Cult Icon wrote:Raus, Panzer battles pg.242:
4th Battle of Kharkov 13-25 August 1943:
This antitank defense alone would not have been sufficient to repulse the expected Soviet mass tank at-tack, but at the last moment the reinforcements we had so long been re-questing—in the form of the Das Reich SS Panzergrenadier Division—ar-rived with a strong panzer component; I immediately dispatched it to the most endangered sector.
The ninety-six PzKw V Panthers, thirty-five PzKw VI Tigers, and twenty-five StG III self-propelled assault guns had hardly taken their assigned positions on 19 August when the first large-scale attack of the Fifth Guards Tank Army got under way. The first hard German blow, however, hit the masses of Russian tanks that had been recognized while they were still assembling in the villages and flood plains of a brook valley. Escorted by Luftwaffe fight-ers, which cleared the sky of Soviet aircraft within a few minutes, wings of heavily laden Ju 87 "Stukas" came on in wedge formation and unloaded their cargoes of destruction in well-timed dives on the enemy tanks caught in this congested area.
Raus' claims 420 tank kills on the 5GTA with the 2.SS DR contributing the most out of the weakened units in the region. Raus, the XI Korps commander, is silent about DR afterwards.
Armored Bears (3.Pz unit history) mentioned the Das Reich Panther battalion being shifted to support one of their depleted PzG regiments. This force claimed "50 tank kills".
Are you serious?
The 5GTA hasn't 420 tank in that time.
" At the beginning of August 43 the 5 g.TA consisted of 29 Armoured Corps + 1446 SP-artillery regiment and 18 Armoured Corps, 5 g.Mechanized Corps + 1447 SP-artillery regiment, 53 g.Armoured Regiment, 1 g.Motorcycle Regiment, 1526 and 1549 SP-artillery regiments.
August 3rd the 5 g.TA has ran into position of 6 PzDiv near Orlovka - Bessonovka and it's advancement was stopped due to strong defense. Also there, in Orlovka, was located 503 s.PzAbt with 6 PzKpfw VI. The 5 g.TA had the following combat formation - 29 and 18 AC in first line while 5 g.MC in reserve. Thereafter at August 6 the advanced units of the 5 g.TA have moved along of the Udy river were engaged in battle with 3 PzDiv in the Zolochev city. The advancement of the 5 g.TA again was stopped due to strong defense. The battle for the Zolochev take longer than planned - until August 9. At evening August 9 the 5 g.TA received order from General Headquarters about the transfer to reserve due to high losses. 11.08.43 It had only 106 tanks - 88 T-34 and 18 T-70, the losses of tanks were 254, 111 from them were burned-out, 29 tanks have been damaged as a result of Luftwaffe action(24 T-34 and 6 T-70) and more 14 were blown up by mines.
At early Morning of August 12 the 5 g.TA take up positions southward from Bogodukhov, 29 and 18 AC in first line (Khrushchevaya Nikitovka - Kiyany) while 5 g.MC in reserve northward from Bogodukhov, due to order of regrouping for offensive to Kovyagi-Valki. But at 08:00 of August 12 ϟϟ PzGrDiv. "Totenkopf" and "Das Reich" started offensive to Bogodukhov. They have quickly broken resistance of the Soviet units - 97 and 13 Guards shooting divisions and have made contact with units of the 5 g.TA which were ready for offensive. The 5 g.TA had 63 T-34 and 22 T-70 tanks losses from 12.08 to 20.08. It is possible to tell that it has appeared in due time in a proper place. If the Soviet command has not rearranged Rotmistrov army under Bogodukhov, operation "Rumjantsev" would be put on an verge of catastrophe.
At afternoon of August 20 It start regrouping to area of 53 Army near Polevoe and started attack without success by 18 AC and 5 g.MC at 17:00 August 21 in Lyubotin-Korotich direction, the 29 AC still kept positions near Bogodukhov (18 AC had 80 tanks and 5 g.MC had 50 tanks - CАDD, file 223, inventory 50664, doc. 9, pgs. 186–187.).
15 tanks were sink into the mud of boggy bank Udy river, some tanks were blown up by mines. On the next day the parts of the 5 g.TA continued attack at early morning but were stopped by two tank companies of "Das Rech" Panther Abt. around Starja-Ljubotin and Kommuna, as a whole for a day Panthers knocked out 48 Soviet tanks. August 23, 12 Km west of Kharkov, the platoon of 2-nd tank company of Panther Abt. "Das Rech" broke up a Russian tank assault. The platoon commander alone destroyed 7 tanks from 10. On the 24th "Das Reich" 6-th tank company with 9 PzKpfw IV's, battled 60 T-34's at Korotich farm. This tanks knocked out 29 tanks of the 60, plus some "Tigers" appeared in time also knocked out 11 enemy tanks, around 56 Soviet tanks were knocked out by "Das Reich" units in that day. From August 21 to 29 the 5 g.TA lost 114 T-34 and 15 T-70 just when moved only 12 km.
