While the troops at the front were carrying out the assault on Vienna we were allowed to rest, getting ourselves and our equipment back into shape. Our next orders were to move to the area of Heiligenkreuz together with the 1953rd Artillery Regiment to set up a defensive line and cover the offensive from the north. Once the corps had captured Berndorf we were then to advance to the northern outskirts of Pressbaum and cover the corps troops mustered in that area. As the corps subsequently advanced towards Vienna, we would operate as the reserve.
The brigade reached Heiligenkreuz at a brisk march and took up our defensive positions. The combrig also ordered a detachment, consisting of a tank platoon reinforced by infantry and SPGs, to reach the area around Darnau, capture the road junction leading to Vienna and organize an encircling defence of the position. Lieutenant Boyarkin was placed in charge of this detachment. The terrain of the area the brigade was operating in was extremely difficult: high mountains with rocky gorges, narrow stony roads, numerous steep descents and rises, mountain creeks and small rivers. As the detachment was nearing Alland, the enemy blew up a bridge over a mountain river and blocked the road. Boyarkin deployed a tank platoon and attacked under cover of SPGs, successfully managing to dislodge the obstruction. However, when he arrived at the river, he saw that it would be impossible to cross without a bridge and reported this back to the combat. The detachment was ordered to stop where they were, take up a defensive position and watch the road.
Meanwhile, the brigade began an offensive towards Mayerling– Schwarzensee – Neuhaus–Berndorf, intending to strike the enemy in the rear to support the forces of the main corps in the implementation of their main task. By the end of the day they had captured Mayerling– Reisemarkt, but on approaching Schwarzensee the 3rd Battalion encountered a minefield and obstructions on the roads; the brigade halted. Major Dudin organized reconnaissance, sending several groups to scout for routes to bypass this. Soon the groups returned and reported there was no way around it in the vicinity. The combrig took the only possible decision – to clear the minefield, to remove the blockages and to continue the advance. The task was complicated and extremely hazardous, but there was no other way. The sappers, tommy-gunners and scouts worked all night under cover of gunfire. Captain Kalugin – an experienced and knowledgeable officer – was in charge of the work. Having successfully carried out this difficult job without casualties, the sappers opened the way for the tanks by dawn.
Dislodging the enemy blockade, the brigade resumed the advance and arrived close to Schwarzensee as evening fell, when we hit another minefield. The leading tank blew up on a mine; the others stopped. Under cover of tank-fire, the sappers set about clearing the mines again, while Lieutenant Boyarkin stood by with his unit.
The comcor was pressuring the combrig again, reproaching him for his sluggishness, even though he was fully aware of the reasons. ‘After completion of the mine-clearing, capture Schwarzensee near Neuhaus in a night action and by the morning of the 9th straddle the junction of the Havenberg–Altemarkt roads and hold it firmly.’ It is always easier to set a task than carry it out: it was morning before the sappers had managed to clear the mines from the road and the artillery had swept away the obstructions – no night action was possible. In the morning the brigade dislodged an enemy defensive screen after much effort and moved on to capture Schwarzensee. Junior Lieutenant Viklenko’s tank was shot up during the engagement; the wounded commander and his driver were sent to the rear in a passing vehicle.
The brigade’s forces were low and our advance was slow. Before Neuhaus we encountered an enemy strongpoint screened by a minefield: once again, we only managed to continue our advance after another bout of mine-clearing. Numerous attacks supported by SPGs brought no real success, and the enemy counter-attacked each time, forcing us to switch to defensive roles to fend off the renewed onslaught. Their last attack was the most powerful: the enemy obviously threw all their might against us. Both tankers and tommy-gunners had to endure this fierce onslaught, with the main blow falling on the 3rd Tank Battalion, led by Captain Otroshenkov, although the unit managed to withstand it pretty much unscathed. The final nail in the enemy’s coffin was hammered home by the crew of Junior Lieutenant Parfenov, who destroyed an assault gun and an enemy tank. Even so, the enemy counterblow was only repulsed with a huge amount of effort and heavy losses: Parfenov’s tank suffered a direct hit on the front, piercing the armour. The gun was jammed, the driver and the radio-operator were killed, and the commander, gunlayer and gunloader were wounded. Parfenov was only saved because Junior Lieutenant Andreev rushed to the spot, forcing the enemy tank which had shot up Parfenov’s to reverse back under cover, returning fire as it went.
