Voroshilovgrad is the birthplace of Marshal Voroshilov, who committed suicide in Leningrad, hence the name.

On the afternoon of June 16, 1943, an uninvited guest arrived on the western outskirts of Voroshilovgrad.

As the vanguard of the heavy armored brigade of the 104th SS "Polish Doge's Guard", Captain Michel Wittmann, leading his battle group, was the first to rush to Voroshilovgrad.

After a head-on defeat of a wave of T-34 tanks, the battle group could be said to have been unimpeded along the way, successfully reaching the western outskirts of Voroshilovgrad and stopping outside a small town called Aleksandrovsk.

The line of sight through the highway makes it possible to clearly see Aleksandrovsk, and to the east of the town, Voroshilovgrad, which can be said to be close at hand.

If you attack, will a swarm of tanks rush out of the city to drown you?

After making contact with the FI-382 Black Hawk helicopter on patrol in the sky, Captain Wittman was sure that his left and right flanks were safe.

The left (northern) flank is a large area of fertile land, and there is no forest for the large army to hide.

The right (south) flank was covered by the Luhan River, which flowed from east to west, and if a large Soviet force rushed from the right flank, it could be defended by relying on the Luhan River.

When firing across the river from enemy tanks, Captain Wittmann was still confident in his E-50 "Tiger" tank.

The main forces of the heavily armored brigade are following up in the rear, and there will not be much danger.

Captain Wittmann decided to risk an attack, what if it succeeded?

Captain Weitmann personally led the 4th Company of heavy tanks in the lead and launched an attack west of the town of Aleksandrovsk.

Company 4 of Tanks and a company of Panzergrenadiers made a detour back to the north of the town to flank the attack.

Ten Tiger tanks were lined up in two rows, using the rolling assault method, with a company of panzergrenadiers following in infantry fighting vehicles of the "Wolf" type.

The assault force had just advanced to less than a kilometer from the town when mortar shells flew out of the town and fell into the assault cluster.

Flying shrapnel slammed into tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, making a clanging crash, only to be drowned out by an even more piercing explosion.

There were no shells that directly hit tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, shrunnel hit the body, only a few scratches were made, some paint was scraped off, and it did not stop the advance of the tank.

When the assault group rushed to about 500 meters from the town, machine gun bullets rained in, but there was nothing they could do against tanks and infantry fighting vehicles except for some fire and paint.

The crisp firing of the 45mm anti-tank guns came from the town, and the armor-piercing shells rattled against the tank hull, but did not have a fatal effect on the tank.

The five heavy tanks that rushed to the front stopped and returned fire on the exposed Soviet troops.

High-explosive shells flew out and flew precisely into the window where the Soviet machine gun was hiding, and then a large cloud of smoke and dust burst out of the window, and the roof was torn apart and debris flew everywhere.

Five more heavy tanks crossed the tanks of the first row and continued to guide the infantry fighting vehicles in the charge.

7.92 mm machine gun bullets and 20 mm shells flew out of infantry fighting vehicles and landed on the buildings where the Soviets were hiding, chiseling numerous honeycomb bullet marks into the walls.

The GRW 34 mortars fired one after another, smashing 81 mm caliber shells into the bushes where the Soviet troops were hiding.

Under the ferocious and accurate firepower, the Soviet anti-tank guns were destroyed one by one, and the gunners lay in pools of blood.

Without the support of anti-tank guns, the Soviet infantry, which was only lightly armed, could no longer hold on, or was destroyed along with the hidden buildings, or abandoned the position west of the town and turned around and ran towards the town.

Under the cover of tanks, the Panzergrenadiers rode in "wolf" infantry fighting vehicles and rushed all the way to the buildings on the west side of the town, before jumping out of the cars and rushing into the buildings in the town to engage in street fighting.

Almost at the same time, north of the town of Aleksandrovsk, the assault force that had outflanked the town in a roundabout way also arrived, and with a single charge, the Panzergrenadiers managed to storm the town.

The battle of the Panzergrenadiers in the town can be described as a whirlwind.

Half an hour later, Captain Weitmann's tank stopped at the intersection of the road east of the town and peeked through binoculars into the city of Voroshilovgrad to the east.

With only two companies of Panzergrenadiers with no discontent, he simply couldn't take such a large city, not to mention that his mission was to seize the bridge over the Donets River to the north.

To the east of the town of Aleksandrovsk is the intersection of two highways leading to the city of Voroshilovgrad and to the south.

To the north of Voroshilovgrad, between the Donets River, there is a large open area of cultivated land, from which battle groups can bypass Voroshilovgrad and go straight to the bridge over the Donets River.

The best road to the Donets River is the one east of Aleksandrovsk.

After interrogating the captives, Captain Wittmann learned that there was only one company of guards stationed in the town.

In a hurry, Captain Wittmann did not stay too long in the town, leaving a platoon of panzergrenadiers to guard the prisoners, and the battle group turned around and headed north from the crossroads east of the town to the Donets River, ten kilometers away.

Captain Wittmann was not worried that one platoon would not have enough troops, nor was he worried that the Soviets in the city would launch a counterattack.

