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Panzer Commander Hermann Balck: Germany’s Master Tactician

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The headquarters of the 48th Panzer Corps and the divisions under its command began to arrive in the Chir salient on 4 December 1942. The division, holding a bridgehead across the DON east of VERKHNYAYA CHIRSKAYA, was the nucleus of the Corps in the corner formed by the DON and CHIR rivers. Adjoining on the right and extending up to the boundary there was a thinly-held line along the DON made up of 24 Pz Dw Division rear echelon elements. On the left there were those elements of the 338th Infantry Division that had arrived from the Hungarian Army sector by rail and on foot. Scherzer, Veit (2007) (in German). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives]. Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.

It seemed, and the nature was up in arms against us. At night with 20 for November, 21 mercury in the thermometer has fallen up to a mark a minus of 20 degrees. Thawn for a day snow a captivity the bark has turned in ice. It is road, the connecting Golubinskaja from the highway, going along Don, became smooth as a mirror. Was terrible to think that to our heavy machines is necessary to climb up on this abrupt slope. But while business has not reached before yet.

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In this particular area the sector of the 11th Panzer Division's reconnaissance battalion had been reinforced early in the day with several 8.8 cm antiaircraft batteries and the division's antitank battalion. While this was happening the Russians moved one tank brigade across the CHIR. Subsequent prisoner-of-war statements revealed that this brigade stood poised to strike at the sector of the reconnaissance battalion and that it was generally aimed at the Corps command post at TORMOSLIN, i.e., to the south. Here the real hell, - informed Shtreker, - unimaginable storm fire has fallen upon our positions. The Earth is literally ploughed up. At us significant losses. However the basic impact, probably, is put on Romanians. I have communicated on phone with the left neighbour, Romanian IV Army Korp. His chief of a staff is adjusted rather pessimistically. He is afraid of a panic in the armies. Our divisions keep firmly, but because of a blizzard very bad visibility. We shall report command on a course has put. Actually the Sovkhoz 79 (Sysoykin) is located there where the American professor has designated area of an environment of 333-rd Rifle Division. Without artillery support, - colonel Chekel has noticed, - we here for a long time shall not hold on. Some tanks are necessary for us even.

Pauljus has approved movement of 376-th Infantry Division on the cut position, has demanded restoration of connection with 14-th Panzer Division, and Romanian 1-n Cavalry Division which has receded to the east, has subordinated to XI Army Korp. The commandant of station Chir any more does not answer. My linear patrols informing, that in a direction of the railway there is a strong rifle and machine-gun firing. While I yet do not know details. Operative group Mikosh has sent investigation to station Chir. Within several weeks the division every night made marches, before a dawn always it appeared in the most vulnerable for the opponent a place and striking a blow for one hour before Russian. This tactics demanded from a troops of an improbable pressure, but we had few losses because we always reached full suddenness. In a division was considered as an axiom, that «night marches keep life», but validity demands to note, hundred anybody at that time could not tell plainly to you when our soldiers slept <…>" . The most full description of battle in area of Sovkhoz (State Farm) «Red Star» or the same, – Sovkhoz 79, - was given by the American historian professor Russel H.S. StolfiI am going to complete this chapter a statement my first impressions about tactics Russian. I was repeatedly convinced of a consequence, that these first impressions developed at me during battles on the river Chir, appeared completely correct. That day, Hitler awarded Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch the Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross in the hope it would encourage him to hold out in Budapest, where savage fighting continued. The German and Hungarian defenders were by then compressed into little more than a square mile, centered on Buda’s Castle Hill. However, Pfeffer-Wildenbruch at last had had enough and on February 11 defied the Führer by attempting to break out with his 28,000 surviving troops, moving in three waves. The lead echelon achieved some I conducted Pauljus and Schmidt up to air station which has been arranged at edge of city. We have silently said goodbye, and they have sat in the plane. Return translation from Russian on English will strongly distort the original English text. However it is better than is nothing also I there has risked to carry out translation of those places from Mellenthin's memoirs which concern battles on the river Chir.

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