Last Victory in Russia: The SS-Panzerkorps and Manstein's Kharkov Counteroffensive - February-March 1943

368 Pages·2000·181.63 MB·English

by  George M.

LAST VICTORY IN RUSSIA
The SS-Panzerkorps and Manstein's
Kharkov Counteroffensive
February-March 1943
George M. Nipe, Jr.
SchifferMilitaryHistory
Atglen, PA
Dedication
ThisbookisdedicatedtomywifeLinda,whohasfoughtabattleagainstbreastcancerwith
as much bravery as the battlefield courage demonstrated by the soldiers mentioned in the
following pages. Shehas refused to allow the anxieties and fears that accompany this ter
rible and sinister disease to control her life and happiness. Linda remains a positive and
caringperson,givingcompassionandcomforttofriends andstrangersalikewhoareexpe
riencing the terrors ofthis disease for the first time or who are facing theirlastdays after
months orevenyears ofpainfulstruggle.
BookdesignbyRobertBiondi.
Copyright© 2000byGeorgeM.Nipe,Jr.
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CONTENTS
Preface 6
Foreword 8
Acknowledgments 9
Notes on sources 10
SS ranks and equivalent ranks 12
Chapter 1 Crisis in Southern Russia..................................................................... 14
Chapter 2 The Creation of the SS-Panzerkorps 34
Chapter 3 Operations "Gallop" and "Star" 53
Chapter 4 The Battle for Kharkov Begins 67
Chapter 5 Command and Controversy 94
Chapter 6 The City is Lost 129
Chapter 7 Manstein's Counteroffensive Begins 149
Chapter 8 Korps Raus Shields the SS-Panzerkorps 177
Chapter 9 The SS-Panzerkorps Turns North 201
Chapter 10 The Drive to Kharkov 214
Chapter11 The Destruction of the 3rd Tank Army 234
Chapter 12 The Advance to Kharkov 253
Chapter 13 The City Besieged 268
Chapter 14 "Leibstandarte" leads the Assault 286
Chapter 15 The Fall of Kharkov 301
Chapter 16 On to Belgorod 325
Chapter 17 Conclusions 349
Appendix: SS Divisional Structure and Commanders 354
Sources 357
Index 360
PREFACE
I nearly 1943theGermanArmyinsouthernRussiawasonthe by Erich von Manstein, who is consideredby many to have been
verge ofa complete collapse. Beginning in November, 1942 Germany's finest militarycommanderofWorldWarII.
the Russians launched a series of successful offensives that Duringthisperiod,Mansteinstrugglednotonlywiththesledge
drovetheGermans backforhundreds ofkilometers andcostthem hammer blows of the Soviet offensives and abundant Soviet re
hundreds ofthousands ofcasualties. The first ofthese offensives serves, but also with the interference and stubbornness ofAdolf
encircled more than 200,000 German andAxis troops ofthe Ger Hitler. When three armies of the Soviet Voronezh Front quickly
man 6. Armee at Stalingrad. Successive Russian offensives de threatened to recapture Kharkov, Hitler's obsession with holding
stroyedtheItalian8thArmyandHungarian2ndArmyandseverely thecitynearlyresultedinthedestructionoftwoSSPanzergrenadier
damaged the German 2. Armee. The momentum of war was en divisions and the elite Army Panzergrenadier Division "Gross
tirely on the side of the Russians. German reserves were nearly deutschland."These divisions were ofcriticalimportancebecause
nonexistent and the armies ofHitler'sAxis allies had been essen Manstein intended to use them in a dramatic counter stroke that
tially knocked outofthe war. Huge gaps hadbeentorn inthe line wouldreversethe courseofthe warinRussia. Literally atthe last
andtherewerenoreservesavailabletoplugthem. Stalinandmany moment,thecommanderoftheSS-Panzerkorps,PaulHausser,dis
of his key commanders believed that the Germans could be fin obeyed Hitler's order to fight to the last man and ordered a with
ishedoffwithonemoregreateffort. drawalfromKharkovthatsavedthetwoSSdivisions.Shortlythere..:
Accordingly, duringthelastdays ofJanuary, 1943theSoviets after, thethirdSS divisionoftheSS-Panzerkorps arrivedandgave
rapidlyplannedtwomajoroffensiveswhichwerecodenamed"Gal Mansteinthedivisionsheneededtocarryouthiscounteroffensive.
