The Bloody Triangle

by Victor Kamenir

  Small reconnaissance elements of the 41st Tank Division probed almost thirty miles northwest to a town of Ratno, located along the Brest-Kovel highway. Not finding any German tanks advancing on Kovel, the Soviet patrol was fired upon by their German counterparts. Without engaging in a fight, this patrol blew up the only bridge across the Pripyat River north of Ratno capable of supporting tanks.27

  While the command of the XV Rifle Corps was aware of lack of German armor presence north of Kovel, this information was not passed to headquarters of South-Western Front. Thus, even as late as 2000 hours on June 24, the South-Western Front was still reporting to Moscow the presence of large mechanized enemy formations in that area.28

  Fedyuninskiy remembered that it cost his corps dearly to maintain their positions. At the end of June 24, one of his regiments from the 45th Rifle Division mustered less than one third of its men from just three days previous. Colonel Fedyuninskiy ordered that stragglers from other units be rounded up and absorbed into his corps. One such unit was the shuttered remains of the 75th Rifle Division, which retreated into Fedyuninskiy’s area of operations from the northwest. This particular division ended up far from home, belonging to a completely different group of forces, the Fourth Army of the Western Front located north of the Pripyat Marshes.29 As the XV Rifle Corps began pulling back closer to Kovel, its rear echelon units began evacuating materiel and servicemen’s families.

  At his airfield near Kovel, Lieutenant Arkhipenko’s 17th Fighter regiment, plus the fighter regiment that flew in from Vinnitsa, were caught on the ground and virtually finished off on this third day of the war. This was a perfect illustration of how Germans achieved the air superiority by systematically reducing Soviet airfields by follow-up attacks. In the evening of June 24, with the Germans already southeast of Kovel, Arkhipenko’s superiors made the decision to relocate their surviving aircraft to a reserve airstrip near Rovno. By this time, the two regiments numbered only ten I-153s and one MiG-1 as still-operational aircraft.

  As these planes took off, the “unhorsed” pilots were loaded into a truck and sent to Rovno as well. In his memoirs, Arkhipenko mentioned that he was one of these pilots without aircraft, but did not mention how his plane was damaged. Most likely it was put out of commission in the same morning attack that did so much damage to the two fighter regiments. The plane-less pilots did not get much rest at Rovno, being immediately shuffled farther east to Zhitomir.30

  IX Mechanized Corps, Maj. Gen. K. K. Rokossovskiy Commanding

  Since coming to the rescue of the 135th Rifle Division at Voinitsa and Lokachi in the morning of June 24, the 131st Motorized Rifle Division was under heavy pressure from the Germans. Division’s commander Kalinin remembers:

  During the night [of June 23–24] units dug in. . . . Almost everything was conducted in full view of the enemy: the western bank of Styr was dominating the eastern one, and Germans had the ability to see in depth of our defenses. During the previous night, they attempted to cross Styr in the area of 743rd Motorized Rifle Regiment, but unsuccessfully. At dawn their aviation was bombing our front lines and rear echelons. Throughout the 24th of June, division fought against tanks and infantry, sometimes hand-to-hand.31

  In 2003, a Russian history magazine called The Moscow Journal printed excerpts from unpublished memoirs of Cpl. Ivan K. Yakovlev, who fought during those days as a machine gunner in the 593rd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 131st Motorized Rifle Division. Yakovlev described the events of June 24:

  Day began sunny, free of clouds. . . . Soon the “Junkers” planes attacked positions of the neighboring regiment. We listened nervously, sitting in [our] trenches and feeling the earth under us begin to shake. The [Germans] advanced directly upon us. . . . Who’s going to die, who will live this time? Our friends are already fighting near us. After lunch the 1st Battalion received orders to form up in the neighboring forest in full gear. Five light BT tanks, 45mm [cannons], and 76mm cannons were already there. Battalion was heading to support the neighboring regiment, which was retreating east under pressure from overwhelming German forces. Our company, at the head of the column, climbed on the tanks and artillery vehicles, and the battalion force-marched after us along the forest road.