Having assessed the situation and weighed up the options, the comcor ordered the brigade to switch to defence along the Alland–Reisemarkt -–Schwarzensee line. For two days we defended, fending off countless enemy attacks, and it was only after the arrival of units from the 37th Rifle Corps that we handed over the sector to the 324th Rifle Regiment. Even during the actual handover the commander of the services platoon of the controls company, Lieutenant Chazov, was badly wounded.
The brigade was now withdrawn into the corps reserve and we mustered in the area of Michelhausen. We set about the usual maintenance and repair of our machines and the troops were able to get some rest. Otroshenkov was extremely happy to receive four repaired tanks back from the maintenance men.
On 13 April Vienna was taken, and on the same day at 8.30 a.m. the 170th Brigade, together with an SPG regiment, moved off towards the Hutgeldorf–Haserdorf–Gutenbrunn area. The rear units and our 1st and 2nd tank battalions mustered without tanks in Lising, a suburb of Vienna. The brigade’s offensive was progressing well: wiping out small enemy groups as they went, the tanks of the 3rd Battalion, accompanied by infantry and SPGs, captured Hutgeldorf, Haserdorf, Alleuberg, Gutenbrunn, Hameten and Ober. By the end of the day we had reached the western edge of a forest about 1 kilometre west of Hameten. The young officers fought sensibly and gallantly, gaining valuable experience day after day. Boyarkin’s platoon destroyed two tanks and three anti-tank guns during one day of action, while the other tanks bagged four more guns and three mortars. Two depots full of military supplies were also captured.
On the morning of the 14th the brigade, together with the 105th Rifle Division, advanced towards Grausenberg and fought its way to the Traisen canal. During their retreat the enemy blew up one of the key bridges over the canal. Our tanks stopped and engaged the enemy defending the opposite bank in a firefight. Colonel Chunikhin and the comdiv of the rifles arrived; quickly assessing the situation, they worked out the best way to run a coordinated action and the infantry attacked under cover of fire from the tanks, SPGs and artillery batteries. The infantrymen crossed the canal using improvised craft and other means, and engaged the enemy at close range on the opposite bank, pushing them back. In the meantime, Chebotarev’s scouts found a bridge further up the canal in Sankt Andra. Captain Otroshenkov quickly directed us into a column to cross the canal over this bridge, we got back on track again and continued the advance towards Herzogenburg. We burst into the northern outskirts of the town without delay and, after a brief skirmish, we captured the town. The enemy incurred heavy losses: two tanks were on fire at the northern edge of the town, three shot-up assault guns stood immobile, six anti-tank guns had been smashed and destroyed and there were numerous corpses scattered around the place. In total 480 Germans were taken prisoner during this action.
The combrig left two tanks, an SPG and a platoon of tommy-gunners to defend Herzogenburg, and the rest of the forces, together with the 110th and 181st tank brigades, carried on towards Sankt Polten. However, the front-line troops were ordered to keep moving forward, as there was no need to defend Herzogenburg any longer, so the brigade relocated to Sankt Polten and took up a defensive role along its northwestern edge. Three more tanks caught up with us following repairs, which significantly strengthened the battalion.
By the end of 15 April we came up against the Stokkard–Sankt Polten–west of Gloggnitz–east of Maribor line. Having been reinforced by the 1000th Anti-Tank and 1438th Anti-Aircraft artillery regiments, as well as an infantry battalion of the 107th Rifle Division, on the 17th we advanced towards Schwarzenbach–Wiesenfeld, and part of our group assisted the 107th Rifle Division in capturing Reinfeld–Eder. Travelling via mountain roads, overcoming obstacles and dislodging ambushes on the way, we then encountered a strong defensive screen in the area of Perscheneg. Otroshenkov successfully deployed the tanks and attacked under cover of the infantry, before continuing to fight his way southwards, but then the road suddenly ended, south of Neckerhof. Smashing his way along a mountain track with great difficulty, the tanks stopped before a precipice. Otroshenkov was perplexed – how had he managed to fall into such a trap? Chunikhin came to the head of the line. The combrig and the combat looked around, put their heads together over the map and plotted a new route. Having luckily escaped this potentially fatal scenario, we continued towards Achstetten and Michelbach and by the end of the day were close to Neckerkof. The tanks attacked the village straight away and eliminated the enemy.
