Screaming erupted ahead through the doorway, a Russian accented voice shouting from the left, ‘Bitte! Bitte (please in German)! We surrender…’ A gunshot abruptly rang out, then another deeper voice, ‘Fascist pigs…we kill you all! You have lost the war!’
Then Major Wolff’s shout in determination from the right, ‘Burn them!’
Leutnant Hausser pulled Hase roughly to the side as flame swept forward once more, the metallic clicking following as the fire retreated, then surged through the tunnel again, the walls burning as specks of flamed fuel spat into the darkened room, the two men drawing back into the darkness in fear.
Screams of pain filled the tunnels, a burst of MP40 fire then more agonised and terrified shrieking, Hausser edging closer to the opening and raising his submachine gun as another burst of fire followed, several rifle shots ringing out. Then an eerie silence, Hausser lowering to a half crouch as his boots scraped forward, Hase coughing and spitting phlegm next to him.
Moving his head to the doorway, he drew breath, shouting out into the scorched and blackened cement passage, ‘Herr Major…don’t shoot…’
Shuffling to the right, then Wolff’s familiar voice, ‘Hold tight men…’
Hausser shifted further, cement fragments cracking beneath his boots as he shouted in Russian, ‘Lay down your rifles comrades…you cannot survive. German Panzers are now far to the north…’
Shuffling to the right, low moans and a sneering reply, ‘Die fascist pigs…’ Hausser jumped as a burst of submachine gun fire cut the shout short, then a rifle shot and silence. Then a younger voice, trembling with fear, ‘W-we surrender please…the commissar is dead, there are only two of us left now…we are both sixteen.’
Hase grasped Hausser’s arm tightly as he coughed further, the Leutnant clearing his throat and addressing Major Wolff, ‘Herr Major…they surrender…let us go and get them, they are very young…’ Further moaning coming from the left end of the corridor.
Wolff tensed, shaking his head in frustration at the end of the corridor to the right, turning to nod to the three infantrymen and soldier carrying the flamethrower, whispering, ‘Make ready…if it’s a trap, we slaughter them…’ He turned back, raising his voice in irritation, ‘Leutnant, you have one minute…we need to move on, the rest of my units are getting further ahead…we are falling behind the advance and we need to search the bunker for maps and intelligence...’
Hausser winced, nudging Hase and indicating for him to follow as he shouted in Russian, ‘Drop your rifles comrades…kneel and place your hands behind your heads…we will not shoot if you are like this.’
Shuffling and startled nervous whispering, then an innocent startled voice and sound of metal dropping against cement, a low terrified whimpering, ‘We will go back into the storage room…we have no weapons now…my brother is scared. Please do not kill us…’
Hausser drew breath as Hase swallowed behind, the officer raising his MP40 to his eye and moving forward, his tone strained, ‘Move back…there is no need to fear us now…kneel with your hands behind your heads.’ He slipped through the doorway, turning to the left, the acrid aroma of chemical burning filling his nostrils as he stepped forward, two steps leading up to the next bunker room, the cement scorched and blood splattered. Beyond, two blackened bodies, one whitened hand still twitching, the two Russians roasted in flame as they leant out to fire their rifles.
Major Wolff glanced out from the end of the darkened corridor, his own submachine gun raised as he saw the two figures emerge from the side doorway, Hausser ducking and leaning from side to side with his MP40 extended, attempting to see into the next room, the major whispering solemnly in annoyance, ‘Just throw grenades…don’t risk yourselves…’
Leutnant Hausser reached the steps, his right boot rising tentatively as he leaned to stare into the room beyond, light spilling from the firing slit to the left, the dusty concrete floor covered in darkened oxygen starved scorched blood and glistening from excreted plasma. The crunch of cement debris caused them to jump, Hausser’s boot rising to the next step as he leant to stare into the upper emplacement.
Five bodies lay across the dirt and smeared floor, the Leutnant staring briefly through the beam of light from the firing slit, a senior officer with red piping lying on his back, the uniform singed and a commissar slumped face down, a dropped pistol by his side as blood slowly leaked from a rear head wound. Another soldier sat half against the far wall, his bloodied and soaked tunic glistening in the light, radio headphones positioned across his field cap, the cord severed to a cracking radio set upon a debris strewn bowed and unstable table.