  Soon, around one bend in the road we saw how several Red Army men, upon seeing the tanks, hurriedly dove in the forest. Company [Commissar] Ignatov halted his vehicle, jumped to the ground, and ordered: “Cowards and panickers, fall in!” Retreating soldiers began coming out of the thickets: dirty, without equipment. They formed up along the road in one line. Upon questioning by [commissar], they replied that the Germans bombed them heavily, destroyed artillery batteries and trenches; then, after crossing the river, [their] tanks breached defenses and moved east. . . . [Commissar] and a squad of soldiers stayed behind to collect [other] retreating soldiers. . . .

  As we moved on, we could more clearly hear mortar explosions and machine-gun bursts. The leading tank slowed down, its commander periodically sticking his head out of the turret to peek and listen. Suddenly, two soldiers blocked our way. One of them, a junior lieutenant, informed us that just ahead, beyond the tree line, the 3rd Battalion of the retreating [743rd Motorized Rifle Regiment] was setting up temporary defensive positions.

  Commander of this battalion, Captain Muzychenko, was planning to conduct only a holding action until the arrival of reinforcements.32 Now, the arrival of a full-strength battalion with tanks and artillery allowed him to conduct successful local counterattacks as well.

  Grim realities of war were taking place already on this third day of combat. Yakovlev described the aftermath of a Soviet counterattack: “[Germans] would not raise hands, shooting back until the last; however, we did not coddle them, either—not more then ten men were taken prisoner.”33

  Also, this early in the war, the Soviet soldiers taken prisoner, often through circumstances beyond their control, did not know what to expect when other Soviet units freed them. Yakovlev again:

  In the barn we found Red Army men taken prisoner by the Germans. Their glances, happy, and at the same time guilty and cautious (it was terrible to receive the tag of “coward and traitor”!), were mutely asking: “What will happen to us?” Our [commissar] Ignatyev, did not know what to decide: his compassion was struggling with duty. Captain Muzychenko [intervened]: “Wounded to the hospital! Healthy—go eat and reorganize. . . . You will fight in my battalion.” He addressed the liberated soldiers, “You will redeem your guilt in combat.” The battalion’s low murmur approved [his decision].34

  While the advance elements of the 131st Motorized Rifle Division engaged the enemy, bulk of the IX Mechanized Corps, the 20th and 35th tank divisions, were still coming up, strung out between Lutsk and as far back as Klevan.

  XIX Mechanized Corps, Maj. Gen. Nikolay V. Feklenko Commanding

  Around 2100 hrs on June 24, forward elements of XIX Mechanized Corps began arriving in the area of Mlynuv, roughly ten miles north of Dubno. Pressing farther west, a reconnoitering tank company of sixteen tanks under Senior Lieutenant Ivashkovskiy ran into its German counterparts scouting for crossings over a narrow and muddy Ikva River. In a sharp clash, Ivashkovskiy’s company lost two tanks and was forced to withdraw.

  As the forward elements of XIX Mechanized Corps arrived in the Mlynuv-Dubno area, they linked up their left flank with the right-flank 228th Rifle Division of the XXXVI Rifle Corps. This rifle corps from the reserves of the South-Western Front was taking up positions along the Dubno-Kremenets road. Thus, while XIX Mechanized Corps’ left flank was relatively secured, a gap developed between its right flank and Rokossovskiy’s IX Mechanized Corps.

  XV Mechanized Corps, Maj. Gen. Ignatiy I. Karpezo Commanding

  The early morning of June 24 found the XV Mechanized Corps firmly in control of vicinity of Brody, with its defensive positions facing northwest to Radekhov and north to Berestechko. Since German reconnaissance units were already operating in the vicinity of Berestechko, corps commander Major General Karpezo received
orders to destroy these forward German elements. He was to cooperate with Lieutenant General Ryabyshev’s VIII Mechanized Corps in carrying out this mission.

  However, the two tank divisions of the XV Mechanized Corps spent the day constantly shifting their positions. Amid the summer heat, dust, and air attacks, the 10th and 37th tank divisions changed directions several times, without engaging the enemy. Both steadily continued losing vehicles to difficult terrain and technical difficulties. This was to have a significant effect on the course of battle during the next few days. Without pressure from the XV Mechanized Corps on June 24, Germans were able to bring up two infantry divisions to support the vanguard 11th Panzer Division.

