Opening Moves

The other six aircraft fell upon C Coy of the armored infantry and the juicy target of three platoons of 57mm AT guns, one from each of the 17th’s companies, waiting together under the supposed protective watch of B Coy.

The armored-infantry, well disposed and taking advantage of trees and buildings on the outskirts of Albertshausen, suffered few casualties.

The AT platoons were ravaged by rocket fire and most guns were knocked out, along with many of their trained servants.

Return fire from a pair of half-track mounted machine guns was ineffectual, encouraging the Shturmoviks to return for a strafing run.

More casualties accrued and still no rounds hit the attackers.

Two M-16’s from the 573rd had more joy and knocked an Ilyushin from the sky, causing it to crashland south of Fuchsstadt, where the crew fell victim to vengeful civilians before soldiers of the armored-infantry managed to get to them.

While C/23rd sorted themselves out the CC’B’ Commander plunged his troopers on into Rottenbauer, where sudden stiff resistance caused the set-piece deployment of a full company of armored infantrymen, complete with mortar support from the M21’s in the support company.

The rest of A/23rd put down fire on the town as they moved forward and past Rottenbauer, deploying halfway between the crossroads and the village, approximately two hundred yards north of the fighting. Professionally, they partially oriented to their rear in case Soviet forces tried to withdraw with the rest of the unit watching their front, using small but adequate hillocks as hull down cover, paying specific attention to likely ambush spots ahead.

Occasional rounds from Soviet PTRD anti-tank rifles hit home from the village they had passed, having little real effect but excellent as a distraction and for nuisance value.

Resistance in Rottenbauer was unexpectedly fierce and a platoon of tanks from B/23rd was sent forward to assist, the remainder of B Company sitting in reserve at Fuchsstadt.

Most of D/23rd’s light tanks remained at Winterhausen keeping well hidden from the anti-tank guns across the river, whilst a platoon pushed up half a mile to act as an early-warning if the Russians returned, happily screened from the same anti-tank guns by trees.

Casualties amongst the armored infantrymen were mounting as they battled house to house against quality Russian fighting men, experienced soldiers of the 59th Guards Rifle Division, or to give it the full honorific’s due, the 59th ‘Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvurov, Order of Bogdan Khmelnitskiy’ Guards Rifle Division, named for ‘Kramatorsk’, ‘Nikopol’, ‘Budapest’ and ‘Lower Dneistr’.

They had been in almost constant combat since March 1942 and were veterans of a thousand battles against a competent and deadly foe.

Levering them out of Rottenbauer’s quaint houses was time consuming and costly, both in lives and the necessary chattels of war, as huge quantities of grenades, bazooka rounds, mortar shells, and small arms ammunition were being expended.

In open combat, the American units had a real advantage with the M1 Garand but in close combat fighting, they were rapidly acquiring a healthy respect for the capabilities of the PPSH sub-machine gun.

4th and 6th Companies of 2nd Btn, 179th Guards Rifles had quite a lot of them, accompanied by the skill and bravery to use them to full advantage.

The armored infantry push started to grind to a halt as casualties ate up their effectiveness and resolve, requiring closer support from the tankers of B/23rd, which exposure cost two more tanks knocked out by hand thrown anti-tank grenades.

In an effort to kick-start his advance again, the Colonel sent in ‘C’ Company of his armored-infantry.

A vicious fight took place in the Schloss itself, and an armored-infantry platoon seeking to establish itself there was forcefully ejected from the main building, seeking refuge in the stable block to the west side.

Before they could properly set themselves, the guardsmen threw themselves forward, taking casualties as they charged across the open yard.

Hand to hand combat ensued, at which the Soviets excelled, and the Americans were displaced as much by the extreme shock of the assault and violence of the gutter fight visited upon them as by the casualties they started to sustain. Many of the Russians employed sharpened spades as cleavers, slashing down in the manner of a chopper, aiming for vulnerable neck flesh where head met torso. More than one blow went the full distance, separating the parts.