“Don’t worry,” said Berzin. “Once things settle down here, I will find out what they are planning. Rest assured.”
Part XI
Grim Realizations
“In these kinds of sudden realizations, the tacit and creeping nature of technology has only been detected after the fact. Once one notices the change in one’s altogether altered surroundings, it already has happened: the technology has already risen to prevalence.”
—Indrek Manniste: Henry Miller, The Inhuman Artist
Chapter 31
18-APR-1943
General Vlasov clearly perceived the peril he was in, and the realization was grim. His 2nd Shock Army was strung out on too wide a frontage, with half south of the Donets, and the rest on the north bank. He received word to consolidate everything he could near Balakleya, and that is what he did, pressed hard the entire time by Hausser’s 2nd SS. Only when he had managed to compress his army to a 12-kilometer front did he begin to think he might hold, but he was still underestimating the power of the iron that was about to fall upon him now. (See map for the battle of “Volkov Yar.)
Das Reich had formed a screening line, pressing the northeast end of Vlasov’s line, which was now anchored on the Donets. Behind this front, Eicke had crossed the river and he now had the entire 3rd SS tight as a coiled spring and ready to attack at dawn on the18th. Das Reich engaged the line and then Totenkopf swung around the right flank of that division like a halfback looking for a hole to exploit. That maneuver would force Vlasov to refuse his left slightly, but his confidence grew with the arrival of Popov’s 7th and 10th Tank Corps to his rear.
As Popov neared the front line, he could hear the sound of the fighting off to the northeast. That was Grossdeutschland Division, already engaging Malinovsky’s 2nd Motor Rifle Division. The battle lines would now stretch out in that direction, all the way to the road and rail line into Chuguyev. The hissing launch of 82mm rockets told him that his 7th Tank Corps was announcing its presence, and giving challenge. Then he heard the Super Heavy Howitzers of Malinovsky’s Group, and took heart.
The two sides would meet like armored knights, each thundering towards the other bearing long, lethal lances. It would be the largest clash of armored forces thus far in the war, four German Panzer Divisions, with two more Panzergrenadier Divisions as the 29th arrived. The Russians fielded two Tank Corps, a Mech Corps and two Motor Rifle Divisions in this initial clash, but General Kuznetsov’s 1st Guards Army was already hastening to the battle with another Mech and Tank Corps.
For the first time, Manstein and Steiner hit the enemy line with all three division in one coordinated hammer blow. A company of heavy Lions had been parceled out to each of the three other divisions in 57th Panzer Korps, but that still left over 60 Lions on the line for this assault, each with 88mm guns. The SS Divisions also had companies of Tigers organic to their Panzer regiments. The tanks lined up, fearsome shadows of steel in the early dawn, their long, dangerous gun barrels looking like evil lances. Then a harsh command was given, and one by one the Lions fired, the shots streaking like hot bolts of lava across the deadly field between the two sides.
T-34’s were blasted at long range, some having their turrets blown into the bloody dawn. Halftracks of the mechanized infantry were seared and scalded with fire, and dark, pallid smoke loomed over the scene. Then came the awful din of massed artillery, regiment after regiment pouring on the fire, thick and heavy.
It was Ironfall, burning lead from the sky, a rain of molten steel, and it fell heaviest on the dismounted motorized infantry, which had no time to prepare positions or dig in. Then the German tanks gunned their heavy engines, growling Lions at Dawn, and the big cats charged. The only thing missing were the trumpets, for this was the equivalent of the finest heavy cavalry in the world raging forward over the sodden ground to tear into the lines of their enemy.
Popov’s 7th Tank Corps had been hit only on the left side, but that was enough to savage a motor rifle battalion and send the tank destroyers defending with it into retreat. The 10th Tank Corps was on the right, seeing German armored cars and halftracks from Das Reich emerge through the heavy smoke, and the order was given to attack. The entire weight of that Corps would fall on the breach, where a battalion of Panzergrenadiers was advancing with a company of armored cars in the van. It was going to be more than enough to stop that little breakthrough, but the real problem was to the north.
