Kharkov '43 Grand Campaign AAR

[larsonney]

KHARKOV ’43 GRAND CAMPAIGN---Day 2

Mobile Group Popov is…found, mostly!
Day two was action-packed. Heavy fighting by Grossdeutschland in the northeast, Das Reich just south of them, & 7th Panzer at Slavyansk was interspersed with sparring along the rest of the line as the Russian steamroller really got going on this day.
The heartening thought is that day 3 is expected to be worse than the first 2 days…yummy! Can’t wait…but we mustn’t let our doom & gloom cloud everything…we did have some successes today, so let’s get started!

North Front
This front was again static, however, today is the day that the Russian 40th Army gets started…so we expect movement to contact occurring in the afternoon, with day 4 being the real start of serious fighting.



Northeast
The Grossdeutschland had an excellent day…with the Fusilier & Grenadier regiments wheeling north from their retreat lines & launching ferocious counterattacks on the Russian 219th infantry division, 8th Destroyer Brigade, & elements of the 173d Tank Brigade. The attacks continued through the night, culminating with the ”Slonovka Pocket” as dawn broke. The GD regiments expect to have the pocket eliminated by noon, then they are planning to retreat northwest to close “the Gap” southeast of Korocha. This counter-thrust was aimed at slowing the link-up of the Russian 40th & 69th Armies and to secure the north flank.



South of the pocket, the Grenadier RGT of Grossdeutschland & recon elements of 2nd SS das Reich held east of Budarka with little problem…we saw some 69th Army units turn north to relieve those forces caught in our little kessel…we caught a few in transport mode & made short work of them. By evening, units from the 180th & 270th Rifle Divisions were again probing our lines: we expect a push here on day 3.



South of Budarka, the Deutschland regiment of 2nd SS PZG paused to not create a gap…in the late evening, a vicious little skirmish occurred east of Kreydyanka with forward elements of the Russian 12th Tank Corps…we will be conducting a fighting withdrawal through Ol’khovatka on day 3. 12th Tank Corps is worrisome here, we must be careful not to get fixed with them…we want to keep this nasty behemoth at arm’s length!



Now, if you recall, we were awaiting approval from Heerresgruppe Don/Sud to counterattack the northern flank of 3rd Tank Army southeast of Verilkiy Burlok, in the Vyselok valley. Permission was given at 08:00, and the Der Fuhrer regiment of 2nd SS PZG rumbled into elements the 201st Tank Brigade & 13th Guards Calvary Division that were probing up the valley. By nightfall, we had advanced 10-15 kilometers and eliminated several units, including an entire tank battalion of dreaded T-34’s. This thrust allowed the 526th infantry regiment of the 298th infantry division to escape north to Verilkiy Burlok and its sister 527th regiment to fight westward out of an encirclement. This regiment should also be able to head north in the morning as well.



Now, on to the center!!

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Center Front

The 525th regiment of the 298th infantry division was retreating in good order west for most of the day , but in late afternoon the regiment was encircled west of Staroverovka. Because of a forced night march, the recon battalion of the SS LAH PzG division arrived northwest of the 525th, but as dawn breaks, a quandary exists. The Recon battalion is needed in two locations. First, on the south flank of Der Fuhrer to make sure the Novonikolayevka gap is secure, and,of course, secondly, to attempt to rescue the 525th. There is a fierce discussion going on in OKH as to the correct decision…



February 3rd was a long day for the 585th regiment of the 320th INF division, as the mobile units of the Russian 6th Army solidified their hold and began to squeeze the regiment. The STUG-IIIg’s of the division’s recon battalion were brushed aside and the main highway to Chuguev was open most of the day. Our only solace is that this area does not have a strong enemy presence yet, with only the relatively tame 6th Army here.



Center-South Front

The 320th INF Division’s 586th regiment continued falling back west through Kun’ye and Chervona-Dolina…this regiment is in good order since the 106th Rifle Brigade appeared to turn south to help encircle Izyum.



We had planned defending the critical crossroads at Izyum to the last man, but the collapse in the center & lack of pressure north of Izyum has caused us to reconsider the value of a full-strength infantry regiment, so the 587th regiment was ordered to fall back west across the Donets. This order arrived a bit late, as the units from the 35th Guards & 267th Rifle Divisions had entered the suburbs by mid-afternoon. The 587th escaped, but the 619th reserve regiment of the 382nd Feld Aus division was lost and quickly capitulated.
Southwest of Izyum, the 681st regiment of the 333rd infantry spent the day moving towards Petroyskaya to block the expected thrust along this highway on day 3. We are expecting the 35th Guards Rifle to turn in this direction now that the Russian demons have Izyum secure.



Let's finish in the southeast...

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Southeast Front

A note on Mobile Group Popov…we had expected a Russian move towards Petroyskaya by way of Barvenkovo from the 4th Guards Tank Corp in the first two days. This has not materialized. As you see from the map below, this area is open to the best of our knowledge. Of course, the rest of Mobile Group Popov releases on day 3, so we will see true Russian intentions soon, probably.



What a difference a day makes! Day 2 saw heavy fighting in Slavyansk, with the 57th Guards rifle division showing up in the early afternoon to assist the 195th Rifle division & 3rd Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade in a determined push to take the city. The 7th Panzer division suffered heavy losses as the Russian hordes did not cease their assault. As the division was pushed into the center of the city, multiple Luftwaffe strikes were used to try to slow the hated Russians. One of the returning sorties caught a glimpse of something in the hills & valleys south the Sukhoy Torets River. After a few brave sorties of Luftwaffe recon planes, the 4th Guards Tank Corps was found resting & refitting here with multiple bridging engineers.. .


Because of this troublesome discovery, the 7th Panzer’s commander, General of Panzer Troops Funck, requested & was given permission to withdraw south of the city during the evening. As pioneer detachments blow bridges behind them, the exhausted panzertruppen of Rommel’s old division withdraw to the eastern bank of Severnyy Donets, screened by the rested panzers.



To the east, the 19th & 27th Panzer divisions skirmished with the 2 Guards Rifle Divisions and dug-in along the ridge. The enemy was very timid here, we expected a harder push on day 2. Because of the quiet, we expect a concerted effort to push south here on day 3.
The 3rd Panzer is expected to arrive around noon today, but they will spend the entire day moving north.



So begins day 3...expected to bring even more Russian hordes upon us...especially the rest of Mobile Group Popov...no rest for the weary!:smoke: