Hello crs1blue
; here goes a little contribution..............
Fighting along the river Oskol - Operation Gallop.
February 6, 1943.
Since midnight continuous enemy attacks at company and battalion level in the sector of: Skripai (Pz.GR 2.) And Petschenegi (Pz.GR 1.), The attacks were repulsed with heavy losses to the enemy. Before the AA LAH positions some 360 Russians were killed, including five officers. In the fighting fell in action Ustuf. Klingner, of Pi.Btl LAH, who was attached to the outpost with his section.
At 00:45 hours the 298 ID broke contact with the enemy and retreated to the west and northwest. The first column of march with the Commander and Ia - Ops Offr (led by Oberstleutnant Arnhold) reached the railway line Tschugujew - Kupjansk east of the station Korobotschino at 07:00 hours. A reconnaissance aircraft led the group westward as the spot was already occupied by the enemy. Except rifle fire there was no other reaction from the enemy. Counterattack in support of the withdrawal by the 3. / Pz GR 2 (Hstuf Beutler) and the 2. / AA LAH (Ostuf Weiser) reinforced with assault guns.
At 08:30 hours about 100 men of the 298 ID and scattered men of the 320 ID reached Skripai (3. / GR Pz 2) and 800 men of the 298 ID, including Oberst Michaelis came to Malinowka (2. / AA LAH).
Army Detachment Lanz required reports on the state of the 320 ID on their progress towards Andrejewka, but received only partial reports. Contact with the GR 586 was totally lost and rearguard fought in difficult conditions in Balakleja. The elements of the division had orders to assemble in Ssawinzy. The Soviet Rifle Regiment 172 expelled the Germans from Balakleja.
At 21:15 hours, Ostuf Guhl reported that Andrejewka was free of enemies. The 320 ID under pressure continued his retreat on the road Izjum - Smijew.
February 7, 1943.
The CP of the 298 ID at Tschugujew. The elements of the AA. 298, Pz.Jg.Abt.298, Kan.Btl.298., AR 298, NA 298, Pi.Btl. 298 which had reached Skripaj moved to Tschugujew and occupied an Assembly Area there.
Around noon the Commander of the 320 ID (known as the Berlin's Heart for its emblem), Generalmajor Postel, landed aboard one Fi-156 in Tschugujew, there he took a hot bath and changed his underwear thanks to Sepp Dietrich. After talking on the phone with the commanders of the Army and the Army Corps, Postel coordinated with the Ia (1st Staff Officer ) of the LAH the withdrawal ofthe 320 ID towards the German lines and then returned to his division.
It was ordered that the Pz GR 2 LAH was to retain Andrejewka for the 320 ID was gathering in Ssawinzy (30 kms southeast) and then had to march by Balakleja. Andrejweka had been abandoned but was recaptured by the 12. and 13. / Pz GR 2 with support from the 3. / Stug Abt LAH. At 22:00 hours the Ustuf Guhl required reinforcements in order to maintain the town of Andrejewka. The Pi Btl LAH was assigned the task of blowing the railroad bridges at Tschugujew.
February 8, 1943.
At 18:00 hours the elements of the 298 ID at Tschugujew moved towards Charkow (Nowo Bavarija).
Sources: Last Victory in Russia. Georg Nipe.
The Leibstandarte. Rudolf Lehmann
KTB 298 ID.
Cheers. Raul M
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by crs1blue on 08 Nov 2011 23:00 