The offensive continued the next day. We reached Michelbach and took it without any trouble. The escape routes for the enemy to Zendorf and Achstetten were cut off. In the meantime the units of the 107th Rifle Division approached Farafeld and, together with our brigade, destroyed the enemy forces in the area, taking a number of soldiers prisoner. After this success we turned southwards, dislodging defence screens, clearing roadblocks and minefields, and finally captured Dyrla by the end of the 18th. En route small enemy garrisons in Eshteten, Finstreg, Aberhof, Kronstorf, Michelbach, Kohlhof and Berlau were also wiped out.
The night allowed us to refuel the machines, replenish the ammo stocks and feed and rest the men, but in the morning we were on the road again to Rohrbach. Around Osterbauer we encountered more enemy resistance: our scouts spotted five entrenched tanks and six armoured vehicles with infantry. After an initial shelling, our infantry attacked, with the tanks providing support for the foot soldiers. The attack was successful: having lost a tank, two armoured vehicles and about two dozen soldiers, the enemy retreated. We kept advancing in coordination with units of the 107th Rifle Division and by the end of the day approached Rohrbach. This was a small town with old stone buildings and narrow winding streets. The enemy had fortified it, with a strong garrison defending it. Division and brigade scouts worked all night long and by morning it was confirmed that there was a full regiment of infantry with tanks and artillery defending the town. We spent time meticulously preparing our offensive, but the plans changed because the enemy moved first and instead we had to defend against the enemy attacks. The engagement turned out to be a hard one as we didn’t have a lot of forces at our disposal.
The counter-attacks were beaten off, but at the cost of heavy losses. The enemy also suffered badly, and pulled back to consolidate their positions. During the night two additional tanks returned from repair and the brigade could regroup its units somewhat. Better coordination with the infantry was established, and at dawn, after an artillery barrage, our attack commenced. The enemy couldn’t hold out and rolled back – Rohrbach was taken. Without delay we continued the advance and came up against the Gelzelle River. The main bridge over it was mined and blocked by a covering force, but we managed to wipe it out as we drove up. Under cover of fire from our tanks and infantry, the sappers cleared the land mines and first the infantry and then the tanks passed over the bridge. We encountered a line of enemy resistance once again as we approached a grove 1 kilometre south-west of Rohrbach. In spite of the utter inevitability of their defeat in this war, the Germans continued to fight with stupid and interminable fanaticism!
Our forces deployed immediately; we attacked, and under a murderous enemy fire burst into the southern edge of the grove, but stopped there. One of our tanks was on the battlefield, severely damaged, but we managed to pull the badly-wounded Lieutenant Belousov out. The enemy did their best to hold control over the Vienna–Wiesenfeld high road, and the brigade had to engage in a fierce and bloody battle in the woods. During enemy shelling the head of signals of the infantry battalion, Lieutenant Volkov, was badly injured, and Captain Otroshenkov was wounded in the neck by a piece of shrapnel.
The wound seemed to him to be trifling: the senior battalion medic Semenikhin examined it, cauterized it with iodine, bandaged his neck and said jokingly: ‘It’ll have healed before the wedding day!’ Otroshenkov laughed and replied carelessly: ‘Big deal. It’s a gnat bite, no more than that!’ There was no more time for discussions, and the combat went straight back into action – but that splinter was to prove significant not too long after the war. It turned out that the splinter of metal had stopped near the carotid artery, and it began to ‘stir’, producing extreme headaches and upsetting his sense of balance. The surgeons couldn’t pinpoint the cause of this strange illness – at first nobody paid any attention to the splinter, but when it was discovered no one dared to operate: the risk was too high. Thus Serguey Otroshenkov had to retire from the armed forces, from his position as colonel, deputy tank division commander. The army lost a gifted officer, and Otroshenkov took the departure from his beloved career very hard. Later he underwent an operation, however, and it was successful. It was as if he had a new life: he graduated from a polytechnic university and worked as a leading engineer at the Ural Machinery Works in Sverdlovsk. Currently he lives in Ekaterinburg.
