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FIREFLY COLLECTION No.1
VIKING
VIKING
VIKING
VIKING
SUMMER
SUMMER
SUMMER
SUMMER
5.SS-PANZER-DIVISION IN POLAND, 1944
WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY
DENNIS OLIVER
SUPERBLY DETAILED COLOUR PROFILES, BLACK AND WHITE ARCHIVE PHOTOGRAPHS,
COMPREHENSIVE ORGANISATIONAL AND EQUIPMENT CHARTS, UNIT HISTORY AND MAPS
© ADH Publishing 2012
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FIREFLY COLLECTION
VIKING SUMMER
5.SS-PANZER-DIVISION IN POLAND, 1944
Written and illustrated by Dennis Oliver
ISBN 978-0-9806593-9-9
Acknowledgments. The author and publisher would like to thank the staff of the National Library of Australia, Canberra, the State Library of Queensland and
Darren Neeley at Fox Company Research, Maryland for their invaluable assistance and advice. We would also like to thank all those who contribute to the Axis
History Forum, the Feldgrau Forum, Panzer-Archiv.de, Die Deutsche Wehrmacht website, the Wiking Ruf website, the Panther1944 website and Brett Green at
Missing Lynx. We also wish to thank Glenn Bartolotti for permission to reproduce the photograph of his scale model Panther ausf A which can also be seen at
mysite.verizon.net/ressi2si/armormodelsbyglennbartolotti. In addition to the websites mentioned above, the following printed works were also consulted:
Die Truppenkennzeicen der Verbände und Einheiten der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS und ihre Einsätze im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945. Schmitz, P
and Theis K-J. Verweht sind die Spuren. Proschek, R. Wenn Alle Brüder Schweigen. Hausser, P et al. Viking Panzers: The German 5th SS Tank Regiment in the
East in World War II. Klapdor, E. Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS, 1943-45. Fey, W and Henschler, H. Panther and its variants. Spielberger, W. PzKpfw. V Panther
Vol 1 . Trojca, W. PzKpfw. V Panther Vol 2. Trojca, W. PzKpfw. V Panther Vol 3. Trojca, W. PzKpfw. V Panther Vol 4. Trojca, W. PzKpfw. V Panther Vol 5. Trojca, W.
PzKpfw. V Panther Vol 6. Trojca, W. PzKpfw. V Panther vol 7. Trojca, W. PzKpfw. V Panther vol 8. Trojca, W. Panther Variants In Color. Trojca, W. Panther Ausf A.
Gawrych, W. Pz.Kpfw. V Panther . Wróblewski, R and Wrobel, A. Panzer Tracts No. 11-1. Panzerbeobachtungswagen. Jentz, T. L. and Doyle, H. L. Panzer IV and
its Variants . Spielberger, W J. Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf G/H/J. Vol 2. Trojca, W. Panzerkampfwagen IV. Schiebert, H. Der Panzerkampfwagen IV. Fleischer, W. Pz.Kpfw.
IV Ausf G, H and J. Jentz, T and Doyle, H. Panzerjäger und Sturmgeschütze. Schiebert, H. German Sturmartillerie At War. Vol 2. De Sisto, F. V. Sturmartillerie.
Spielberger, W.J and Feist, U. Sdkfz 251. Ledwoch, J. Panther. Anderson, T. Panzer IV. Hjermstad, K. Sdkfz 251. Kliment, C. Battle On Two Fronts 1944-45. Cockle,
T. War On Two Fronts. Michulec, R. Panzertruppen. Jentz, T. L. (Editor) Deutsche Kampfpanzer in Farbe 1939-45. Scheibert, H. Nuts and Bolts Vol 6.
Kanonenwagen. Terlisten, D. To The Last Bullet. Germany’s War on 3 Fronts. Part 1. The East. Oliver, D. Endkampf. Fritz,S.
The illustrations in this book were all created using contemporary photographs as a reference and we have attempted to create as faithful a reproduction as
possible - including the shape and position of any camouflage pattern, markings and the style of lettering used. In the few cases where we have been forced to
speculate we have tried to make this clear. Where possible, we have reproduced the photograph or photographs so used, however copyright and budgetary
restrictions and do not always allow this.