lop" and "Star." These operations were intended to recapture the ThesubsequentbattlesforpossessionofKharkovmarkedthefirst
industrial city ofKharkov and destroy the remaining German and time the three oldestdivisions oftheWaffen-SS, "Leibstandarte,"
Axis troops in the southern Ukraine, which consisted of 4. "Das Reich" and "Totenkopf," fought togetherunder aunified SS
Panzerarmee, 1. Panzerarmee, Armeeabteilung Hollidt and corps command.
ArmeeabteilungFretter-Pico.Comingontheheelsofthefinaldeath In the first phase ofthe operation, SS divisions "Das Reich"
throes of 6. Armee at Stalingrad and the destruction of the Axis and "Totenkopf' drove 100 kilometers south of Kharkov and
armies, thelossofthesefourGermanarmieswouldprobablyhave blockedthe Soviet6thArmy's attemptto capturethe DneprRiver
resulted in a decisive German defeat on the Eastern Front. Stalin bridges,while"Leibstandarte"successfullydefendedthecorpsbase
and his generals believed that victory over Germany was within ofsupply atKrasnograd. Sepp Dietrich's division turnedbackde
theirgraspinearly 1943 anddecidedto launch the two offensives termined attacks by the major part of the Soviet 3rd TankArmy
evenbeforethe surrenderoftheStalingradgarrison. during the lastweeks ofFebruary, 1943.Aftersecuring theDnepr
Theweightof"Gallop"and"Star"fellprimarilyuponHeeres bridges, "Das Reich" and "Totenkopf' turned north and regained
gruppe Don, a newly established army group that had relatively controlofthevitalrailroadnetworksouthofKharkov.The3rdTank
fewresourcesgiventhedemandsplaceduponit.Itwascommanded Army was forced to abandon its attack upon Krasnograd and re-
6
Preface
groupsouthofKharkovinordertoprotectthecityfromHausser's city and take it from the Russians. Hitler's words carried a great
divisions. At that point "Leibstandarte"joined its two sister divi dealofweightwithSeppDietrichbecauseformanyyearsDietrich
sionsinoperations thatdestroyedthe 3rdTankArmy, clearingthe consideredhimselfand"Leibstandarte"tobesolelyresponsibleto
pathfortherecaptureofKharkov.Almostexactlyamonthafterthe AdolfHitler. However, regardless ofthe circumstances ofthe re
citywasabandonedtotheRussians, itwasbackinGermanhands. captureofthecity, alargepercentageofthecasualties sufferedby
Strangelyenough,therearenocomprehensiveaccountsofthe the SS divisions occurredduringtheearlierdefensivefighting.
Kharkov fighting from the German standpointin the English lan InJanuary1943,"Leibstandarte,""DasReich"and"Totenkopf'
guage. The coverage found in the general works on the Eastern were at the high point oftheirpower. They had been upgraded to
Front tend to be incomplete at best. The notable exception is the Panzergrenadierdivisions during the latterhalfof 1942 and were
detailed description of Operations "Gallop" and "Star" found in equipped with two battalions oftanks. The highly motivated vol
FromtheDonto theDneprbyColonelGlantz. unteers ofthe three divisions were superbly conditionedandtheir
It is hard to understand why the remarkable and fascinating officerswerehardenedbyyearsspentintheinfernoofcombat.The
operations ofthe SS-Panzerkorps and 4. Panzerarmee have been SSregimental,battalionandcompanycommanderswereproducts
neglectedconsideringtheirimportance.Theeventsthattookplace ofmodem trainingprinciples and were taughtto be bold and dar
inthesouthernUkraineinearly 1943weretremendouslydramatic. ing. They were schooled in the basic German command philoso
Inmid-February, 1943 Germany teetered on the brink ofan early phyofleadingfromthefrontandmissionorientedcommand,which
defeatinWorldWarII,untilManstein'sKharkovcounteroffensive placedapremiumoninitiativeandaggressiveleadershipfromnon
reversedthecourseofthewarinsouthernRussia.Bythethirdweek commissioned officers and field grade officers. They were auda
inMarch,fourSovietarmieshadbeendestroyedorbadlybattered cious, aggressiveandbrazenlyconfidentoftheirownabilities and
andthesouthernUkrainewasfirmlyincontrolofManstein'sarmy thecapabilitiesoftheirmenandweapons.
