On the second day of the war, the Germans were at a loss from the endurance of the Russians.
It is no exaggeration to say that in the first, most dramatic days of the war, representatives of the technical branches of the armed forces became the cementing basis for the defense of the Red Army. Tankers, artillerymen, sappers, more literate than infantrymen, were better guided in the situation and were less likely to panic. Their exceptional endurance can be judged by the many combat episodes.
The case in the Baltics became "textbook". We are talking about the KV tank, which, according to some sources, detained the 6th German tank division, according to others - almost the entire 4th tank group of the enemy.
"The turret of the tank turned around, carefully groped for the target and began to methodically destroy the guns with single shots."
These highly exaggerated estimates are based on real fact. On June 24, 1941, during a counterattack by the 3rd Mechanized Corps, one of the KV tanks of the 2nd Panzer Division for unknown reasons turned to the north-west and came out to the road on which supplies and communications with the Raus battle group of the 6th German a tank division, which by that time had seized a bridgehead on the right bank of the Dubisa River.
To understand what happened, it makes sense to turn to the testimony of Erahard Rous himself, who on the morning of June 24 learned that the only road leading to the bridgehead was blocked by a heavy KV tank. Let's give the floor to the German officer himself, he says in a very figurative and detailed way.
“The Russian tank managed to destroy the telephone wires connecting us with the division headquarters. Although the enemy's intentions remained unclear, we began to fear an attack from the rear. I immediately ordered Lieutenant Vengenroth's 3rd Battery of the 41st Tank Destroyer Battalion to take up a position in the rear near the flat-topped hill near the 6th Motorized Brigade's command post, which also served as the command post for the entire battle group.
To strengthen our anti-tank defenses, I had to turn a nearby battery of 150mm howitzers 180 degrees. The 3rd company of Lieutenant Gebhardt from the 57th engineer tank battalion was ordered to mine the road and its surroundings. The tanks assigned to us (half of Major Schenk's 65th tank battalion) were located in the forest. They were ordered to be ready for a counterattack as soon as necessary.
Time passed, but the enemy tank, which blocked the road, did not move, although from time to time it fired in the direction of Raseiniai. At noon on June 24, the scouts returned, whom I sent to clarify the situation. They reported that apart from this tank, they did not find any troops or equipment that could attack us. The officer in charge of the unit made the logical conclusion that this was a single tank from the squad that attacked the von Seckendorf battle group.
Although the danger of an attack was dispelled, it was necessary to take measures to quickly destroy this dangerous obstacle, or at least drive the Russian tank away. With his fire, he had already set fire to 12 supply trucks that were coming to us from Raseiniai. We could not evacuate the wounded in the battles for the bridgehead, and as a result, several people died without receiving medical attention, including a young lieutenant who was shot at point-blank range. If we could get them out, they would be saved. All attempts to bypass this tank were unsuccessful. The cars either got stuck in the mud or collided with scattered Russian units still wandering through the forest.
Therefore, I ordered Lieutenant Vengenroth's battery, which had recently received 50-mm anti-tank guns, to make its way through the forest, approach the tank at an effective range and destroy it. The battery commander and his brave soldiers gladly accepted this dangerous assignment and set to work with full confidence that it would not drag on. From the command post at the top of the hill, we followed them as they made their way carefully through the trees from one hollow to another. We saw how the first gun approached 1000 meters to the tank, which was sticking out right in the middle of the road. Apparently, the Russians were oblivious to the threat. The second gun disappeared from sight for a while, and then emerged from the ravine right in front of the tank and took up a well-camouflaged position. Another 30 minutes passed, and the last two guns also returned to their original positions.
We watched from the top of the hill. Suddenly, someone suggested that the tank was damaged and abandoned by the crew, as it stood completely motionless on the road, representing an ideal target. Suddenly a shot from the first of our anti-tank guns rang out, a flash blinked and the silvery track ran straight into the tank. The distance did not exceed 600 meters. Flashed a ball of fire, there was a sharp crack. Direct hit! Then came the second and third hits.
The officers and soldiers shouted joyfully, like spectators at a merry show. “We got you! Bravo! The tank is finished! The tank didn't react until our guns got eight hits. Then his turret turned around, carefully groped for the target and began to methodically destroy our guns with single shots of an 80-mm cannon (Routh is mistaken, of course, 76-mm. - MB). Two of our 50-mm guns were blown to pieces, the other two were seriously damaged. The personnel lost several people killed and wounded. Deeply shaken, Lieutenant Vengenroth returned to the bridgehead with his soldiers. The newly acquired weapon, which he trusted unconditionally, turned out to be completely helpless against the monstrous tank. A sense of deep frustration swept across our entire battle group.