It was Malinovsky’s 2nd Motor Rifle Division that took the brunt of the attack by 3rd SS and Grossdeutschland Division, with five of its nine battalions shattered and falling back towards Volkov Yar. The entire line buckled and withered away, but the Russians were desperately trying to reorganize their broken battalions further back. NKVD Colonels stood defiantly, legs wide and firing pistols into the air to stem the ebb of the infantry. Some ignored them completely, for that pistol seemed a small and harmless thing compared to the rolling thunder of the German attack.
General Ermakov of the 2nd Motor Rifle Division knew his line had been shattered and pushed back. He had reformed a thin front, the troops man-handling their 57mm AT guns into position, only to find those shells unable to penetrate the frontal armor of the heavy German tanks. On came the tide of steel and iron, falling on Ermakov’s division for a second attack.
The Germans were relentless, panzers firing as they advanced, the infantry crouching in halftracks behind that wall of Lions and Tigers. They pushed another two kilometers into the mid-afternoon, until they were driving the Russians back to the southern edge of Volkov Yar. In places the line had been pushed all the way back to the Russian artillery positions, and the crews were desperately limbering up the guns to get them north out of harm’s way. Some, unable to get the guns hitched up, simply lowered the barrels and began to fire.
Clearly beaten, Ermakov was about to order a general retreat, when up came a runner through the hovelled streets of Volkov Yar. Reinforcements had arrived from Chuguyev. It was General Kuznetsov’s 1st Guard Tank Corps, forming its brigades a kilometer north of the town. Zhukov was risking everything here in a desperate attempt to stop the German counteroffensive.
This was the heavy Armored division in Kuznetsov’s Army, and it had four tank brigades instead of three, with two of them heavy tanks, including two dozen SK-I, the “Sergei Kirov” model tank that looked very much like the one that had been named for Josef Stalin. With a 100mm BS-3 main gun main gun, it was a match for anything the Germans had, and now all four brigades surged forward in a mad tank rush. The action would include another 66 T-34’s, some with the 85mm gun, 35 heavy KV-2’s, and 36 lighter T-60 and T-70 tanks.
The word was shouted forward: “Kuznetsov! Kuznetsov is here!” and the Russian infantry began to reform their lines. They had been pushed back a full five kilometers, but there was fire and steel behind them now, and they would turn and fight. They watched at the T-34’s raced past their positions, then were up off the ground in a crouching run behind the fast moving tanks. Some leapt atop a passing KV-2 moving slow enough for them to do so, and shouting in Russian so the tank crews would know they had been mounted by friendly infantry.
It was Grossdeutschland Division that took on the brunt of this new attack, its tanks and infantry grinding forward against the oncoming T-34s. The Lions halted briefly, their big turrets training and firing, the hot shells lancing out and slamming against the frontal armor of those big KV-2’s. One hit sent three soldiers who had picked the wrong tank to ride to a quick death.
Tanks were being hit, slewing off the muddy slopes, burning, the hot molten steel running down the sides of penetrated turrets like metal blood. The Germans stormed into Volkov Yar with the 2nd Grenadier Battalion of Grossdeutschland Division only to be counterattacked on three sides by motor rifle troops heavily supported by those big KV-2’s. They would be pushed out at a little after midnight on the 18th, the rubble of the town fought over with the ferocity of any street fight in Volgograd.
Then the second of Kuznetsov’s two m
obile Corps arrived to join the battle against the lines of 3rd SS. 2nd Guard Mech was bringing nine battalions of tough troops in halftracks, with two more tank brigades amounting to 55 heavy tanks, KV-2, KV-85 and SK-I models, the best the Russians had. Yet they were shocked to find that their T-34-76 could no longer penetrate the frontal armor of those Lions at any decent range, and it became necessary to maneuver for side or rear shots to have a chance of knocking one out.
That prospect was made more difficult by the fact that the Germans were now restructuring the TO & E of all their independent armor brigades and tracked PzJager units. They were adding in a full company of Schwere Assault troops in halftracks, with three scout Leopards, three SdKfz 251/21’s for AA support, mobile mortars and even a section of SdKfz 250/8 halftracks mounting a 7.5cm gun. That infantry protected the sides and rear, watching for enemy tanks maneuvering to gain advantage, and the Lion’s quick turning turret would then engage.
