Battle for Dubno-Lutsk-Brody- one of the largest tank battles in history, which took place during the Great Patriotic War in June 1941 in the triangle of cities Dubno-Lutsk-Brody. Also known as the battle for Brody, the tank battle near Dubno, Lutsk, Rivne, the counterattack of the mechanized corps of the Southwestern Front, etc. from June 23, 1941 to June 30, 1941. The Soviet 8th, 9th, 15th, 19th, 22nd mechanized corps and the German 11th, 13th, 14th, 16th tank divisions clashed in the battle.
22nd of June in these 5 Soviet corps there were 33 KV-2, 136 KV-1, 48 T-35, 171 T-34, 2.415 T-26, OT-26, T-27, T-36, T-37, BT -5, BT-7. Total 2.803 Soviet tanks. That is, more than a quarter of the tank forces concentrated in the 5 western military districts of the USSR. [Military Historical Journal, N11, 1993] It is also worth noting that the Soviet 4th mechanized corps fought west of Brody - the most powerful of the Soviet ones - 892 tanks, of which 89 KV-1 and 327 T-34. On June 24, the 8th Panzer Division (325 tanks, including 50 KV and 140 T-34s - on June 22) from its composition was reassigned to the 15th mechanized corps.
22nd of June in the opposing 4 German tank divisions there were 80 Pz-IV, 195 Pz-III (50mm), 89 Pz-III (37mm), 179 Pz-II, 42 BefPz. This is about a sixth of all German tanks allocated for the entire Eastern front. In addition, from June 28, the 9th German Panzer Division entered this battle (on June 22 - 20 Pz-IV, 60 Pz-III (50mm), 11 Pz-III (37mm), 32 Pz-II, 8 Pz- I, 12 Bef-Pz)
(below, for the sake of distinction, Soviet units are called tank, German - panzer. Accordingly, Soviet - rifle and motorized rifle (formally - motorized), German - infantry and motorized)
June 23 The 10th and 37th tank divisions of the 15th mechanized corps of Major General I.I. Karpezo attacked the right flank of the German group in order to break the ring around the 124th rifle division in the Milyatin area. At the same time, the 212th motorized rifle division of the corps had to be left in the rear due to a lack of trucks. Marshy terrain and Luftwaffe air strikes slowed down the advance of the panzer divisions (the 19th Panzer Regiment was completely stuck in the swamp and did not take part in the battles of that day), and the German 197th Infantry Division managed to organize a strong anti-tank defense on its flank. Attack not a large number The T-34 threw the Germans into fear, but the 11th Panzer Division arrived in time for the evening.
June 24 The 11th Panzer Division advanced towards Dubno, overcoming the resistance of the 37th Panzer Division and inflicting heavy losses on it. The 10th Panzer Division, defending and counterattacking, was stopped near Lopatin by the defense of the German infantry. On the same day, the 8th mechanized corps was sent to the Brody area. According to the memoirs of the corps commander, Gen. D.I. Ryabyshev, up to half of the light tanks were lost along the way (i.e., about 300 BT).
June 25 The 13th and 14th panzer divisions took Lutsk and began to advance towards Rovno. They encountered units of the 9th mechanized corps. At the same time, units of the heavily damaged 22nd Mechanized Corps took up defensive positions near Lutsk along with the 27th Rifle Corps. The 20th, 35th, 40th, 43rd tank divisions of the 9th and 19th mechanized corps arrived in the Rovno region. They were to attack the 11th Panzer Division. From another direction, the same division was to be attacked by the 12th and 34th tank divisions of the 8th mechanized corps.
June 26 The Soviet counteroffensive began. The actions of the mechanized corps were not coordinated, moreover, not all units of the 9th and 19th mechanized corps managed to arrive at the battlefield. Only tank units took part in the battle, with little support from motorized riflemen. They managed to cut the Lutsk-Rovno road, and parts of the 43rd Panzer Division took Dubno, but only after the main part of the 11th Panzer Division left it, following to the east.
The Germans, sensing a threat, deployed the 13th Panzer Division south of Lutsk, contrary to their original plan to move east. In addition, the Germans sent the 75th, 111th, 299th Infantry Divisions to clear communications of the 11th Panzer Division.
The 15th mechanized corps went to connect with the 8th mechanized corps. Meanwhile, the commander of the 8th Mechanized Corps ordered the 34th Panzer Division and the advance detachment of the 12th Panzer Division to cut the highway along which the 11th and 16th Panzer Divisions were supplied. And from the direction of Lvov, the 8th Panzer Division of the 4th Mechanized Corps went east to join in a counterattack.
27th of June the offensive of the 9th Rokossovsky mechanized corps and the 19th Feklenko mechanized corps began to slow down. Their forward units were almost destroyed and the rest of the units were forced to retreat. The remnants of the forward detachments of the mechanized corps were cut off at a distance of about 10 kilometers. The 13th Panzer Division was thrown into their final destruction, which flanked them and then turned east in the direction of Rovno. It so happened that the 13th panzer went to the rear of the remnants of four tank divisions and in the next two days the Soviet units moved east after the German division. The 11th panzer division captured the main crossing in the Ostrog area and the Soviet command was forced to collect all possible (but small) reserves to block the 13th and 11th panzer divisions.
On the southern flank of the German grouping, the Soviet offensive developed somewhat more successfully. The 12th and 34th tank, 7th motorized rifle divisions of the 8th mechanized corps and the 14th cavalry division were assembled there for a strike. The 8th Panzer Division from the 4th Mechanized Corps finally arrived to replenish the 10th Panzer Division of the 15th Mechanized Corps. However, only about half of the original number of tanks (about 800 tanks) remained in these units. The 12th and 34th Panzer Divisions advanced about 5 kilometers, but were unable to break through the defenses of the 111th Infantry Division. Then the Germans moved forward the 13th Panzer Division, followed by the 111th Infantry Division. They were able to make a corridor between the 9th and 19th mechanized corps, which operated north of Dubno, and the 8th mechanized corps, which attacked south of Dubno. The 7th motorized rifle division was attacked from the rear by the 16th panzer, and the 75th infantry attacked the 12th tank division, cutting off its main units from the forward detachments.
June 28 The 13th Panzer Division reached the Rovno area, but it had no infantry support, as the Germans had thrown infantry into the Dubno area. The 9th and 22nd mechanized corps were able, moving away from Dubno, to take up defensive positions north and southeast of Lutsk. Thus, a "balcony" was created, which delayed the Army Group "South" on its way to Kyiv. It is believed that as a result of this, Hitler decided to change his strategic decision and send additional forces to the south, removing them from the Moscow direction.
June 28 parts of the 12th and 34th tank divisions fought west of Dubno, but the main tank units tried to withdraw.
Meanwhile, the 5th mechanized corps arrived in the Ostrog area (on June 22 - 1070 tanks, without KV and T-34. According to other sources, only the 109th motorized rifle division and the tank regiment of the 5th mechanized corps fought near Ostrog), which managed to stop the advance 11th Panzer Division. On the same day, units of the 37th Rifle Corps reinforced the defense south of Brody. But the Germans also threw the 9th panzer division onto the left flank of the Soviet defense (in the Lvov region). This maneuver completely destroyed the left flank of the defense of the Soviet units.
By this time, the Soviet tanks were almost out of ammunition and fuel.
Difficulties turn into disaster June 29. In the morning, the 13th Panzer moved east from Rovno, while the Soviet troops withdrew north and south of the city, parallel to the movement of the Germans. Soviet tanks were increasingly left without fuel, and the German infantry destroyed the remnants of the 12th and 34th Panzer Divisions.
June 30th The 9th Panzer Division attacked the remnants of the 3rd Cavalry Division. She then cut off the 8th and 10th Panzer divisions, completing their encirclement. By this time, the commander of the 6th Soviet Army ordered all his units to withdraw to positions east of Lvov. And the Germans at that time were gathering parts of the 13th and 14th panzer divisions south of Lutsk in order to create a fist for a strike in the direction of Zhytomyr and Berdichev.
TO July 1 Soviet mechanized corps of the Southwestern Front were practically destroyed. In the 22nd, about 10% of tanks remained, in the 8th and 15th - 10-15%, in the 9th and 19th - about 30%. The 4th mechanized corps under the command of General A.A. Vlasov (the same one) turned out to be in a slightly better position - he managed to withdraw with about 40% of the tanks.
However, compared with other Soviet fronts, the South-Western front managed to inflict significant damage on the Germans with its mechanized units.
