Wenk
09.01.1943, Gavrilivka

This warm and sunny fall day, on September 1, 1943, the Chief of Staff of the 1st Panzer Army, Major General of Infantry Walter Wenk has been annoyed by everything. It has been discrepant orders of the Army Group "South", which have not fitted the real situation; and that prolonged fuss of the encoders with Russian radio intercepts; and the latest air intelligence data about the accumulation of mechanized enemy troops south-west of Gamoysha, and in the area of Bogorodichne; and the necessity of an urgent decision about an evacuation of the Army Headquarters from Gavrilivka. But the special irritation of the General has been caused by very unsuccessful attempts of the "neighbors" located south-east of Makiivka. This desire as well as the intension of the 6th Army retreating to the fortified position "Tortoise" on September 2 put in a very dangerous position the entire right flank of the Panzer Army. Two days ago General Wenk, as an experienced staff officer, became firmly convinced of the necessity to join that forced retreat. The same decision about organized and coordinated actions has already made by the Commander in Chief.

In this connection, the following aim has been stated for troops: by September 2 to retreat in the rear guard of the 6st Army on the west bank of the Bakhmut river; by the night on September 3 to come to the line south-east of Kostiantynivka "Chasiv Yar - Zubivka - the mouth of the Kazennyi Torets river"; by the night on September 4 finally come into the position "Tortoise". The appropriate orders have already been sent to the corps. The Chief of the Operation Department of the staff of the 1st Panzer Army, Colonel Wolfgang Hauser has already left to the 6th Army for negotiating and finalizing this issue.
Tortoise
The defeat of German troops at Stalingrad as well as the forced retreat from the Caucasus, could not cause no concern of Wehrmacht leadership by the situation in the South, and primarily by the vulnerability of Donbass troops. In Janury, 1943, German headquarters, in this connection, made the decision to start building of the new fortification defensive "Tortoise" along the line "Mariupol - Stalino - Kramatorskaja". The personnel of the 5th demining batallion of fortified building (the dislocation in Stalino) has been assigned to carry out design and survey work. Providing the necessary number of construction workers using civilians; their accommodation, provision with entrenching tool, food, etc., has been entrusted the Economic groups of the headquarters of Army Groups "South". Later on, the following control headquarters, reported directly to the 107th Construction Team (the dislocation in Gavrylivka), would be established to organize and to direct manage the construction work:
"Tortoise South" as the control headquarter of Major Walcher (8 demining and building units);
"Tortoise North" as the control headquarter of Captain Dr. Koch (8 demining and building units).
After May 12th 1943 Hauptmann Tolksdorf was assigned the Chief of Staff.


About 25,000 local civilians have been involved to implement this project in the shortest time.
Fretter-Pico
09.01.1943, Chasiv Yar

In the area of responsibility of the XXX Army Corps this day has been passing with no clash with the enemy. Reconnaissance reports that the busy movement of Russian from the north and north-east to Krasny Liman has been observed since 16.20. There are 60 trucks and foot groups, each includes 150 people, total amount is around a regiment. The corps commander, the General of the Artillery Maximilian Fretter-Pico is looking at his watch: the planned retreat begins on the eastern flank at 7:00 pm. The rearguard stays on the former major coastline. The order was sent to the 38, 62, and 333 Infantry Divisions yesterday, the more so that staff officers of the Army Corps also went to the Divisions. Using an unexpected pause, the General returns to his yesterday's conversation with the Commander of the 1st Panzer Army. General Mackensen has been one of the a few people with whom Fretter Pico could speak openly and frankly. Particularly, it was found that they convergence in the main: leaving well fortified natural facility on the Seversky Donets river was a major strategic miscalculation, we can call it was fatal one. And all interim, even well fortified borderlines have hot allowed to change the situation to their favor. Undoubtedly, they will play their role and they will help to gain time, to make the most organized forces retreat and to keep the fighting capacity of divisions. But we need to be aware that the real stop the "steamroller" of Russians is only possible at the turn of the Dnieper river. At the end of the conversation, the Commander suddenly very unfavorable commented on the command authority of the 6th Army and shared his vision of the Mius-Front problem. This revelation of the Commander, and especially the formula of its expression, allowed Fretter Pico to become firmly convinced that the situation in the South is even more nasty than presented in the daily reports there is, in the south, the situation is even more nasty than it is presented in the daily reports.

An order of the Staff of the Army about the responsibility for the evacuation of the civilians was received at 8:00 pm. Despite the lack of time, it should do the best to evacuate all civilians using all the disposable forces. It is emphasized that at least, a military age population as well as able-bodied population should be removed or withdrawn in the rear areas. This action should be to carried out as quickly as possible using violence if it is necessary. The unit of the field gendarmery numbering two companies is added to the XXX-th Army Corps both for the control of the column movement and for the evacuation of towns located in the valley of the Kazennyi Torets river. The use of this unit for fighting as well as for convoys of evacuees is strictly prohibited. To obey the order to the full, it is instructed to work closely with the Commander of the 531th Rear Area (Korück 531) Major General William Stubenrauch, who gave the same order.
Korück 531
The protection of both troop supply and Securing the supply of troops and tranquility of civilians in the front line of the 1st Panzer Army has been assigned to the Commander of the 531th Rear Area (Kommandant des rückwärtigen Armeegebiets 531 or abbreviated «Korück 531"), Major General William Stubenrauch. The tasks of his unit have been following: the safety of the rear of the Army, the security and the defense of critical military facilities as well as an active anti-partisan operations; the protection of important utility and manufacturing entities; the provision and the development of public services in the occupied territory; the provision of troop movements through the area rear area; quartering of troops and munitions; order of movement of vehicles; maintenance of the transit camp of prisoners of war (Dulag), providing counterintelligence operations conducted by the Abwehr.
To perform these functions, Korück 531 had at its disposal a number of departments and services - security part of the field and the local commandant of the field gendarmerie and the Secret Field Police, trucking companies, battalions supply department APO etc. To perform these functions, Korück 531 has had a number of units and services at his disposal: the security unit, the field and the local commandant's offices, the field Gendarmery unit and the unit of a security police, motor companies, supply battalions, field post offices etc.
Commandant's office 840
01.09.1943, Kramatorskaja

At 12:30 pm the Commandant Hauptmann Ernst Fricke received from the Commander of the Army an instruction about the preparations for the destruction of military and industrial targets in Kramatorskaja. It was emphasized that the necessity of that action is caused by the retreat of divisions on the defensive line "Turtle". All the more or less significant urban facilities were mentioned on the list approved by the Chief of Staff of the 1st Panzer Army, Major General Wenk: Krupp's factory, metallurgical works, the machine-building plant, the cement plant, Energostroy East, three transformer stations, three pumping plants, the bank, the bakery, the dairy factory, the creamery shop, the cold store, the supply base "Tsiten", the airfield, the three bridges on the the Kazennyi Torets river, the two bridges over the road U5 "Stalino - Slovyansk - Kamenka". The staff of one of the companies of 560th field engineer battalion, which is accommodated in Kramatorskaja would prepare these objects to the explosion.
The newspaper "Pravda Kramatorskaya", №34, September 2014