The 85mm gun had a better chance at a direct kill, but it had to get to the German tanks first, and the long range of those 88’s made that a risky proposition. The KV-2 stood out on the field like a lumbering war elephant, easy to spot and hit. Its frontal armor was no more than 75mm on the hull, sides and turret, and the main gun was a 152mm howitzer, so this was basically an infantry support tank, a water buffalo, and no real match for a tank killer like the Lion.
The Russians had mass, but did not yet have the equipment they needed to offset and prevail over the great leap in tank technology the Lion represented. Only the SK-I model tank was found to have an equal chance when coming face to face with a Lion or Tiger. The first in the series were mounting the 100mm BS-3 main gun, but a newer version was already in the works that would upgrade to a 122mm gun. The smaller gun was actually better at armor penetration in testing, but quantities of that weapon were very limited.
The Russians thought they had a real tank killer now, particularly against the German Panther, where they found that they could penetrate the enemy armor at 1000 meters, while the Panther’s 75mm gun had to get with 600 meters to have a chance against the new Soviet tank. The Lion, however, was better armored than the Panther, and it was even odds when encountering an SK-I-100. The real problem now was that the Germans were fielding large numbers of Lions, all being up gunned from 75mm to the 88 in these elite divisions, but the SK-I was only available in very limited numbers.
The arrival of all these reinforcements brought the German advance to a halt, as both sides continued to slug it out, with the line rippling with small advances and retreats all along the front. But something was happening near Kharkov that would now present Georgie Zhukov with a most uncomfortable decision.
It was Knobelsdorff and his 48th Panzer Korps. The withdrawal of Kuznetzov’s heavy armor and mech corps had forced the Russians to suspend the advance of 3rd Shock Army and readjust their line near Kharkov to cover ground formerly held by the mech units. This gave the Germans the time they needed to regroup their own panzer divisions behind the front.
Sepp Dietrich was able to pull out of the head knocking battle he had been fighting with 3rd Guards Army, and assemble his division near Rogan, on the main road to Kharkov. Then Knobelsdorff had two excellent divisions in 6th and 11th Panzer. He concentrated them as one mailed fist, and attacked towards Chuguyev. Balck achieved a clear breakthrough just north of the Udy River at Temovoye, with Hunersdorff’s 6th Panzer attacking a little north. Together the two divisions pinched off a three-kilometer segment of the enemy front, which was now completely encircled….
“There,” said Zeitzler. “The situation in the north has changed, and Knobelsdorff is now restoring order near Kharkov; driving the enemy back from the city.” He turned to Hitler, gesturing with the latest position updates from the front.
“The enemy mobile groups are withdrawing from this deep salient. Heinrici and Model are now advancing their respective flanks to suture up this wound, and 22nd Panzer will do the stitching. I expect that sector will stabilize by midnight tonight, and then we can plan the relief of Belgorod.”
“Excellent,” said Hitler. “But just remember—ground lost is not always easy to regain. You have given up much more than Belgorod. Our lines were on the Oskol River and the Psel when all this began. Can you tell me they will be there when it ends?”
There was clearly an admonishing tone in Hitler’s voice, for he resented any backward step, the loss of terrain being equated with defeat in his mind.
“Look at the 305th at Prokhorovka,” he said. “They are still holding like a rock. Once we retake Belgorod, we must see if we can get to them. I will personally decorate every man in that division. That is backbone, General Zeitzler. And that is what I want to see in my Generals. You must have the nerve to order the troops to stand and fight when necessary. Why should I have to lecture you on such rudimentary defensive tactics?”
Because they are rudimentary, thought Zeitzler, though he said nothing. We will get Belgorod back only if the enemy chooses to give it to us, for there are five strong mobile corps withdrawing from that salient, and as long as they remain in this sector, they represent a clear and present danger. The enemy can crush the 305th Division like a walnut any time they choose, so I do not think Hitler will be handing out those decorations any time soon. As for the line on the Oskol—I do not think we will see it again either, but I cannot tell that to the Führer. He updated the map, seeing that Heinrici’s 4th Army was now bent in the shape of a massive question mark, and it seemed to sum up the uncertainty of this entire situation in his mind.
