forward, his skull shattered. Hausser toppled, off-balanced by the tanks jolt, his body sliding off the side of the hull and falling into the snow.
Major Schenk ran half crouched to Baumann, his lips pursed as explosions threw frozen debris on top of them, the Russian self-propelled artillery targeting the forward command bunker. Baumann stared at his commander, their faces three inches apart as they ducked further, their hands on their helmets, the major’s words going unheard.
The major shouted again, spittle splashing across Baumann’s face, ‘Get our guns to target their SPGs, those SU76’s are killing us!’ Machine guns rattled from the north, their fire cutting down the Russian infantry before the command bunker, the angle and velocity slicing through the enemy soldiers.
Oberleutnant Baumann shook his head, the major’s eyes widening, ‘I think our paks are gone…we only have the 88s at the rear left and they will be engaging their tanks!’
Major Schenk grimaced, ‘Where is 60th Motorised? Get to the radio…get support from nearby units…we need tanks or artillery…I don’t care which! I will organise the men here!’
Baumann nodded, more explosions engulfing them as dust and frozen earth showered the trench, the infantry around them ducking down in response. He spun round, running away up the trench half crouched.
In the second defensive line, the gunnery sergeant pulled the firing mechanism again, the shell flying off and exploding near the Russian SU76 SPG in the distance. Twisting his body, he stared towards the collapsed gun nearby, his wounded countryman crawling towards him with another shell, the soldier gasping as he struggled with his intense pain.
He smiled as their eyes met, the soldier grinning as he heard the 88mm guns bark behind them, their crews firing at the Russian tanks. The young wounded soldier winced painf
ully, shouting towards him, ‘We are not finished yet, sergeant! There are eleven more shells left!’
The 88mm gun crews were waiting, their artillery placed evenly across the rear areas with two having views through to the front. As the Russian tanks broke through, they tore through the second defensive line, the few soldiers manning the trenches ducking down to protect themselves. The anti-aircraft guns levelling to combat tank incursions, holding their fire to conceal their positions until the last minute.
The experienced artillery crews had set positions at the end of natural depressions or dried balkas in the terrain, awaiting their prey and concealed from prying aircraft above, ready to fire when ordered in their ‘killing’ zones. The Russian tanks rattled towards them, confident they had broken through the defences of the 76th Infantry Division and were driving unopposed towards the rear.
Moving into the depressions, the tank drivers keen to avoid exposing their tanks to any flanking fire, they stared with open eyes as the high steel armoured plate of the 88mm guns reflected the flashes of the barrel muzzles.
Terrified, the T34 crews tried to reverse, their tanks jolting to a halt as the forward armoured vehicles hulls erupted, their turrets spinning into the air or bursting into flames as the some of the most deadly anti-tank guns of World War II opened fire. Panicked fire shot past the emplaced 88mm guns, the Russian tank commanders in their turrets screaming at their drivers to avoid the deadly enemy fire.
Behind the Russian vehicles, a small number of running and exhausted German pursuers began to close in on their prey, adrenalin rising as they neared, their AT grenades and Teller mines approaching the vulnerable and isolated T34 tanks without their infantry support.
Bullets splattered against the sides of the trenches, several defending infantry falling as bullets hit their upper bodies, their screams spreading across the defensive positions. Hausser and Tatu rose up, shouting desperately at the men around them to fire back as the Russian infantry broke into the trenches further along the line.
Udet and Hase were rising, their rifles firing out at the advancing Russian infantry. The grey and brown clad men fell before the trenches as machine guns barked to the south, the remaining mortar shells falling into the packed Russian soldiers as they swept forward, broken bodies and rifles tossed into the air. The Russian self-propelled guns barked as they fired on the defensive positions once more, more Russian rifle divisions passing their armoured plate and surging towards the German positions. Behind the infantry, the second wave of T34 tanks rolled forwards.
Oberleutnant Baumann slipped to his knees in the snow to the side of his commander, Major Schenk glancing down and grinning as he fired a burst out over the trench wall with his MP40. Screaming and shouting filled the air, the smell of burning and scorched earth filling their nostrils. Explosions fell around the trenches, the bullets zipping across the top of the defensive positions. Baumann shouted at the major, his voice hoarse as his commander leant towards him to hear, ‘Command have nothing to offer us, Sir…the attack is all across the front! Ammunition is gone…our guns are gone…their second wave is approaching, tanks and infantry! I don’t know where 60th Motorised is!’
Major Schenk’s eyes widened, his face then falling. His voice was low and resolute, ‘Very well…give the orders, we fall back to the second line…make sure you tell as many as possible…’ He looked away, his thin face stiffening, ‘Let’s hope we can hold them there…save the men!’
Chapter Ninety One: The Second Defensive Line
The gunnery sergeant fired again, a flash of flame in the distance as the shell found its mark, the SU76 shunted sideways and disabled, the crew jumping from its open steel plate, eager to escape their close proximity to so many shells, acrid smoke billowing from its engine.
As the pak crewman crawled towards him again, infantrymen ran into the position from the forward defensive line, several lunging forward past the prone bodies lying around the guns to assist the stricken man. Two soldiers ran to the nearby 75mm Infantry gun, one collecting a shell and slamming it into the breach, the other checking the viewing scope and adjusting the barrel.