group. There were two fascinating episodes during this campaign Thethree SS divisions wereattheirpeakin terms ofthe cali
whichinvolved Paul Hausser, the senior officer oftheWaffen-SS ber oftheir personnel and the quality oftheir leadership, particu
andcommanderoftheSS-Panzerkorps.Thefirstoftheseoccurred larly at regimental level and below. Hausser's SS divisions pro
onFebruary 14, 1943 when Hausser went against the specific or videdthemainoffensivestrikingpowerof4.Panzerarmeeandwere
ders ofAdolfHitler and withdrew from Kharkov. Hausser's deci the key to the success of Manstein's counteroffensive. The
sionwasundoubtedlymilitarilycorrectandpreventedthedestruc PanzergrenadierdivisionsoftheSSwonacriticalvictoryatapoint
tionoftheonlyfullstrengthmobiledivisionsavailabletoManstein. whenGermanywasonthebrinkofdefeatinRussiaandtheSoviet
Interestinglyenough,MansteinhimselfopenedthedoorforHausser high command believed that an early end to the war was in their
tomakehischoiceto abandonthecity. grasp. However, the victory was won at a high cost in SS casual
The second episode happened when the SS-Panzerkorps was ties, alargepercentageofwhichwerelostduring thebitterdefen
poised to recapture Kharkov on March 10, 1943 and three attack sive fighting that took place in the first weeks ofFebruary, 1943.
columns of "Leibstandarte" plunged into the center of the city. TotalSS-Panzerkorpslosses from 1January to 20March 1943 to
Hausserhasbeenaccusedofdisobeyinghisordersanddirectlyas talednearly12,000killed,woundedormissing.Thethreedivisions
saultingthecity,therebyincurringheavycasualtiesinordertomake were neverofthe samequality.Afterthebloodbath, the Germans
upforthetransgressionoflosingthecity. Infact, Mansteinissued wereforcedtoreplacetheirlosseswiththousandsofLuftwaffetrans
adirectivethatmentionedthiscourseofactiontoHausser.Inaddi fers and even conscripts. However, the blood sacrifice of the SS
tion Hitler clearly told Sepp Dietrich, the commander of divisionstemporarilyreversedthecourseofthewarinEuropeand
"Leibstandarte," that he wanted Dietrich's division to assault the providedGermany withits lastmajorvictory ofWorldWarII.
7
FOREWORD
T hereaderinterestinthe SecondWorldWarhas continued quiringwhatpersoninfluencedthemasmilitarymenandthecom
unabatedfor themorethanhalfcentury sincethe conflict bats that stood out most vividly during the war. By far the most
concluded. It is certain that no other event has had more influential,admiredandrespectedleaderintheWaffen-SS,aswell
influence on the world as we know it than the conflagration that as its senior commander, was Paul Hausser. Commanding first a
consumed the world andresulted inpossibly fifty million civilian divisionandsubsequentlycorps, armyandfinally army group, his
andmilitarydeaths.Withthepassageoftimeandresultingdeclas effect on theWaffen-SS began in the prewaryears when he orga
sificationofarchivalmaterial, thedetailedamountofavailablein nizedthe SS officerschooltraining system.
formationhasconstantlyincreasedandthenumberofspecificfac MostofthepersonsIhaveknownsawservicefromthestartof
ets ofthis warstillto beexaminedseems almostendless. thewarthroughitsconclusion.Almosttoaman, thosewhofought
AmongthemostenthusiasticallystudiedtopicsistheWaffen inthe 1943 battlesfor Kharkov recalledthose months as themost
SS, a revolutionary armed force that influenced modem warfare intense combatoftheir military service. The ferocity ofthe fight
perhapsmorethananyothergroupinthiscentury.Theinfluenceof ing and the unyielding nature ofthe opponents was evidentin the
the Waffen-SS can be seen in the armed forces of today and its faces ofthoseIhavemet.LittleofsignificanceinEnglishhasbeen
mystique, initially due to legend as well as a paucity ofaccurate published giving an overall view as well as first person detail of
publishedmaterial, has onlyincreasedwiththepassageoftime. thatseries ofbattles, until now.
