Leibstandarte at Viitivtsi station (March 1944)

[GregSingh]

Hi, yes you are right about Losowaja.

Gromy is an issue.
Nothing between Merefa and Jefremowka, but further East - still South or SE of Kharkov we have Хролы (Khroly or Groly).
Coordinates 49.900971, 36.365069. Perhaps it's this one? Any more clues?

[Harro]

Not much, the battlegroup advanced from Artemivka (north of Merefa) over Nova Vodolaha, Gromy and Starovirivka to Yefremivka and then on to Oleksiivka to attack the enemy flank (the original plan was over Nova Vodolaha, Stanychne, Starovirivka and Paraskoviya to Oleksiivka).

BTW, they advanced from Yefremivka to the east and then there is mention of Oktjabrskij "seven kilometres west of Oleksiivka". I suppose this could only be what is called Pervomais'kyi today?

[GregSingh]

they advanced from Yefremivka to the east and then there is mention of Oktjabrskij "seven kilometres west of Oleksiivka". I suppose this could only be what is called Pervomais'kyi today?

Oktjabrskij is now called Zhovtneve (Жовтневе), here: 49.413447, 36.176064

[Harro]

Perfect

[GregSingh]

"the original plan was over Nova Vodolaha, Stanychne, Starovirivka and Paraskoviya to Oleksiivka"
That route was along the major road back then. No problem with finding these places.

You would think " over Nova Vodolaha, Gromy and Starovirivka will show alternative route between Nova Vodolaha and Starovirivka, but could not find Gromy there on any map.

[Harro]

Exactly, same here

[GregSingh]

There was a farm complex just NE of Nova Vodolaha (or Nowaja Wodolaga according to German spelling) called Gromy.

Just don't understand why they mentioned such a small place and it also does not fit with the story...
Are you reading translated secondary source or German primary source? Perhaps translation is stuffed up?

Today are just fields there, no name, somewhere here: 49.750171, 35.923957

Here is a fragment of German map with Gromy.

Gromy

[Harro]

Primary, it is from listed close combat days in a recommendation for the close combat clasp (Nahkampfspange)

L.JPG (13.8 KiB) Viewed 436 times

[GregSingh]

Perhaps it does have a sense.
They planned to cross river at Gromy and then move straight South towards Jefremowka.
Instead they went all the way around Nova Vodolaha, Stanychne, Starovirivka.

[Harro]

That was also my understanding: the original plan was to advance over Nova Vodolaha, Stanychne, Starovirivka and Paraskoviya to Oleksiivka to attack the enemy in the flank. But from Meyer's book, the divisional history, various award recommendations and your input about Gromy it becomes clear that they ended up moving over Merefa, the Gromy Farm, Nova Vodolaha and Starovirivka to Lozova, then to Yefremivka, over Krasne to Oleksiivka.

[GregSingh]

Olchowatka aus über Bladogatnoje und Laideschewka auf Sneshkoff-Kut

That sounds like attack from the South-West and West on Walki (Valky or Валки) in Kharkiv Oblast - here: 49.838383, 35.616634
One correction - it's Blagodatnoje not Bladogatnoje!

Olchowatka (Ольховатка) is called Vil'khuvatka (Вільхуватка), Poltavs'ka oblast on Google Maps, but Ukraine road atlas still has Olchowatka, here: 49.619533, 35.334846
There was another Olchowatka near Merefa, but this one is too far away.

Blagodatnoje (Благодатное) is called Blahodatne (Благодатне), here: 49.702781, 35.437295

Laideschewka is most likely Latyschewka - Latyshivka (Латишівка), here: 49.807289, 35.322061

Finally Sneshkoff-Kut, nowdays Snizhkiv (Сніжків), here: 49.794069, 35.513456

[Harro]

Thanks Greg! By now we figured out Snizhkiv and Blahodatne but Olchowatka was still a mystery.

[Harro]

I suppose Ssujewka is Sosnivka, west of Snizhkiv as it fits my main sources. Another mystery is Schefwtschenkti, mentioned on the 11th of March so it should be near Lyubotyn or more to the northwest of Kharkov.

[GregSingh]

1942 German map shows Schewtschenkoff between Bairak (Байрак) and Oleksandrivka (Олександрівка) just along small stream, west of Kharkov. It does not exist today.

Can't find Ssujewka, German map shows Ssossnowka for Sosnivka.

[Harro]

I'm in doubt whether Schefwtschenkti is Schewtschenkoff or not because it is way off the expected location. Knittel had orders to block the roads leading into Kharkov from the north and northwest and Bairak and Oleksandrivka are both west/southwest of the city.

Hauptsturmführer Knittel hat Befehle, im Nordwesten von Charkow einzubrechen und die von Norden und Nordwesten nach Charkow hineinführenden Straßen zu sperren.

Schefwtschenkti is mentioned in a casualty report for the 11th of March.

Ssujewka is mentioned in a casualty report for the 6th of March during the advance on Snizhkiv, hence my suspicion that it is Sosnivka.