According to the Russian Central Archive of Defense Department (CАDD, file 332, inventory 4948, doc. 34, pgs. 4, 43, 61.) in total for August 43 the 5 g.TA has had following losses: burned-out - 324, destroyed by artillery - 100, destroyed by mines - 14, destroyed by Luftwaffe - 7 tanks. The losses in manpower during August were: 60-65 % senior officers, 85% battalion and company commanders, 75% radio operator's.
During August 43 the 5g.TA units have destroyed 413 tanks, 37 self-propelled guns, 70 armoured cars and SPW, 245 guns of different caliber, 200 mortars, 695 motor vehicles and a lot of other technics. (Central Archive of Defense Department, file 223, inventory 50664, doc. 38, pg 124)
The German commander of XI corps E. Raus wrote in memoirs: "All attempts to beat off Kharkov cost 5th Guards tank army of loss of 420 tanks for three days of fights. As effective fighting force on the near future it has ceased to exist". -
Now we see that he was wrong because the 5 g.TA was weakened before August 22 and tanks losses for three days(21-23) can't be 420.
We can ask may be not only 5 g.TA has 420 tanks but some more armoured units in Steppe front ? The Steppe Front commander I. Konev informed the Main Headquarters about condition of the armoured units for July 30th 1943:
7 g.A. - 27 g.armoured brigade, 201 armoured brigade, 167 and 262 detached armoured regiments - altogether 50 tanks.(shortage 116 tanks)
69 A. - 96 armoured brigade - 88 tanks.
53 A. - 1 mechanized corps, 34, 35 and 148 detached armoured regiments - altogether 260 tanks.(shortage 57 tanks)
On 17.08.43 1 MC had only 44 tanks, more than half were light tanks. (less that one armoured brigade. Central Archive of Defense Department, file. 409, inventory. 10057, doc. 283, pg. 301 - 302.)"
on the August 20 1943 the Soviet 53 A had the next tanks units:
148 TR had 6 tanks (Т-34 и Т-70)
61 TR - 6 KV-1с
35 TR - 9 мкII & мкIII
1548 self-propelled ArtReg. - 1 KV и 3 SU-152
1 мc- 43 Т-34 & Т-70
«The report on operations 5 Guards tank army» which is stored the Central Archive of Defense Department in Podolsk (CАDD of Russian Federation, file 332, inventory 4948, document 31):
«The execution of the task army has started at 9.00 21.08.1943г. The river crossings do not found in area Peresechnaja and Gavrilovka. Shooting units of 53 army operating in this area have not been provide even bridgehead on southern coast of the river of Udy for building the river crossings. The opponent, occupying heights on southern coast of the river of Udy, and infantry units with submachine guns directly behind a railway line subjected the powerful fire of the artillery and mortar to bombardment forwarded units of the 18 tank corps through found ford and an army advance party. During a crossing, as a result of bad reconnaissance, 15 tanks have got stuck in boggy river banks Udy, a part of tanks were undermined on mines… Only by 17.00 21.08.43г. parts 18 tank corps and an advance party of tank army have finished a crossing through the river of Udy and have started the task execution. The opponent renders the strong fire resistance since a boundary of heights to the south of the river Udy … With a dawn 22.08.43г. The 5 Guards mechanised corps has been entered into fight, It has received task to cross through the river Udy in area Peresechnaja and Gavrilovka till 6.00, blow in a direction of Korotich, Babai by an outcome of day to reach an area Babai and to bar the way a withdrawal of the Kharkov grouping of the opponent on the southwest …
By an outcome 22.08.43г. Parts of tank army have rushed in Korotich and have occupied it …
For the purpose of support of a withdrawal of the parts from Kharkov in a southwest direction, the opponent move closer up great strengths in area Korotich and as it has not been occupied by our infantry, the opponent attacked and has occupied it, having cut off advance parties of 5 g. MC and 18 TC … Attempts of the main forces 18 tank corps and 5 Guards mechanised corps to break out to the encircled, by the opponent have been repulsed.
During from 23 till 24.08.1943г. Army parts conducted fights on northern suburb of Korotich. Attempts to seize it had no success».
Result: «As a result of fights in area Korotich from 21.08 on 31.08.43. Army parts have losses - tanks T-34 - 114 units, tanks T-70 - 15 units, is killed 451 people, is wounded - 806 people» (Central Archive Department of Defense, file 5 g.TA, inventory 4948, document 31, pg 99).
Look for it and you will find it...