Panzer Commander Hermann Balck: Germany’s Master Tactician

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Now we should leave, Adam. I do not know, when we shall meet. As the senior officer you will head an army headquarters. As soon as the Red Army will reach undercurrent Chir, transfer an army headquarters through Tormosin in Morozovskaja and be united there with management of rear of army which already has left there.

It is not difficult to see, that this Japanese map repeats all that is present on a map of professor Russel H.S. Stolfi «Map 1_7 December» Pauljus has characterized to the corps commander conditions on western coast of Don then he has explained to him his problem: tank regiments of 14-th, 16-th and 24-th Panzer Divisions to take on the flank the opponent advancing on the south. It should eliminate threat of 6-th Army from rear. The army headquarters of XIV Panzer Korp has held our command point in Golubinskaja. Cable and a telephone system not were it is curtailed, so the corps headquarters has kept communication with all case and divisional army headquarters, and as with new command point of army. On December, 10 in Nizhne-Chirskaja there has arrived together with the army headquarters the commander of 384-th Infantry Division the general - lieutenant a baron von of Gablents. We were well familiar.

Death and burial ground of Balck, Georg Otto Hermann.

The front has received also other desired help. The commander of a town garrison has reported, that on November, 22 there arrived to Nizhne-CHirskaja completely made up company bakery and a platoon of a field slaughterhouse. They have got away from tanks of the opponent, that at the created position it was difficult to blame him. I at once have included both these parts in structure of battle groups. Our nerves have been tense excessively. At last in the evening on November, 20 we have have found out something about position from our right neighbour - 4-th Panzer Army. The opponent has broken through German defense from the south and has promoted to Don. Command of an army group has allocated 29-n motorized division to close a gap, but the division could not resist to onslaught of the Soviet troops. IV army corps and the Romanian 20-n Infantry Division have receded and now battled front on the south. About other taking place in the south of the Romanian divisions it was known nothing. Under last reports, the Soviet tanks came directly to command point of 4-th Panzer Army. The division's arms and equipment were, however, much better than those of the ground forces divisions. But there was no one who knew how to handle the division's weapons. The soldiers were rather fine physical specimens; they were willing to fight, but they were completely untrained. They were nothing but pure, unadulterated cannon fodder.

During my absence our officer, the teacher of military school in Suvorovskaja, has formed six more companies from retarded the soldier. I immediately under his command have sent them on forward. In interaction with battle group Gebel they provided on both sides Chir of road going along the river. So one more dangerous defended area has been increased. Little by little the burden of cares became easier. From both sides again created and badly equipped connections were entered into battle. So, at Germans Airfield Divisions which in some days of battles, as a rule, lost fighting capability operated: despite of a good hardware, their preparation left to wish much the best, and besides they did not have skilled commanders. Creation of airfield divisions was Germana Goering handwork, and had no under itself of any sensible basis. And for this absurd soldiers paid the lives. He went on to elaborate that when he was a battalion commander he had somewhat retarded regimental commanders and took the actions he felt necessary within the framework of the (to him) obviously discernible general mission. He went on to explain that he was driven by the same spirit of action with virtually all of his superiors in his military career. The headquarters of the 48th Panzer Corps and the divisions under its command began to arrive in the Chir salient on 4 December 1942. Nevertheless command of 6-th Army and an army group "B" obediently expected the decision of supreme commander in chief. In the evening, at last, there has arrived the long-awaited telegram. Break from an encirclement has not been permitted. It was necessary to keep Stalingrad - will Hitler and the Joint Staff was thoseThe division, holding a bridgehead across the DON east of VERKHNYAYA CHIRSKAYA, was the nucleus of the Corps in the corner formed by the DON and CHIR rivers. Adjoining on the right and extending up to the boundary there was a thinly-held line along the DON made up of 24 Pz Dw Division rear echelon elements. On the left there were those elements of the 338th Infantry Division that had arrived from the Hungarian Army sector by rail and on foot.

I have commanded to the commander of a town garrison to strengthen sentries at exits from settlement and to reconnoiter district between city and station. The German infantry permitted the Russian tanks to crunch over its lines and repulsed Russian infantry that followed the tanks. Again the Russian tanks were destroyed by the 11th Panzer Division in the depth of the battle position. Losses were pretty high on both sides. Glantz, David M.; House, Jonathan (2009). To the Gates of Stalingrad: Soviet-German Combat Operations, April-August 1942. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1630-5. In 1957 von Mellenthin's memoirs have been translated to Russian. In the USSR they were released by publishing house "Voenizdat" (Military publishing house).On November, 19 staff officers of army have have carried out in painful expectation. Then with each hour messages on accident more and more became frequent. Though by the evening yet had no exact representation about scales of the Soviet successes, but it was clear to everyone, that we are threatened with danger of death. About 19 hours I was with the report to Pauljus.