In conclusion, a quote from the memoirs of those events of an officer of the 11th Panzer Division - at that time Senior Lieutenant Heinz Guderian.
« Personally, the Russian soldier was well trained and was a tough fighter. The shooting training was excellent - many of our soldiers were killed by shots in the head. His equipment was simple but effective. Russian soldiers wore earthy brown uniforms that camouflaged them well. Their food was Spartan, unlike ours. They had to face our professional tactics of the German panzer divisions. That is, with maneuverability, surprise attacks, night attacks and the interaction of tanks and infantry.
As for Russian tactics in border battles. In our impression, the Russian companies and platoons were left to their own devices. They did not have cooperation with artillery and tanks. No reconnaissance was used at all. There was no radio communication between headquarters and divisions. Therefore, our attacks were often unexpected for them.«.
According to Colonel Glantz, fierce, although unsuccessful, Soviet counterattacks delayed the German Army Group South for at least a week. Thus, this helped to force Hitler to redirect part of the forces of Army Group Center from the Moscow direction to strengthen the Ukrainian direction. Colonel Glantz also points out that the border battles in western Ukraine have also shown that the German tankers are not invincible. This gave many Soviet commanders, such as Rokossovsky, the costly but rewarding experience of tank warfare.
The battle for Dubno-Lutsk-Brody (also known as the battle for Brody, the tank battle near Dubno-Lutsk-Rivne, the counterattack of the mechanized corps of the South-Western Front, etc.) is the largest tank battle in history, which took place from June 23 to 30 1941. Five mechanized corps of the Red Army (2803 tanks) of the Southwestern Front took part in it against four German tank divisions (585 tanks) of the Wehrmacht of the Army Group South, united in the First Tank Group. Subsequently, another tank division of the Red Army (325 tanks) and one tank division of the Wehrmacht (143 tanks) entered the battle. Thus, 3128 Soviet and 728 German tanks (+ 71 German assault guns) met in the oncoming tank battle.
The formations of the Red Army, which had overwhelming technical superiority in this sector of the front, were unable to inflict significant losses on the enemy in manpower and equipment, and were also unable to seize the strategic offensive initiative and change the course of hostilities in their favor. The tactical superiority of the Wehrmacht and the problems in the Red Army (poorly organized tank corps supply system, lack of air cover and complete loss of operational control) allowed the German troops to win the battle, as a result of which the Red Army lost a huge number of tanks.
Burning T-34 in a field near Dubno.
Armored vehicles of the Wehrmacht and the Red Army
On June 22, 1941, the entire German Army Group South, in the offensive area of \u200b\u200bwhich this battle took place, had 728 tanks, including at least 115 unarmed "commander tanks" Sd.Kfz. 265 and about 150 tanks armed with 20 mm cannons and / or machine guns and (T-I and T-II). Thus, the actual tanks - in the generally accepted sense of the word - the Germans had 455 pieces (T-38 (t), T-III and T-IV).
The total list of tanks in the mechanized corps of the Soviet South-Western Front was 3,429 units (in addition, a certain number of tanks were in the rifle divisions of the front). However, three of the six corps were practically in the formation stage, and only the 4th, 8th and 9th mechanized corps could be considered as fully combat-ready formations. They numbered 1,515 tanks, which was more than three times the number of German cannon-armed tanks opposing them. In addition, these three combat-ready corps included 271 tanks of the T-34 and KV types, which not only far exceeded the best German tanks at that time in armament and armor, but were also almost invulnerable to regular Wehrmacht anti-tank weapons.
Previous events
On June 22, 1941, after a breakthrough in the zone of the 5th army of General Potapov at the junction with the 6th army of Muzychenko, the 1st tank group of Kleist advanced in the direction of Radekhov and Berestechko. The General Staff decided to surround the main enemy grouping in the South-Western Front with strikes in the direction of Rava-Russian Lublin and Kovel Lublin and subsequently help the Western Front.
The Directive of the NPO of the USSR dated 06/22/1941 No. 3, endorsed by Zhukov, read:
d) The armies of the Southwestern Front, firmly holding the border with Hungary, with concentric strikes in the general direction towards Lublin by forces 5A and 6A, at least five mechanized corps and all aviation of the front, encircle and destroy the enemy grouping advancing on the front Vladimir-Volynsky, Krystynopol, by the end of June 26, capture the Lublin area. Strongly secure from the Krakow direction.
During the discussion of the directive at the headquarters of the South-Western Front, it was considered that the encirclement operation with access to Lublin was impossible.
The proposal of the chief of staff of the Southwestern Front, General Purkaev, to withdraw troops and create a continuous line of defense along the old border, and then to counterattack was also rejected.
We decided to strike with three mechanized corps (15th, 4th, 8th mechanized corps) from the Radzekhov Rava-Russkaya front to Krasnostav and one mechanized corps (22nd mechanized corps) from the Verba Vladimir-Volynsky front to Krasnostav. The purpose of the strike is not encirclement (as required by the directive), but the defeat of the main enemy forces in an oncoming battle.
In pursuance of the decisions taken, on June 23, the 15th mechanized corps of Karpezo advanced from the south to Radzekhov without the 212th motorized rifle division left to cover Brod. During clashes with the German 11th Panzer Division, units reported the destruction of 20 tanks and armored vehicles and 16 German anti-tank guns. It was not possible to keep the Radzekhovs, in the afternoon the Germans captured the crossings on the Styr River near Berestechko.
The breakthrough to Berestechko forced the headquarters of the South-Western Front to abandon the previous decision, the 8th MK from near Yavorov already at 15:30 on June 23 received an order to move to Brody.
During June 24, the front headquarters, together with the representative of the Headquarters of the GK - Zhukov, decided to launch a counterattack on the German grouping with the forces of four mechanized corps while simultaneously creating a rear line of defense with front-line rifle corps - 31st, 36th and 37th. In reality, these units were in the process of advancing to the front and entered the battle as they arrived without mutual coordination. Some units did not take part in the counterattack. The purpose of the counterattack of the mechanized corps of the Southwestern Front was to defeat the 1st Panzer Group Kleist. In the course of the subsequent battle, the Soviet 22nd, 9th and 19th mechanized corps from the north, the 8th and 15th mechanized corps from the south counterattacked the German troops of the 1st Tgr and 6th Army, entering into an oncoming tank battle with the German 11th, 13th, 14th and 16th Panzer Divisions.
Destroyed T-26 tanks of the 19th Panzer Division of the 22nd Mechanized Corps on the Voynica-Lutsk highway.
On June 24, the 19th Panzer and 215th Motorized Rifle Divisions of the 22nd Mechanized Corps went on the offensive north of the Vladimir-Volynsky-Lutsk highway from the Voinitsa-Boguslavskaya line. The attack was unsuccessful, the light tanks of the division ran into anti-tank guns put forward by the Germans. The 19th TD lost more than 50% of its tanks and began to retreat to the Torchin area. Moskalenko's 1st anti-tank artillery brigade also retreated here. The 41st tank division of the 22nd MK did not participate in the counterattack. The defense on the Styr River near Lutsk was occupied by the advanced 131st motorized division of the 9th mechanized corps of General Rokossovsky.
The 19th mechanized corps of Major General Feklenko moved to the border from the evening of June 22, leaving advanced units on the evening of June 24 on the Ikva River in the Mlynov area. On the morning of June 25, the reconnaissance battalion of the German 11th Panzer Division attacked the forward company of the 40th Panzer Division, which was guarding the crossing at Mlynov, and pushed it back. The 43rd tank division of the mechanized corps approached the Rovno region, being attacked from the air.
By the morning of June 26, 1941, the situation was as follows. The 131st Rifle Division, having retreated from Lutsk at night, occupied the front from Rozhyshche to Lutsk, the troops of the 19th Panzer Division, the 135th Rifle Division and the 1st Rifle Brigade withdrew behind its positions through Rozhische. Lutsk was occupied by the German 13th TD, the 14th TD was located near Torchin. Further, from Lutsk to Torgovytsya, there was no defense; during the day, the tank divisions of the 9th MK, which were in the Olyka-Klevan area in the morning, were to take up the defense. The Germans brought the 299th Infantry Division to Torgovitsa. From Torgovitsa to Mlynov, the motorized rifle regiment of the 40th TD of the 19th Mk of the Red Army was defending along the river. The rifle regiment of the 228th rifle regiment of the 36th sk of the Red Army took up defense at Mlynov, the German 111th infantry division acted against it. The tank regiments of the 40th TD and the infantry regiment of the 228th Rifle Division were in the forest near Radov in reserve. A motorized rifle regiment of the 43rd TD operated in the Pogoreltsy area, and a rifle regiment of the 228th Rifle Division operated in the Mladechny area. Against them, the German 11th TD occupied the Dubno-Verba area. Further from Surmichi to Sudobichi, there was no defense, the 140th Rifle Division of the 36th Rifle Corps had not yet reached this line. Further, from Sudobichi to Kremenets, the 146th Rifle Division of the 36th Sc. In the Kremenets area, the 14th cd of the 5th cd held the defense.
