July 6. Counterstrike of the Central Front
On the second day of the Battle of Kursk, the troops of the Central Front launched a counterattack on the German grouping that had wedged into the front defenses. The most powerful mobile unit of the front commander was the 2nd Panzer Army under the command of Alexei Rodin. The 16th and 19th Panzer Corps and the 17th Guards Rifle Corps were to take part in the counterattack. The counterstrike also involved the breakthrough artillery corps of General N. Ignatov, a mortar brigade, two regiments of rocket launchers and two regiments of self-propelled artillery.
The 2nd Panzer Army had high striking power and high mobility, so before the battle it was positioned so that it could be used in a defensive operation to support any of the three armies. Three options for the actions of the 2nd Army were envisaged - when the Germans attacked the left flank of the 48th Army, the positions of the 13th Army and along the right flank of the 70th Army and the left flank of the 13th.
In war, the delay of death is similar, therefore, already at 9:30 am on July 5, Rokossovsky gave the order for the immediate departure of the Rodin army corps from the concentration areas. They moved in accordance with the second option - to the aid of the 13th Army. In accordance with this version, the corps were to leave on the second day of the battle in the area of Berezovets, Olkhovatka. Depending on the direction of the enemy's strike, one of the tank corps was supposed to engage in a counter battle, and the second was to strike at the enemy's flank. On the river Again, which interfered with the movement of armored vehicles, before the start of the battle, new crossings were strengthened and new crossings were built. Since lunchtime on July 5, the corps of the 2nd Panzer Army have been on the march. They moved in small groups - a company, a battalion, which was associated with the sad experience of 1941-1942, when large masses of armored vehicles suffered heavy losses from attacks by German aviation. The forward units were ordered to occupy the initial lines for the planned counterattack and to contain the enemy using ambush tactics.
German tanks of the 2nd Panzer Division on the offensive. July 1943
At noon, in connection with the gradual clarification of the situation and the understanding that the enemy was advancing away from the Oryol-Kursk railway, the front commander at 12.20 transferred the 19th Panzer Corps of Ivan Vasiliev to the operational subordination of the 2nd Panzer Army. The 19th corps, according to the original plan, was to operate as part of the 70th Army. At 19.00, the 19th corps reached the line of Molotychi, Petroselki, Novoselki, Yasenok, where it received an order to go to the Samodurovka area and immediately strike the enemy in the direction of Podolyan. In fact, the corps was supposed to engage in an oncoming battle with the shock forces of the German group. The movement and preparation for the attack were delayed until night, so the counter-attack was postponed until the morning.
At 22.00 the 2nd Army received the task: the 3rd Panzer Corps to take up defenses at the Polsela Goryainovo-Gorodishche line; 16th Panzer Corps and formations of the 17th Guards Rifle Corps were supposed to advance towards the Steppe and Butyrki at dawn, restoring the position of the 13th Army's left flank; 19 Panzer Corps to strike in the direction of Saborovka, Podolyan. As a result, the forces of the 2nd army had to beat to engage in a meeting battle, the original plan underwent drastic changes. The 19th corps, which was not included in the original plans, had to do a lot of work associated with making passes through the infantry battle formations. Especially a lot of time was spent on making corridors in their minefields, anti-tank installations of the 13th Army. As a result, not only on the morning of the 6th, but by noon, 19th Panzer Corps was not ready to attack.
On the morning of July 6, only V. Grigoriev's 16th Panzer Corps could attack. But he was also expecting the 75th Guards Rifle Division of the 17th Guards Rifle Corps. From the beginning, the offensive was postponed to 3 am on July 6, since the division was on the march. Then the offensive was shifted to 5 in the morning, since the division had to establish communication between formations, artillery, reconnoitre and clear minefields. The blow was delivered on a front up to 34 km wide. The breakthrough artillery corps dealt a strong blow to the enemy. Then tanks and infantry went over to the attack. The 107th Tank Brigade pushed the German troops in the direction of Butyrka 1–2 km, losing several tanks. However, then the brigade came under heavy fire from German tanks and self-propelled guns buried in the ground. Return fire gave minimal results - the shells did not penetrate the frontal armor of heavy German tanks. As a result, the brigade was defeated, having lost 46 tanks in a few hours - 29 T-34 and 17 T-70. Only 4 vehicles remained in the ranks, which retreated. Such a brutal defeat forced Corps Commander Grigoriev to give the order to the 164th Tank Brigade to stop the attack and withdraw. In total, the corps lost 88 vehicles in a day, of which 69 were irretrievably lost.
