Panzer Commander Hermann Balck: Germany’s Master Tactician

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Ziemke, Earl F. (2002). Stalingrad to Berlin: The German Defeat in the East. Washington D.C.: Center of Military History, US Army. ISBN 9781780392875.

In some hours it became empty in Nizhne-Chirskaja. Were cleared carriageway roads. I have transferred the colonel Selle command by an army headquarters and have charged him to transfer an army headquarters to Tormosin, and itself have remained in Nizhne-Chirskaja. Now my main task was to extract anti-tank guns, artillery, mortars and tanks for battle groups. Without this weapon they could not render the opponent of serious resistance. I already early in the morning by phone have commanded to our workshops in Tormosin all repaired guns, tanks and machine guns as soon as possible, not later than evening, to deliver in Nizhne-Chirskaja. Really, in second half of day the first guns began to act. The colonel Selle, having arrived in Tormosin, has vigorously supported this action. He has clean taken out literally all from workshops, has forced repair groups to work day and night and almost daily delivered the weapon and an ammunition. When in the evening on November, 24 we have reached east coast of Don, from my division a little that remained.... Therefore Pauljus has decided to disband a division. The residuary officers and soldiers have been allocated on other infantry divisions. I considered your wishes.... By the way, where you are going to arrange the command point? In Nizhne-CHirskaja it is dangerous to remain. Diamonds on 31 August 1944 as General der Panzertruppe and acting commander of the 4. Panzerarmee [14] I have felt all weight of the responsibility for covered in city of the exhausted soldiers, for the weapon and equipment. The responsibility for appeared under heavy threat 6-n Armies.Russian had a significant numerical superiority and the American commanders have become puzzled, as they are Americans - had no experience of struggle against the enemy in conditions when this enemy had such monstrous superiority in strength. Map 30 «Battler of the Chir River» On Dec 1942 Mell-PzBat-210-212-Map29-30.jpg (103.01 KiB) Viewed 42140 times F.W. von Mellenthin «Panzer Battles 1939-1945». The Chir front was quiet on 14 December 1942. The next day, 15 December 1942, Knobelsdorff moved the 11th Panzer Division south from Nizhne Kalinovski to Nizhne Chirskaya near the influence of the Chir and Don Rivers. Five days earlier, the 4th Panzer Army, with the 57th Panzer Corps as its spearhead, had begun the German drive toward Stalingrad to relieve the 6th Army. Knobelsdorff had the mission to advance with the 11th Panzer Division across the bridge still held by the Germans in Colonel Adam's bridgehead and support the drive of the 57th Panzer Corps.

Fizeler-Shtorh" already waited Paulus and Schmidt. Before the flying away commanding has called me to itself in a room.To me colonel Abraham and captain Gebel were. They have reported on arrival of officer school which I have caused in Nizhne-Chirskaja. Has a little told about this fight general-colonel Balk – at that time general-major the commander 11th Panzer Division. As we find out soon from indications captured, the division Germans named «Ghost». 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. manded the SS’s police division. His IX SS Mountain Corps was holding Budapest with the weak 8th and 22nd SS Cavalry divisions and elements of the 13th Panzer Division, the 60th Panzergrenadier Division, and the 271st Volksgrenadier Division. The Hungarian I Corps, under the command of a former instructor of German at Hungary’s Ludovika Military Academy, General Iván Hindy, 54, fought alongside them. Altogether, the Axis had some 79,000 troops defending the city. For the time being the Corps had nothing whatever to throw against this enemy force. The only available 11th Panzer Division element was its reconnaissance battalion. This battalion, together with units attached to it and with a few heavy antiaircraft batteries stationed in the area, was given the mission of securing against a further enemy break-through, guarding the area along the eastwest road. The battalion once again, accomplished its mission successfully.