As primarily a biographical researcher, I have had the often As he did with his previous work, "Decisionin the Ukraine"
unique opportunity to meetand correspondwith manyWaffen-SS myclosecolleagueGeorgeNipehasdelvedintothemassofrecords
veterans who were directparticipants in the battles ofthe Second at all levels to relate a detailed and accurate account ofa pivotal
WorldWar.Thesehaverangedfromprivatesandplatoonleadersto battle on the Eastern Front. I am especially pleased, having per
divisional commanders, many of whom won Germany's highest suadedhiminitiallytoundertakethestudythatresultedinthiswork,
decorations for bravery and leadership during their military ser the enormity ofwhich shouldbe appreciated. His significantcon
vice. As an apolitical researcher with a simple interest to learn, I tribution will finally show in great detail a story that must be re
was astonished to find thatI was the first and often onlyhistorian lated for historical preservation as well as afull understanding of
some ofthese former soldiers spoke with regarding their careers. theperiod.AstheforemosttacticalresearcherIknow,itismymost
Myowninterest, whilecoveringallWaffen-55 units,leansheavily fervent wishhecontinues withfurtherstudies onthebattlehistory
towards the three initial formations that became "Leibstandarte," oftheWaffen-55.
"Das Reich" and "Totenkopf."
Apartfromthepersonalfactsandrecollectionsofanindividual, MarkC.Yerger
ofimportant interest to me was their opinions. Foremost was in-
8
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
F
ew writers are able to completeabookofthis nature with also providedinformationfrom privately held unitreports, inpar
out agreat deal ofhelp from others. First ofall, I want to ticularthewarrecordsofRegiment"Deutschland's"16.1Kompanie
thank my good friend, Mark Yerger, although a simple (Pioniere).Usinghisarchivalmaterialsanddocuments,hefurnished
thanks is not sufficientto acknowledge his many contributions to biographicalinformationonmanyoftheGermanArmyandWaffen
theresearch,collectionofpictures,textcorrectionsandgeneralmo SS commanders mentioned in the book, which saved me a great
tivation. Infact, he suggestedthatIwrite aboutthe Kharkov cam dealoftimeandeffort.Markisanaccomplishedhistorianwhohas
paign in the first place. His powerful argument was that there are writtenextensivelyaboutthemenandorganizationsoftheWaffen
nocompleteaccountsinEnglishabouttheGermansideofthiscom SS. He is a repository of knowledge gleaned from his personal
plexseriesofbattles.Atthetime,Iwasresearchinganotherproject, friendships with many Waffen-SS veterans, extensive writing and
butMarkpersuadedmetodothebookanditwasagooddecision. manyyearsofresearch.Inasense,thishasbeenhisprojecttooand
Laterin the writing process, when I was having doubts about the thereaders andIowehimasignificantandheartfelt thanks.
timing ofthe project, he gave me some much needed encourage I also wish to thank the staff at the National Archives II in
mentandgotthewritingbackontrack. College Park, Maryland for their patient help. Neils Kordes, Jim
Nlarkwas always available to answermye-mailedquestions, Kellen and the othermembers ofthe staffofthe MicrofilmRoom
identify people from grainy pictures or provide photos and infor helped me find information, shared their extensive knowledge of
mationthathehas collectedovertheyearsfrom hispersonalrela thecapturedGermanrecordsonmicrofilm,keptthecopymachines
tionshipswithmanyveteransoftheWaffen-SS.WheneverIneeded running andwereunfailinglycourteous andhelpful.
to know a date, could not find the rank ofaWaffen-SS juniorof BobRuman, ownerofArticles ofWar, helpedmefind anum
ficer or needed an answer to a hundred other questions, he could berofrare books, with adegree ofpersonal servicefar above that
always dig itup from his enormous archives consisting ofunpub exhibitedbythe averagedealerinmilitarytexts.