Soon after the battle group left, the smoke and dust raised by vehicles on the road could still be seen in the distance, and to the west of the town of Aleksandrovsk, the main force of the 104th SS Heavy Armored Brigade drove into the town.

The E-50 Tiger heavy tank, the No. 4H tank, the "Wolf" infantry fighting vehicle, all the vehicles capable of carrying infantry were filled with people, who were infantry from the 2nd Infantry Division under the 1st Vlasov Army.

The convoy entered the town one after another, and the infantrymen jumped out of their chariots and, led by officers, defended themselves in the direction of Voroshilovgrad.

The main force of the 104th SS Heavy Armored Brigade did not stay long, and after laying down these infantry, turned at the crossroads east of the town, followed the trail of Captain Weitmann, and pounced all the way to the Donets River to the north.

The SS 104th Heavy Armored Brigade followed the Wittman battle group and headed straight for the Donets River, unaware that they were missing an opportunity to capture Voroshilovgrad on the march.

When the SS 104th Heavy Armored Brigade turned around and rushed north, smoke and dust billowed from the headquarters of the Soviet 12th Army in the southeast corner of Voroshilovgrad.

The staff officers, having received an order from the commander, Major General Gretchko, began to burn documents in a charcoal brazier.

Outside the door, the convoy was ready, and the staff officers and soldiers acted together, loading typewriters, radios and other valuables.

Major General Grechko is making a last-ditch effort to find reinforcements for the defense of the city of Voroshilovgrad.

"Yes, yes, the Germans have hit Voroshilovgrad, they have occupied Aleksandrovsk to the west, the 23rd Tank Army is all finished, and Major General Pushkin is with me. You immediately stop the offensive and come back with troops to defend Voroshilovgrad. Immediately, right away, do not hesitate to give us time to blow up the bridge. ”

With the victorious escape of Major General Pushkin, the 23rd Tank Army was heavily damaged, and the bad news that almost only an empty number remained reached his ears.

Five infantry divisions, all on the front line, were under onslaught from the Germans.

With two tank armies, one already in collapse and the other launching a counteroffensive in the south, Voroshilovgrad is now a barely defended city, with only a few garrisons and some logistics units in the city.

Major General Grechko did not hesitate to pin all his hopes on the 21st Tank Army under the command of Major General Kuzmin, making a distress call.

After receiving an affirmative reply from the commander of the 21st Tank Army, Major General Kuzmin, Major General Grechko was a little relieved.

Now it will be up to the Germans to capture the city first, or whether the 21st Tank Army will rush back to defend the city first.

When Major General Gretchko called back the 21st Tank Army, he did not know that to the west of Voroshilovgrad, another elite German unit was advancing at high speed behind the SS 104th Heavy Armored Brigade.

This unit was none other than the battle group "Stakhwitz" from the Panzergrenadier Division of "Großdeutschland".

The Panzergrenadier Division "Großdeutschland" is under the jurisdiction of the "Großdeutsch" Panzergrenadier Regiment, the "Großdeutschland" 1st and 2nd Panzergrenadier Regiments, and the "Großdeutschland" self-propelled artillery regiment.

After the commander of the Panzergrenadier Division "Großdeutschland", Lieutenant General Halllein actively applied for the battle and received approval, he sent the 1st Panzergrenadier Regiment of "Großdeutschland", the "Großdeutschland" Panzer Regiment (lacking an E-40 Panther tank battalion), and a heavy anti-aircraft artillery battery from the anti-aircraft artillery battalion, and a "Wasp" self-propelled howitzer battalion from the "Großdeutsch" self-propelled artillery regiment, and formed a battle group with the commander of the Panzer Regiment, Colonel Hazin Stakhwitz as the commander, following behind the SS 104th Heavy Armored Brigade, pounced on Voroshilovgrad and prepared to open the situation from the area for a stalemate.

Unlike the 104th SS Heavy Armored Brigade, Count Stakhwitz did not have the task of seizing the bridge over the Donets River, and his first task was to find an opportunity to annihilate the main force of the Soviet tank forces in the area of the breakthrough.

On the way to Voroshilovgrad, Count Stakhvets learned that the 104th SS Heavy Armored Brigade had successfully captured the town of Aleksandrovsk, and the last obstacle to Voroshilovgrad had been removed.

Like the SS 104th Heavy Armored Brigade, all tanks in Count Stakhwitz's battle group were armed with infantry from the 2nd Infantry Division.

Now there were enough troops, the city of Voroshilovgrad to the east was in front of us, the enemy's tank forces were hidden in the south, and the 104th heavy armored brigade of the SS was fighting in the north.

Is it possible to implement the tactic that General Heinz von Rosen once said, called "encirclement and reinforcement".

Moments before arriving in Aleksandrovsk, Count Stakhwitz made up his mind.

Let the troops feint to ambush Roshilovgrad, attract the Russian armored forces to come back to defend the city, and personally lead the "Greater Germany" armored regiment to ambush the Russian reinforcements south of the city.

。 m.