It was clear that of all our weapons, only 88mm anti-aircraft guns with their heavy armor-piercing shells could cope with the destruction of the steel giant. In the afternoon, one such gun was withdrawn from the battle near Raseiniai and began to cautiously creep towards the tank from the south. The KV-1 was still deployed north as it was from this direction that the previous attack had been launched. The long-barreled anti-aircraft gun approached a distance of about 1800 meters, from which it was already possible to achieve satisfactory results. Unfortunately, the trucks that had previously been destroyed by the monstrous tank were still burning down the sides of the road, and their smoke prevented the gunners from taking aim. But on the other hand, the same smoke turned into a curtain, under the cover of which the weapon could be dragged even closer to the target.
Finally, the calculation made it to the edge of the forest, from where visibility was excellent. The distance to the tank now did not exceed 500 meters. We thought that the first shot would give a direct hit and would surely destroy the tank that was in our way. The crew began to prepare the gun for firing.
Although the tank had not moved since the battle with the anti-tank battery, it turned out that its crew and commander had iron nerves. They calmly watched the approach of the anti-aircraft gun, without interfering with it, since while the gun was moving, it did not pose any threat to the tank. In addition, the closer the anti-aircraft gun is, the easier it will be to destroy it. Came a critical moment in the duel of nerves, when the calculation began to prepare the anti-aircraft gun for a shot. Now is the time for the tank's crew to act. While the gunners, terribly nervous, were aiming and loading the gun, the tank turned the turret around and fired first. The shell hit the target. The heavily damaged antiaircraft gun fell into a ditch, several crewmen were killed, and the rest were forced to flee. Machine-gun fire from the tank prevented the removal of the gun and the pick up of the dead.
The failure of this attempt, on which great hopes were pinned, was very unpleasant news for us. The optimism of the soldier died along with the 88-mm gun. Our soldiers did not have the best day chewing canned food, since it was impossible to bring hot food.
However, the biggest fears disappeared at least for a while. The Russian attack on Raseiniai was repulsed by the von Seckendorf battle group, which managed to hold Hill 106. Now there is no need to fear that the Soviet 2nd Panzer Division will break through to our rear and cut us off. All that remained was a painful splinter in the form of a tank blocking our only supply route. We decided that if we could not cope with it during the day, then at night we will do it. The brigade headquarters discussed various options for destroying the tank for several hours, and preparations began for several of them at once.
Our engineers offered to simply blow up the tank on the night of June 24/25. It should be said that the sappers, not without malevolent satisfaction, followed the unsuccessful attempts of the artillerymen to destroy the enemy. At 1.00 am, the sappers began to act, as the tank crew fell asleep in the turret, unaware of the danger. After the explosive charges were installed on the track and thick side armor, the sappers set fire to the fuse-cord and fled. A few seconds later, a booming explosion tore through the silence of the night. The task was completed, and the sappers decided that they had achieved a decisive success. However, before the echo of the explosion died down among the trees, the tank's machine gun came to life, and bullets whistled around. The tank itself did not move. Probably, its caterpillar was killed, but it was not possible to find out, as the machine gun fired wildly at everything around. Lieutenant Gebhardt and his patrol returned to the beachhead visibly discouraged.
Despite its best efforts, the tank continued to block the road, firing at any moving object it could see. The fourth decision, which was born on the morning of June 25, was to call the Ju 87 dive bombers to destroy the tank. However, we were refused, since the planes were required literally everywhere. But even if they were found, it is unlikely that the dive bombers would have been able to destroy the tank with a direct hit. We were confident that the fragments of the nearby ruptures would not frighten the crew of the steel giant.
But now this damned tank had to be destroyed at any cost. The combat power of the garrison of our bridgehead will be seriously undermined if the road cannot be unblocked. The division will not be able to fulfill the task assigned to it. Therefore, I decided to use the last remaining means with us, although this plan could lead to large losses in men, tanks and equipment, but at the same time it did not promise guaranteed success. However, my intentions were to mislead the enemy and help keep our losses to a minimum. We intended to divert the attention of the KV-1 with a mock attack from Major Schenk's tanks and bring 88mm guns closer to destroy the terrible monster. The area around the Russian tank contributed to this. There it was possible to secretly sneak up on the tank and set up observation posts in a wooded area east of the road. Since the forest was quite sparse, our agile Pz.35 (t) could move freely in all directions.
Soon the 65th Tank Battalion arrived and began shelling the Russian tank from three sides. The KV-1 crew began to get noticeably nervous. The turret spun from side to side, trying to catch the sassy German tanks. The Russians fired at targets flashing among the trees, but they were always late. The German tank appeared, but literally at the same instant disappeared. The crew of the KV-1 tank was confident in the durability of their armor, which resembled an elephant's skin and reflected all the shells, but the Russians wanted to destroy their annoying opponents, while continuing to block the road.