On the morning of June 26, the German divisions continued their offensive. In the morning, the German 13th TD pushed back units of the 131st MD at the crossroads of the Lutsk-Rovno and Rozhishche-Mlynov roads, and turned towards Mlynov. The positions near Lutsk were transferred to the 14th TD. Rokossovsky's tank divisions were supposed to reach the breakthrough area of the German 13th TD in the afternoon, and before that the road was open. Moving along it, the 13th TD in the afternoon went to the rear of the Soviet 40th TD, which fought with the 299th infantry division at Torgovitsy and the 111th infantry division at Mlynov. This breakthrough led to a disorderly withdrawal of the 40th TD and the regiment of the 228th Rifle Division to Radov and to the north.
The German 11th TD advanced in two battle groups, the tank group pushed back the Soviet infantry of the 43rd TD and the regiment of the 228th SD to Krylov and Radov, and occupied Varkovichi. The German motorized brigade of the 11th TD, moving through Surmichi, met marching columns of the Soviet 140th Rifle Division to the southeast of Lipa, which could not withstand a sudden collision and retreated in disorder to the south, to Tartak. The 43rd Panzer Division of the 19th Mechanized Corps with the forces of 79 tanks of the 86th Panzer Regiment broke through the defensive positions of the barriers of the German 11th Panzer Division and by 6 pm broke into the outskirts of Dubno, reaching the Ikva River. Due to the retreat on the left flank of the 140th division of the 36th rifle corps, and on the right of the 40th tank division, both flanks of the 43rd TD were unprotected, and units of the division, by order of the corps commander, began to retreat from Dubno after midnight to the area to the west Smooth. From the south, from the area of Toporov, the 19th TP of the 10th TD of the 15th mechanized corps of General I. I. Karpezo was advancing on Radekhov with the task of defeating the enemy and connecting with units of the 124th and 87th rifle divisions surrounded in the Voinitsa area and Milyatin. The 37th Panzer Division of the Mechanized Corps crossed the Radostavka River in the morning of June 26 and moved forward. The 10th Panzer Division ran into anti-tank defenses at Kholuev and was forced to withdraw. The formations of the corps were subjected to a massive German air raid, during which the commander, Major General Karpezo, was seriously wounded. The 8th mechanized corps of General D. I. Ryabyshev, having made a 500-kilometer march since the beginning of the war and leaving up to half of the tanks and part of the artillery on the road from breakdowns and air strikes, by the evening of June 25 began to concentrate in the Busk area, southwest of Brody.
On the morning of June 26, the mechanized corps entered Brody with the further task of advancing on Dubno. Corps reconnaissance discovered German defenses on the Ikva River and on the Sytenka River, as well as parts of the 212th Motorized Division of the 15th Mechanized Corps, advanced from Brody the day before. On the morning of June 26, Major General Mishanin's 12th Panzer Division crossed the Slonovka River and, having restored the bridge, attacked and captured the city of Leshnev by 4 p.m. On the right flank, the 34th Panzer Division of Colonel I.V. Vasiliev defeated the enemy column, taking about 200 prisoners and capturing 4 tanks. By the end of the day, the divisions of the 8th mechanized corps advanced 8-15 km in the direction of Berestechko, pushing the units of the 57th infantry and motorized brigade of the 16th tank divisions of the enemy, who retreated and entrenched themselves behind the Plyashovka River. The tank regiment of the 16th TD continued the offensive in the direction of Kozin. The Germans sent the 670th anti-tank battalion and a battery of 88-mm anti-aircraft guns to the battle area. The 212th Motor Rifle Division of the Red Army did not receive an order to support the strike of the 8th MK. By evening, the enemy was already trying to counterattack parts of the mechanized corps. On the night of June 27, the mechanized corps received an order to withdraw from the battle and begin concentrating behind the 37th sk.
The commander of the 5th Army, Major General M. I. Potapov, even in the midst of the fighting of the previous day, not knowing about the breakthrough of the German 13th TD near Lutsk, gives the order to the tank division of the 9th MK, which was at that time in the Novosyolka region -Olyka, stop moving west and turn south towards Dubno. The corps completed the maneuver only by two in the morning on June 27, having taken the starting positions for the attack along the Putilovka River. On the morning of the same day, the 19th mechanized corps also received an order to resume the counterattack from Rovno to Mlynov and Dubno. Parts of the 15th mechanized corps were to go to Berestechko. On June 26-27, the Germans transported infantry units across the Ikva River and concentrated the 13th Panzer, 299th Infantry, and 111th Infantry Divisions against the 9th and 19th Mechanized Corps.
At dawn on June 27, the 24th tank regiment of the 20th tank division of Colonel Katukov from the 9th mechanized corps attacked units of the 13th German tank division on the move, capturing about 300 prisoners. During the day, the division itself lost 33 BT tanks. The offensive of the 9th MK RKKA bogged down after the German 299th Infantry Division, advancing in the direction of Ostrozhets-Olyk, attacked the open western flank of the 35th RD RKKA near Malin. The withdrawal of this division to Olyka endangered the encirclement of the 20th TD of the Red Army, which was fighting with the motorized infantry brigade of the 13th TD in Dolgoshei and Petushki. With battles, the 20th TD breaks through to Klevan. The tank divisions of the 19th MK of the Red Army were unable to go on the offensive, and with difficulty repulsed the attacks of the tank regiment of the reconnaissance battalion and the motorcycle battalion of the 13th TD of the enemy on Rovno. The Soviet 228th Rifle Division, which had only a quarter of ammunition on June 25, after two days of fighting was without ammunition, in a semi-encirclement near Radov and during the retreat to Zdolbunov was attacked by reconnaissance units of the German 13th and 11th TD and 111th Infantry Division, during the retreat was all artillery thrown. The division was saved from defeat only by the fact that the German 13th TD and 11th TD were advancing in divergent directions and did not seek to destroy the 228th division. During the retreat and under the blows of aviation, part of the tanks, vehicles and guns of the 19th mechanized corps was lost. The 36th Rifle Corps was not combat-ready and did not have a unified leadership (the headquarters made its way through the forests to its divisions from near Mizoch), so it also could not go on the attack. IN Dubno district from Mlynov the German 111th Infantry Division approached. Near Lutsk, the German 298th Infantry Division launched an offensive with the support of the tanks of the 14th Panzer Division.
It was supposed to organize an offensive from the south direction, to Dubno, by the forces of the 8th and 15th mechanized corps of the Red Army with the 8th tank division of the 4th mechanized corps. At two o'clock in the afternoon on June 27, only hastily organized combined detachments of the 24th Tank Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Volkov and the 34th Tank Division under the command of Brigadier Commissar N.K. Popel were able to go on the offensive. The remaining parts of the division by this time were only being transferred to a new direction.
The blow in the direction of Dubno was unexpected for the Germans, and having crushed the defensive barriers, the Popel group entered the outskirts of Dubno by evening, capturing the rear reserves of the 11th Panzer Division of the enemy and several dozen intact tanks. During the night, the Germans transferred units of the 16th motorized, 75th and 111th infantry divisions to the breakthrough site and closed the gap, interrupting the supply lines of the Popel group. Attempts by the approaching units of the 8th Mechanized Corps of the Red Army to break through a new gap in the defense failed, and under the blows of aviation, artillery and superior enemy forces, he had to go on the defensive. On the left flank, having broken through the defenses of the 212th Motorized Division of the 15th Mechanized Corps, about 40 German tanks reached the headquarters of the Soviet 12th Tank Division of the 8th Mechanized Corps. The division commander, Major General T. A. Mishanin, sent a reserve to meet them - 6 KV tanks and 4 T-34 tanks, which managed to stop the breakthrough.