Bullets splattered around the sandbagged positions, several clanking off the guns’ forward armoured plates as the gunners ducked back. The set of three defensive positions were elevated slightly above the second line of defence, providing a camouflaged view over the field before the trenches until the enemy got nearer at which time the cordite burns across the snow in front of the position and sandbags would become visible.
The gunnery sergeant shouted at the arriving soldiers, ‘Get the 37mm guns firing in the other positions…that will confuse them! We have some anti-tank shells for them, but the Russkies will have to get really close…use the high explosives until then!’
Oberleutnant Baumann ran into the emplacement, gasping as he saw a couple of infantrymen manning the infantry gun, others manhandling two smaller guns towards the other half destroyed positions. He turned, shouting at several infantry behind as they ran towards him, ‘Defend this position…protect the guns until they are out of ammunition!’ He glanced towards the gunnery sergeant despondently, ‘Then destroy the position!’
The infantry gun shuddered, its short barrel barking as the HE shell flew towards the Russians clambering into the forward trenches, the explosion smashing against the emplacement, a number of figures falling.
Hausser crouched next to Hase, thrusting another magazine into his MP40, the second from last. Screams filled the air as the wounded shouted for assistance on either side of them, Udet firing at the Russians in the wire before their position. Hase rose up, the weapon kicking back into his shoulder, a new clip of bullets within the rifle. Infantrymen on either side fired out with their rifles, the crackling of machine gun fire and blast of shells to the north and south of them.
Blast waves swept across the twenty plus infantrymen in the trench firing feverishly at the enemy soldiers struggling though the crushed barbed wire. The German infantry ducked down, Russian Sturmoviks sweeping past above the defensive positions, the engine noise filling the terrain as the planes roared past, heading for rear areas and to target any supplies moving up to the front lines.
Udet shouted out, looking to the north, ‘Hausser! The Russkies are in the trenches!’
Leutnant Hausser spun round staring to the south, then to the north, seeing the Russian infantry drop into the trenches either side of them in the distance. The screams of the remaining subdued wounded, physically unable to flee, filled their ears as bayonets were thrust into already weakened flesh, the dull sickening thuds of rifle butts smashing against skulls and chests. Gunshots rang out to either side as German soldiers were butchered in the defences they cowered in, a few firing back in desperation before being overwhelmed, the remains of the first Russian wave cheering each other as they took the first emplacement line.
Hausser screamed at the remaining men around him, the gunfire echoing out as the Russian infantry either side turned in their direction, beginning to advance down the trench, their blood soaked bayonets extended before them. His voice catching in the cold, he coughed, shouting again, ‘The division has fallen back! Into the support trench and back to the second line!’
Several German soldiers turned to run, a number standing defiantly and firing at the Russians as they ducked back, a couple falling. Udet glanced past the enemy in front of them, seeing the enemy second line approaching above the Russians that had gone to ground, his eyes widening in horror at the sheer number of infantry struggling across the snow.
Machine guns chattered from the second defensive line, the reserve MG34 guns firing into the advancing Russian second line. Burst of fire cut down the enemy soldiers, the shouts of ‘Hurrah’ filling the air as they swept towards the first trenches, the machine gun bursts unable to stem the tide of advancing infantry. The following T34s opened fire, their first wave smouldering in the frozen snows next to them as they ground forwards. Shells zipped above the defenders, several explodin
g on the slopes behind, a number of fleeing Germans falling as they were hit by shrapnel or the blast waves.
Snow and iced earth rained down as Hausser grabbed Hase’s greatcoat, jerking his body back roughly backwards as his rifle rose up, the last bullet flying harmlessly into the air. Hausser shouted in his ear, ‘You move back now!’ Pushing the infantryman before him into the support trench, he turned and raised his MP40, more German soldiers rushing past him into the narrow opening. Firing upwards, three Russian soldiers fell backwards, the wire breached as explosions shook the earth behind him.
The soldiers struggled through the narrow trench leading from the first line to the second, glancing from side to side in terror as they saw Russian infantry rising to their flanks. Grenades exploded on either side as they ducked their heads, two screaming as shrapnel hit their faces, their countrymen grasping their uniforms and dragging them forwards.
Hausser fired bursts to either side, the enemy infantry surging into the trenches on either side as behind him the last of his men slipped towards the second line. Several Russian infantry fell, their shouts of surprise echoing across the positions as Hausser backed into the narrow support trench. Turning and running after his men, he glanced up onto the slope behind them to the south, the sniper position completely destroyed from a direct shell hit…Alessio was dead…his blood splattered across the snow around the lowered emplacement.
Turning back, the officer fired a burst at the gap behind him, the Russians ducking back as he turned to run. Hase and Udet kneeling in the trench in front of him, their rifles outstretched before them, their weapon muzzles flashing as he ran past.
T34’s roared towards the front line, the tanks tearing through the crushed barbed wire and snow covered shattered frontal defences. The 88’s barked behind, the heavy guns recoiling as their ammunition crews extended another shell towards the gunners.
Bloody Stalingrad Page 78