Below is an After Action Report for The Last Hundred Yards Volume 4: The Russion Front Mission 43.0, Green Devils’ Last Stand. Enjoy!
January 5-16, 1944. As battle was raging in the Uman Gap, Konev’s 2nd Ukrainian Front launched a major assault against Wohler’s 8th army’s right flank, driving on the important industrial city of Kirovograd. The plan was to encircle the German defenders with the 5th Guards Army passing south of the city and the 53rd Army to the north. The Russians made rapid progress in both sectors overruning the woefully thin German defenses. For the 2nd Fallschirmjäger Division, already defending a 21 kilometer front with just 3,200 men, were also tasked with holding the vital road crossing, the Krivoi Rog – Kirovograd highway. For the Green Devils’ Pioneer Battalion stationed at Novgorodka the reckoning was at hand.
Major Sidorov looked at the map one more time while kneeling next to a log in the woods. Majors Sidorov and Semenov had been tasked with taking the village currently occupied by the Germans. The plan was a classic pincer attack. Sidorov with his 2nd and 3rd platoons would to attack from the north while Semenov attacked from the south with his 1st and 2nd platoons. Sidorov split his two platoons, sending the 3rd platoon across the road against the village on the east side of the road and the 2nd platoon directly through the woods.
As Major Semenov’s platoons approached the village from the south, a runner came with a report of German units in the buildings straddling the road running to the west. Semenov hadn’t expected the Germans to be this far west. Now, he would have to quash them quickly before they could report his approach. He sent the runner back with orders for the 2nd and 3rd squads to immediately assault the buildings to their front. As Semenov advanced into the woods with the 1st platoon, he could hear small arms fire from the direction of the buildings along the western end of the village. The contest for these buildings was over quickly. From his vantage point in the woods, he could see remnants of the German units retreating back toward the center of the village – so much for surprise.
Meanwhile, Sidorov approaching the village from the north, watched his 3rd platoon cross the road and into the woods immediately east of the road. As he advanced closer to the village with the 2nd platoon, they immediately came suffered rifle and machine gun fire from the northern most buildings of the village and the wood-line to his right and a farmhouse to his left. He quickly realized he had walked into an ambush and his 3rd platoon had suffered casualties. The Germans defensive positions were well placed – this was going to be a lot tougher than he had hoped.
As Semenov and his men were preparing exit the woods to enter the buildings along the southern edge of the village, the lead squad from his 1st platoon was hit by machine gun from the buildings on the road to the north and suffered casualties. As he was assessing the damage, he received notice from the platoon leader of his 3rd platoon that it appeared the Germans in the building to his front were preparing for an assault.
Hoping to beat the Germans to the punch, Semenov immediately called for a squad from the 1st platoon to suppress the enemy MG while the another advanced along the road using the intervening cover of the buildings on either side to join the squad from the 3rd platoon in the assault against the enemy units to his front. The squad of the 1st platoon took fire as they advanced down the road to join the assault but fortunately the the enemy fire had little effect. Catching the Germans off guard, the assault was successful and the Germans retreated to buildings on the eastern side of the village.
Meanwhile, Sidorov directed suppressive fire against the Germans in the buildings on the road at the northern end of the village and sent squads from his 2nd and 3rd platoons to envelope it. The assaulting squads, although experiencing heavy fire, were successful in their assault and again forced the enemy to retreat. The Germans retreated south along the road ending their retreat in the buildings occupied by the German MG. The Germans were being compressed from both sides now.
In the south, after driving the Germans from the buildings on the southern edge of the village, Semonov sent the first platoon north along the road and the 3rd platoon in pursuit of the Germans that had retreated to buildings at the eastern edge of the village. The fighting now was house-to house and intense. The Germans, now desperate to hold their ever-shrinking perimeter, repulsed all assaults forcing both of Semenov’s platoons to retreat. Semenov realized he had lost the momentum and it was going to take time to regroup. He could only hope comrade Major Sidorov was having better luck.
Sidorov realized he must first take the farm buildings occupied by the enemy on his left east of the road before he could advance against the enemy MG. He sent two squads from the 3rd platoon to take the farm buildings and the 2nd platoon west and south to occupy the woods west of the buildings occupied by the MG. The two squads of the 3rd platoon easily forced the few Germans occupying the farm buildings east of the road to retreat. These units retreated south through the woods.
Having cleared the enemy from the farm on his left Sidorov’s 3rd platoon advanced through the woods east of the buildings occupied by the German MG. Once the 3rd platoon was in position, he sent units from both his 2nd and 3rd platoons to encircle and assault the German MG position. The assault was successful and the Germans, realizing that holding the village was no longer possible, retreated toward friendly lines to the north.
Semenov, now having regrouped his force, sent them back into action against the few remaining Germans occupying the buildings at the crossroad and along the road on eastern side of the village. By this time, the Germans had little fight left in them and retreated north toward friendly lines.
Major Sidorov met up with his comrade Semenov in the village center. It was finally and completely in Russian hands. However, their work was not done. With the Germans regrouping to the north, they would have to dig in and prepare for the inevitable counter-attack.
Author: Shawn Niblack
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