Taking another step upwards, he emerged into the bunker, his eyes straining against the intense light from the left aperture, boots slipping over the charred and burnt limbs as he swallowed, the MP40 sweeping round before stopping, a darkened doorway in the rear wall ahead, two grime smeared young faces staring up at him with their hands behind their heads, tear stains across their cheeks as the German commander hissed nervously, ‘Don’t make any movement…keep looking at me…you are now our prisoners.’
Authors Note: The lack of forward mines in Grossdeutchland’s area of advance were attributed to five engineers of the second engineer company who during the night of 3rd July cleared 2700 mines in a five hour period. Mine clearance was particularly challenging…the land had seen so much war that the use of detectors was discounted, engineers instead using long metal poles for location purposed before retrieving the mine from the soil by hand.
Chapter Nineteen: The First Day Progresses: 5th July 1943
The Tiger I heavy tanks moved into several small ‘V’ formations, the medium tanks falling in behind as the armour rolled into the deep minefields, the armoured carriers following with lorries and Kubelwagen jeeps. The forward engineers had now marked wide routes through the obstacles, one path gleaned from ‘incentivising’ Russian prisoners to identify the safe passage on maps, the specialist soldiers working feverishly as artillery fell on rear positions, the German fire concentrated on the Russian first defensive line beyond the minefields.
Maybach engines whined as the tank crews stared through their observation slits cautiously, aware any steel track detonating a mine could mean their instant death if the shock wave swept through the cabin, the enclosed space preventing the energy from dissipating. Bouncing across the terrain, the explosions began to erupt on either side, Russian artillery waiting for the German tanks to be in concentrated groups, the engineers on either side dropping into what cover they could find for protection. Thick black plumes rose across the horizon, the first wave of Luftwaffe bombings and strafing runs having claimed few concealed victims.
Tank commanders screamed at their crews to accelerate, the turrets moving from side to side as gunners stared through their optics, targeting the line of concealed pak guns in the distance. Churning across undulating terrain, two of the lanes through the minefield led into long grass the Tiger turrets jolting and muzzles flashing as shells swept towards the enemy positions.
Glowing shells zipped past the advancing tanks, smoke puffing across the terrain and deep grass as the crews stared out warily, the widening billowing shroud frustrating the Russian gunners further as shells simply bounced off the thick Tiger forward hulls.
More fighters roared overhead, Stuka pilots at high altitude staring down onto the burning landscape, watching the columns of tanks advance, the Hanomags behind racing to catch up with the armour. As they flew further, they glimpsed the swirling fighter battle ahead, ME109s and FW190s engaging the Russian Yaks in a battle for supremacy over the battlefield, the swirling vapour trails almost mesmerising in beauty.
The Russian defenders also stared up at the spectacle above, fear beginning to spread through their chests as they glimpsed the brown red starred aircraft limping back northwards one by one, smoke trails extending in their wake as they watched several fall from the deep blue sky in flames. The Red Air Force was spread thinly in the south where the Luftwaffe
had concentrated their initial attack…the enemy had been unsure of where the Germans would attack.
The Stukas twisted in the air, the land below filling the pilots’ front canopies as the mechanical screaming commenced, the planes descending almost vertically, the sirens filling the ears of all around, the soldiers on the ground ducking into their trenches in terror. Fighters tore across the Russian positions, their forward guns flashing as bullets ripped through earthworks and along supply trenches, numerous advancing soldiers ripped to shreds as the high calibre bullets and cannon fire erupted around them.
Following in their wake, FW190 and ME110 fighter bombers roared overhead, black dots dropping from their wings and bellies as the pilots banked hard, the planes sweeping round to the east or west as explosions tore through the Russian defences, equipment and bodies tossed into the air as flames shot skywards.
The Stuka bombs fell into the defences as the two seater aircraft swooped upwards, engines roaring as the pilots glanced back over their shoulders, fire and shock waves searing through the trees and emplacements as bodies were shattered or thrown against equipment. Many cowered in the defences with eyes clenched shut to block out the horror, hands over their ears as their bodies shuddered in fear, countrymen lacerated or killed from internal pressure wounds nearby.
