History 23/03/20 Rangers against the Cossacks: as the Wehrmacht tried to stop Stalin’s Fifth strike
23rd of June 1944 began, the Belarusian offensive, codenamed “Bagration”. It is also called “Stalin’s Fifth blow.”
During the week of the offensive, the Red Army liberated the Vitebsk, Orsha, Mogilev, Bobruisk and other cities and continued to go forward with the inexorability of a steam roller. To stop the offensive, the Wehrmacht was filmed all that is possible from other sectors.
to cover Minsk from possible environment in Belarus were transferred to the fresh 12th Panzer division and such “exotic” Union, as the 28th jäger division. Huntsman, for most unfamiliar with the military history of people associated with the end of the XVIII or early XIX century, about the existence of such compounds in the Wehrmacht, many do not suspect. I must say that the red Army then couldn’t quite understand what this “beast” is huntsman.
the Rangers General von Tillberga
Jaeger division of the Wehrmacht was created before the invasion of the Soviet Union, and the first was called legkotekuchie. Their purpose was to conduct military operations in a complex, selenoproteins area. Such treated thick forests, swamps and large settlements. Since these divisions in composition was very similar to gornopehotnye, and had a special mountain service, then they are often confused with a mountain. But those Rangers were not, although in the mountains it was easier to fight than regular infantry.
a decline in the infantry of the Wehrmacht during the second half of the war, the Rangers have not touched: their division and so were one-third less than regular infantry, they only had two regiments. But, having about the same infantry division combat strength, the huntsman, at the expense of the support services had a significantly greater number — state was supposed to have more than 14.5 thousand people.
the 28th Jaeger division fought in the Crimea and stormed Sevastopol, and then were transferred under the Leningrad and fought in the area Sinyavino heights. After the start of the Soviet offensive, its hastily tossed in the direction of Minsk. Commanded the unit, Lieutenant-General Gustav von Heisterman Zilberg.
the Division was well-stocked, even had about a thousand people over state it previously passed the shattered remnants of the 1st Aviapolis divisions and several units. In addition to the provisions of the state 10 assault guns, the 28th division was assigned 209 brigade of assault guns. So the beginning of the battle the Rangers had at their disposal 44 installation StuG III.
to Meet in battle, the Rangers had too, in some way, an echo of the past centuries. Specifically with the Cossacks. However, these Cossacks were also quite modern, and in addition to checkers, they had fewer tanks than the infantry assault weapons.
the Cossacks of General Issa Pliev
For the operation “Bagration” on the 1st Belorussian front was created mechanized cavalry group (KMG) under the command of Lieutenant General I. A. Pliev. These groups in the red Army was a non-Union, and created (with rare exception) only for one specific operation. Its headquarters and everything else they had, was directed by the headquarters of the cavalry corps, which was subordinated to a mechanized (less tank) corps. Pliev group originally consisted of 4-th guards Kuban Cossack cavalry and 1st mechanized corps. Each of the three cavalry divisions Pliev had, in addition to three cavalry and artillery and mortar regiments, and even a tank, and at corps level, there were also self-propelled artillery regiment. So that the force of KMG was a considerable one, including armored vehicles was not deprived.
the 28th Jaeger had to get hit 9-th and 10-th guards Cossack cavalry divisions. In addition to the Cossack squads are two dozen self-propelled guns SU-76 and almost fifty tanks, of which the majority were English, “Shaftentine” and the American “Sherman”, supplied under lend-lease.
East of the Baranavichy
With the 4th of July the Germans tried to counterattack, but to no avail, and went on the defensive. Cossacks Pliev, also tried to attack, but their forces for the breakthrough they lacked. Even with the coming up of two rifle divisions 48th army (194-th and 73-th).
moreover, over the battlefield appeared the German air force, which had not seen.
the 6th of July in the area left of the 9th Panzer corps of General baharova, are also included in the composition of the mechanized cavalry group. Though the body was already on the move, only a third of their tanks, the balance of power, he changed. The Germans attacked from three sides and Rangers were forced to retreat. Fighting immediately become more dynamic and unpredictable results. So was almost surrounded by one of the German regiments, but with heavy losses and sacrifice the whole company escaped. And almost immediately, the Germans counterattacked, surrounding the 42nd regiment of the 10th guards division. The cavalry escaped, but this battle cost the life of the division commander, the regimental commander and several officers.
assigned to the division 209 of the brigade of assault guns came under a surprise attack (in documents of the brigade written about the ambush) 713-th self-propelled artillery regiment. This battle cost the Germans lost 20 machines, part burned, part had to leave on the battlefield. And neither one of our SU-76 was not lost.
on the night of the 8th of July, the Soviet tanks completely destroyed the battalion of the division, and between the shelves there is a gap, where at any moment could break the Cossacks Plieva or tankers baharova. For the 28th Jaeger division, the question arose in no longer about how to stop the Soviet offensive, and how to survive.
How to write Alexander Polishchuk and Andrei Ulanov, in his article “the German huntsman against the fifth of Stalin’s blow”, saved the Germans only that they turned away from Baranovichi, where so eager group Plieva. Soviet generals was simply not up to the task more important than dobivatü the remnants of German divisions.
To the West
From the environment of the huntsman broke, and luck was on their side. So they had a chance to stumble upon an unprotected command post infantry division, then on perepravlyaemsya over the river an artillery regiment that cost our troops heavy losses.
as a result Rangers, passing about 100 miles in three days, out of the environment. They had to take new defenses on the river Zelva together with the remnants of the 367-th infantry and 4 Panzer divisions.
In the 28th division in the companies remained at 40-60. To enhance gamekeepers they were attached to the 92nd (12 units Jagd.Pz. IV) and 743 (4 settings “Marder”) anti-tank battalions. In addition, according to the war diary of the 28th division, was still five assault guns.
But the 13th of July the offensive began the 3rd army of General Gorbatov that boldly German defenses. 16th July the remnants of the 28th division reached the area of the river Zlaki and 18th gathering all his strength, received from the repair of assault guns tried to attack. But two days later, after another blow of the Soviet forces, the division suffered losses and started to retreat to the West.
the Soviet offensive has been unstoppable no infantry, no tanks.
Cyril Shishkin
Source:
© Russian Seven
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