Tanks of the 2nd Panzer Army move forward for a counterattack. July 1943
The 19th Panzer Corps, having spent too much time preparing the counterattack, began to move to Podolyan only at 17:00, when the 16th Corps had already been defeated and was forced to retreat to its original positions. The 19th Panzer Corps was also unable to fulfill the assigned task. The corps met strong resistance from enemy artillery and tanks, air strikes, and retreated to its original position. The 19th corps suffered significant losses: the 101st tank brigade - 7 tanks, the 20th tank brigade - 22 tanks (including 15 T-34s), the 79th tank brigade - 17 tanks. True, this counterattack was also expensive for the 20th German Panzer Division. With insignificant losses on the first day of fighting, by the end of July 6, the number of combat-ready vehicles of the division decreased from 73 to 50. The counterstrike of the 17th Guards Rifle Corps also did not lead to success. He collided with large groups of German tanks and was attacked by enemy aircraft. By 16.00 the corps had retreated to its original positions.
As a result of a not very successful counterattack, the 2nd Panzer Army received an order for all corps to go on the defensive. The 3rd Panzer Corps was entrenched on the Berezovets line, the 16th corps - in the Olkhovatka area, the 11th separate guards tank brigade at the Endovishche, Molotychi line, at the junction of the 16th and 19th corps. The 19th Panzer Corps occupied the Teploe-Krasavka line on 7 July. The tanks were dug in, becoming firing points, covered by infantry. In addition, all corps had 85-mm cannons for an anti-tank battalion, which could withstand heavy German tanks and self-propelled guns.
The counterattack did not lead to significant success, but slowed down the pace of the German offensive. On July 6, the 9th German Army advanced only 2 km. By the evening of July 6, the command withdrew the first echelon of the 13th Army from the battle, now the enemy was met by the divisions of the second echelon - the 307th Rifle, 70th, 75th and 6th Guards Rifle Divisions.
On the third day of the battle, the model planned to bring the 4th Panzer Division into battle. Initially, it was planned to place it behind the 9th Panzer Division behind the Ponyri. But Model made an amendment and the 4th division was supposed to advance on Teploe. The disadvantage of this plan was the fact that the forces of the strike group were dispersed: the 2nd and 4th Panzer Divisions advanced on Teploe, and the 292nd and 86th Infantry Divisions of the 41st Panzer Corps corps - on Ponyri. Aviation resources were also distributed: at 5.00-7.00 the 1st Air Corps was supposed to support the 47th Tank Corps, and from 7.00 to 12.00 - the 41st Corps. As a result, the battle on the northern face of the Kursk salient broke up into battles for Ponyri and Olkhovatka.
The general course of defensive battles in the Oryol-Kursk direction. July 5-12, 1943 Source: Maxim Kolomiets, Mikhail Svirin With the participation of O. Baronov, D. Nedogonov KURSK ARC July 5 - August 23, 1943 (https://lib.rus.ec/b/224976/read) …
Defense of Art. Diving
Another positive result of the July 6 counterstrike was gain in time. He made it possible to gain time for the regrouping of reserves. The direction of the attack of the German army was now known, and this allowed the front command to draw here tank, artillery and rifle units of the Central Front. On the night of July 7, the 2nd anti-tank brigade from the 48th Army arrived at the Ponyri, two brigades from the 12th breakthrough division were transferred from the Little Arkhangelsk direction to the Ponyri. In total, 15 artillery regiments, a heavy howitzer brigade, and 2 anti-tank brigades were concentrated in the Ponyri area.
The Ponyri station occupied a very important strategic position, defending the Orel-Kursk railway, where, as the TsF command initially believed, the main attack of the enemy would be inflicted, therefore the village was one of the defense centers. The station was surrounded by controlled and unguided minefields, where a large number of captured aerial bombs and large-caliber shells were installed, which were converted into tension landmines. The defense of the Ponyri was reinforced with tanks buried in the ground. The small station was turned into a real fortress, with powerful anti-tank defenses. The battle in the Ponyri region began on July 6. Three German attacks were repelled that day. The German 9th Panzer Division tried to break through the gap that had formed between the Steppe and Rzhavets farms, in the area of the 1st and 2nd Ponyri. The battle was attended by formations of the 18th tank, 86, 292 and 78th infantry divisions, and up to 170 tanks and self-propelled guns, including the "Tigers" of the 505th heavy tank battalion.
