"Tragedy of the Faithful- A History of the III (Germanisches) SS Panzer Korps" by Wilhelm Tieke.
Another work by Tieke that examines in tactical detail the battles of the III SS Panzer Corps from Narva in 1944 all the way back to Berlin in 1945.
I was interested in this title by a desire to find more on the lengthy German defense around Narva in 1944. Glantz and other authors such as Zeimke show the battles in broad strokes that showed the several attempts by the Soviets to get around the Narva lines. Despite a large bridgehead, the Soviets were unable to rout the Germans as they had done on the breakout from Leningrad (Operation Spark).
The book provides a good look at how a flexible fighting force handles one tight situation after another. From the start of its fighting career, the III SS Panzer Corps was in the hot seat. First at Narva with the Soviets on two sides, the Baltic and assailable beaches on the third. Then a fighting withdrawal to the Tannenberg positions, and continued withdrawals and bloodletting back through Riga, Courland, Pomerania, and Berlin. At various times, the companies of the constituent divisions (11th SS and 23rd SS in various forms) are down to single squad strengths. Tieke gives a good look at how the various companies in a regiment fight. The regimental companies (13th, 14th, 15th, 16th) are continually forming rear-guards and assault platoons or, interestingly, combining the with battalion heavy-weapon companies (4th, 8th, 12th) to form shock units.
I always have a tough time picturing how weak battalions hold kilometers-long front with a frontage of 30-40 meters per soldier. As described in this book, you have basically only an outpost line of machine gun positions every 100 meters or so and backed by mortars and direct-fire guns at choke points. The only strength to this type of position is the layers of reserve and reaction forces supporting the outposts. There is no question the line will be penetrated, but then the battalion reserve is sent in, maybe an assault-pioneer platoon. Then there are regimental reserves, usually a company from one of the battalions or the regimental pioneer or motorcycle companies backed by a couple of assault guns. If the regiment trying to carry out this type is motorized it has the speed and weapons to make the defense work. If the regiment is a simple grenadier formation without any other support, it is not going to last long against a mechanized assault.
In the early years, the Germans could usually shift enough army-level reserves into a threatened sector and transition from an economical defense to a powerful operational counterattack and even a strategic level counteroffensive. But by 1944 transitioning to even a minor counterattack against the Soviets was becoming increasingly problematic. The result is waves of retreats with some pretty sharp fighting in between.
The "faithful" of the III SS. Panzerkorps refer to the portion of Swedes, Danes, and Norwegians who made up parts of the 11th and 23rd SS Divisions. But even in the original formation of these SS formations there were large amounts of other ethnic and nationalities, ethnic Germans from Rumania making up a third of the 4th SS Brigade "Nederland" (pre-cursor formation of the 23rd Nederland SS Divsion). The 11th SS "Nordland" Division contained only about 1900 "Nordlanders" at its formation in Sept 1943.
The "tragedy" referred to in the title I assume means that the "faithful" should have met a better fate than battlefields deaths in a long retreat and Soviet prison camps. Tieke tries his best to make the furious counterattacks and final stands as glorious as possible and, de rigueur in this type of book, trots out stories of hope for a force of united western nations fighting against Communism and plots to arrest Hitler foiled by innocuous obstacles like failing to get in touch with a daughter-in-law. That's better than "the dog ate my homework."
Looking at the combat described in the book, the numerous appendices in the book describe several small-unit actions that resulted in Knight's Cross awards that would make excellent wargaming scenarios.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The Roer River Battles
"The Roer River Battles-Germany's Stand at the Westwall 1944-45" by David Higgins. There have been several books published recently on the fighting along the borders to Germany in 44-45 such as works by Harry Yeide, Douglas Nash and others. Many more works focus on the Normandy breakout, Falaise, the Seine River, the race across Lorraine, and Market-Garden but fewer have gone in depths on the border battles in recent times. The period of Oct-Dec 1944 would otherwise seem to be a quiet period but the border battles and long supply lines halted the Allies and led to battles around the Huertgen Forest, Aachen, Nancy, and Metz setting the stage for "The Bulge" and follow-on battle to cross the Rhine and form the Ruhr pocket. So I thought this would be an interesting read.
Higgins' style of writing is to not delve too deeply into the thunder and drama of a clash but to describe the maneuvers, the objectives, the forces involved, and an outcome. In that way, the fights of the 9th Infantry Division as they move into the Huertgen Forest costing them 4,500 casualties is summed up in about 10 pages. Mr. Higgins does provide a focus on the changing orders of battles though without footnotes it leaves me a little leery of taking them at more than face value. It is nice to have the orbat references amidst the battle descriptions and in the case of the Germans for this time and location of the war, tracing their order of battle is no mean feat.