After the battle for Rohrbach we only had three tanks and thirty tommy-gunners left in the brigade. During the night we received two more tanks back from repair. The fighting went on: the enemy counterattacked once more, trying to throw our tanks and infantry out of the grove – the remnants of our force fought them off. During the second half of 22 April the combrig received an order: ‘Hand the defence sector over to the infantry. Hand over the remaining tanks to the 110th Tank Brigade and then muster in Rehrenbach.’ Next day the rear units and the 1st and 2nd tank battalions arrived from Lising. Soon we got the further instruction: ‘Receive tanks at the freight station of Vienna.’ On the 26th the deputy combrig, Major Novikov, and Engineer-Lieutenant-Colonel Slabchenko, along with battalion commanders and their technical deputies, headed for the station. They drove through the beautiful streets of Vienna. Signs of recent fighting could be seen everywhere, but life went on in full swing in the capital: there were lots of people out in the streets, and the shops and cafés were open for business.
The combats received their tanks, unloaded them from the open rail-cars and dispatched them to the muster area at Reipoltierkirchen. Up until 30 April we were preparing the machines and arms for the last battle. We had received the final reinforcements and this allowed us to man the crews appropriately. This last lull soon came to an end. Colonel Chunikhin received new orders, assigned tasks to the combats, and we marched for Kochel–Greben–Wurmla–Mauerstetten. By the end of the day the brigade control units mustered in Gunersdorf, and the battalions were in Talheim. Having stationed the tanks and camouflaged them, refuelled the machines and done all the normal technical inspections, we prepared for May Day celebrations.
On the morning of 1 May a ceremonial line-up and inspection were conducted. Readiness for the oncoming battle was checked. Everyone was in a buoyant mood, and on the 2nd spirits were even higher as the radio had brought joyous news – Berlin had fallen. Our happiness knew no limits: it was clear that the days of Fascism were numbered. The fall of Berlin completely undermined the morale of the German Army, and the disintegration of Hitler’s troops began. Captain Gusak reported that the German troops were leaving Austria, and we received the simplest order of the whole war: ‘Rapidly pursue the enemy in the direction of Sankt Polten–Amstetten–Linz, destroy the enemy and link up with the Allies. At this point end all hostilities.’
Our 1st Battalion advanced in the vanguard, with the 2nd, led by Sarkisyan, and the infantry battalion following; Otroshenkov’s 3rd Battalion with the rear units were ordered to stay at their current location until further notice. The brigade followed the Vienna–Munchen high road. The Germans no longer rendered any organized resistance – seeing our tanks approaching, they ran off in all directions in panic. There were a few maniacs who would spitefully shoot at us from behind corners or under cover and then immediately disappear, dispersing among the local population.
We moved quickly, blasting along. I ordered the company commanders to turn the guns to form an arc and shoot a salvo as we approached settlements, storming through them without stopping. Communications with the combrig worked well: the airwaves were free. Colonel Chunikhin, being in good spirits, was cheering the combats on, asking them to speed up and reach the Enns River as soon as possible, but at the same time advising them ‘to hurry up cautiously’. The situation was as good as it could be – the bitumen road, the enemy fleeing in all directions without resistance. It was a nice warm sunny day. Trees were blossoming everywhere. A rumour went round that Germany had capitulated but there was no official notice yet.