At dawn on July 7, the assault on the Ponyri began. It was attacked by the formations of the 41st Panzer Corps of Harpe. German troops went on the attack 5 times, trying to break through the defenses of the 307th Infantry Division under the command of Mikhail Jenshin. The first was a heavy tank, followed by medium and armored personnel carriers with infantry. Assault guns supported the attacks from the spot, firing at the detected enemy firing points. Each time the Germans were thrown back. Dense artillery fire with powerful minefields forced the enemy to withdraw.
However, at 10 am, about two battalions of German infantry with medium tanks and self-propelled guns were able to break through to the northwestern outskirts of "2 Ponyri". But the commander brought the division's reserve into battle - 2 infantry battalions and the 103rd tank brigade, and they, with the support of artillery, counterattacked the enemy and restored the situation. After 11 o'clock, the Germans changed their direction of attack and attacked from the northeast. In a stubborn battle, German troops occupied the state farm "1st May" by 15 o'clock and came close to the Ponyri. However, subsequent attempts to break into the territory of the village and the station were repelled by Soviet troops.
307th Rifle Division on the Kursk Bulge. 1943 g.
In the evening, the Germans attacked from three directions: having sent formations of the 18th Panzer, 86th and 292nd Infantry Divisions into battle. Parts of the 307th division were forced to withdraw to the southern part of the Ponyri. The battle in the station, already in the light of the burning houses, continued all night. The commander of the 13th Army ordered to recapture the lost positions. The infantry attack of the 307th division was supported by the tanks of the 51st and 103rd tank brigades of the 3rd tank corps. Also, the 129th Tank Brigade with 50 tanks (including 10 KV and 18 T-34s) and the 27th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment were supposed to participate in the attack. In case of increased German pressure on the station, the 4th Airborne Division was transferred to it. On the morning of July 8, Soviet troops regained control of the station.
In the afternoon, German troops occupied the station again. In the evening, the 307th division launched a counterattack and threw the enemy back. On July 9, the battles for Ponyri continued with the same ferocity. On this day, the German command changed tactics and tried to take the station "in ticks" with a blow on both sides of the railway. For the attack, they formed a strike group (the "Kal group", the detachment was commanded by Major Kal), which included the 654th battalion of heavy assault guns "Ferdinand", the 216th division of the 150-mm self-propelled guns "Brumbar" and the 75-mm and 105-mm division -mm assault guns (according to Soviet data, the 505th battalion of "Tigers" also went on the attack, according to German, it fought in the Olkhovatsky direction). The attack was also supported by medium tanks and infantry. After a two-hour battle, the Germans broke through the state farm "1st May" to the village of Goreloe. Thus, the enemy broke through to the rear of the troops defending Ponyri. However, near the village of Goreloe, Soviet soldiers organized an artillery fire bag, where German tanks and assault guns were allowed through. The fire of several artillery regiments was supported by long-range artillery and mortars. The maneuver of the German armored group was a stopped minefield with numerous land mines. In addition, the Germans were hit by an airstrike. The German attack was stopped. The Germans lost 18 vehicles. Some of them turned out to be maintainable, they were evacuated at night and after repairs were transferred to the 19th Panzer Corps.
On the evening of July 9, the Ponyri were finally unblocked by a strike from the 4th Guards Airborne Division. On the morning of July 10, the German command withdrew the 292nd Infantry Division and threw the 10th Tank Grenadier Division into battle. But thanks to the support of the paratroopers, the situation was kept under control. In the evening, the bloodless 307th division was taken to the second line. The forward positions were taken by the formations of the 3rd and 4th Guards Airborne Divisions. On July 10, Soviet soldiers recaptured the 1st of May from the enemy. On July 11, the Germans attacked again, but all attacks were repelled. On July 12-13, the Germans tried to evacuate the damaged armored vehicles, but the operation failed. The enemy lost 5 Ferdinands. For 5 days of continuous battle, the soldiers of the 307th division repulsed 32 massive attacks by enemy tanks and infantry.
"Ferdinand" before the attack of Art. Diving.
German tank PzKpfw IV and armored personnel carrier SdKfz 251, knocked out on the outskirts of st. Diving. July 15, 1943
"Ferdinand", knocked out by artillery near the village. Burnt and broken Brummber. Outskirts of st. Diving.
Soviet counterattack in the Oryol-Kursk direction. July 7, 1943
