LSSAH November 1941...

[Harro]

I try to locate the following villages on the modern map of the Ukraine. The should all be found in an 8km wide sector along the Don and/or Donets River but no luck so far, probably due to the German spelling:

Nischno-Guilowskaja
Snilowskaja am Donez
Nikolskaja
Ssenjernikoff

Who can help me out?

[GregSingh]

Nischne-Gnilowskaja / Нижне-Гниловская and Semernikovo / Семерниково are now suburbs of Rostov-on-Don.
Here are the coordinates: 47.188735, 39.636889 and 47.217909, 39.570204
Snilowskaja am Donez is most likely Sinyavskoye / Синявское on Myortvyy Donets river / Мёртвый Донец - 47.276278, 39.285063

These three seemed to be along Myortvyy Donets river and an eastern part of train line Taganrog - Rostov, which was LSSAH front line in late November 1941. Not sure about Nikolskaja, it's not in the area. More clues are needed for this one from reports: directions, roads, etc.
Exact dates in November are also important as front line moved there a lot and we might be looking in the wrong area.

They are now in Russia, not Ukraine.

[Harro]

Thanks Greg! Seems the puzzle is solved. The line was static between the 25th and the 28th of November. LSSAH, as part of III. Panzerkorps, formed a defensive line along the frozen Myortvyy Donets River with the Aufkl.Abt. responsible for an 8km wide sector. The exact location of this sector was unclear but fortunately the Verlustliste (casualty roll) of the battalion lists some locations.

The 2. Kompanie (Olboeter) was positioned in Nischno-Guilowskaja/Nischne-Gnilowskaja (several members of that company killed or wounded there)

The schwere Kompanie (Knittel) held positions in Ssenjernikoff/Semernikovo (several members of that company killed or wounded there). Reportedly the Soviet forces managed to cross the Donets and even reached the railway line before Knittel managed to throw them back across the river. There is indeed a railroad between Semernikovo and the river.

The distance between Nischne-Gnilowskaja and Semernikovo is indeed roughly 8 km.

Members of the 1. Kompanie are reported killed in Nikolskaja, one of them in Snilowskaja am Donez but that last one could have been away from his company as Sinyavskoye is far from the 8km wide sector.

[GregSingh]

The best map I could find is 1:50000.
Unfortunately there is no settlements named between Nischne-Gnilowskaja and Ssemernikowo (another version of spelling).

West of Rostov

[Reader3000]

Greg, where did you find this map?

[GregSingh]

Full map is here: http://clubklad.ru/maps/182/
That file server has hundreds of interesting historical maps...