Rolling along the Danube towards Erlauf we rushed through Gros-Seyring and Loosdorf, and scattered a column of Germans in Melke. Our new tanks operated reliably. But then, as we approached Serding, two German Tigers attacked the column of the 2nd Tank Battalion and without any difficulty swiftly destroyed two of our tanks, one after the other from point-blank distance. While our men were trying to respond, the crews of the Tigers jammed their fuel injectors on full throttle, jumped out of their tanks and ran off. Their tanks rolled along, before heading off the road and ending up stalled in the ditch. Thus we lost two crews on the last day of the war – more pointless graves in Austrian soil.
We bounded through Amstetten and later in the day, as the sun was setting, a column of Willys jeeps appeared on the road as we approached Franzenburg. The tankers got ready for action but some instinct kept us from opening fire. Looking more closely at the vehicles, we spotted a flag with stripes and five-pointed stars on the front vehicle. I shouted: ‘Hold fire! It’s the Allies ahead!’ A huge ‘Hurray!’ resounded in the air.
I reported our encounter to the combrig and he replied: ‘Give way to the Allies. Continue advancing towards the Enns River without stopping. I will meet the Americans myself.’ The Americans stopped. They waved their hands and called out to us to stop. They were raising bottles of whisky and pointing at them, but the battalion passed the American column, carrying out its orders.
Joy, a sense of pride and insane happiness filled the hearts of each and every soldier and officer. No one wanted to think about the war and fighting any more. There was one thought in all our minds: ‘We’ve survived! We’ve come to the end! We’ve won!’ The world seemed to be bright and marvellous, and life to be suddenly wonderful and carefree.
In the meantime Colonel Chunikhin got ready to meet the Americans. The combrig and Lieutenant-Colonel Negrul stepped forward and exchanged formal greetings with the American representatives. But the joy surrounding this meeting and our victory overwhelmed all the officialdom, and the two sides began to fraternize: the men hugged each other, clapping each other on shoulders and backs, expressing their happiness and comradeship! Soldiers and officers exchanged souvenirs: wristwatches, cigarette cases and tobacco pouches in particular. Having invited the combrig to visit the American troops with a group of soldiers and officers, the Americans turned their Willys jeeps round and headed back towards the Enns.
Our 1st Battalion continued on through Spremberg and as we approached Rema the combrig instructed everyone to stop, gather in a line, facing westwards and await further instructions. The battalion stopped near a road junction 1 kilometre south-west of Strass. Blocking the high road to Enns, I spread the tanks into a line looking west. The crews sprawled on their tanks or on the ground in a state of bliss. A field kitchen arrived. The officers spread a tablecloth out on the ground in a nearby glade and snacks and rum appeared, as if out of nowhere. We toasted each other with our mugs.
The brigade HQ, the infantry battalion, the 3rd Tank Battalion and the rear units stationed themselves in the area around Spremberg.
In the evening our radio-operator caught news of the capitulation of Germany. He reported it to me, and I conveyed it on to the combrig. Colonel Chunikhin replied: ‘I am not certain. Wait for an official announcement. There is to be no relaxation – redouble vigilance and ensure order is maintained.’ The brigade spent all night from 8 to 9 May in anticipation, in a state of heightened spirits, before the official announcement came through. There were crowds of people of all nationalities – ex-prisoners of Nazi concentration camps, refugees, ex-deportees who were on their way to their homelands from west to east, from south to north. I lodged in a nearby house which had a café on the ground floor and living quarters on the first floor (the owner having fled). I woke up the next morning, opened the window wide and sat on the windowsill. The scenery was beautiful – mountains, apple trees in blossom, bright-green fields with winter crops. For a country guy like me, this was indeed a sight for sore eyes. Suddenly I felt so sad: the war will be over – what next? What shall I do now? It was obvious that the army would be reduced in numbers. There would be the opportunity to be demobbed. But what then? I had a good higher education, so I could go to a university – but which one? Maybe, the physical education one – I was physically fit, a good soccer player and a good crosscountry skier.
The deputy combrig, Major Novikov, found me deep in thought when he came to visit me, and he asked: ‘Vasya, why are you so gloomy?’
‘What reason do I have to be cheerful? The war is over. And what kind of skills do I have? I can coordinate an advance, set up a defensive position and lead men into attack. Things have been clear and decisive for me throughout the war. But what is there ahead of me now? Where do I go from here?’