The offensive of the 15th MK of the Red Army was unsuccessful. Having suffered heavy losses from the fire of anti-tank guns, its units could not cross the Ostrovka River and were thrown back to their original positions along the Radostavka River. On June 29, the 15th mechanized corps was ordered to change units of the 37th rifle corps and withdraw to the Zolochiv heights in the area of Biala Kamen - Sasuv - Zolochiv - Lyatsk. Contrary to the order, the withdrawal began without the change of units of the 37th sk and without notifying the commander of the 8th MK Ryabyshev, in connection with which the German troops freely bypassed the flank of the 8th mechanized corps. On June 29, the Germans occupied Busk and Brody, held by one battalion of the Soviet 212th Motorized Division. On the right flank of the 8th mechanized corps, without resisting the Germans, units of the 140th and 146th rifle divisions of the 36th rifle corps and the 14th cavalry division withdrew.
Surrounded by the enemy, the 8th MK of the Red Army managed to retreat in an organized manner to the line of the Zolochev Heights, breaking through the German barriers. Popel's detachment remained cut off deep behind enemy lines, taking up all-round defense in the Dubno region. The defense continued until July 2, and only when ammunition and fuel came to an end, the detachment, having destroyed the remaining equipment, began to break through from the encirclement. After passing through the rear of the enemy for more than 200 km, the Popel group and the units of the 124th rifle division of the 5th army that joined it went to the location of the 15th rifle corps of the 5th army. In total, more than a thousand people left the encirclement, the losses of the 34th division and units attached to it amounted to 5363 people missing and about a thousand killed, the division commander, Colonel I.V. Vasiliev, died.
Factors
In comparison with German tankers, Soviet tankers in the early days of the 1941 war had no combat experience and had very little training experience, even Soviet tank drivers had about 2-5 hours of driving practice, while the Germans at one time even in the Kazan tank school had about 50 hours of driving practice.
The superiority of the armor of the T-34 and KV turned out to be untenable against the German 88-mm anti-aircraft guns, which the Germans took advantage of, shooting up to 20-30 tanks in an hour at long distances. Subsequently, these guns were installed regularly on the Tiger tanks and others.
The almost complete or complete absence of armor-piercing shells from the Soviet tankmen who participated in the battle.
The extremely inept and illiterate conduct of Soviet tank attacks, in the absence of high-quality standard radio communications between groups and individual combat vehicles, with overall coordination of forces (in comparison with a qualitatively different state of radio communications in the German tank forces), led to heavy losses of Soviet crews and equipment, including on march.
“The failures of the Soviet tank troops are explained not by the poor quality of materials or weapons, but by the inability of the command and the lack of experience in maneuvering ... […] The commanders of brigades-divisions-corps are not able to solve operational tasks. This is especially true for the interaction of various types armed forces..” - Captain Ya. I. Dzhugashvili, the former commander of the howitzer battery of the 14th Panzer Division, who was captured near Senno, said during interrogation.
Losses
Losses on June 30, 1941, South-Western Front: 2648 tanks (85%) against 260 German vehicles. And if the Germans had the opportunity to repair their cars and had trophies (using them under white crosses), then Soviet losses were irretrievable. For 15 days of the war, the losses amounted to: 4381 tanks out of 5826.
German losses by September 4, 1941 (1st Panzer Group Kleist): 222 repairable vehicles + 186 irretrievable.
Consequences
The shock formations of the Southwestern Front could not carry out a single offensive. The actions of the Soviet mechanized corps were reduced to isolated counterattacks in different directions. The result of the counterattacks was a delay for a week of the offensive of the 1st Panzer Group of Kleist and the disruption of the enemy’s plans to break through to Kiev and encircle the 6th, 12th and 26th armies of the Southwestern Front in the Lvov ledge. The German command, through competent leadership, managed to repel the Soviet counterattack and defeat the armies of the Southwestern Front.
Unable to bear the shame of defeat, on June 28, 1941, a member of the Military Council of the Southwestern Front, Corps Commissar N. N. Vashugin, shot himself.
G. von Strachwitz
Battle for Dubno-Lutsk-Brody(also known as battle for Brody, tank battle near Dubno-Lutsk-Rivne, counterattack of the mechanized corps of the Southwestern Front etc.) - one of the major tank battles in history from June 23 to June 30, 1941. Five mechanized corps of the Red Army (2803 tanks) of the Southwestern Front took part in it against four German tank divisions (585 tanks) of the Wehrmacht of the Army Group South, united in the First Tank Group. Subsequently, another tank division of the Red Army (325) and one tank division of the Wehrmacht (143) entered the battle. Thus, 3128 Soviet and 728 German tanks (+ 71 German assault guns) met in the oncoming tank battle.
Previous events
"d) The armies of the Southwestern Front, firmly holding the border with Hungary, with concentric strikes in the general direction to Lublin by forces 5 and 6A, at least five mechanized corps and all aviation of the front, encircle and destroy the enemy grouping advancing on the Vladimir-Volynsky, Krystynopol front , by the end of 26.6, capture the Lublin region. Strongly secure from the direction of Krakow.”
The actions of the parties in counterattacks from 24 to 27 June
On June 24, the 19th Panzer and 215th Motorized Rifle Divisions of the 22nd Mechanized Corps went on the offensive north of the Vladimir-Volynsky-Lutsk highway from the Voinitsa-Boguslavskaya line. The attack was unsuccessful, the light tanks of the division ran into anti-tank guns put forward by the Germans. The 19th TD lost more than 50% of its tanks and began to retreat to the Torchin area. Moskalenko's 1st anti-tank artillery brigade also withdrew here. The 41st tank division of the 22nd MK did not participate in the counterattack.
By the morning of June 26, 1941, the situation was as follows. The 131st Rifle Division, retreating from Lutsk at night, occupied the front from Rozhyshche to Lutsk, troops of the 19th Panzer Division, 135th Rifle Division and 1st Rifle Brigade withdrew behind its positions through Rozhische. Lutsk was occupied by the German 13th TD, the 14th TD was located near Torchin. Further, from Lutsk to Torgovytsia, a hole gaped, which during the day the tank divisions of the 9th MK, who were in the Olyka-Klevan region in the morning, were supposed to plug. The Germans brought the 299th Infantry Division to Torgovitsa. From Torgovitsa to Mlynov, the motorized rifle regiment of the 40th TD of the 19th MK of the Red Army was defending along the river. The rifle regiment of the 228th rifle regiment of the 36th SC of the Red Army took up defense at Mlynov, the German 111th infantry division acted against it. The tank regiments of the 40th TD and the infantry regiment of the 228th Rifle Division were in the forest near Radov in reserve. A motorized rifle regiment of the 43rd TD operated in the Pogoreltsy area, and a rifle regiment of the 228th Rifle Division operated in the Mladechny area. Against them, the German 11th TD occupied the Dubno-Verba district. Further from Surmichi to Sudobichi there was a gaping hole, the 140th Rifle Division of the 36th Rifle Corps had not yet reached this line. Further, from Sudobichi to Kremenets, the 146th Rifle Division of the 36th SC is defending. And in the Kremenets area - the 14th cd of the 5th CC.
On the morning of June 26, the German divisions continued their offensive. In the morning, the German 13th TD pushes back units of the 131st MD behind the intersection of the Lutsk-Rivne and Rozhishche-Mlynov roads, and turns towards Mlynov. Positions near Lutsk are transferred to the 14th TD. Rokossovsky's tank divisions were supposed to reach the breakthrough area of the 13th TD in the afternoon, but for now the road turned out to be open. Moving along it, the 13th TD in the afternoon went to the rear of the 40th TD, which fought with the 299th infantry division at Torgovitsy and the 111th infantry division at Mlynov. This breakthrough led to a disorderly withdrawal of the 40th TD and the regiment of the 228th Rifle Division to Radov and to the north.