The US First Army, though restricted in supplies, still had gasoline and ammunition in abundance compared to Patton's Third Army further South in Lorraine and as such the First was capable of some maneuver in the fall and winter of '44. In the effort to support Montgomery's drive through , two corps of the US First Army were directed to the Aachen Gap thus setting the stage for the protracted Huertgen Forest and Roer River battles.
Higgins describes the US maneuvers and German counterattacks at a useful battalion-level summary, noting what battalions are involved and some general comments on their state at the time. This is useful for the wargamer. The maps, created by Higgins, are detailed but often difficult to quickly discern German from US troops and rivers from roads.
All in all, a recommended read for the wargamer.
Higgins' style of writing is to not delve too deeply into the thunder and drama of a clash but to describe the maneuvers, the objectives, the forces involved, and an outcome. In that way, the fights of the 9th Infantry Division as they move into the Huertgen Forest costing them 4,500 casualties is summed up in about 10 pages. Mr. Higgins does provide a focus on the changing orders of battles though without footnotes it leaves me a little leery of taking them at more than face value. It is nice to have the orbat references amidst the battle descriptions and in the case of the Germans for this time and location of the war, tracing their order of battle is no mean feat.
The US First Army, though restricted in supplies, still had gasoline and ammunition in abundance compared to Patton's Third Army further South in Lorraine and as such the First was capable of some maneuver in the fall and winter of '44. In the effort to support Montgomery's drive through , two corps of the US First Army were directed to the Aachen Gap thus setting the stage for the protracted Huertgen Forest and Roer River battles.
Higgins describes the US maneuvers and German counterattacks at a useful battalion-level summary, noting what battalions are involved and some general comments on their state at the time. This is useful for the wargamer. The maps, created by Higgins, are detailed but often difficult to quickly discern German from US troops and rivers from roads.
All in all, a recommended read for the wargamer.
The Caucasus and The Oil
"The Caucasus and The Oil- The German-Soviet War in the Caucasus 1942/43" by Wilhelm Tieke. This is a book written by Tieke, a particpant in the battles, and published in 1970. This particular translation from German was published in 1995. Currently reading.
The book interested me as it is one of the few translated works with tactical information of the fighting in Caucasus. The battle conditions imposed by the geography has some unique aspects. A very long and threatened supply line for the Germans and reinforcements impossible due to the fighting as Stalingrad and continuing Soviet counter-operations. Dispersal of the fighting divisions over wide areas. Panzer divisions moving and attacking through passes in the Caucasus Mountains. Large formations of Cavalry deployed on both sides. Soviet Air Force dominance in the skies above the battle though contested at times by as few as three or four German fighters on the whole front. Soviet Battalion and Brigade-sized armor units equipped with Lend-lease tanks, largely Grants and Valentines. Amphibious operations by the Soviets along the Black Sea, daring mountain assaults by German gerbigsjager, Brandenburg-er commando raids, its all there. As happened at Moscow in 1941 and Stalingrad, the Soviets were able to hold on, repel, and counter-attack the Germans and change the course of the war.
The author tells the tactical-level story using personal sources, records from participating German officers and German military archives. If one is familiar with the sriting style of Paul Carrell, then you have an idea of Tieke styles. Dramatic prose, lots of exclamations, tough-guy quotes, no footnotes but still an earnest work and recommended.
The book is currently on the reading list and I'll update the article when I've read it completely.
One paragraph (p. 11) is a brief story of the Viking's panzer battalion encounter with 4 sheepdog with anti-tank mines. The mine dogs were unsuccessful and succumbed to the tanks machine-gun fire.
One dodgy translation I ran across (p. 14) "Suddenly an electronic fuzed mine zig-zagged for 250 meters through the forward-most battle group without causing any damage." Now what the heck is that? Remotely activated mines or fougasse I can understand, but this translation makes it sound like a poorly guided rocket was fired. Maybe a reference to a single-shot "flame rocket" which were used in WWII? 250 meters is a long way though. Or maybe it was a 250 meter long field of remotely detonated devices?
P. 30 and following pages tells of 16th Motorized Division crossing the Manych River. Would make a good wargaming scenario.
With the quick advance of the panzer divisions into the Caucasus and Kuban, Tieke is repeatedly having to describe attempts to seize bridges and fords across the numerous rivers. Typically, the division motorcycle battalion backed up by a company of panzergrenadiers, pioneers, or tanks charges into the town or village near the town and make a mad rush for the bridge. Half the time the bridge is demolished, and the other half they grab the bridge. Daring stuff with Brandenburger detachments dressed as NKVD or operating as heavily armed commandos. No mention of the panzer division's recon battalions, presumably they are filling the gap between the widely dispersed panzer divisions.