Published by ADH Publishing ,
Doolittle Mill
Doolittle Lane
Totternhoe
Bedfordshire LU6 1QX
United Kingdom
Produced in co-operation with The Oliver Publishing Group
Copyright © ADH Publishing. All rights reserved. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright, Design and
Patent Act, 1988, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrical, chemical, mechanical,
optical photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of ADH Publishing. All enquiries should be addressed to the publisher.
Picture Credits. All photographs National Archives and Record Administration, except: Bundesarchiv: 9,10,13,15,16,18,19,31,33; J. Howard Parker: 3,11,13,15,18,20,22; Author’s
Collection: 2,4,21,29,30; V.I.Polokov: 4,11,12,14,17,19,20,33.Ullstein via K.Berne: 5; K.Berne: 19.
Front cover: Sdkfz 251/9. III.Abteilung, SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 9 Germania. Poland, August 1944.
Above, left: Obersturmbannführer Johannes Mühlenkamp, commander of SS-Panzer-Regiment 5. A highly
decorated officer, Mühlenkamp led the regiment throughout most of 1944 until 10 September, when he took
command of the division. Above, right: A Pzkw V Panther ausf A of 8.Kompanie, numbered 832, photographed
during the fighting east of Warsaw in August 1944. Note the unditching beam held in its purpose built bracket on the
rear hull. By late 1944 most Wiking Panthers were fitted with a similar arrangement. Above: An Fi-156 Fieseler Storch
liaison aircraft, possibly a C-2 or C-3 model. Gruppenführer Herbert Gille used this particular machine when he
commanded the Wiking division and later as commander of IV.SS-Panzerkorps. Although we cannot be certain, this may
be the aircraft he used to fly into the besieged city of Kovel.
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The Year 1944 would prove to be a momentous one for the German Army in the
East. Although the Wehrmacht had suffered a series of setbacks and defeats
during the previous twelve months, many Germans were still confident at the
end of 1943 that the front in the East could at least be held and that the
anticipated Allied invasion in the West, when it came, would be defeated. By the
end of 1944 all but the most optimistic, or fanatical, had lost faith in the
promised final victory.
In the East the war would be fought on a gargantuan scale and Germany came
to rely to an ever greater extent on the Army's highly mobile - if increasingly
depleted - armoured units, including those of the Waffen-SS. Among the latter,
the soldiers of 5.SS-Panzer-Division Wiking would play an important role.
On Friday 3 March 1944, the badly battered remnants of the division that had
led the breakout from the encirclement at Cherkassy (1) arrived in Tomaszów in
Poland, approximately 50 kilometres south-west of Warsaw. Tomaszów was far
behind the front line and the men were expecting a period of rest and refitting
and the possibility of home leave. The situation was however far from stabilised
with every man needed and disappointingly all leaves were cancelled, except
for the wounded and the Germanic volunteers.
Since late 1943, II.Abteilung of the division’s SS-Panzer-Regiment 5 had been
training in France with their newly issued Panther tanks and was now alerted on
18 March 1944, that they should be ready for a move to the East. On the same
day, the regiment's I.Abteilung began moving by rail to Chelm, some 200
kilometres further east of Tomaszów, to be re-equipped with men and vehicles.
The first battalion, commanded by Sturmbannführer Paul Kümmel, had
suffered heavily in the Cherkassy fighting and although new vehicles would
eventually arrive, the lack of trained personnel to operate them, particularly
experienced NCOs, would remain a constant problem. Indeed Kümmel's men
lacked such basic requirements as uniform items, razor blades and even
adequate footwear. On 22 March, sufficient crews for twenty-two tanks were
sent to the Magdeburg-Königsborn training facility in Germany to take charge
of their new vehicles. On 31 March, Kümmel's battalion received twenty-two
Pzkw IV tanks, two being allocated to the battalion headquarters with the four
companies receiving five each.
In late March, Kampfgruppe Richter - made up from the remnants of Wiking’s
Germania and Westland Panzergrenadier regiments, the division's artillery
regiment, the anti-aircraft and reconnaissance battalions and commanded by
Standartenführer Joachim Richter from the artillery regiment - made the first
attempts to break the Russian encirclement of Kovel, an important rail junction
in present day Ukraine, almost exactly halfway between Kiev and Warsaw (2).