The 11th TD advances in two combat groups, the tank group pushes back the infantry of the 43rd TD and the regiment of the 228th Rifle Division to Krylov and Radov, and occupies Varkovichi. The German motorized brigade of the 11th TD, moving through Surmichi, encounters marching columns of the 140th Rifle Division to the southeast of Lipa, which cannot withstand a sudden collision and retreat in disorder to the south, to Tartak. The 43rd Panzer Division of the 19th Mechanized Corps with the forces of 79 tanks of the 86th Panzer Regiment broke through the defensive positions of the barriers of the German 11th Panzer Division and by 6 pm broke into the outskirts of Dubno, reaching the Ikva River. Due to the retreat on the left flank of the 140th division of the 36th rifle corps, and on the right of the 40th tank division, both flanks of the 43rd TD were unprotected, and units of the division, by order of the corps commander, began to retreat from Dubno after midnight to the area to the west Smooth. From the south, from the Toporov region, Radekhov was attacked by the 19th TP of the 10th TD of the 15th mechanized corps of General I.I. and Milyatin. The 37th Panzer Division of the Mechanized Corps crossed the Radostavka River in the morning of June 26 and moved forward. The 10th Panzer Division ran into anti-tank defenses at Kholuev and was forced to withdraw. The formations of the corps were subjected to a massive German air raid, during which the commander, Major General Karpezo, was seriously wounded. The 8th mechanized corps of General D. I. Ryabyshev, having made a 500-kilometer march since the beginning of the war and leaving up to half of the tanks and part of the artillery on the road from breakdowns and air strikes, by the evening of June 25 began to concentrate in the Busk area, southwest of Brody.
On the morning of June 26, the mechanized corps entered Brody with the further task of advancing on Dubno. Corps reconnaissance discovered German defenses on the Ikva River and on the Sytenka River, as well as parts of the 212th Motorized Division of the 15th Mechanized Corps, advanced from Brody the day before. On the morning of June 26, Major General Mishanin's 12th Panzer Division crossed the Slonovka River and, having restored the bridge, attacked and captured the city of Leshnev by 4 p.m. On the right flank, the 34th Panzer Division of Colonel I.V. Vasiliev defeated the enemy column, taking about 200 prisoners and capturing 4 tanks. By the end of the day, the divisions of the 8th mechanized corps advanced 8-15 km in the direction of Berestechko, pushing the units of the 57th infantry and motorized brigade of the 16th tank divisions of the enemy, who retreated and entrenched themselves behind the Plyashovka River. The tank regiment of the 16th TD continued the offensive in the direction of Kozin. The Germans are sent to area of battles 670th anti-tank battalion and a battery of 88-mm guns. The 212th Motor Rifle Division of the Red Army did not receive an order to support the strike of the 8th MK. By evening, the enemy was already trying to counterattack parts of the mechanized corps. On the night of June 27, the mechanized corps received an order to withdraw from the battle and begin concentrating behind the 37th sk.
Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F016221-0015, Russland, Brennender T-34.jpg
Burning T-34 in a field near Dubno.
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The actions of the parties in counterattacks since June 27
The commander of the 5th Army, Major General M. I. Potapov, even in the midst of the fighting of the previous day, not knowing about the breakthrough of the 13th TD near Lutsk, gives the order to the tank division of the 9th MK, which was at that time in the Novosyolki region - Olyka, stop moving west and turn south towards Dubno. The corps completed the maneuver only by 2 o'clock in the morning on June 27, having taken the initial positions for the attack along the Putilovka River. On the morning of the same day, the 19th Mechanized Corps also received an order to resume a counterattack from Rovno towards Mlynovi Dubno. Parts of the 15th mechanized corps were to go to Berestechko. On June 26-27, the Germans sent infantry units across the Ikva River and concentrated the 13th Panzer, 299th Infantry, and 111th Infantry Divisions against the 9th and 19th Mechanized Corps.
The offensive of the 9th MK bogged down after the 299th Infantry Division, advancing in the direction of Ostrozhets-Olyk, attacked the open western flank of the 35th TD near Malin. The withdrawal of this division to Olyka endangered the encirclement of the 20th TD, which was fighting with the motorized infantry brigade of the 13th TD in Dolgoshey and Petushki. With battles, the 20th TD breaks through to Klevan. The tank divisions of the 19th MK were unable to go on the offensive, and with difficulty repulsed the attacks of the tank regiment of the reconnaissance battalion and the motorcycle battalion of the 13th TD of the enemy on Rovno. Our 228th Rifle Division, which had a quarter of ammunition on 25.06, after two days of fighting was without ammunition, in a semi-encirclement near Radov, during the retreat to Zdolbunov, it was attacked by reconnaissance units of the 13th and 11th TD and 111th Infantry Division, during the retreat all artillery was abandoned. The division was saved from defeat only by the fact that the 13th and 11th TDs were advancing in divergent directions and did not seek to destroy this division. During the retreat and under air strikes, some of the tanks, vehicles and guns of the 19th mechanized corps were lost. The 36th Rifle Corps was not combat-ready and did not have a unified leadership (the headquarters made its way through the forests to its divisions from near Mizoch), so it also could not go on the attack. In the Dubno district, the 111th infantry division approached from Mlynov. Near Lutsk, the German 298th Infantry Division launched an offensive with the support of the tanks of the 14th Panzer Division.
It was supposed to organize an offensive from the southern direction, to Dubno, by the forces of the 8th and 15th mechanized corps with the 8th tank division of the 4th mechanized corps. At 2 p.m. on June 27, only the hastily organized combined detachments of the 24th Tank Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Volkov and the 34th Tank Division under the command of Brigadier Commissar N.K. Popel were able to go on the offensive. The remaining parts of the division by this time were only being transferred to a new direction.
The offensive of the 15th MK was unsuccessful. Having suffered heavy losses from the fire of anti-tank guns, its units could not cross the Ostrovka River and were thrown back to their original positions along the Radostavka River. On June 29, the 15th mechanized corps was ordered to change units of the 37th rifle corps and withdraw to the Zolochiv heights in the area of Biala Kamen - Sasuv - Zolochiv - Lyatsk. Contrary to the order, the withdrawal began without changing parts of the 37th sk and without notifying the commander of the 8th MK Ryabyshev, in connection with which the German troops freely bypassed the flank of the 8th mechanized corps. On June 29, the Germans occupied Busk and Brody, held by one battalion of the 212th Motorized Division. On the right flank of the 8th Corps, units of the 140th and 146th Rifle Divisions of the 36th Rifle Corps and the 14th Cavalry Division retreated without resistance.
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Notes
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Literature
- Bylinin S. Tank battle near Brody - Exactly 1941. - M .: Exprint, 2004. - 47 p. - (Foundation of military art). - ISBN 5-94038-066-2
- Drig E. Mechanized Corps of the Red Army in battle. History of the armored troops of the Red Army in 1940-1941. - M.: AST, 2005. - 830 p. - (Unknown wars). - ISBN 5-17-024760-5
- F. M. Zharkoy Ed. 4th: MBAA. - St. Petersburg. , 2015.
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- Isaev A. V., Koshkin I. V., Fedoseev S. L. and others. Tank strike. Soviet tanks in battle. 1942-1943. - M.: Eksmo, 2007. - 448 p. - (Military-historical forum). - ISBN 978-5-699-22807-2
- Popel N.K. The tanks turned to the west. - M .: AST, 2001. - 480 p. - (Military History Library). - ISBN 5-17-005626-5.
- Rokossovsky K.K. Soldier duty. - M.: Military Publishing, 1988. - 367 p. - (Military memoirs). - ISBN 5-203-00489-7
- Ryabyshev D. I. First year of the war. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1990. - 256 p. - (Military memoirs). - ISBN 5-203-00396-3
Links
- Drig E.. Mechanized Corps of the Red Army. Site in memory of K. Cherepanov. Retrieved June 7, 2012. .
- . . (ukr.)
An excerpt characterizing the Battle of Dubno - Lutsk - Brody
- Oh, c "est un dur a cuire, [You can't cope with this devil.] - said one of the officers sitting in the shade on the opposite side of the fire.“Il les fera marcher les lapins… [He will go through them…],” another said with a laugh. Both fell silent, peering into the darkness at the sound of the steps of Dolokhov and Petya, approaching the fire with their horses.
Bonjour, messieurs! [Hello, gentlemen!] - Dolokhov said loudly, clearly.
The officers stirred in the shadow of the fire, and one, a tall officer with a long neck, bypassing the fire, approached Dolokhov.
- C "est vous, Clement? - he said. - D" ou, diable ... [Is that you, Clement? Where the hell...] - but he did not finish, having learned his mistake, and, frowning slightly, as if he were a stranger, greeted Dolokhov, asking him what he could serve. Dolokhov said that he and his comrade were catching up with his regiment, and asked, addressing everyone in general, if the officers knew anything about the sixth regiment. Nobody knew anything; and it seemed to Petya that the officers began to examine him and Dolokhov with hostility and suspicion. For a few seconds everyone was silent.
- Si vous comptez sur la soupe du soir, vous venez trop tard, [If you are counting on dinner, then you are late.] - said a voice from behind the fire with a restrained laugh.
