Between Giants by Prit Buttar Read Free Book Online Page B

artillery support, the lead formations attacked on 26 July. The newly arrived Flemish 6th SS Volunteer Assault Brigade Langemarck took the brunt of the onslaught, losing many of its officers on its first day in the area. Elements of the Soviet 8th Army’s 117th Rifle Corps pressed home their advantage, attacking into the exposed flank of SS- Nordland . By the end of the day, the east side of the most easterly of the Sinnemäed Hills was in Soviet hands.
    During the night, the Germans mounted a counter-attack, led by the anti-tank company of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 Danmark . Several tanks belonging to the Soviet 98th Tank Regiment were destroyed, and almost all the German positions were recovered. The following morning, there was a fresh artillery bombardment, and the positions held by Danmark and Langemarck once more came under pressure. The survivors of Langemarck were driven back from their positions to the middle hill of the three hills, though one of their number, Unterscharführer Remi Schrijnen, remained behind at the controls of a 75mm anti-tank gun. Despite being wounded, he continued to beat off Soviet tanks, and together with the infantrymen of Danmark , he accounted for the destruction or immobilisation of about 20 Soviet tanks. Nevertheless, despite a counter-attack by several assault guns from Nordland , led by the division commander, Gruppenführer Fritz von Scholtz, most of the eastern hill was in Soviet hands by midnight.
    Late on 27 July, General Schörner arrived at Army Detachment Narva’s headquarters. He stressed the importance of holding the current positions. The eastern hill was to be recaptured immediately, and the position was then to be held. As he set off to inform his men of their orders, Scholtz was severely wounded by a Soviet artillery bombardment. Although he was evacuated to the west, he died before he reached the military hospital at Rakvere. During the night, the reconnaissance battalion from Nordland , supported by a battalion of Estonian infantry, launched the counter-attack. Fighting continued into the next day, with most of the Estonian battalion being wiped out. The attack failed to make headway, and the Germans fell back to the central hill.
    On 28 July, Fediuninsky deployed substantial artillery reinforcements and launched an assault on the northern part of the German defences. Unterscharführer Schrijnen continued to knock out tanks from his lone position in the front line, and the Soviet assault was beaten off. During the afternoon, there was a further savage bombardment of German positions, but in anticipation of this, the survivors of Langemarck had edged forward from their positions, so the bulk of the bombardment fell on empty trenches. When 2nd Shock Army attacked, it was once more beaten off, though Langemarck was almost at the end of its strength. Towards evening, German troops attempted once more to recover the eastern hill, but withdrew after suffering heavy losses. Steiner ordered his corps to abandon its foothold on the eastern hill and pull back to the central hill during the night.
    Despite their heavy losses, the German lines were still intact. They were aware that Soviet losses were far greater, but in the context of Soviet numerical superiority, this seemed to make little difference. On 29 July, there was a further heavy artillery and aerial assault against the central hill, followed by an attack by infantry, supported by several JS-2 tanks. While 8th Army’s two corps moved forward against 11th Infantry Division, attacking from the south and the east, 2nd Shock Army’s 109th Rifle Corps attacked Nederland and 3rd Estonian Regiment on the northern side of the German defences. Despite the order to withdraw the previous evening, there were still scattered Danish defenders on the eastern hill, and the Soviet infantry of 117th Rifle Corps suffered heavy losses before the Danes were driven back. Nevertheless, the Red Army made steady progress. The central hill