The pages around 174 describe a multi-day battle of the SS Viking Division in October '42 trying to break-through a valley against a couple of Soviet tank brigades and 2-3 regiments of infantry with AT guns, direct fire artillery, and rockets. The battle finally brings the German advance in the Causcasus to a halt. Around 40 German tanks with about 10 Marders against T-34's and Mk III Valentines. Grechko's book (see below) talks about the Soviets having a density of 33 AT guns per kilometer in the Sagopshin sector against Viking.
An interesting companion to Tieke's book is one that tells the story of the Caucasus fighting from the Soviet side, "Battle for the Caucaus" by Marshall of the Soviet Union Andrei Grechko. But that is another ride.
Overall the book portrays the tenacious ability of the German Armed Forces to generate repeated successes even as logistics and the strategic situation worsens. The German Army's ability to form ad hoc units on a continual basis is showcased. Marines, Flak, Naval, SS, Luftwaffe, Cossack, police, and construction units are effectively integrated into a single mission task at any organization level. Also, in prideful fashion, the book never points out that the Germans were defeated in the Caucasus.
The book interested me as it is one of the few translated works with tactical information of the fighting in Caucasus. The battle conditions imposed by the geography has some unique aspects. A very long and threatened supply line for the Germans and reinforcements impossible due to the fighting as Stalingrad and continuing Soviet counter-operations. Dispersal of the fighting divisions over wide areas. Panzer divisions moving and attacking through passes in the Caucasus Mountains. Large formations of Cavalry deployed on both sides. Soviet Air Force dominance in the skies above the battle though contested at times by as few as three or four German fighters on the whole front. Soviet Battalion and Brigade-sized armor units equipped with Lend-lease tanks, largely Grants and Valentines. Amphibious operations by the Soviets along the Black Sea, daring mountain assaults by German gerbigsjager, Brandenburg-er commando raids, its all there. As happened at Moscow in 1941 and Stalingrad, the Soviets were able to hold on, repel, and counter-attack the Germans and change the course of the war.
The author tells the tactical-level story using personal sources, records from participating German officers and German military archives. If one is familiar with the sriting style of Paul Carrell, then you have an idea of Tieke styles. Dramatic prose, lots of exclamations, tough-guy quotes, no footnotes but still an earnest work and recommended.
The book is currently on the reading list and I'll update the article when I've read it completely.
One paragraph (p. 11) is a brief story of the Viking's panzer battalion encounter with 4 sheepdog with anti-tank mines. The mine dogs were unsuccessful and succumbed to the tanks machine-gun fire.
One dodgy translation I ran across (p. 14) "Suddenly an electronic fuzed mine zig-zagged for 250 meters through the forward-most battle group without causing any damage." Now what the heck is that? Remotely activated mines or fougasse I can understand, but this translation makes it sound like a poorly guided rocket was fired. Maybe a reference to a single-shot "flame rocket" which were used in WWII? 250 meters is a long way though. Or maybe it was a 250 meter long field of remotely detonated devices?
P. 30 and following pages tells of 16th Motorized Division crossing the Manych River. Would make a good wargaming scenario.
With the quick advance of the panzer divisions into the Caucasus and Kuban, Tieke is repeatedly having to describe attempts to seize bridges and fords across the numerous rivers. Typically, the division motorcycle battalion backed up by a company of panzergrenadiers, pioneers, or tanks charges into the town or village near the town and make a mad rush for the bridge. Half the time the bridge is demolished, and the other half they grab the bridge. Daring stuff with Brandenburger detachments dressed as NKVD or operating as heavily armed commandos. No mention of the panzer division's recon battalions, presumably they are filling the gap between the widely dispersed panzer divisions.
The pages around 174 describe a multi-day battle of the SS Viking Division in October '42 trying to break-through a valley against a couple of Soviet tank brigades and 2-3 regiments of infantry with AT guns, direct fire artillery, and rockets. The battle finally brings the German advance in the Causcasus to a halt. Around 40 German tanks with about 10 Marders against T-34's and Mk III Valentines. Grechko's book (see below) talks about the Soviets having a density of 33 AT guns per kilometer in the Sagopshin sector against Viking.
An interesting companion to Tieke's book is one that tells the story of the Caucasus fighting from the Soviet side, "Battle for the Caucaus" by Marshall of the Soviet Union Andrei Grechko. But that is another ride.
Overall the book portrays the tenacious ability of the German Armed Forces to generate repeated successes even as logistics and the strategic situation worsens. The German Army's ability to form ad hoc units on a continual basis is showcased. Marines, Flak, Naval, SS, Luftwaffe, Cossack, police, and construction units are effectively integrated into a single mission task at any organization level. Also, in prideful fashion, the book never points out that the Germans were defeated in the Caucasus.
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