Dolokhov replied that they were full and that they needed to go further into the night.
He handed over the horses to the soldier who stirred in the bowler hat and squatted by the fire next to the officer with the long neck. This officer, without taking his eyes off, looked at Dolokhov and asked him again: what regiment was he? Dolokhov did not answer, as if he had not heard the question, and, lighting a short French pipe, which he took out of his pocket, he asked the officers how safe the road was from the Cossacks ahead of them.
- Les brigands sont partout, [These robbers are everywhere.] - answered the officer from behind the fire.
Dolokhov said that the Cossacks were terrible only for such backward people as he and his comrade, but that the Cossacks probably did not dare to attack large detachments, he added inquiringly. Nobody answered.
“Well, now he will leave,” Petya thought every minute, standing in front of the fire and listening to his conversation.
But Dolokhov began a conversation that had stopped again and directly began to ask how many people they had in the battalion, how many battalions, how many prisoners. Asking about the captured Russians who were with their detachment, Dolokhov said:
– La vilaine affaire de trainer ces cadavres apres soi. Vaudrait mieux fusiller cette canaille, [It's a bad business to carry these corpses around. It would be better to shoot this bastard.] - and laughed loudly with such a strange laugh that it seemed to Petya that the French would now recognize the deception, and he involuntarily took a step back from the fire. No one answered Dolokhov's words and laughter, and the French officer, who was not visible (he was lying wrapped in his greatcoat), got up and whispered something to his comrade. Dolokhov got up and called to the soldier with the horses.
“Will they give horses or not?” thought Petya, involuntarily approaching Dolokhov.
The horses were given.
- Bonjour, messieurs, [Here: goodbye, gentlemen.] - said Dolokhov.
Petya wanted to say bonsoir [good evening] and could not finish the words. The officers whispered something to each other. Dolokhov sat for a long time on a horse that did not stand; then walked out of the gate. Petya rode beside him, wanting and not daring to look back to see whether the French were running or not running after them.
Leaving on the road, Dolokhov did not go back to the field, but along the village. At one point he stopped, listening.
- Do you hear? - he said.
Petya recognized the sounds of Russian voices, saw the dark figures of Russian prisoners by the fires. Going down to the bridge, Petya and Dolokhov passed the sentry, who, without saying a word, walked gloomily along the bridge, and drove out into a hollow where the Cossacks were waiting.
- Well, goodbye now. Tell Denisov that at dawn, at the first shot, - said Dolokhov and wanted to go, but Petya grabbed his hand.
- No! he yelled, “you are such a hero. Ah, how good! How excellent! How I love you.
“Good, good,” said Dolokhov, but Petya did not let him go, and in the darkness Dolokhov saw that Petya was leaning towards him. He wanted to kiss. Dolokhov kissed him, laughed and, turning his horse, disappeared into the darkness.
X
Returning to the guardhouse, Petya found Denisov in the entryway. Denisov, in agitation, anxiety and annoyance at himself for letting Petya go, was waiting for him.
- God bless! he shouted. - Well, thank God! he repeated, listening to Petya's enthusiastic story. “And why don’t you take me, because of you I didn’t sleep!” Denisov said. “Well, thank God, now go to bed.” Still vzdg "let's eat to utg" a.
“Yes… No,” said Petya. “I don’t feel like sleeping yet. Yes, I know myself, if I fall asleep, it's over. And then I got used to not sleeping before the battle.
Petya sat for some time in the hut, joyfully recalling the details of his trip and vividly imagining what would happen tomorrow. Then, noticing that Denisov had fallen asleep, he got up and went into the yard.
It was still quite dark outside. The rain had passed, but the drops were still falling from the trees. Near the guardroom one could see the black figures of Cossack huts and horses tied together. Behind the hut, two wagons with horses stood black, and a burning fire burned red in the ravine. The Cossacks and hussars were not all asleep: in some places, along with the sound of falling drops and the close sound of horses chewing, soft, as if whispering voices were heard.
Petya came out of the passage, looked around in the darkness, and went up to the wagons. Someone was snoring under the wagons, and saddled horses stood around them, chewing oats. In the darkness, Petya recognized his horse, which he called Karabakh, although it was a Little Russian horse, and went up to her.
“Well, Karabakh, we’ll serve tomorrow,” he said, sniffing her nostrils and kissing her.
- What, sir, do not sleep? - said the Cossack, who was sitting under the wagon.
- No; and ... Likhachev, it seems to be your name? After all, I just arrived. We went to the French. - And Petya told the Cossack in detail not only his trip, but also why he went and why he thinks that it is better to risk his life than to make Lazarus at random.
“Well, they would have slept,” said the Cossack.
“No, I’m used to it,” Petya answered. - And what, the flints in your pistols are not upholstered? I brought with me. Isn't it necessary? You take it.
The Cossack leaned out from under the truck to take a closer look at Petya.
“Because I’m used to doing everything carefully,” said Petya. - Others, somehow, do not get ready, then they regret it. I don't like that.
“That’s right,” said the Cossack.
“And one more thing, please, my dear, sharpen my saber; blunt ... (but Petya was afraid to lie) she had never been honed. Can it be done?
- Why, maybe.
Likhachev got up and rummaged through his packs, and Petya soon heard the warlike sound of steel on a bar. He climbed onto the wagon and sat on its edge. The Cossack sharpened his saber under the wagon.
- And what, the good fellows sleep? Petya said.
- Who is sleeping, and who is like this.
- Well, what about the boy?
- Is it spring? He was there, in the hallways, collapsed. Sleeping with fear. It was glad.
For a long time after that Petya was silent, listening to the sounds. Footsteps were heard in the darkness and a black figure appeared.
- What are you sharpening? the man asked, approaching the wagon.
- But the master sharpen his saber.
“It’s a good thing,” said the man, who seemed to be a hussar to Petya. - Do you have a cup left?
“At the wheel.
The hussar took the cup.
“It’s probably light soon,” he said, yawning, and went somewhere.
Petya should have known that he was in the forest, in the party of Denisov, a verst from the road, that he was sitting on a wagon recaptured from the French, near which horses were tied, that the Cossack Likhachev was sitting under him and sharpening his saber, that a large black spot to the right - a guardhouse, and a bright red spot below to the left - a dying fire, that the man who came for a cup was a hussar who wanted to drink; but he knew nothing and did not want to know it. He was in a magical realm, in which there was nothing like reality. A big black spot, maybe it was definitely a guardhouse, or maybe there was a cave that led into the very depths of the earth. The red spot may have been fire, or perhaps the eye of a huge monster. Maybe he’s definitely sitting on a wagon now, but it’s very possible that he’s not sitting on a wagon, but on a terribly high tower, from which if you fall, you would fly to the ground all day, a whole month - all fly and you will never reach . It may be that just the Cossack Likhachev is sitting under the wagon, but it may very well be that this is the kindest, bravest, most wonderful, most excellent person in the world, whom no one knows. Perhaps it was the hussar who was exactly passing for water and went into the hollow, or perhaps he had just disappeared from sight and completely disappeared, and he was not there.
Whatever Petya saw now, nothing would surprise him. He was in a magical realm where anything was possible.
He looked up at the sky. And the sky was as magical as the earth. The sky was clearing, and over the tops of the trees clouds quickly ran, as if revealing the stars. Sometimes it seemed that the sky was clearing and showed a black, clear sky. Sometimes it seemed that these black spots were clouds. Sometimes it seemed that the sky was high, high above the head; sometimes the sky descended completely, so that you could reach it with your hand.
Petya began to close his eyes and sway.
Drops dripped. There was a quiet conversation. The horses neighed and fought. Someone snored.
“Fire, burn, burn, burn…” whistled the saber being sharpened. And suddenly Petya heard a harmonious chorus of music playing some unknown, solemnly sweet hymn. Petya was musical, just like Natasha, and more than Nikolai, but he never studied music, did not think about music, and therefore the motives that suddenly came to his mind were especially new and attractive to him. The music played louder and louder. The tune grew, passed from one instrument to another. There was what is called a fugue, although Petya had no idea what a fugue was. Each instrument, now resembling a violin, now like trumpets - but better and cleaner than violins and trumpets - each instrument played its own and, without finishing the motive, merged with another, which began almost the same, and with the third, and with the fourth , and they all merged into one and again scattered, and again merged first into a solemn church, then into a brightly shining and victorious one.
“Oh, yes, it’s me in a dream,” Petya said to himself, swaying forward. - It's in my ears. Or maybe it's my music. Well, again. Go ahead my music! Well!.."