  True to its doctrine, the 11th Panzer Division was moving forward along three routes in three battle groups. One battle group was formed around the 15th Panzer Regiment, the other two around the two panzer grenadier, or mechanized infantry, regiments. Each battle group had its allotment of field and air-defense artillery and combat engineers. One of these battle groups, formed around the 110th Panzer Grenadier Regiment, supported by one panzer company from the 15th Panzer Regiment, reached Berestechko in the evening of the previous day.

  The only effective means to slow down the 11th Panzer Division was the Soviet Air Force. According to Isayev, the Air Force of the South-Western Front conducted 523 sorties between June 22 and 24 and dropped 2,500 bombs.35 Isayev is seconded by Gustav Schrodek: “At dawn of June 24, the [15th Panzer] Regiment underwent its first attack by Russian bombers. It shall not be the only one this day; completely the opposite. Hour by hour, number of hostile attacks increases. As the result of this, the regiment now has several dead and wounded.”36

  Schrodek himself experienced a close brush with the attacking Soviet aircraft. As the rest of 15th Panzer Regiment continued driving east, German aerial reconnaissance identified strong enemy armor concentration coming north from direction of Lopatin around 0700 hours. Detaching Schrodek’s 5th Company, under command of Lieutenant von Renesee, as flank security, the regiment drove on.

  As dispersing German panzers grabbed whatever scare natural concealment camouflage was available, Lieutenant von Renesse was stuck with hiding his tank in an ancient, dilapidated barn. In order to have a clear field of fire, the lieutenant ordered his driver to simply push out a few boards in the wall of the barn with tank’s cannon. Unfortunately, the whole of barn collapsed on top of von Renesse’s tank. After considerable efforts, and aided by other crews, they dug out the trapped vehicle only to discover that panzer’s torsion bar and suspension system were damaged, putting the vehicle out of commission. While von Renesse commandeered another tank, Schrodek and the rest of the crew took the damaged panzer on a slow, lumbering, and bumpy trek back to division’s rear for repairs.

  As they traveled west along the traffic-choked dirt road against the tide of other advancing units from 11th Panzer Division, three Soviet bombers dove at the road, spreading a thick carpet of bombs: “The Russian air attack, aided by that continuously beautiful favorable weather, proved to be quite a hindrance to the further advance.” Schrodek’s damaged tank could not maneuver out of the path of oncoming bombs: “There was no chance of avoiding the bombs, only living through it.” While Schrodek and other crew members dove for cover in the ditches, several Russian bombs landed close behind the tank. Fortunately, despite some scratches and bruises, no one on Schrodek’s crew was hurt.

  In spite of Soviet air attacks, combat engineers for the 11th Panzer Division succeeding in repairing a damaged bridge over Styr River east of Berestechko, and advance continued in direction of Dubno. By the end of June 24, the 15th Panzer Regiment covered another thirty miles, despite the difficult road.

  While the two tank divisions from the XV Mechanized Corps moved from place to place, its sister division, the 212th Motorized Rifle, received orders directly from headquarters of the South-Western Front. It was ordered to take up positions north of Brody and hold the area until arrival of the VIII Mechanized Corps.

  VIII Mechanized Corps, Lt. Gen. Dmitriy I. Ryabyshev Commanding

  As the other Soviet units were fighting Germans, the VIII Mechanized Corps was bouncing around inside the Stiy-Peremyshl-Lvov triangle. After covering almost two hundred miles, the VIII Mechanized Corps now had to move an additional seventy-five miles east to Brody. The meaningless miles used up fuel at an alarming rate and caused severe stress on men and machines.

  Shortly after 0500 hours, the corps set off east. The roads around Lvov were choked with refugees and military units, some moving towards, the others away from the border. As much as Ryabyshev disliked the idea, he had to move his corps through the town, painstakingly negotiating its narrow medieval streets.

  Corps Commissar Nikolai Popel accompanied the motorcycle regiment in its vanguard position. He remembered seeing unending streams of refugees flowing through the main thoroughfare. Single rifle shots were heard. As the regiment moved deeper into the city, shooting intensified, turning into regular skirmishes.37

  Popel quickly found out the source of shooting. Up to a week before the war, armed Ukrainian OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists) nationalists began infiltrating the city. Now, this “fifth column” began sniping at the Soviet troops moving through Lvov. The garrison of the city found itself not able to contain the situation, and passing regular Soviet units were pressed into lending a hand in eliminating pockets of resistance. Several companies from Popel’s motorcycle regiment found themselves involved in a series of confusing running fights along the rooftops and through the alleys.

