Wodin Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Just read this in Jason Marks latest book Into Oblivion. Thought I'd share as I wrote this to do with a another forum and game but thought you may enjoy it..as usual another superb book by Jason Mark. The book I'm reading is about 305th Pioneer Battalion. During a a preliminary attack on the 24th June 1942 A message came through "Pioneers to the front", a T34 was blocking the column path behind the lines in a fores near Zavodnyi, the anti tank guns couldn't get a good angle to get a shot off so it was down to the Pioneers to take it out..the Platoon set off with 3kg demo charges and anti tank mines..Greifter Schingitz sprinted upto the Tank to blow the tracks with the demo charge but it didn't cause any real damage so he fetched a second demo charge and got close enough again and this time it only blew and twisted the drive wheel. Lt Beigel then raced up and placed a anti tank mine with an igniter fuse on the armoured deck close to the turret but it failed to detonate so Unteroffizer Bub grabbed another 3kg demo charge ontop of the anti tank mine and ignited it. This charge combined with the anti tank mine cracked the armour plating and ripped the turret out of it's housing. Flame erupted from the Tank. All the way through this the Tank had been firing both it's main gun and it's MGs. Soon the crew tried to ge tout but where cut down by the waiting Pioneers. Friefter Steinacker was fatally wounded during this close combat after a burst of MG fire hit him in the stomach, fatally wounding him. Griefter Frank was slightly wounded in the right foot by shrapnel and Felwebel Emil Grassel was wounded in the right arm by a shell splinter. The 24.6.42 was classed as an "Assault Day" for the Battalion. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 I recall a similar story involving a KV-152 in AGN territory during the early days of Barbarossa. Pretty tough cookie it was and blocking an important road. I think they finally got it by discharging a fairly large demo charge that didn't do much damage to the tank but stunned the crew. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinoza Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Hail to the heroic tank crew who went down fighting and took some of the Nazi scum with them. Lest we forget! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wodin Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 I recall a similar story involving a KV-152 in AGN territory during the early days of Barbarossa. Pretty tough cookie it was and blocking an important road. I think they finally got it by discharging a fairly large demo charge that didn't do much damage to the tank but stunned the crew. Michael Maybe the KV 1 that Ernst Raus had difficulties with in the book Panzer Operations? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Maybe the KV 1 that Ernst Raus had difficulties with in the book Panzer Operations? Haven't read that one, but the story I came across was explicit about it being a KV-152. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenzie Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 This reminds me - I have a handbook on Japanese military forces from the US War Department, written during the war as a training tool. There is a detailed chapter on Japanese anti-tank tactics, and there were some fascinating parts in there on how the Japanese would attempt to assault American tanks. Some of the people here would find it interesting. The Japanese usually lacked decent numbers of artillery and dedicated AT weapons, especially early in the war, and relied on close infantry assaults for much of the time. Their tactical doctrine in general strongly emphasized attacking at the point of the bayonet, and the terrain usually favored close assaults on tanks as well. One favored way to attack tanks was to creep up to them under cover, until they were within the dead zone of the tank weapons. They would throw a mine, attached to a long string, about 15 feet in front of the tank and then, by means of the string, pull it directly under the tank. They would sometimes have several pairs of tank hunters move forward under cover and place mines in front of the tank in such a manner as it would have to drive over one of them. Another tactic they used was to fasten a large number of mines, one foot apart, to a 150-foot line. Two men would conceal themselves and drag this long strip of mines across the path of the tank as it approaches, kinda like police deploying those spike strip things. When mounting close assaults, they would do things as simple as throw tarps over the turret to try to blind the crew, fire pistols through the viewing ports, cover the viewing ports with mud, or try to "smoke out" the crew. They sometimes used concentrated small arms fire directed at the tanks at close range (at least one squad firing at each tank). They were even known to climb onto the tanks and hack away at them with picks to try to damage the guns or the turret rotation mechanism. Some tanks were delayed or stopped by the Japanese driving 3-inch wooden poles or 1 to 1 and 1/2 inch rods between the spokes of the wheels. Magnetized AT mines were also used at times. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AttorneyAtWar Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Hail to the heroic tank crew who went down fighting and took some of the Nazi scum with them. Lest we forget! Oh yes those horrible nazi scum soldiers who buried that crew with full military honors...come on guys. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenris Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Haven't read that one, but the story I came across was explicit about it being a KV-152. Michael I've read one in book entitled Small Unit Actions on the Eastern Front that talks about a KV blocking a road in 41 too (not the one where they use 88's). Has a picture of an SS man being hit by defensive fire from the tank as he makes an assault IIRC. It's packed away so I can't check the details right now. Edit - picking around the net I found this, I've not looked at the book for many years but this does look like the content I recall. Now I scan it I can't see the story I mentioned although there is http://www.allworldwars.com/Small-Unit-Actions-During-German-Campaign-in-Russia.html Now I scan it I can't see the story I mentioned although there is this, search for this title to go straight to the article A RUSSIAN TANK OBSTRUCTS GERMAN ADVANCE IN SOUTHERN LITHUANIA. Edit 2 - this might be the same material as a pdf, am downloading now https://archive.org/details/PAM20-269 -F 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizou Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 Hail to the heroic tank crew who went down fighting and took some of the Nazi scum with them. Lest we forget! Mmm the heroic Soviet Union who attacked Poland, Finland and the Baltic states with no provocation. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erwin Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 Come on guys... We've always tried to make a distinction between the nation and it's political/geographic ambitions and the poor brave bastids who actually have to carry out orders and often die. Vietnam anyone? (And my mother is a WW2 Estonian refugee/displaced person, so I know all about that part.) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJR144 Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 Hail to the heroic tank crew who went down fighting and took some of the Nazi scum with them. Don't project yourself into others. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanir Ausf B Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 Unless she asks you to. Then it's okay. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 A box of chocolates can help grease the ways sometimes. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
womble Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 A box of chocolates can help grease the ways sometimes. Michael Better make sure they're all soft centres if you're going to use a whole box though. And no chopped nuts. Gritty. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Los Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 So I take it you liked "Into Obkivion"? I've been eyeballing that and his Cholm book. Los 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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