MAN v TANK COMBAT TRAINING Guderian & PzG 2 BATTLE OF KIEV, Wochenschau Nr 572 - SS Div. REICH Pt 22

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Episode 162

The last time we were with Kurt, his unit had finally got its first extended break from the war. They happily spent the time harvesting the fields of a number of nearby villages. His entry regarding fraternizing with the locals and their feelings about the Germans is fascinating.

It was during these days our commander gave us the good news that we’d be going to Smolensk There we w’d be able to watch the feature film Riding for Germany which starred the popular actor and the latest Wochenschau news reel in a movie theater.

The operations on the eastern front lead to, within a few weeks, the destruction of the Soviet forces that had gathered to first attack Germany and then flood into Western Europe. This is how Army Group Center proceeded. Armored formations lead by Fieldmarshal von Bock attacked to the north and south of Bialystock meeting up at Minsk and thus creating the conditions necessary to complete the larges military envelopment ever seen. Soviet armies were trapped in two enormous pockets and then destroyed. Before this battle was over mobile units raced on to the Stalin-line and penetrated it. In further daring operations other large pockets of enemy forces were trapped and after four weeks of battle, destroyed. The accompanying infantry protected the flanks of the advancing armor and completed the entrapment of the enemy. Kesselring’s Air Fleet played a decisive role in these battles.

That evening I personally empty enough trucks to make sure that there’s space for everyone to go. With everything prepared for the mornings trip we all relax in the hay excited about tomorrow’s excursion. Then at 23:00 hrs we received an urgent message ordering us to make ourselves combat ready and to prepare for immediate departure. Our day in Smolensk was not to be…

1. September 1941

Morgens um 8 rollen wir…

At 0800 hrs we are combat ready and on the road driving through Smolensk and then on towards Roslawl. We’d imagined our excursion through the city much differently.

The roads are still in terrible condition and heavy rain has turned the ground into knee deep mud. Progress proceeds at a snail’s pace. Soon the shocks of our truck fail and we’re left unable to move waiting for a mechanic show up and repair the damage. The rest of our unit continues on ahead. Not until the evening are we on our way again as part of another convoy. The traffic jam has made passing vehicles impossible so there’s no chance of us catching up to our unit.

Traveling over the extremely bumpy road through the deep mud is painstakingly slow. Occasionally we get stuck and are unable to move forwards for hours at a time. Travelling 300 meters forwards suddenly seems a herculean feet. What makes the situation worse is that we have no provisions and we’re unable to get any from other units. What little the soldiers have they naturally keep for themselves and their own. There’s no telling when of if the supply vehicles will catch up. All we have to eat are some potatoes that we were able to boil in a pot of water. For a number of days we eat them cold, without even a pinch of salt.

5. September 1941

In late afternoon we finally catch up to our company. Their first attack has already taken place. Following the advance of two assault guns they were quickly able to advance through the defending Soviets. Our arrival allows us to take part now with pushing on hot on the heels of the retreating enemy. We advance towards Ssosnika under orders to advance as quickly as possible. The Corps has been given the mission of reaching the bridge over the Desna river, to secure it and to build a bridgehead on the far bank. General Guderian himself is driven past to the very front to encourage the attack. We move forward so quickly that our regiment alone succeeds in getting to the bridge and securing it undamaged.

Here’s the situational map for September 5, the day that that last entry covers. PzG 2 has engaged the enemy and is meant to form that backbone of the northern pincher. Interestingly the Soviet High Command, or Stavka, understood the possible danger that PzG 2 represented for their south western front. However, on August 19, Stalin made the decision that Kiev would be held at all cost. Using Kurt’s diary we’ll be following the progression of these operations in the next videos.