He looked knowingly at me and said: ‘I don’t understand you. You survived – the rest will take care of itself! You can stay in the army and join the academy. You have great prospects.’
‘That may be so, but how do I go about getting my discharge?’
‘What are you talking about?! You’ve made it to battalion commander at such a young age, and you want to quit?! Who’s going to take your place? No way!’
‘All right, I’ll think it over.’
Apparently he told Chunikhin about our conversation. The combrig came to me the next morning: ‘Vasya, I’ve heard rumours that you’re despressed.’
‘I’m not sure what to do with my future, which path to take.’
‘You will figure out what to do. Come on, don’t be gloomy! You’re only 21, and you’re already a battalion commander. You’re the youngest combat in our brigade and in our corps. No one is going to want to see you discharged unless you really beg to go. You will get into the academy for sure – you’ve got great prospects. Let me suggest to you this one thing: forget all that rubbish in your head – put the battalion into order. Learn how to lead it in times of peace. You will need that experience when you run things at a regimental level after the academy. You’ll have no uncertainties then.
‘And another thing – call it quits with Maltseva. She’s a good girl but she’s been around, and one day she’ll begin to cheat on you. Are you and her together again?’
‘No, what are you talking about?’ I lied. (I have to admit that Masha actually had joined me. Having noticed the combrig’s vehicle, she sneaked up to the attic where we were talking and hid there listening until he left.)
Meanwhile, I continued: ‘All right, I will do as you say.’
‘Let’s go and see how your battalion is doing.’
‘It’s set up the way you’ve ordered.’
‘Come on, then, let’s go. Keep in mind, though, that even if the war is over, we may still end up with new enemies. Don’t you guys let things get out of hand – stay vigilant. You still need to organize guarding of the tanks and watches.’
‘I’ve already given orders, everything is normal. I’ve told everyone not to loiter about and not to drink.’
‘Let’s have a walkabout.’
We walked around the camp – the weather was fine and sunny. The combrig commented: ‘Good man, keep things like this.’
I walked him to his car. Suddenly we heard in the distance some fairly dissonant singing: ‘From behind an island, into the deep stream . . .’67 Gradually the voices grew stronger, and three very drunk soldiers, headed by driver-mechanic Stulov, stumbled round the corner. They stopped when they saw us. The combrig scowled: ‘You fellows, come here. Of course, the war is over, but we must still be vigilant. Haven’t you been ordered not to relax, not to lose watchfulness and combat-readiness?! Why are you drunk?!’
‘Comrade colonel, we are not drunk, we are just tipsy. I hope the Motherland will forgive on such a day?’
‘Go and sleep it off.’
‘Yes, sir!’
Turning to me, the combrig said: ‘Look. Watch out for drunkenness.’
We parted after that.
Later, when the camp was established, I ordered that a jug of wine was allowed on each table at mealtimes. I warned that if I saw just one drunken man around there would be no more jugs of wine. And over the following month I did not see a single inebriated guy. How they managed it, I don’t know – the worst ones were most likely hidden from me – but that was okay with me.
One day an order came through ‘to stop and requisition all cars, motorcycles and bicycles running past on the high road and place them into our own stock’. We sent out a patrol. Vehicles were given up without any argument, but a real battle would break out for each pushbike. Nevertheless, we managed to commandeer almost 1,000 pushbikes in a day and set them up in rows. I reported to the combrig that the pushbikes were pretty worn out and unsuitable as trophies, but that the people were upset and offended by our behaviour. The colonel cancelled the order to requisition the pushbikes; whilst it was being sorted out and the bicycles were being returned to the owners, night fell, so the civilians settled near our tanks, feeling themselves safe under our protection. Campfires were lit, and food was cooked in mess tins. Conversations in different languages could be heard all around, there was laughing and singing, and a concertina was playing somewhere nearby. I was sitting by the window, feeling blissfully happy. After the chat with Chunikhin my uncertainty had disappeared: I had made up my mind to stay in the armed forces. I was very fond of my position as a commander and felt that I was good at it.