Leutnant Hausser nodded grimly to the medics at the edge of the marked minefield track, other soldiers waving the Hanomags forward, the billowing and choking dust from the grinding steel tracks ahead almost filling the air and coating the armoured vehicles, the mounted infantry ducking their heads in the intense heat, perspiration now coating their bodies.
The officer stared down at the wounded soldiers, the ten men bandaged heavily, their smouldering camouflage painted Hanomag sitting at an angle ahead, the tracks cracked and broken and lying behind the armoured vehicle. Having hit a mine, the driver had been killed instantly, the soldier in the passenger seat blinded as shrapnel swept through the viewing slits from another explosion, his lower body severely burnt from the ensuing fire.
Hase accelerated further as Udet glanced round from the front shield, his voice tense and eyes wide, ‘So we are in the minefield now?’
Explosions rocked the terrain ahead, the dust and smoke swirling as debris clattered against the sides of the carrier, both men ducking their heads as Hausser shouted, further dirt falling on their shoulders and helmets, ‘We have been in it for some time…about half a kilometre…’ His head moved to an angle in curiosity and the carrier bounced forward, further explosions detonating several mines off to the right, the carrier shuddering from the eruptions, shouting as they ducked once more, ‘Why…don’t you like mines?’
Udet raised his head slowly, his jaw tensing, the carrier engine roaring as it rose up a slope, ‘I hate them…I want to face my enemy face to face, not against tricks and traps…’
Leutnant Hausser grinned, wiping his chin, the dust now sticking to the perspiration on their faces, ‘Their mines are not that reliable…they usually try and steal ours, especially at night…’ He drew a sharp breath as further explosions erupted to the left, ‘Just keep your head down behind that shield…their snipers are more dangerous.’ He nudged the pensive young German, Udet glancing to either side warily, ‘We will be through their forward defences soon…then you can face the Russians, and there will be many of them.’ He indicated to the MG34, ‘That is your friend now…and you are protecting us…’ They looked round at the German soldiers who sat on the benches behind, two bandaged from minor wounds, the ten helmets bowed in protection against the swirling dust. The officer continued as he smiled, the carrier weaving slightly as Hase tried to gain the best traction below, ‘…don’t worry about the mines…if we hit one it’s unlikely we will know about it until later!’
Udet’s eyes widened in surprise, a sheepish grin sweeping across his face as he nodded, his hands grasping the top of the MG34 tighter, Hausser indicating forward as they reached the brow of the slope, deep green grassland with burning trees and defences beyond, the fighter battle escalating above, ‘The Panzers are about to break into the enemy positions…’ He glanced round, raising a hand to Tatu’s carrier behind, before raising his voice to the seated soldiers, ‘Make ready…enemy positions ahead.’
The carriers surged onwards through thick dust clouds, numerous Hanomags and infantry vehicles ahead as the sounds of gunfire and heavy fighting filled the occupants’ ears, high explosive shells from the Panzers ripping into the pak gun positions as the German infantry dismounted from their armoured vehicles and surged into the defences and trenches.
The rumble of artillery behind swept towards then, Wespe self propelled guns firing towards the rear of the Russian positions in attempt to hit reserves and redeploying units. Hausser glanced round, smoke trails rising across the blue sky from the defences they had just left, Nebelwerfer batteries firing rockets targeted at the Russian rear, his eyes straining as they stung from sweat, his head rising as an ME109 fighter droned low past above them, heading southwards, smoke billowing from its engine as the plane gradually lost altitude.
Artillery shells burst across the land before them, the commander ducking as he and Udet were showered in dirt, the stench of burning as the high grass on either side smouldered. He stole a glance at a destroyed Kubelwagen to their right, the jeep on its side with four soldiers lying nearby, flames licking from two of their uniforms and the underside of the car. Further to the right, an Opel Blitz lorry was burning fiercely, the flaming overhead canopy fluttering in a breeze, black acrid smoke billowing across the track ahead.
