6 Pz Div at Raseiniai, 1941

[Prit]

Dear all

Does anyone have an account of the battle of Raseiniai? I have the broad outline, but I'm after anything more detailed.

In particular, does anyone have a copy of Wolfgang Paul's Brennpunkte book about the division, and does it have much to contribute?

Prit

[tigre]

Hello Prit ; here goes what I could grasp over there................

6 Pz Div at Raseiniai, 1941.

As noted later, it was the Russian XIV Panzer Corps, which begun to counterattack. Obviously it had the goal to take back Raseiniai and to drive out the 6th Pz of the plateau. Hence the battle group "S"became in a very difficult situation. It was the first appearance of the dangerous heavy Russian tanks, "Kw II". They attacked soon after unleashing severe artillery fire in the bridgehead established by the Kradsch.Bat. 6, and broke through it. One company was rolled over and crushed. Under the overwhelming pressure of the enemy the battalion had to retreat towards western bank of the river. At the edge of local forest, the mass the battle group "S" put stubborn resistance.

Still it was hoped to hold the the higher bank of the river, when the monsters tanks got easily across the Dubysa and suddenly
reappeared. Even the combined fire of artillery and all other heavy weapons of the the battle group were not able to stop those steel Pachyderms. They attacked the road to Height 121, overrunning the riflemen and the Paks which were fighting there and then broke into the artillery zone. Our hundred tanks, of which a third were Mark IVs, now had to go to counterattack.

Sources: Raus, Erhard. Die Panzerschlacht bei Rossinie : 23. bis 26. Juni 1941. Allgemeine schweizerische Militärzeitschrift : ASMZ, Vol.118 (1952).
Panzers on the eastern front.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[Prit]

Thank you, Tigre

[tigre]

Hello Prit ; you're welcome. More follows...................

6 Pz Div at Raseiniai, 1941.

The German tanks engaged the opponent from the front with some elements and took it with the bulk from its flanks. Coming from three sides hammered with the shells against the thick steel giants. But it was a futile effort to try to destroy them. Though soon mechanical failures had occurred on the hostile tanks side. After a long struggle with the Russian giants the German Panzer units had to look for cover in the hollows in order to escape its destruction.

Also, the Kradschützen Bataillon, which still was defended the woods west of the Dubyssa bridge against the enemy infantry supported by tanks, had finally to fall back. Taking advantage of all possible covering, they gradually retreated westwards and eventually took a sustainable defense position at the edge of the plateau on height 106, north east of the road fork leading to the two bridgeheads.

From the east pushed more hostile tanks and west of it were the mass of the heavy tank which had broken through the resistant of the German artillery, antitank guns and antiaircraft guns. Therefore only one solution remained: to get roll over by the new enemy armor, then breaking out to the sides, looking for liaison with the mass of the Schützen Regiment 114, which hoped can be found over there. In some fox-holes, under road bridges, hidden in culverts, and crouching in the tall corn fields, was to wait the approach of the second wave of heavy enemy tanks.

Sources: Raus, Erhard. Die Panzerschlacht bei Rossinie : 23. bis 26. Juni 1941. Allgemeine schweizerische Militärzeitschrift : ASMZ, Vol.118 (1952).
Panzers on the eastern front.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; last part...................

6 Pz Div at Raseiniai, 1941.

The enemy tanks which had gone through the counterattack of the German Panzer Regiment 11 hardly suffered, but they were slowed down and split up, causing to lose weight in its attack. This was how the battle group "S" managed to escape and to organize the aforementioned new defensive position at Height 106 and re-organize the defense there. All weapons were used for anti-tank employment. The Aura of invincibility which had the super-heavy enemy tanks already had gone because a battery of cannon of 100 mm, in addition to the 8.8-cm-Flak, succeeded into carry one of these monsters into the afterlife.

Later the German troops rejected all the incoherent attempts of the adversary in order to break the new defensive position or at least to bypass it. Even the attack carried out by the enemy infantry, which followed the tanks, change anything, because it was weak and so exhausted by the ceaseless battles and marches that they was no longer capable of reaching a decisive breakthrough.

Was it but the same for the infantry of the 6th Pz, which were not trained in collaboration with tanks units. On this day in particular the Kradsch. Btl 6 and the SR 114 had had a hard ordeal.

Sources: Raus, Erhard. Die Panzerschlacht bei Rossinie : 23. bis 26. Juni 1941. Allgemeine schweizerische Militärzeitschrift : ASMZ, Vol.118 (1952).
Panzers on the eastern front.

Its all folks. Cheers. Raúl M .