Re: Soviet counterattacks at Grodno on 24. - 25.6.41
Posted: Fri May 01, 2015 6:30 am
Hello to all ; a little more....................
June 23, 1941 – Front Report from Grodno.
"Already in the early morning hours of the second day of battle we harvested the first great success as reward for the stubborn, determined fighting of the last 24 hours. After the breakthrough through the fortification ring and after the more than ten hour long battle of annihilation against tanks in front of Grodno, we crossed the Lososna. In front of Grodno the Russians threw an infantry unit against us, which we smashed. Thanks to daring initiative, an infantry battalion forced an opening and its assault groups now pour into Grodno. Contact with the advance formation has been established........
When the Red soldiers again tried to bring us to a halt on the Lososna bridge, the entire advance formation dismounted and helped the infantry advance. The enemy was thrown back with a wild attack. We now roll into the city along the main road from the west! Carefully covering and occupying every street, motorized assault guns, anti-tank units and flak turn off onto the various streets. We must first see what we will find in the city. Huge clouds of smoke still hide entire parts of the city. German fighters and destroyers fly above us and protect our advance into Grodno.
The suburbs of Grodno look bad. We had fought hard and relentless here! But we made it. Slowly securing the area, we roll drive on. But the Russians seem to have lost their nerve. There is no more gunfire; the last shoots echoed as we passed from the suburbs into the city center. Down there flows the Njemen! Huge fires blaze in the other side of the city! The stench of war again stings our nose: biting smoke, powder and decomposing bodies. The inhabitants wander around dazed in the streets. However, larger groups are already forming, and they help us. The Poles here do not seem to have liked Bolshevism very much! At any rate, the change of attitude is very fast.
Signals from the infantry ahead! The bridge, there is the bridge! Damned, it has been blown up! We drive down the street toward the bridge! The Russians have only damaged it! There is the second bridge, 500 meters farther to the right. That’s the railroad bridge. It has been blown up by the Russians; the middle part lies in the river. Advance slowly! The bridge has not been heavily damaged, as I can now plainly see. It will be possible to repair it in a short time. Our first reconnaissance patrols already take off. Infantrymen climb along the railings and tightly hold onto the planks. The first infantry squads have reached the opposite shore of the Njemen. Other units follow. The Njemen has been crossed! The bicycle squadrons dismount, carry their vehicles around the damaged sections, and then thrust ahead with lightning speed to the infantry on the other side. Individual shoots rang out – machine-gun bursts. Shouts follow: Bring up the anti-tank guns! Are perhaps remnants of the defeated panzer units trying to advance to the bridge?
The anti-tank guns rush ahead and detach from the carriages. Men drag the guns across the bridge with a bit of difficulty. The men disappear over there in smoke clouds. The motorized assault guns roll up and, together with us, secure the bridge from this side. We can’t get across, either. The battle noise becomes louder, but it slowly distances itself from us. The enemy nests of resistance are systematically crushed. New infantry units rush across. Now there is already a strong unit other there, which widens the bridgehead. The ring of fortifications around Grodno had been quickly blown up tonight after the big tank battle. Individual forts, and later barracks and other military installments, still had to be taken after heavy fighting. But the Russian leadership was no longer in control of the situation. The barriers were overrun. Grodno is in our hands!
The city is now systematically occupied and secured from all sides. The improvement of the bridge will take a couple of hours. Then the mass of our division and again assemble, cross the Njemen and head toward new battles…"
Sources: Fortress Grodno Falls. Soldaten Gegen Tod Und Teufel (1942)
http://imf.forum24.ru/?1-2-0-00000011-0 ... 1361127267
Cheers. Raúl M .
June 23, 1941 – Front Report from Grodno.
"Already in the early morning hours of the second day of battle we harvested the first great success as reward for the stubborn, determined fighting of the last 24 hours. After the breakthrough through the fortification ring and after the more than ten hour long battle of annihilation against tanks in front of Grodno, we crossed the Lososna. In front of Grodno the Russians threw an infantry unit against us, which we smashed. Thanks to daring initiative, an infantry battalion forced an opening and its assault groups now pour into Grodno. Contact with the advance formation has been established........
When the Red soldiers again tried to bring us to a halt on the Lososna bridge, the entire advance formation dismounted and helped the infantry advance. The enemy was thrown back with a wild attack. We now roll into the city along the main road from the west! Carefully covering and occupying every street, motorized assault guns, anti-tank units and flak turn off onto the various streets. We must first see what we will find in the city. Huge clouds of smoke still hide entire parts of the city. German fighters and destroyers fly above us and protect our advance into Grodno.
The suburbs of Grodno look bad. We had fought hard and relentless here! But we made it. Slowly securing the area, we roll drive on. But the Russians seem to have lost their nerve. There is no more gunfire; the last shoots echoed as we passed from the suburbs into the city center. Down there flows the Njemen! Huge fires blaze in the other side of the city! The stench of war again stings our nose: biting smoke, powder and decomposing bodies. The inhabitants wander around dazed in the streets. However, larger groups are already forming, and they help us. The Poles here do not seem to have liked Bolshevism very much! At any rate, the change of attitude is very fast.
Signals from the infantry ahead! The bridge, there is the bridge! Damned, it has been blown up! We drive down the street toward the bridge! The Russians have only damaged it! There is the second bridge, 500 meters farther to the right. That’s the railroad bridge. It has been blown up by the Russians; the middle part lies in the river. Advance slowly! The bridge has not been heavily damaged, as I can now plainly see. It will be possible to repair it in a short time. Our first reconnaissance patrols already take off. Infantrymen climb along the railings and tightly hold onto the planks. The first infantry squads have reached the opposite shore of the Njemen. Other units follow. The Njemen has been crossed! The bicycle squadrons dismount, carry their vehicles around the damaged sections, and then thrust ahead with lightning speed to the infantry on the other side. Individual shoots rang out – machine-gun bursts. Shouts follow: Bring up the anti-tank guns! Are perhaps remnants of the defeated panzer units trying to advance to the bridge?
The anti-tank guns rush ahead and detach from the carriages. Men drag the guns across the bridge with a bit of difficulty. The men disappear over there in smoke clouds. The motorized assault guns roll up and, together with us, secure the bridge from this side. We can’t get across, either. The battle noise becomes louder, but it slowly distances itself from us. The enemy nests of resistance are systematically crushed. New infantry units rush across. Now there is already a strong unit other there, which widens the bridgehead. The ring of fortifications around Grodno had been quickly blown up tonight after the big tank battle. Individual forts, and later barracks and other military installments, still had to be taken after heavy fighting. But the Russian leadership was no longer in control of the situation. The barriers were overrun. Grodno is in our hands!
The city is now systematically occupied and secured from all sides. The improvement of the bridge will take a couple of hours. Then the mass of our division and again assemble, cross the Njemen and head toward new battles…"
Sources: Fortress Grodno Falls. Soldaten Gegen Tod Und Teufel (1942)
http://imf.forum24.ru/?1-2-0-00000011-0 ... 1361127267
Cheers. Raúl M .