The Hanomag swept into the black cloud, Hausser and Udet ducking as they felt the heat in the smoke, supplies and ammunition being consumed by the fierce flames, the driver and his companion dead in the front seat of the lorry, the cracking of ammunition ringing out as the fire engulfed the upper frame.
Udet rose once more, his young face smeared with soot, dust and sweat as he grasped the MG34, leaning into the weapon as the Hanomag rolled onwards, rifle shots clanking against the forward plate as the engine roared once more, the carrier jolting and bouncing from side to side. Staring over the armoured shield, his eyes widened at the scene ahead, puffs of black smoke filled the high air, Russian flak firing upwards at the diving planes, the vapour trails now filling the sky. Fighters roared low across the terrain on either side, his eyes catching the sparkle of light from one of the canopies, twin engine ME110 fighter bombers tearing towards the defensive line ahead, the planes rising to fly over the front line ahead and engage reserves behind. Adrenalin poured through his chest, the Hanomag accelerating further as it neared the first trenches, several carriers stopped ahead as their infantry disembarked and charged into the enemy positions.
Tanks were rolling over the Russian defences, the flashes and explosions filling the terrain through a blanket of churning dark smoke as the shroud engulfed the carrier, Udet ducking down and sweeping the MG34 from side to side. Cracking and crunching beneath as the tracks lumbered over destroyed and abandoned equipment, shouts and screams filling the air with sporadic gunfire, the chatter of machine guns off to the left.
The Hanomag bounced, the left side rising as the engine roared, bullets clattering against the side as Hase negotiated a narrow gap between two defensive trenches, the carrier jolting and bucking as logs screeched underneath. Then the SdKfz251 shuddered to a halt, smoke pouring from the bonnet, Leutnant Hausser shouting furiously, ‘All out...we attack further on foot...’
The rear doors clanked open, the carrier still at an angle when the young commander jumped out, stumbling on the scorched ground, more bullets clanking against the sides as he dropped to one knee, the MP40 rising in his hands. The view was mostly obscured in smoke as he glanced round the side of the Hanomag, the earthworks smouldering and shattered, several trenches leading from their open position as shouts and gunfire erupted to the right. Trees and bushes were burning fiercely, several bodies in brown uniforms lay around the carriers, a number slumped in t
he trenches, the area having been one of the main routes taken by the Panzer IVs heading into the rear defences. Engines roared overhead, the sky battle continuing as the rattle of machine guns and eruptions filled the air.
Another Hanomag drew alongside, covering their exit as the SdKfz command vehicle jolted to a halt behind, Major Wolff’s distinctive voice shouting, ‘Gather the men...we go in as a unit...concentrate our troops!’
The field grey uniforms tumbled from the back of the Hanomags, another drawing up to the left, most soldiers with camouflaged cloth over their helmets as they crouched or dropped to one knee, many raising their weapons in effort to protect against any attack. Tank engines roared further north, the Panzers churning through the extensive defence works as smoke and dust swirled around the soldiers, Hausser striding towards the rear of the command carrier as Major Wolff jumped through the rear doors, the Leutnant saluting and glancing round nervously, shells bursting in the minefield behind, ‘We need to spread out...one shell lands here and we lose most of our men Herr Major!’
Wolff grimaced and nodded, gesturing to the left as heavy gunfire burst out to the right, ‘Clear those defences and bunkers...take Tatu and his men, I will head right with the others...’ He ducked as a shell burst overhead, bullets clanking against the carrier sides, ‘...we need to be quick...breaking through here will open the road to Butovo...’
Leutnant Hausser turned on his heels, smiling briefly as Tatu dropped from the back of his own carrier, shouting at the soldiers around him to move into the trenches and acknowledging the Leutnant’s point, ‘All left...keep down, clear these positions...’ He stepped forward, ducking as another shell exploded nearby, several more crumps further back, ‘Russkie mortars...they are targeting their own positions...’
Hausser nodded, ‘Get the men into the trenches for cover...’ He glanced round as more engines roared behind, several more Hanomags pulling to a halt behind as the infantry began to dismount, Major Wolff turning to organise the new arrivals, ‘...the Panzers will keep on advancing...we need to keep up or they will have to stop, then they will be in danger...’
Bloody Citadel Page 25