The meagre German forces inside the Kovel perimeter - which included a
number of hastily armed employees of the German Railways - had been
ordered to hold their positions despite the personal intervention of the Wiking
division's commander, Gruppenführer Herbert Gille, who flew to Berlin to plead
the case for withdrawal but was refused an audience with Hitler. Returning to
the front, Gille decided that he could best assist the defence from inside the city
and together with Hauptsturmführer Westphal landed in his personal Fieseler
Storch aircraft at around noon on 16 March. The decision to remove himself
from the division at such a critical time, criticised in some accounts, illustrates
Gille's confidence in the abilities of his regimental and battalion commanders.
There is no doubt that his presence inside the city contributed greatly to the
morale of the defenders and that the name Kampfgruppe Gille was
intentionally chosen to reassure them that they would not be abandoned.
On Monday 27 March, the headquarters of the tank regiment and the tanks of
8.Kompanie, the latter under Obersturmführer Karl Nicolussi-Leck, arrived at
Maciejów, near Chelm, with a full complement of Panther tanks. The other
companies would arrive in the following days as transport was available (3) but
Nicolussi-Leck's would be the only Wiking tanks available for an immediate
attempt to establish contact with the Kovel defenders. A detailed account of this
operation and a map of the Kovel area can be found on page 2.
Although the tanks of 8.Kompanie were a welcome addition to the Kovel
defences, a secure and permanent corridor to the town had not been opened
and the siege continued. On 2 April a further attack was ordered, this time
supported by Obersturmführer Otto Schneider's 7.Kompanie, and again the
Germans were unsuccessful.
By now however the units of LVI.Panzerkorps had been ordered to assist in the
relief attempts and the following day another attack, this time supported by
6.Kompanie with units of the army's 5.Panzer-Division was launched towards a
Soviet strongpoint at Kruhel, about 6 kilometres north-west of Kovel. Amid
conflicting reports from the units involved (4) the attack was called off at about
5.30pm. On 4 April, after a two hour artillery bombardment, the attacks
resumed with 5.Kompanie supporting II.Abteilung of the Germania Regiment
and 7.Kompanie advancing behind III/Germania, II/Westland, Grenadier-
Regiment 431 and Ski-Jäger-Regiment 2.
The Panthers of 6.Kompanie started from their positions of the previous day,
this time in concert with the tanks of 4.Panzer-Division, and their initial
objective of Kruhel was quickly taken, securing an important stretch of solid
ground - a rare commodity in the marshy Kovel area. The advance of the other
two companies however was not as successful, stalling in front of a heavily
defended wooded area and it was not until a concentrated Stuka attack was
called in that the Germans were able to penetrate the woods - although the
Russians remained in control of much of the area. The units of LVI.Panzerkorps
had however met with greater success, the headquarters assuring the Kovel
defenders by radio as early as 9.30am that this attack would be ‘the decisive
thrust'. The tanks of 4.Panzer-Division entered Moshchena at around noon (5)
to the north of Kovel and advanced to Dubove, less than a kilometre from the
defensive perimeter. By the evening the tanks had fought their way to the
railway line west of the town. In the meantime the Wiking Panthers had
reached Moshchena and from there drove straight towards Kovel.
At first light the next day, the battalion - by now led by the regiment's
commander, Obersturmbannführer Johannes Mühlenkamp - brushed aside
their opposition and reached the railway crossing just outside the perimeter
and within sight of the German defenders. As if to emphasise that the battle
was far from won, Mühlenkamp's tank was immobilised by a mine and he was
forced to withdraw to Moshchena which had become the battalion's
headquarters. By early morning the Germans were in control of Dubove and by
2.00pm had established contact with the units inside Kovel. In three weeks of
heavy fighting, in atrocious weather and facing far superior numbers, the
Germans had managed to deny the city to the Russians and significantly delay
the planned Soviet offensive to take Brest.