He closed his eyes. And from different sides, as if from afar, sounds trembled, began to converge, scatter, merge, and again everything united into the same sweet and solemn hymn. “Ah, what a delight it is! As much as I want and how I want,” Petya said to himself. He tried to lead this huge chorus of instruments.
“Well, hush, hush, freeze now. And the sounds obeyed him. - Well, now it's fuller, more fun. More, even happier. - And from an unknown depth rose increasing, solemn sounds. “Well, voices, pester!” Petya ordered. And first, men's voices were heard from afar, then women's. The voices grew, grew in a steady solemn effort. Petya was terrified and joyful to listen to their extraordinary beauty.
A song merged with the solemn victory march, and drops dripped, and burned, burned, burned ... a saber whistled, and again the horses fought and neighed, not breaking the chorus, but entering it.
Petya did not know how long this went on: he enjoyed himself, was constantly surprised at his own pleasure and regretted that there was no one to tell him. Likhachev's gentle voice woke him up.
- Done, your honor, spread the guard in two.
Petya woke up.
- It's getting light, really, it's getting light! he cried.
Previously invisible horses became visible up to their tails, and a watery light was visible through the bare branches. Petya shook himself, jumped up, took out a ruble bill from his pocket and gave it to Likhachev, waved it, tried the saber and put it in its sheath. The Cossacks untie the horses and tighten the girths.
“Here is the commander,” said Likhachev. Denisov came out of the guardroom and, calling to Petya, ordered to get ready.
Quickly in the semi-darkness, they dismantled the horses, tightened the girths and sorted out the commands. Denisov stood at the guardhouse, giving his last orders. The infantry of the party, slapping a hundred feet, advanced along the road and quickly disappeared between the trees in the predawn fog. Esaul ordered something to the Cossacks. Petya kept his horse in line, impatiently waiting for the order to mount. Washed with cold water, his face, especially his eyes, burned with fire, chills ran down his back, and something in his whole body trembled quickly and evenly.
- Well, are you all ready? Denisov said. - Come on horses.
The horses were given. Denisov was angry with the Cossack because the girths were weak, and, having scolded him, sat down. Petya took up the stirrup. The horse, out of habit, wanted to bite his leg, but Petya, not feeling his weight, quickly jumped into the saddle and, looking back at the hussars moving behind in the darkness, rode up to Denisov.
- Vasily Fyodorovich, will you entrust me with something? Please… for God's sake…” he said. Denisov seemed to have forgotten about the existence of Petya. He looked back at him.
“I’ll tell you about one thing,” he said sternly, “obey me and not meddle anywhere.
During the entire journey, Denisov did not say a word to Petya and rode in silence. When we arrived at the edge of the forest, the field was noticeably brighter. Denisov said something in a whisper to the esaul, and the Cossacks began to drive past Petya and Denisov. When they had all passed, Denisov touched his horse and rode downhill. Sitting on their haunches and gliding, the horses descended with their riders into the hollow. Petya rode next to Denisov. The trembling in his whole body grew stronger. It was getting lighter and lighter, only the fog hid distant objects. Driving down and looking back, Denisov nodded his head to the Cossack who was standing beside him.
- Signal! he said.
The Cossack raised his hand, a shot rang out. And at the same moment there was heard the clatter of galloping horses in front, shouts from different directions, and more shots.
At the same moment as the first sounds of trampling and screaming were heard, Petya, kicking his horse and releasing the reins, not listening to Denisov, who shouted at him, galloped forward. It seemed to Petya that it suddenly dawned brightly, like the middle of the day, at the moment a shot was heard. He jumped to the bridge. Cossacks galloped ahead along the road. On the bridge, he ran into a straggler Cossack and galloped on. There were some people in front—they must have been Frenchmen—running from the right side of the road to the left. One fell into the mud under the feet of Petya's horse.
Cossacks crowded around one hut, doing something. A terrible cry was heard from the middle of the crowd. Petya galloped up to this crowd, and the first thing he saw was the pale face of a Frenchman with a trembling lower jaw, holding on to the shaft of a pike pointed at him.
“Hurrah!.. Guys…ours…” Petya shouted and, giving the reins to the excited horse, galloped forward down the street.
Shots were heard ahead. Cossacks, hussars, and ragged Russian prisoners, who fled from both sides of the road, all shouted something loudly and incoherently. A young man, without a hat, with a red frown on his face, a Frenchman in a blue greatcoat fought off the hussars with a bayonet. When Petya jumped up, the Frenchman had already fallen. Late again, Petya flashed through his head, and he galloped to where frequent shots were heard. Shots were heard in the courtyard of the manor house where he had been last night with Dolokhov. The French sat there behind the wattle fence in a dense garden overgrown with bushes and fired at the Cossacks crowded at the gate. Approaching the gate, Petya, in the powder smoke, saw Dolokhov with a pale, greenish face, shouting something to people. "On the detour! Wait for the infantry!” he shouted as Petya rode up to him.
“Wait?.. Hurrah!” Petya shouted and, without a single minute's hesitation, galloped to the place where the shots were heard and where the powder smoke was thicker. A volley was heard, empty and slapped bullets screeched. The Cossacks and Dolokhov jumped after Petya through the gates of the house. The French, in the swaying thick smoke, some threw down their weapons and ran out of the bushes towards the Cossacks, others ran downhill to the pond. Petya galloped along the manor's yard on his horse and, instead of holding the reins, waved both hands strangely and quickly, and kept falling further and further from the saddle to one side. The horse, having run into a fire smoldering in the morning light, rested, and Petya fell heavily to the wet ground. The Cossacks saw how quickly his arms and legs twitched, despite the fact that his head did not move. The bullet pierced his head.
After talking with a senior French officer, who came out from behind the house with a handkerchief on a sword and announced that they were surrendering, Dolokhov got off his horse and went up to Petya, motionless, with his arms outstretched.
“Ready,” he said, frowning, and went through the gate to meet Denisov, who was coming towards him.
- Killed?! exclaimed Denisov, seeing from a distance that familiar to him, undoubtedly lifeless position, in which Petya's body lay.
“Ready,” repeated Dolokhov, as if pronouncing this word gave him pleasure, and quickly went to the prisoners, who were surrounded by dismounted Cossacks. - We won't take it! he shouted to Denisov.
Denisov did not answer; he rode up to Petya, dismounted from his horse, and with trembling hands turned towards him Petya's already pale face, stained with blood and mud.
“I'm used to anything sweet. Excellent raisins, take them all,” he remembered. And the Cossacks looked back with surprise at the sounds, similar to the barking of a dog, with which Denisov quickly turned away, went up to the wattle fence and grabbed it.
Among the Russian prisoners recaptured by Denisov and Dolokhov was Pierre Bezukhov.
About the party of prisoners in which Pierre was, during his entire movement from Moscow, there was no new order from the French authorities. On October 22, this party was no longer with the troops and convoys with which it left Moscow. Half of the convoy with breadcrumbs, which followed them for the first transitions, was beaten off by the Cossacks, the other half went ahead; the foot cavalrymen who went ahead, there was not one more; they all disappeared. The artillery, which the first crossings could be seen ahead of, was now replaced by the huge convoy of Marshal Junot, escorted by the Westphalians. Behind the prisoners was a convoy of cavalry things.
From Vyazma, the French troops, who had previously marched in three columns, now marched in one heap. Those signs of disorder that Pierre noticed on the first halt from Moscow have now reached the last degree.
The road they were on was paved on both sides with dead horses; ragged people, lagging behind different teams, constantly changing, then joined, then again lagged behind the marching column.
Several times during the campaign there were false alarms, and the soldiers of the convoy raised their guns, fired and ran headlong, crushing each other, but then again gathered and scolded each other for vain fear.
These three gatherings, marching together - the cavalry depot, the depot of prisoners and Junot's convoy - still constituted something separate and integral, although both, and the other, and the third quickly melted away.
In the depot, which had at first been one hundred and twenty wagons, now there were no more than sixty; the rest were repulsed or abandoned. Junot's convoy was also abandoned and several wagons were recaptured. Three wagons were plundered by backward soldiers from Davout's corps who came running. From the conversations of the Germans, Pierre heard that more guards were placed on this convoy than on prisoners, and that one of their comrades, a German soldier, was shot on the orders of the marshal himself because a silver spoon that belonged to the marshal was found on the soldier.
