21. Januar 1945
Some time later I was here again, but only got as far as the commander’s bunker. Here we had just sat down and started a conversation when we heard some gunfire beyond the forest and immediately afterwards the thunderous impacts. We pricked up our ears. Roumm-roumm-voumm-boupp---brooookhkh. Brakh-broumm. Russian artillery! The fire is on my company sector. There’s no doubt about it, given the short distance. Some hits are also in the woods. You can hear it from the echo and the splintering of the branches. Judging by the strength of the fire, it’s only a battery. It doesn’t seem to be a big operation either.[1] Nevertheless, I decide to better return. It would be embarrassing if Ivan wanted to pay a visit, and the landlord is not at home. The battalion commander is of the same opinion and bids me farewell with a friendly pat on the shoulder.
So I walk back along the beautiful forest path. I’ve been given a messenger with me in case anything happens to me. He is also to take a situation report back to the battalion[2] straight away. The forest is almost two kilometres wide here and the swathe runs straight through it. We soon see that the impacts outside the forest are on my trench, but also reach the edge of the forest. Several shells hit the treetops, splintering the branches and sending them crashing to the ground. The thunder of the explosions rolls through the hall of the high forest, resounding with multiple amplification. We head towards the fire, but the closer we get to the end of the forest, the weaker the shelling becomes. By the time we reach the edge of the forest, the raid has stopped. I send the messenger back and report back to the battalion.
The Russian artillery is getting better and better. Of late, they have been using a new tactic for large-scale attacks, the so-called ‘alley shooting’. They lay down massive barrage fire on a small area, which they literally plough up. But within this swirl of fire, they leave clear a narrow, usually somewhat diagonal strip. Strong armoured units then penetrate through this lane, shielded on both sides by heavy fire. In the first attack of this kind, they came almost up to the corps[3].
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- ↑ KTB HGr N of 21 Jan 1945 p. 159: “Since 09.00 hrs heavy enemy fire in Gederti area und west”; on 21st a large-scale Soviet attack (16 divisions on 20 km of width, acc. to the afm. KTB, the enemy “knocks everywhere”) near Prekuln repelled (KTB OKW 1944–1945 p. 1117, entry under 22nd); thereafter, quiet prevailed for one day.
- ↑ here, short for the bataillon commander or command post
- ↑ here, short for the corps HQ