The most important task now was to keep the corridor open as small but
determined pockets of Russian troops remained in what was now the German
rear. Indeed, the 5.Kompanie Panther commanded by Untersturmführer Horst
Niemann which had been left to guard the regimental commander's tank
reported that it was being fired on by Russian anti-tank guns situated over
2,000 metres to the west and it was not until 6 April that Mühlenkamp's tank
could be recovered. .......... continued on page 4
A Pzkw V Panther ausf A of 8.Kompanie, SS-Panzer-Regiment 5 and an Sdkfz 251/1 halftrack from
III.Abteilung, SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 9 Germania. This photograph was taken in August during
the battles east of Warsaw and the tank company commander, Karl Nicolussi-Leck, can be seen in the
Panther’s cupola facing the camera. This tank is shown and discussed further on page 17 and the
halftrack, numbered 201, is depicted on page 22.
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THE ‘PANTHER POUNCE’ AT KOVEL
Kovel had been surrounded since 16 March 1944 and an early attempt to
break the encirclement had been halted in front of the villages of Novi
Koshary and Stari Koshary. On the afternoon of 27 March, the II.Abteilung
of SS-Panzer-Regiment 5 - which had been training on its new Panther
tanks in France - began to arrive and on the following day the regiment’s
commander, Johannes Mühlenkamp, briefed the commander of
8.Kompanie, Obersturmführer Karl Nikolussi-Leck, on his part in the
planned relief attempt.
Kovel and the surrounding area as it appeared in 1942, based on a Soviet military survey map published in
that year. The names of towns, villages and the suburbs of Kovel are those in present usage. Railway lines
are shown in a dark shade while roads and towns are shown in a lighter grey. Areas of marshy terrain
dominate all the approaches to the town and the darker shades represent woodland. Not shown is the
extensive canal system which covered most of the area and fed into the Turiya River. The German
defensive perimeter around Kovel as it was on 4 April, is shown as a broken line. At right: A rather poor
quality photograph but one that is worth reproduction as it shows a Wiking Panther in the streets of
Kovel. In another image of this tank, taken from the same series, it is possible to make out what is almost
certainly an 8.Kompanie number on the turret side.
With sixteen serviceable tanks, 8.Kompanie reached their start positions near
Stari Koshary around 11.00am on the morning of Wednesday 29 March,
guided by Sturmbannführer Franz Hack, commander of the III.Abteilung of SS-
Panzergrenadier-Regiment Germania. On the advice of Hack, Nicolussi-Leck
decided to eliminate a Russian anti-tank gun position situated approximately
one thousand metres east of Stari Koshary which controlled one of the few
areas of solid ground on either side of the rail line. The commander of the
Germania regiment, Obersturmbannführer Dorr who was also present,
agreed and Nicolussi-Leck made ready to move out. Almost immediately
Mühlenkamp arrived and countermanded the order, insisting that any
attempt to take the Russian position would be costly and reduce the already
meagre forces available to break the encirclement. He then ordered Nicolussi-
Leck to advance parallel to the railway line towards Cherkasy and from there
to Kovel via Moschchena.
At around noon the tanks moved off with the Panther of Hauptscharführer
Eugen Faas, the commander of the first platoon, in the lead. On the right were
the grenadiers of Hack's battalion supported by ten assault guns of leichte-
Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 190. On Nicolussi-Leck's left were volunteers from
Grenadier-Regiment 434 of 131.Infanterie-Division commanded by
Hauptmann Bolm with a further seven assault guns. Light snow had begun to
fall and almost immediately sporadic artillery fire commenced with shells
landing either side of the tanks, prompting the Panthers to increase their
speed.
Within minutes the Russians were firing with every gun they possessed
including anti-tank guns and heavy mortars. From his advanced position,
Hauptscharführer Faas reported that muzzle flashes from Soviet anti-tank
guns were visible in front and off to his right. Despite the swirling snow the
Panthers of his platoon were able to identify the Russian position and
returning fire, silenced the enemy guns. This was in fact the first Soviet
defensive line and must have been approximately half way between Koshary
and Cherkasy-Volinski railway stations, possibly along the road to Volya-
Kovelska.
As the tanks ground forward, Faas called Nicolussi-Leck to report that Russian
soldiers could be seen leaving their trenches for the shelter of a nearby wood.
The company commander now took the lead and drove straight into the
Russian position held only by a few determined machine gunners who were no
match for the Panthers. From here Nicolussi-Leck ordered his men to advance
north to the rail line, just a short distance away, and to head towards Cherkasy.
