After they had liquidated the Stalingrad pocket, the Russians launched a powerful counter-offensive which quickly carried them westward. At the beginning of February 1943 Soviet tanks took Slavyansk against virtually no German opposition, since the entire sector had been stripped of German troops except for a few service units. In an effort to stem the tide XL Panzer Corps, including two Panzer and one infantry divisions, was moved up from the south and ordered to drive the Russians back across the Donets River.
The German soldiers would not only face the Russian onslaught, but also the typical Russian winter weather which prevailed in the Konstantinovka area south of Slavyansk. Blankets of deep snow covered road and countryside alike, and the temperature reached a low of −45°C (−49°F) at night. Such conditions alone were enough to tax the fortitude and hardiness of even the fittest German soldier.
The 679 Regiment, 333 Infantry Division, forming part of the XL Panzer Corps, had not seen previous combat in Russia. Upon detraining at the railhead in Konstantinovka at 0400 on 12 February, the soldiers of III Battalion received orders to launch an immediate attack toward Kramatorskaya. The troops assembled, and the forward elements started to move out without delay. At 0800, after having advanced barely a mile east of the Torets River, the German advanced guard ran straight into an oncoming Russian tank force. After a brief clash the unfortunate German detachment was annihilated and the advance party routed.
Tank vs infantry combat was a truly unnerving experience, even for veteran soldiers. The former eastern front infantryman Günter Koschorrek has left a striking account of what it was like to face a Russian T34 attack at close range:
The famous ‘eighty-eight’. This version is the Flak 36 model designed for anti-aircraft work, but used as an anti-tank weapon from 1940 onwards. It was capable of knocking out all Allied tanks at ranges up to 2,700m (8,858ft) with its muzzle velocity of 980mps (3,815fps) when firing an AP shell. The rings on the barrel indicate the number of kills the gun has made. It is mounted on the four-wheel Sonderanhänger 201.
An interesting photograph of the 2cm Flak 38 mounted for ground operations. The 2cm AP/HE round weighed 330gms (12oz) and had a muzzle velocity of 830mps (2,720fps), and the 300gm (10oz) HE round a muzzle velocity of 900mps (2,950fps). It was a widely used weapon, although most were vehicle-mounted. It was particularly effective against infantry and soft-skinned vehicles.
‘A harsh metallic shot, and a tank shell explodes exactly where my machine gun once stood. Frozen dirt and hot splinters rain down over my head. There is a loud ringing in my ears and it feels as if my eardrum has just been perforated. The acrid powder is sucked into my nose and fills my lungs. But I live, and so does Swina – I can hear his convulsive coughing behind me. And there it is again – the rattle and the roaring as steel tank tracks grind squealing on their rollers. A deathly noise! I press myself like a worm on to the ground. In the trench everything goes dark: the steel monster is parked directly on top of me, blocking out the daylight. Now the sharp steel tracks are tearing up the edge of the trench. Frozen blocks of dirt fall on to my back and half cover me. Will the monster bury me alive? I remember soldiers telling me that tanks have turned on top of trenches until the men below could no longer move and suffocated in the dirt. A hell of a way to die!’
For the main body of III Battalion, which was just then moving out of Konstantinovka, the sudden turn of events caused them to waver. The regimental commander realised that he had to act immediately. The overall situation was none too favourable since II Battalion was not due to arrive for 12 hours and I Battalion would take at least another 24 hours. When the regimental commander discovered that a self-propelled gun was undergoing repairs in Konstantinovka, he immediately commandeered it. Realising that the danger of encountering enemy tanks was greatest east of the Torets, he chose the road running along the west bank as the new axis of advance.
The regimental and battalion commanders mounted the assault gun and proceeded to lead the advance northward. The men were heartened by the sight of their two commanders speeding northward along the new route without encountering enemy opposition. They quickly regained confidence and, falling in behind their leaders, moved forward with new courage. Against light enemy resistance the soldiers fought their way to Alekseyevo-Druzhkovka, and during the night II Battalion, newly arrived, closed up and moved into the same town.
On 13 February, as a result of this experience, the regimental commander decided to use II Battalion as the lead element in order to condition the men to combat in Russia. In an effort to simulate greater strength, all motorised vehicles were ordered to follow the lead battalion in plain view of the enemy. This deception could be used only because enemy interference from the air was not expected. Toward evening II Battalion arrived at Krasnotorka without major incident. During the night, however, the unfortunate soldiers suffered heavy casualties from frostbite when the battalion commander, who was unfamiliar with the severe Russian winter weather, ordered sentries to be posted in the open outside the village. The deception, however, had been successful, judging by an intercepted Russian radio message in which the enemy command was warned that strong German motorised formations were advancing toward Kramatorskaya.
A German field ambulance.
The regimental commander moved I Battalion, the last one to arrive, to Toretskiy with orders to capture Krasnotorka the next day. At dawn the men of I Battalion crossed the river, passed through Druzhkovka, and moved into a hollow about 3km (2 miles) south of Krasnotorka. The cross-country march in deep snow was exhausting because the motorised equipment constantly bogged down and had to be pulled out by recovery vehicles. Nevertheless, the battalion arrived in its jump-off position by 1000.
The situation facing the battalion commander was exasperating. Ahead of him lay strongly defended Krasnotorka, from where a few enemy tanks were firing in his direction. Between him and his objective loomed a vast expanse of snow that was more than 1m (3ft) deep. Despite promised support from a medium artillery battery, a direct frontal assault on the town was bound to fail and involve heavy casualties. From a long way off the Russians could observe the individual German soldiers inching their way forward, their silhouettes clearly outlined against the white background, and could pick them off at will. Although the regimental commander shared his apprehensions, he knew that the attack had to be launched and Krasnotorka had to be taken: ‘The only landmark that broke the monotony of the flat landscape was a high, snow-covered fence extending for about two miles along the right side of the road from the turn to the village. This fence, which actually looked more like a wall of snow, might conceal the troops while they worked their way toward the objective in single file, hugging the fence until they reached Krasnotorka. Although far from an ideal solution to the problem of carrying out a frontal assault on the village, this plan was the only apparent way out.’ To deceive the Russian garrison and divert its attention, one company was to be echeloned in depth and advance on Krasnotorka on a wide front on the left side of the road.
While this company was launching its diversionary attack, the rest of the battalion’s soldiers crept to within 500m (1,600ft) of the objective. The Russians fell for this ruse and concentrated the fire of their multi-barrelled rocket launchers, self-propelled guns and mortars on these men, who were promptly pinned down. Meanwhile, ‘the main assault force continued its advance along the snow fence, infiltrated Krasnotorka, and seized it, in short order. Because of the deep snow, the battalion took two hours to cover the two miles along the fence. The Russians were taken completely by surprise and beat a hasty retreat to Krainatorskaya. A few days later the regiment, committed as a unit for the first time, followed up this initial success by seizing Slavyansk after overcoming stiff Russian resistance.’
A German 8cm Granatwerfer 34 in the typical circular trench, which allowed for all-round training and firing. Three ammunition boxes stand in the background.