Fortunately for us, the Russians were gripped by excitement, and they stopped watching their rear, from where misfortune was approaching them. The anti-aircraft gun took up a position near the place where one of the same had already been destroyed the day before. Its formidable barrel aimed at the tank, and the first shot thundered. The wounded KV-1 tried to turn the turret back, but the anti-aircraft gunners managed to fire two more shots during this time. The turret stopped rotating, but the tank did not catch fire, although we expected it. Although the enemy no longer reacted to our fire, after two days of failure, we could not believe in success. Four more shots were fired with armor-piercing shells from an 88-mm anti-aircraft gun, which ripped open the monster's skin. His gun lifted up helplessly, but the tank continued to stand on the road that was no longer blocked.
The witnesses to this deadly duel wanted to get closer to check the results of their shooting. To their great amazement, they found that only two rounds penetrated the armor, while the other five 88mm rounds only made deep potholes in it. We also found eight blue circles marking the impact of 50mm shells. The sappers' sortie resulted in serious damage to the track and shallow chipping on the gun barrel. On the other hand, we did not find any traces of shells from the 37-mm guns of the Pz. 35 (t) tanks. Driven by curiosity, our "David" climbed onto the defeated "Goliath" in a vain attempt to open the turret hatch. Despite his best efforts, the lid did not budge.
Suddenly the barrel of the gun began to move, and our soldiers rushed away in terror. Only one of the sappers kept his composure and quickly thrust a hand grenade into the hole made by a shell in the lower part of the tower. A dull explosion thundered, and the hatch cover flew to the side. Inside the tank lay the bodies of the brave crew, who had only been wounded before. Deeply shocked by this heroism, we buried them with all military honors. They fought to their last breath, but it was just one little drama of the great war."
Well, as you can see, the description of events is more than detailed. However, it needs some comments, especially since the range of assessments of the actions of the unknown crew has recently fluctuated from enthusiastic to skeptical and dismissive.
What impact on the course of hostilities in this area had the feat of the unknown crew? Let's try to figure it out.
At 11:30 on June 23, units of the 2nd Panzer Division attacked the Seckendorf bridgehead, drove the Germans out of it and crossed Dubisa. Initially the 2nd Panzer Division contributed to the success. Having defeated parts of the 114th motorized regiment of the Germans, our tankers occupied Raseiniai, but were soon driven out of there. In total, on June 23, Raseiniai changed hands four times. On June 24, fighting resumed with renewed vigor. Let us emphasize that for two days Battle Group Seckendorf and all units subordinate to the division commander fought a Soviet tank division. The fact that the Germans managed to resist is not at all their merit. The 2nd Panzer Division operated without interaction with other parts of the front, without aviation support, in conditions of a shortage of ammunition and fuel. On 25 June, the command of the 4th German Panzer Group dispatched the 1st Panzer, 36th Motorized, and 269th Infantry Divisions to repel a Soviet counterstrike. By joint efforts, the crisis in the zone of the 4th Panzer Group was eliminated. All this time, the battle group "Raus" was completely cut off from the main forces of the 6th Panzer Division, was on the other bank of Dubysa and was trying to cope with one tank! But just on June 24, the maneuver of the "Raus" group along the right bank of Dubysa to the flank and rear of the attacking Soviet tank units would come in very handy.
We will never know the reason why a single KV-1 tank, having broken away from the main forces of the division, entered the communications of the battle group "Raus". It is possible that during the battle the crew simply lost their bearings. Nor do we know the reason why the tank remained motionless for two days. Most likely, there was some kind of engine or transmission breakdown (the failure of the gearbox on the KV was a mass phenomenon). This is quite obvious, since the tank did not try to either leave the position or maneuver in it. One thing is clear - the crew did not leave the out of order car and did not try to hide in the forest under cover of darkness. Nothing prevented the tankers from doing this - except for the road, the area around the Germans was not really controlled. Unknown Soviet tankers preferred death in battle to flight, and even more so to surrender. Eternal glory to them!
Details
Two names figured out half a century ago
In Soviet times, the history of the lone tank was little known. Officially, this episode was mentioned only in 1965, when the remains of the fallen were transferred to the military cemetery in Raseiniai. “Krestyanskaya Gazeta” (“Valsteciu lykrastis”) on October 8, 1965 reported: “The grave began to speak at the village of Dainiai. Having dug up, they found the personal belongings of the tankers. But they say very little. Two eggplants and three fountain pens without inscriptions or signs. Two belts show that there were two officers in the tank. The spoons were more eloquent. On one of them the surname is carved: Smirnov V. A. The most valuable find that establishes the identity of the heroes is a cigarette case and a Komsomol card in it, which has been pretty spoiled by time. The inner tickets of the ticket were stuck together with some other document. On the first page you can read only the last digits of the ticket number -… 1573. A clear surname and incomplete name: Ershov Pav … The receipt turned out to be the most informative. All entries can be read on it. From it we learn the name of one of the tankers, his place of residence. The receipt says: passport, series LU 289759, issued on October 8, 1935 by the Pskov police department to Pavel Yegorovich Ershov, handed over on February 11, 1940.
