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 mobile 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….”