Most of these three gatherings melted the depot of prisoners. Of the three hundred and thirty people who left Moscow, now there were less than a hundred. The prisoners, even more than the saddles of the cavalry depot and than Junot's convoy, burdened the escorting soldiers. Junot's saddles and spoons, they understood that they could be useful for something, but why were the hungry and cold soldiers of the convoy standing guard and guarding the same cold and hungry Russians, who were dying and lagging behind the road, whom they were ordered to shoot - it was not only incomprehensible, but also disgusting. And the escorts, as if afraid in the sad situation in which they themselves were, not to give in to the feeling of pity for the prisoners that was in them and thereby worsen their situation, treated them especially gloomily and strictly.
In Dorogobuzh, while, having locked the prisoners in the stable, the escort soldiers left to rob their own shops, several captured soldiers dug under the wall and ran away, but were captured by the French and shot.
Since the First World War, tanks have been one of the most effective weapons of war. Their first use by the British at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 ushered in a new era, with tank wedges and lightning-fast blitzkriegs.
Battle of Cambrai (1917)
After failures with the use of small tank formations, the British command decided to launch an offensive using a large number of tanks. Since the tanks had not lived up to expectations before, many considered them useless. One British officer noted: "The infantry thinks that the tanks have not justified themselves. Even the tank crews are discouraged."
According to the plan of the British command, the upcoming offensive was supposed to begin without traditional artillery preparation. For the first time in history, tanks themselves had to break through the enemy defenses.
The offensive at Cambrai was supposed to take the German command by surprise. The operation was prepared in strict secrecy. Tanks were brought to the front in the evening. The British were constantly firing machine guns and mortars to drown out the roar of tank engines.
In total, 476 tanks participated in the offensive. The German divisions were defeated and suffered heavy losses. The well-fortified "Hindenburg Line" was broken through to a great depth. However, during the German counter-offensive, the British troops were forced to retreat. Using the remaining 73 tanks, the British managed to prevent a more serious defeat.
Battle for Dubno-Lutsk-Brody (1941)
In the first days of the war, a large-scale tank battle took place in Western Ukraine. The most powerful grouping of the Wehrmacht - "Center" - advanced to the north, to Minsk and further to Moscow. Not so strong army group "South" was advancing on Kyiv. But in this direction there was the most powerful grouping of the Red Army - the South-Western Front.
Already in the evening of June 22, the troops of this front received orders to encircle and destroy the advancing enemy grouping with powerful concentric strikes by mechanized corps, and by the end of June 24 to capture the Lublin region (Poland). It sounds fantastic, but this is if you do not know the strength of the parties: in a giant oncoming tank battle, 3128 Soviet and 728 German tanks met.
The battle lasted a week: from 23 to 30 June. The actions of the mechanized corps were reduced to isolated counterattacks in different directions. The German command, through competent leadership, managed to repel a counterattack and defeat the armies of the Southwestern Front. The rout was complete: the Soviet troops lost 2648 tanks (85%), the Germans - about 260 vehicles.
Battle of El Alamein (1942)
The Battle of El Alamein is a key episode in the Anglo-German confrontation in North Africa. The Germans sought to cut the most important strategic highway of the Allies - the Suez Canal, and rushed to the Middle Eastern oil, which the Axis needed. The pitched battle of the entire campaign took place at El Alamein. As part of this battle, one of the largest tank battles in World War II took place.
The Italo-German forces numbered about 500 tanks, half of which were rather weak Italian tanks. The British armored units had over 1000 tanks, among which were powerful American tanks - 170 "Grants" and 250 "Shermans".
The qualitative and quantitative superiority of the British was partly offset by the military genius of the commander of the Italo-German troops, the famous "desert fox" Rommel.
Despite the British numerical superiority in manpower, tanks and aircraft, the British were never able to break through Rommel's defenses. The Germans even managed to counterattack, but the superiority of the British in numbers was so impressive that the German shock group of 90 tanks was simply destroyed in the oncoming battle.
Rommel, inferior to the enemy in armored vehicles, made extensive use of anti-tank artillery, among which were captured Soviet 76-mm guns, which proved to be excellent. Only under the pressure of the huge numerical superiority of the enemy, having lost almost all the equipment, the German army began an organized retreat.
The Germans had just over 30 tanks left after El Alamein. The total losses of the Italo-German troops in equipment amounted to 320 tanks. The losses of the British armored forces amounted to approximately 500 vehicles, many of which were repaired and returned to service, since the battlefield was eventually left to them.
Battle of Prokhorovka (1943)
The tank battle near Prokhorovka took place on July 12, 1943 as part of the Battle of Kursk. According to official Soviet data, 800 Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns and 700 German ones participated in it from both sides.
The Germans lost 350 armored vehicles, ours - 300. But the trick is that the Soviet tanks that participated in the battle were counted, and the German ones - those that were in general in the entire German grouping on the southern flank of the Kursk salient.
According to new, updated data, 311 German tanks and self-propelled guns of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps against 597 Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army (Commander Rotmistrov) participated in the tank battle near Prokhorovka. The SS men lost about 70 (22%), and the guards - 343 (57%) units of armored vehicles.
None of the parties managed to achieve their goals: the Germans failed to break through the Soviet defenses and enter the operational space, and the Soviet troops failed to surround the enemy grouping.
A government commission was set up to investigate the causes of the heavy losses of Soviet tanks. In the report of the commission, the military operations of the Soviet troops near Prokhorovka are called "a model of an unsuccessfully conducted operation." General Rotmistrov was going to be handed over to the tribunal, but by that time the general situation had developed favorably, and everything worked out.
Battle of the Golan Heights (1973)
A major tank battle after 1945 took place during the so-called war doomsday. The war got its name because it began with a surprise attack by the Arabs during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur (Judgment Day).
Egypt and Syria sought to regain territories lost after the crushing defeat in the Six Day War (1967). Egypt and Syria were helped (financially and sometimes with impressive troops) by many Islamic countries - from Morocco to Pakistan. And not only Islamic ones: distant Cuba sent 3,000 soldiers to Syria, including tank crews.
On the Golan Heights, 180 Israeli tanks opposed approximately 1,300 Syrian ones. The heights were the most important strategic position for Israel: if the Israeli defenses in the Golan had been broken through, the Syrian troops would have been in the very center of the country in a few hours.
For several days, two Israeli tank brigades, suffering heavy losses, defended the Golan Heights from superior enemy forces. The most fierce fighting took place in the Valley of Tears, the Israeli brigade lost from 73 to 98 tanks out of 105. The Syrians lost about 350 tanks and 200 armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles.
The situation began to change radically after the reservists began to arrive. Syrian troops were stopped and then driven back to their original positions. Israeli troops launched an offensive against Damascus.
On the second day of the war, units of the 1st Panzer Group Kleist break through at the junctions of the Vladimir-Volynsky and Strumilovsky fortified areas, which contributed to their advance towards Kyiv. The command of the Southwestern Front, realizing the danger, decided to launch a counterattack against the Nazis. The key to the success of the operation was to be the fourfold superiority of the Red Army in tanks, however, in reality, the counteroffensive turned into a tragedy.
For the attack, it was planned to involve the entire aviation of the front and, according to the plan of the command, a strike on the right flank of the German grouping should have collapsed the 4th, 8th and 15th mechanized corps with attached rifle units. The left wing of the advancing Nazis was attacked by the 9th, 19th and 22nd mechanized corps, rifle formations and the 1st brigade with anti-tank guns.
Before entering the battle, most of the mechanized corps completed a difficult march without observing the prescribed technical standards. As a result, the units were greatly stretched, and the condition of many vehicles was unsatisfactory. Having not formed a single grouping, on the morning of June 24, the front command ordered the 15th Corps of General Carpezo to go on the offensive. Tankers occupied the city of Radekhov, after which the advance was stopped.
The Germans, noticing the accumulation of enemy forces, changed tactics. They abandoned oncoming battles and went on the defensive. The advance of the Red Army was accompanied by huge losses in manpower and equipment. A similar situation developed on the left flank.
While the Germans defended on the flanks, Field Marshal Kleist developed the offensive at the tip of the wedge. On the morning of June 25, the 9th and 19th mechanized corps, after a 100-250 km march, reached the city of Rovno and struck at the left flank of the 1st Panzer Group in the direction of Lutsk - Dubno. Fighting vehicles of the 19th corps were opened defensive lines German 11th Panzer Division and by the end of the same day occupied the outskirts of Dubno, but was knocked out by a German counterattack.