Vzvad Garrison

[Naveed Shahzad]

Dear All,

I am researching about Vzvad Garrison which was surrounded by the Soviets during the counteroffensive of the winter of 1941-42. Where I can find information about it other than unit(s) history/archival record?

Regards
Naveed Shahzad

[ewir54.69]

part, you mean the town south of Lake Ilmen? Look for exact information from Paul Carel in his book Barbarossa. from what I remember, the units of the 290th Infantry Division were defending there.

[ewir54.69]

There is also a monograph of this division and a book about one of its infantry regiments. They were freed by a Spanish ski company

[tigre]

Hello Naveed ; a little to start................................

Soviet offensive south of Lake Ilmen - Winter 1941/42.

The Soviet offensive began suddenly and silently, without fire support on the night of January 8, 1942, the regiments of a Soviet Army went to the assault over the ice of Lake Ilmen towards the support point of Staraja Russa deep into the the German deployment. The next night on January 9, the great effort of four Soviet armies broke out westwards against the overextended front of Lake Seliger(11th, 34th 3rd and 4th Assault with the 22º protecting the southern flank). In this sector was deployed the 123. ID, which had to defend a front of 80 kilometers, the German soldiers were overwhelmed. The German northern front was broken and a catastrophe was expected. The Maps in the OKW were filled with red arrows pointing west, but a blue circle still remained south of the lake, in the fishing village of Vsvad (troops of Pz. Jäg Abt. 290; Kradsch. Btl 38; a company of Wach-Btl 615 and the 6. / Lw Nach. Reg 1 about 543 men under Hauptmann Pröhl and 80 Russian inhabitants). Besides all attacks against the front in Staraja Russa (18. ID Mot) had been repelled so far.

Sources: 105 Tage im Kessel Cholm. Heinz Trantow. Das III Reich. Sondersheft 11. Grenadiere. Die Deutsche Infanterie von 1939-1945.
Richard Muck. Kampfgruppe Scherer. 105 tage eingeschlossen.

Cheers. Raúl M .