Only a few metres further on, the marshy ground gave way to more solid
terrain and the company's second and third platoons were now able to fan out
and advance in line. By now however the snow was falling harder and visibility
was becoming a problem with some crews complaining that they could not
see further than the muzzles of their own guns.
As the weather grew worse, the lead tank of Untersturmführer Immelmann
stumbled into more marshy ground and became hopelessly bogged. Within a
short time four more tanks became bogged and Nicolussi-Leck, also
concerned that the accompanying infantry were being left too far behind,
ordered these tanks to guard his right flank which faced a wood, as a static
defence point under the command of Unterscharführer Kasper. The remaining
tanks resumed the advance and soon came under fire from Russian anti-tank
guns. In his after action report Nicolussi-Leck stated that the Russian position
was some 600 metres west of Cherkasy which would mean that his remaining
tanks must have now been across the railway line. However, later in the same
report he mentions that the attack on the town was carried out by crossing the
railway embankment. This suggests that the Russian anti-tank guns were
actually located not directly to the west, but south-west of Cherkasy on the
southern side of the rail line and there was indeed a narrow stretch of solid
ground there rising towards the embankment, just before the line turns south
towards Cherkasy-Volinski station.
Advancing on the Russians at maximum speed three Panthers were hit in quick
succession - although at least one account suggests that the third was halted
by a mechanical failure. A lucky shot from one of the Panther's guns - possibly
fired from Eugen Faas' tank - detonated the Russian’s reserve ammunition in a
mighty explosion and at that moment the Panthers of the third platoon, which
Nicolussi-Leck had sent to the right to outflank the Soviet position, opened fire
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Two Panther tanks photographed on the Kovel-Chelm rail line
during the salvage operation that took place quite some time after
the area was secured. In another photograph of the vehicle at left,
taken from the same series, the number 811 can clearly be seen on
the turret side identifying this as the tank of Eugen Faas which
was disabled by a mine early in the morning of 30 March. The
vehicle pictured below was positioned immediately in front of
Faas’ Panther and may be the tank of Scharführer Herberts.
destroying all twelve Russian guns. As the remaining eight Panthers drove into
the now deserted Russian trenches at exactly 2.30pm, the weather
deteriorated to such an extent that Nicolussi-Leck called a temporary halt to
the attack. In a radio message to Mühlenkamp he reported that his remaining
tanks had reached high ground, some 600 metres to the west of Cherkasy, and
that the accompanying infantry were fighting their way towards his position.
The Panthers remained on the high ground for some 45 minutes and in that
time were able to send out patrols to reconnoitre the surrounding area.
Realising now that Cherkasy was bordered by swamps on three sides
Nicolussi-Leck decided that an attack towards the north-east, directly into the
town was impossible. Considering the options available to him, he directed his
remaining tanks to advance and take Cherkasy by an enveloping move on his
right. However, after moving only a short distance, three more tanks became
bogged and it was obvious that this direction was also untenable. Undetered,
Nicolussi-Leck swung his company to his left and crossed the railway
embankment and although the Panthers immediately came under heavy fire
they were at least on solid ground.
Driving straight towards Cherkasy the Panthers fired on the move as fast as
their guns could be loaded. Before the town could be reached eight German
tanks were hit and immobilised but managed to keep firing and support the
others. With the entire western end of the town in flames and the defenders
streaming towards the east the Panthers, led by Hauptscharführer Faas,
entered Cherkasy urged on by their company commander whose tank was
now stuck in soft mud. Without waiting to consolidate Nicolussi-Leck sent four
tanks towards Moschena, their next objective. Meanwhile Hauptmann
Bolm’s infantry had fought their way through to Cherkasy and now cleared the
remaining Russians from the town.
Although the tanks that had moved off towards Moschena had destroyed
several anti-tank guns, two had become stuck in the mud and at 6.00pm
Mühlenkamp directed Nicolussi-Leck to remain in Cherkasy and screen north,
towards Moschena, and east towards Kovel. Much of the infantry which were
allocated to support the attack were still far to the west and once darkness fell
were only able communicate by signal flare. At 7.00pm Nicolussi-Leck
reported that he had six combat ready tanks but was confident of recovering
four of the vehicles which were stuck in the swampy ground. He was however
concerned that his supplies of fuel and ammunition were unlikely to be
replenished before the attack resumed the next day.
