There was one bright spot during that day. Almost a thousand survivors from the 87th Rifle Division under command of Colonel Blank made it through German lines and linked up with the XV Rifle Corps. These men made an incredible journey of over one hundred miles through the nightmare of constant encirclements, bringing out their division’s flag with them.
CHAPTER 13
The Last Convulsion, July 1–2
Fifth Army, Major General Potapov Commanding
AS A MAJORITY OF FORCES, PARTICULARLY ITS INFANTRY and rear echelons, continued pulling back to the 1939 border, the units of the Fifth Army designated to participate in the last-ditch effort to slow down the armored spearhead of Army Group South attacked as scheduled in the morning of July 1. Reacting to the crisis situation south of Dubno during the previous two days, the German command shifted several divisions to the threatened sector, presenting the Soviets with a golden opportunity to inflict some telling damages on the left flank of the German advance.
Initially, the attack went surprisingly well, exceeding meager expectations. The two tank divisions of Maj. Gen. K. K. Rokossovskiy’s IX Mechanized Corps contended throughout the day with parts of German 25th Motorized Infantry Division. The 20th Tank Division under Col. M. E. Katukov advanced approximately seven miles by 1500 hours. It could go no farther and by the end of the day returned to its starting positions. Its sister 35th Tank Division advanced roughly four miles before similarly being halted and forced to retreat by nightfall. In an after-action report, the command of the 20th Tank Division claimed up to 1,000 Germans killed, and ten tanks and two artillery batteries destroyed. It stated its own losses at highly doubtful only two hundred men killed and wounded. Still, there were flashpoints of heavy fighting, such as the plight of one German infantry battalion being temporary surrounded in the Bronniki village and losing 153 killed and unknown number of wounded.[1]
Repeating the mistake of the first counteroffensive of the South-Western Front just few short days before, this second attack also suffered from a lack of coordination between Soviet armored formations. By 1500 hours the offensive of the IX Mechanized Corps began petering out, brought to a halt by strong German defenses. However, 1500 hours was the time when the XXII Mechanized Corps went forward. Its 19th and 41st Tank Divisions advanced in the first echelon, supported by the 215th Motorized Rifle Division.
The 41st Tank Division initially met with surprising success, pushing back forward German elements and coming within ten miles north of Dubno by 1030 hours on July 2. Casualties were high on both sides, and the combat eventually ground to a halt in the afternoon of July 2.
Its sister division, the 19th Tank, which by now was relatively well reorganized after the drubbing it received on June 24, started out well. Steadily moving forward, it reached the vicinity of Mlynov in late morning of July 2. However, around 1400 hours, the 19th Tank Division was itself suddenly attacked by the SS Division Adolf Hitler in its right flank and rear and was forced to retreat with heavy casualties. The command group of the 19th Tank Division, including its commander, Maj. Gen. K. A. Semenchenko, was encircled. It was able to break out only seven days later.
Following behind the two tank divisions, the 215th Motorized Division had the mission of protecting the left flank and rear of the XXII Mechanized Corps. While not heavily engaged in fighting, it was subjected to strong artillery and air strikes and suffered heavy casualties.
The third armored formation belonging to the Fifth Army, the XIX Mechanized Corps under Major General Feklenko, was already on the east bank of the Goryn River and was in no shape to advance, barely holding back German attempts to sweep it aside.
The XXVII Rifle Corps, while being still called a “corps,” numbers-wise was less than a division. It consisted of remains of the 135th Rifle Division and the survivors of the 16th Rifle Regiment from 87th Rifle Division, plus everybody from the rear support units who could be placed in line. It is of no surprise that the XXVII Rifle Corps was brought to a halt after advancing barely a mile in the early afternoon on the 1st of July.
The counterattack of the Fifth Army in direction of Dubno, especially the almost-twenty mile penetration by the XXII Mechanized Corps, worried the German command about the rear echelons of the III Motorized and LV army corps. Since the main bodies of these two corps were locked in combat with the Soviet VIII Mechanized Corps around Dubno, the German command hurriedly moved uncommitted forces against the XXII and IV Mechanized Corps. They consisted of the 670th Separate Antitank Battalion, a reinforced panzer regiment, a reconnaissance battalion from the 16th Panzer division, and the SS Motorized Division Adolf Hitler. The latter, after moving through Lutsk, slammed into both XIX and XXII Mechanized Corps and forced them to retreat. The 25th Motorized and parts of 14th Panzer Divisions were moved against the IX Mechanized Corps. As the result of the rapid enemy reactions and counter-moves, the advance of the Fifth Army in the direction of Dubno had only limited results. Attack of the XXXI Rifle Corps in the direction of Lutsk was unsuccessful as well.
Halder noted these events: “A heavy enemy attack was repulsed with severe enemy losses west of Rovno; III Corps (northern wing of the armored group) temporarily stalled; central sector and southern wing advancing.”[2]
By the morning of July 2, all of the Fifth Army was in general retreat. The northern arm of this army, composed of the XV and XXXI Rifle corps, received their pullback orders late and by the morning of July 2 were still occupying their positions along the Stokhod River, far west of the rest of the Fifth Army. Once the orders were received, a week-long race to the east began along the bad roads, made even worse by the frequent rains. Even though falling back at a fast pace, these units retreated in a relative good order. The German pressure in this sector was the least obtrusive. The German armored forces had been shifted south to Rovno and Dubno, and pursuit of the northern wing of the Fifth Army was conducted by German infantry divisions. However, difficult, marshy, waterlogged terrain in this area of northern Ukraine heavily favored the defender, and Potapov was able to extricate these two corps without major problems.
However, the southern portion of Potapov’s army was in tatters. The remains of the three mechanized corps, the IX, XIX, and XXII, suffered heavily the previous day and, having already lost the majority of their armored vehicles, were effectively infantry formations. The XXVII Rifle Corps, barely at division’s strength, continued melting away.
Task Force Popel, East of Dubno
In the morning of July 1, using the slight cover of early morning fog, Commissar Popel’s command continued navigating its way through the German line’s encirclement. They proceeded in several distinct groups: Lt. Col. Petr I. Volkov’s 24th Tank Regiment from 12th Tank Division, Maj. A. P. Sytnik’s 67th Tank Regiment from the 34th Tank Division, Capt. V. F. Petrov’s 68th Tank Regiment from the same division, and Popel’s command element.
After successfully negotiating a swampy area, their strung-out columns were taken under fire by several German artillery batteries. Even though the German gunners could not clearly see in the foggy morning, their shells were beginning to find their targets. One of the first Soviet vehicles hit was Popel’s own T-34.
Several rounds that hit his tank did not penetrate tank’s sloping armor, but jammed its turret and knocked out a track. While his tank was being repaired, Popel commandeered a passing KV-1 tank and arrived at the first rally point. Slowly, in small groups or in whole units, Popel’s command filed past him and continued on.