Look how they fought. The Russians assembled fast moving Shock Groups, coordinated over ten armies on the field with good results, and they came damn close to taking Kharkov. We no longer have the luxury of resting our panzers in rear areas. They must be closer to the front line now, and ready to intervene and stop these breakthroughs when the enemy attacks. We had to pull in units from as far away as Groznyy and the Black Sea Coast to hold the line of the Donets. That is very sobering to contemplate, and my job is likely to get a good deal more difficult, particularly if the Führer insists that we launch Operation Downfall in May as scheduled.
“What about Manstein?” asked Hitler.
“He has reached Volkov Yar, with fighting all along that minor river line. We shall know more soon….”
* * *
With a hole in his lines 5 kilometers wide southeast of Kharkov, Zhukov now realized that his position on the Middle-Don was fatally compromised. He had to pull back from his tantalizingly close positions near Kharkov and cover Chuguyev. His risky ploy to try and stop and defeat Steiner in the south had failed. Now he had to worry about getting those troops on the Donets to the line he had proposed to Sergei Kirov, particularly the slower moving infantry of 2nd Shock Army.
Furthermore, while Kuznetsov and Steiner slugged it out on the line of the Volkov River, Kirchner’s 57th Panzer Korps had defeated Malinovsky’s 2nd Guard Mech Corps to the north and east, and that flank was also becoming very unstable. It was time to retreat, and he crossed his fingers with the hope that his commander could coordinate such a move under heavy enemy pressure.
So this battle in the south will be called Volkov Yar, he thought, and the Germans will claim it as a victory. That rankles me, to have that bastard’s name plastered on the history of these events. We must rename that town….
The afternoon of the 19th, the Germans paused, with some battalions down to 30% supplies. The Russians were now in full retreat towards Chuguyev, and Manstein was in possession of Volkov Yar. The first great clash of all these rebuilt armored formations was over, and with a clear and decisive outcome.
When it was over, Soviet tank losses would be 20% of their lighter T-60/70’s, 23% of all T-34’s, and 40% of their heavier tanks, including 60 of the 90 SK-I model, which had borne the brunt of the defense against those Lions. In that heavyweight division, both sides fielded about 525 tanks each, but the German losses were only 10%. The Lions were simply beating their armored enemie
s to death, and in that tank, Germany had a war winner if the Russians could not adapt quickly.
Chapter 32
That was not the only war winner Germany had in hand, and this was yet another grim realization that settled on the busy minds of Whitehall. Sir Alan Brooke got the full report on the incident in the tube that caused such loss of life, but it was what came after that really shook the command tree in England.
The Bomb.
“Concerning that incident at Victoria Park,” said Brooke. “I’m afraid it wasn’t a thermal bomb as we first thought.”
“Not a thermal bomb?” said Churchill. “I was told the trees and foliage were completely burned.”
“Yes, that was so, but we’ve now determined some most unusual after effects occurred. It took some time, but the casualty rate has been creeping steadily upwards.”
“How so? From injuries sustained by the blast?”
“In a manner of speaking.” Brooke did not mean to beat around the bush, so he came right out with it. “Radiation,” he said flatly. “The estimate is that anyone within the blast zone may have received as much as 500 Rems. I’m not entirely conversant with the meaning of that myself, but according to reports, it can be quite lethal, with a fatality rate between 50% and 90%.”
“Radiation…. My God, then we’re talking about an atomic weapon?”
Churchill knew about them, for he had given his own authorization for Britain to begin working on such a project in August of 1941, the T.A. series projects, where the T.A. stood for Tube Alloys. That was the covering code handle for Britain’s effort to develop the bomb, but now it seemed, and with the shock of cold water, that Germany had beaten them to the punch, quite literally.
Ironfall (Kirov Series Book 30) Page 27
