Opening Moves

A Vickers from the Manchesters positioned in the Rathaus started hammering out as Soviet troopers came into and disappeared from view in swirls of dust and smoke, pouring out from behind St Petri’s and beyond.

The man knew his job and few bullets were wasted, .303’s tearing great swathes in the Russian infantry of III/215th Rifle Regiment and the support companies of the 1st Rifle Corps.

As the dust grew less and vision improved, other weapons reached out and touched the attackers, adding to the growing piles of dead and dying all along Llewellyn Forces’ front line.

The Black Watch worked their Enfield bolts mechanically, shifting target when the man dropped, taking a steadier aim if the bullet went wide.

Corporal McEwan, relieved of his driving duties, was doing what he knew best and his sniper’s rifle dealt death with every pull of the trigger. Positioned on the first floor of the Rathaus, he had a superb field of fire down Mönckebergstraße. Methodically the Corporal destroyed the visible command structure of III/215th Rifle Regiment as it hurled itself down the highway, intent on gaining the Markt and beyond.

Talking to himself, as was his habit in the stress of combat, McEwan showered himself with plaudits for taking the cap off one officer who was stood back encouraging his men.

That the bullet took the life of the IIIrd’s commander was incidental to the pleasure the slightly mad Scotsman derived from seeing the headgear roll away.

^{Fig#30 – Hamburg – First Soviet assault}

^{At A – T-34 killed by Fallschirmjager Panzerfaust.}

^{At B – Sherman 76mm concealed in Hermanstraße kills a T-34.}

^{At C – Cpl McEwan’s sniping position from the first floor of the Rathaus.}

^{At D – Defensive artillery strike area.}

^{At E – 6-pdr Anti-tank gun engaging Soviet T-34’s misfires.}

^{At F – Disabled T-34.}

^{At G – Fallschirmjager counter-attack drives out Soviet troops.}

^{At H – T-34 killed by 71st Regt 6-pdr gun. [at J]}

^{At J – 6-pdr Anti-tank gun killed by T-34’s firing from Ballinndamm.}

^{At K – III/259th Regt attack.}

^{At L – Scene of bitter fighting between Admin Platoon,arriving reinforcements of A/4RWF and soviet infantry.}

^{At M – 6-pdr position, focus of heavy fighting between Soviets and C/4RWF.}

^{At N – T-34 advances believing both sides secured by own infantry.}

^{At Q – The Rathaus fighting.}

^{At R – M4 Sherman, which previously killed a T-34 disabled by infantry with mines.}

A consummate professional, 1st Lieutenant Ames had the artillery support just right again and brought its accurate fire down in the area of Pelzerstraße/Schauenburgerstraße, the deadly 25-pdr’s causing heavy casualties with a mix of HE and Fragmentation shells and giving the two lead battalions of the 215th a very hard time. One of the 71st’s 6-pdr’s reached out at a T-34 pushing up towards the Markt and succeeded in damaging it as well as killing the driver. However, the tank crew did not lack courage and engaged the anti-tank gun, missing with their first shot but killing one of the Manchesters in the window beyond.

The anti-tank gun then misfired, causing panic amongst the crew, who screamed at each other as they started the procedure to clear the weapon.

A second shell from the tank again missed but was close enough to cause the crew to bolt from their useless weapon, all seeking cover within the Rathaus.

A PIAT round arrived on the Soviet tank and removed the offside track, causing casualties amongst the infantry who were supporting the tank.

Mortar rounds were now dropping on the anti-tank gun position, ensuring that the crew did not have second thoughts and re-man their gun.

The lieutenant commanding the T-34 stuck his head out to assess the damage and left it there for enough time for a number of Black Watch to open fire. Even as he ducked back in, angry wasps clanged off the tanks armour, ricocheting in all directions, one of which caught the III/215th’s oldest soldier in the back of the head, killing him instantly.

Howling with rage at the death of their talisman, the younger men threw themselves forward but were beaten off, seeking cover in the ruins that had collapsed on the Fallschirmjager.