  The OUN saboteurs and snipers began with creating an atmosphere of chaos and panic in the city, setting fires to buildings and picking off individual Soviet soldiers. As the German troops moved closer to Lvov, OUN fighters became bolder and began engaging Soviet regular army troops.

  The Soviets exacted more than their share of vengeance upon the citizens of Lvov, however. From almost the very first hours of the war on June 22, the NKVD prison guards throughout western Ukraine began executing their civilian prisoners held in local jails. Majority of these prisoners were people deemed unreliable or potential enemies of the Soviet state. Now, with the Germans pressing close to Lvov, the wholesale slaughter of political prisoners began. By the time the Soviet forces finally abandoned Lvov, over twelve thousand of these prisoners were shot by NKVD in Lvov alone.38

  As the main body of the VIII Mechanized Corps entered Lvov, its movement sometimes slowed down to a crawl. The flow of civilian refugees severely interfered with the progress of the Soviet units. Ryabyshev was forced to set up road blocks, sometimes consisting of tanks, to ensure proper movement of his corps.

  In the afternoon, the main body of the VIII Mechanized Corps gathered in a small town of Kurovitse, approximately twenty miles east of Lvov. Three men in civilian clothes approached Popel. To his surprise, he discovered that these men were film director Kovalchuk with two assistants. They had been looking for Popel now for two days: “I was, of course, flattered by such a distinguished attention to our corps, but how could I have been of service to [movie people] in these chaotic days! I could only shake their hands, express my sincere hope for a productive cooperation and advise them . . . to go rest.”39

  As the tired units of the VIII Mechanized Corps continued pulling into Kurovitse, it became painfully obvious that the corps was not in any shape to reach Brody the same day. Too much time was lost moving through the bottlenecks in Lvov and fighting the Ukrainian nationalists.

  Still, the vanguard 2nd Motorcycle Regiment under Maj. V. F. Trubitskiy continued moving forward. At the small town of Busk, roughly halfway between Lvov and Brody, it ran into an ever-present German reconnaissance element made up of armored cars and motorcycles and exchanged gunfire with them.

  Once again, Popel jumped into his car and raced off to check the situation up front. Traveling along the darkening road, he described a surreal feeling: “When, after the hustle and bustle of headquarters, reports, lambasting, and howling
of engines, you find yourself on a quiet road, soaked by the early evening sun, a strange feeling comes over you. Is it possible that nothing happened—no bombings, dusty tanks, unshaven officers, a woman cradling a bloodied head of her child? Maybe it’s a dream, some nightmare?”40

  He caught up to a strange procession:

  A lieutenant and two privates, all armed with rifles, are escorting a heavy-set man with raised hands, his uniform blouse unbelted. The prisoner is barely moving his feet—apparently, he already gave up on life.

  “Who is that?”

  “A spy, Comrade Brigade Commissar. We are taking him to be shot.” The “spy” turns towards me:

  “Nikolai Kirillych, my dear . . .”

  The chief of artillery of our corps, Colonel Chistyakov, runs towards me. He is so flustered that he can not talk. The lieutenant explained for him. “No documents, no car. Was asking about some howitzer regiment. He’s got colonel’s rank tabs, but his gut is as big as bourgeois’.

  “And who are you?” The lieutenant names a regiment of railroad escort troops, presents his ID card. He is fully convinced in righteousness of his actions.

  Several minutes later, taking the still-shocked Colonel Chistyakov away from the over-zealous lieutenant, Popel found out what happened. While traveling through Lvov in a lone car, Chistyakov was ambushed by either Ukrainian nationalists or German commandos. He had to jump out of the car, leaving his field bag with documents behind. While making his way out of town, the good colonel ran into the lieutenant and his two men.41

  As Popel was moving with the advance units corps and rescuing lackluster colonels, Lieutenant General Ryabyshev was chivvying forward the main body of the VIII Mechanized Corps.