Originally posted by wolfslair44
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Reasons and statements of those "of charge in between (the ranks)"
At 4th of dec.43 the division received the order, to attack - out of the area northwest Tschernjachoff, crossing the line Nokrentschina-Pakatschina - the flank of the enemy who stays in front of the XIII. army corps, to destroy (the enemy) with an powerfull beat, so after (this) in combination with further divisions of the XXXXVIII. tank corps the advance movement of the XIII. army corps would be possible, so in combination with the advance of the LIX. army corps, to unite with the later one.
Battle group PEIPER (...) had the order, to start at 5th of dec.43 at 3PM, to bypass the enemy held Tschernjachoff during a night march by its west, so they will take the heights at both sides of Styrty, north of Tschernjachoff in broad front via Andrejew, no matter the danger to their flanks from direction Radosyschl.
After the battlegroupd had taken Sseljantschina at 5th of dec.43 at 8PM by their furtherts troops, the following scouting by the III. armoured SS PzGren Rgt. 2 proofed, that the enemy had dug in well at fieldpositions west of Pekartschina, and in the village itself build a circle defence. Because the village could not be bypassed cause of difficult terrain, and the bridges in the village had to be taken undamaged, PEIPER himself took over the command of the armoured battailon, whos commander he was just before, drove with true grit a night attack against this village, by doing so extinct the surprised enemy completely in his positions before and in the village, by the use of his weapons and flamethrowers out of his halftracks.
Leading again personally a immediate scouting against Andrejew, PEIPER captured important papers needed for the daylight-attack of his armoured group.
Resulting of his nightly scouting, he was able to attack with this (armoured group) at dusk, after running over a PAK front, at 6AM and take Andrejew and block the road Tschernjachoff-Korosten. To the east of Andrejew the battlegroup run over several (artillerie) batteries, and after the destruction of some PAKs they took the heights of both sides of Styrty at 10AM, so the 1st day-aim has reached.
With unstoppable forward movement to the east the battlegroup now run over and destroyed enemy batteries, PAK-fronts, and during (this attack) captured the command posts of the 121. rifle-div. at Kislowka, of the 322. rifle-div. at Seliyzschy, of the 148. riftl-div. at Kamenny Brid and of the 336. rifle-div. at Kaitanowka, where they had to stop to get supplies.
The battlegroup captured or destroyed at that day:
22 guns
76 PAK 7,62
38 anti tank rifles
49 MGs
40 trucks
71 horsedrawn vehicles and
1450 KIA
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