lishedGermanrecords,originaldocumentsorhisextensivelibrary Ialsowanttothankmyparents,Dr.andMrs.GeorgeM.Nipe,
ofreferencebooks. In many cases heknew the answer offthe top fortheirgenuineinterestandencouragementinmyprojectsandfor
ofhisheadbecausehehas anencyclopedic memoryfor historical furnishing ahomeenvironmentfilled withbooks andreading.
detail. Lastly,IwishtothankmywifeLindaandsonGeorgefortheir
In addition, Markgenerously allowed me to borrow many of tolerationofthedemandsintime,workandtravelthatgointowrit
the pictures ofGerman officers and men that are in the book. He ingabookofthis type.
9
NOTES ON SOURCES
AND TERMINOLOGY
A
greatdealoftheprimarysourceresearchwasdoneatthe the memories ofveterans are sometimescloudedbytime andper
National Archives II in College Park, Maryland where sonal relationships. One can spend many hours trying to resolve
mostofthecapturedGermanrecordsbroughttothiscoun contradictions between these accounts and information based on
try afterWorldWar II are on microfilm. Fortunately, nearly all of theprimary sources. Only through studying all availableinforma
the records ofthe German corps and armies which were involved tion can one hope to provide a reasonably accurate account of a
inthefighting wereavailablefortheperiodthatIchosetostudy.In battle, whichisby natureaneventthatischaoticandcomplex.
addition to the SS-Panzerkorps records, these include the daily MarkC.Yerger's Knight's ofSteel, volumes IandII, is anor
records of 4. Panzerarmee, Armeeabteilung Lanz/Kempf, Korps ganizationalandbiographicalsourceofdetailedinformationregard
RausandXXXXVIII.Panzerkorps.TherecordsofArmeeabteilung ingthe2.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division"DasReich"thatisnotavail
Fretter-Pico, 1. Panzerarmee and XXXX. Panzerkorps furnished ableinanyotherstudy.Inaddition,histwovolumesonWaffen-SS
valuablesupplementaryinformation as well. Commandersfurnishedimportantbiographicalinformationonthe
RecordGroupT-354,theWaffen-SSrecords,providedinvalu key commanders ofthe SS during the Kharkov campaign. Mark's
able information on the conduct ofthe battle and communication works should be required reading for the serious student of the
betweentheSS-Panzerkorpsandhighercommandformations.These Waffen-SS.
records also contain a very useful series ofmaps, many ofwhich WolfgangVopersal'sSoldaten, Kampfer, Kameraden- Marsch·
arereproducedinthistextandfurnishaninvaluableaccountofthe und Kampfe der SS-Totenkopf-Division, is a monumental, eight
battle, as well as information on tank strength, casualties and or volume work ofimpressive scope and is the mostcomprehensive
ders. The use of this archival material is absolutely essential for divisionhistorythatIamawareof. Itishowever, availableonlyin
anyonewhowritesabouttheGermanArmyandWaffen-SS during German andis outofprint. Thetranslations ofRudolfLehmann's
WorldWarII. Those authors who do notusethis primarymaterial historyofthe"1.SS-Panzer-Division-LeibstandarteSSAdolfHitler"
are destined to depend upon the opinions of others, with all the arealsoimportantresources,asisKurtMeyer'sGrenadiere.Former
potential dangers inherent in that course ofaction. Failure to use Waffen-SS officer Otto Weidinger wrote an excellent divisional
available primary documents results in the continued fostering of history about "Das Reich" that provides a great deal of detailed
pseudo-history. Anyone who desires to write seriously about the informationonthatdivision'spartintheKharkovfighting. Several
warfrom the German standpointwithout studying this material is volumes ofthis serieshavebeenpublishedinEnglish.