That night Nicolussi-Leck determined that the next day's attack would follow
the railway embankment all the way into Kovel. Although risky, his plan would
conserve what fuel the tanks had left and would ensure that they were at least
able to operate on solid ground all the way to their objective. Further, he
reasoned that the Russians would expect his force to advance towards
Moschena - particularly in light of his reconnaissance towards that town. He
also believed that it was significant that his bogged tanks had not received any
enemy fire from the south or east despite their vulnerable condition.
Therefore, despite the obvious danger, the railway embankment seemed to
offer the best chance of success and at 10.00pm Nicolussi-Leck informed
Mühlenkamp of his intentions. Unknown to Nicolussi-Leck, for he never
received the message, an order was sent from the regimental headquarters at
1.30am the next morning directing him to withdraw to Stari Koshary and for
the men of Grenadier-Regiment 434 to return to their unit. By the time a radio
set powerful enough to reach the company could be found the Panthers were
already on the railway embankment just 2 kilometres outside Kovel.
During the night three of the bogged tanks were recovered and early on the
morning of Thursday 30 March, in complete darkness, the Panthers resumed
their advance towards Kovel. Once again the commander of the first platoon,
Eugen Faas, was in the lead. Almost immediately Faas reported that muzzle
flashes were visible some 400 metres west of the Cherkasy-Volinski railway
station and directed his gunner onto a target which was at three o'oclock to his
tank. This suggests that the Panthers were moving along the main road out of
Cherkasy which heads south-east and leads to the station and not directly
south towards the embankment which would have been the more direct but
perhaps less reliable route. After destroying two T-34 tanks the lead Panthers
reached the embankment but within a hundred metres, Faas' tank was
disabled by a mine, his vehicle holding up the entire column. That Faas was
able to reach the railway embankment is confirmed by photographic
evidence.
The remaining tanks moved to the right - that is the southern side - of the rail
line to bypass the disabled tank and almost immediately another Panther, this
vehicle commanded by Scharführer Herberts, was halted by a mine. Leaving
the safety of his tank and coming forward on foot, Nicolussi-Leck ordered Faas
to take command of a strongpoint using the two disabled Panthers and sixteen
grenadiers. The remaining infantry had formed a defensive screen running
through the buildings of the railway station and the wooded area to the east.
In the meantime a squad of engineers had been sent forward to clear any
additional mines and although a path was secured it was not before 6.00 am.
It was now light and Nicolussi-Leck’s tanks were visible to every Russian in the
area.
As the last mine was being cleared Hauptmann Bolm advised Nicolussi-Leck
that he had received an order that the tanks were not to advance any further.
Stating that he could not remain where he was, Nicolussi-Leck ignored Bolm
and ordered his tanks to push forward towards KoveI. There is some debate
over where the order originated with some accounts stating that it came from
within Kovel via radio and others that it emanated from regimental
headquarters and was delivered directly to Nicolussi-Leck. The latter seems
unlikely as Nicolussi-Leck later said in his defence that he was not obliged to
follow any orders given by Bolm. In any case, Nicolussi-Leck ordered his
remaining tanks forward.
With the company commander's tank in the lead the column had reached a
point less than 2,000 metres from the city when Nicolussi-Leck received a
message from Scharführer Möller commanding the last tank in line. A
despatch rider had caught up with the company with an order that the tanks
were to halt. As Nicolussi-Leck listened to Möller his tank began to take fire
from the Russian positions immediately to his front and at that moment he
heard one of his platoon commanders, Oberscharführer Jauss, state that
these Russian troops were blocking the north-west exit from Kovel. Realising
that if Jauss were correct the German defenders of Kovel were just on the other
side of this Russian position, Nicolussi-Leck ignored the order, told his gunner
to engage the enemy and drove straight at the Russian guns.
Although the Panthers received heavy fire from their left they were shielded
from the worst effects by the snow which had begun to fall heavily once again.
Surging forward the Panthers crushed the Soviet guns under their tracks and
shortly, above the roar of their engines, could hear voices calling to them in
German. At exactly 7.30am the tanks of 8.Kompanie had reached the railway
loop south of Volyn and the defensive perimeter of Kovel.
By 8.10am Nicolussi-Leck, with seven serviceable tanks, was able to report to
Gruppenführer Gille.
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