makingagravemistake.Youwillfind thatthe staffattheArchives Twootherbooksprovidedabsolutelyessentialinformationon
is enormouslyhelpfulandextremelyknowledgeable. the Kharkov battles. The first is Colonel David Glantz's From the
IthasprovenusefultoutilizeanumberofSS divisioncombat Don to the Dnepr: Soviet Offensive Operations from December,
histories in orderto provide personal accounts ofthe soldiers and 1942 to August, 1943. This volume is the only detailed English
commanders who actually took part in the fighting. It is wise to languagestudycoveringtheSovietconductofthesecondandthird
doublechecktheinformationcontainedinthesevolumes,because battles for Kharkov. Itispricelessfor its depth ofinformationand
10
NotesonSourcesandTerminology
insightsintoSovietcommanddecisions.Themaps areofgreatin D. SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 1 "Leibstandarte-SS-Adolf
terestanddocumenttheprogress ofthebattledaybyday. Hitler" =SS-Pz.Gren.- Rgt.1 "LAH"
Befehldes Gewissens: Charkow Winter 1943is another valu E. SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2 "Leibstandarte-SS-Adolf
able sourceofinformation. This bookconsists ofthephotocopied Hitler" =SS-Pz.Gren.-Rgt. 2"LAH"
pagesofthewardiaryofArmeeabteilungLanz/Kempf.Therecords F. SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 4 "Der Fuhrer =Regiment
reproducedinthisbookareavailableattheNationalArchivesbutit "DerFuhrer"
is simplertousethebook. Italsocontains transcripts ofsomeSS
Panzerkorpsrecordsandanumberofveryusefulmapsreproduced IhavealsochosentodescribebattalionsusingthesimpleGer
incolor. manmethod.TheGermansassignedbattalionsofaregimentaRo
Some brief comments about terminology, particularly in re man'numeral, thus the 1stBattalion ofSS-Panzergrenadier-Regi
gard to the method ofdesignating German armies and divisions, ment3"Deutschland"is identifiedas I./Regiment"Deutschland."
willbehelpfultothereader,particularlythosehavenotreadexten Similarly, the Third Battalion of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2
sively about the GermanArmy in WorldWar II. I have chosen to "Leibstandarte-SS-AdolfHitler" is described as III./SS-Pz.Gren.
utilizeGermanunitdesignations,inparttoeasilydifferentiateGer Rgt. 2"LAH."
manformationsfromSovietformations.Forinstance,Russianunits One Germanregimentthatis notedabovechangedits official
will bedescribedinbasic English designations such as the Soviet designation during the battles for Kharkov. This regiment was a
1stGuardsArmy orthe 5th Guards Tank Corps. An example ofa unit ofthe "Totenkopf' division and was named SS-"Totenkopf'
German army designation as described above is 4. Panzerarmee, Panzergrenadier-Regiment3asofJanuary, 1943.Afterthedeathof
whichinEnglishwouldbethe4thPanzerArmy. "Totenkopf's" division commander, Theodor Eicke, the name of
German regiment designations can,be potentially confusing theregimentwasofficiallychangedtohonorthefallencommander
whendiscussingthenamedWaffen-SSregiments.Someofthecom andbecameSS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment3"TheodoreEicke."In
pletenamesoftheseregimentsarelengthyandsomewhatunwieldy. the text I describe the regiment after February 26,1943 as simply
For clarity and brevity I have chosen to describe certain SS regi Regiment"Eicke."
mentsinasimplerandabbreviatedfashion, whichwasusedbythe There is one lastquestion ofterminology that I would like to
German~ also. Someexamplesarelistedbelow, withthecomplete address, althoughitdoes notrefertomilitaryterms.Aftermyfirst
nameontheleftandthe shortenedversionontheright. bookwaspublished,whichwasentitled"DecisionintheUkraine,"
anumberofpeopleinformedmethatitwasimpropertorefertothe
A.SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment3"Deutschland"=Regiment independent state presently known as Ukraine as 'the Ukraine.'
"Deutschland" However, it needs to be remembered that in the year 1943, this
B. SS- "Totenkopf"-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 3 = SS regionwas oneoftherepublics oftheSovietUnion. Itisperfectly
"Totenkopf'-Pz.Gren.Rgt. 3untilFebruary26, 1943,thereaf correcttousetheterm"theUkraine"inthatcontextbecauseitwas
teras Regiment"Eicke." not an independent state in 1943. The Ukraine, as Ihave used the
C. SS-"Totenkopf' Panzergrenadier-Regiment 1 =Regiment term,isageographicaldescriptionofaregionoftheformerSoviet
"Totenkopf' UnionduringWorldWarII.
11