IR 189 at Okhvat, some questions

[Runyan99]

I have somebody asking me some questions for some research he is doing. Any info outside of Carell is appreciated.

Are you sure that the entire IR 189 de-trained at Andreapol'? We know from an individual soldier's sketches that the tracks between Okhvat and Andreapol' were destroyed at some point...

Do you happen to know where the men were billeted 7-14 January?

Did IR 189 hold Okhvat

We know that our leutnant was cut off retreating from Okhvat to the aid station at Lugi 14/01/42. Do you have any details of the Russian advance? Presumably they came across the lake at the narrowest point into Okhvat and also flanked the town from the south west (again across the lake). We know that Lugi was taken by the Russians 15/01/42.

[Bannon DC]

From John Erickson, Road to Stalingrad (which I'm reading right now and just happen to have handy) --

The only mention of any of those locations is Andreapol which was on the rail line. From page 305 of the soft cover edition I have:

"... because the 3rd and 4th Shock Armies were becoming seperated by a gap of some magnitude as Purkayev approached Kholm and Yeremenko drove through Andreapol to a point north of Toropets, the Western Dvina and to Neilidove. After an attack from three sides, Andreapol was stormed on 16 January, Major-General Tarsov's crack 249th Rifle Division scooping up the German stores as it went along..."

The reference to lakes and the capture of a town on the 15th makes sense. There are a number of large lakes in the area along the rail line east of Andreapol.

By IR -- are you refering to Infantry Regiment? If so, that is a small formation for reference in most sources. Do you know the brigade, division or army it was part of?

[Runyan99]

Yes, that's the correct engagement.

IR 189 was part of the 81st Infantry Division, but seems to have fought this engagement alone.

[Andreas]

IR 189 was fighting as an independent KG with II./AR 181 in the Dubno-Toropets sector of AG Centre. The rest of the division was near Staraja Russa in the AG North sector. IR 189 was destroyed there in Jan 1942, and not reformed until 1943.

All the best

Andreas

[Runyan99]

Yup, that's my info.

FYI the asking person seems to be affiliated with some UK film crew. I don't know if they are making a documentary or what. I think they are attempting to tell the story of one man who was on scene for these battles. I think it's a nice idea. And, of course I'm getting off on the fact that they contacted me as some kind of amateur historian of the Okhvat battles (which apparently, I am). Fun stuff.

My reply to the questioner:

It seems to me that Andreapol was the railhead for the Regiment. I can't imagine them going by train much closer to the front.

As far as the track being cut, that isn't mentioned by Carell. I suspect the unit as a whole would have waited on the train while engineers repaired the tracks, rather than de-training at some other point short of their destination. I've read other accounts where units were forced to de-train for a time to combat partisans, then got right back on the train. I'm not sure exactly what German SOP was in a situation like this, but I personally doubt any portion of the Regiment would have detrained at another location. Am I sure? No.

The rest of your questions are best answered by a timeline I pieced together from Carell's account. By the way, Carell seems to have had access to the memoirs of Soviet Marshal Yeremenko. You might try to find this book, although it may be available only in Russian, or perhaps in Russian and German. Also Carell seems to have interviewed a survivor from the unit, one Leutnant Erich Schlosser who was an NCO in the 3rd Company (unknown battalion) at the time.

Jan 5th - 189th ID detrains at Andropol.

Jan 9th - Soviet attack of 4th Strike (Shock?) Army begins in the area of Peno, including the Soviet 249th Rifle and 332nd Rifle, which will be involved at Okhvat.

Jan 10th - Soviets take Peno, after two days of fighting. The road to Okhvat is open. I imagine the 189th got orders to move to the area from Andropol at this time, if not before. Where the 189th spent Jan 5-10 isn't clear. I imagine they were held in reserve at Andropol. Finding the history of the German II Corps, or 81st Division (perhaps in German archives) might answer this question.

Jan 12th - Fighting around Okhvat begins. 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 189 arrive in Okhvat almost at the same time as the Russians. 925th Regiment of the Soviet 249th Rifle. The Soviets advance over the lake (frozen solid), I'm guessing from the north and northeast. The Soviets immediately take the east half of Okhvat, while the Germans hold the west half and the rail station/embankement (where is that?)

If you've got a map of Okhvat in a digital format, I'd like to see it.

Dusk brings a second Russian attack, this time supported by two Regiments of the Soviet 332nd Rifle. The Germans are badly mauled and give ground. The Germans are heavily outnumbered.

Here Carell inserts a tale of 8 Soviet light tanks attacking, and Germans knocking them out with hand grenades. This is where you take Carell with a grain of salt. Maybe it happened, maybe it didn't.

Given the events of the day, and the Soviet decision which shortly follows, I would bet that the Soviets took pretty heavy casualties on this day of fighting.

Also note that the Soviet 249th Rifle was apparently an excellent Russian division which had been well trained. This especially for the standards of Jan 1942, when the Soviet high command was scrambling for good units to throw at the Germans.

Jan 13th - Germans in Okhvat are down to 50-60 men per company, and holding a few huts here and there. Men are getting frostbite. Apparently no Russian attacks today.

Jan 14th - The Soviets bypass German resistance at Okhvat today. The 249th and 332nd make flanking maneuvers around Okhvat, taking Lugi and Velichovko. The 189th is surrounded.

Jan 15th - 189th attempts to break out. Lugi is retaken. Velichovko cannot be retaken. 2nd battalion is slowly wiped out.

Jan 16th - CO of 189th gives the remnants of 1st and 3rd battalions carte blanche to escape from the pocket as they see fit, 30 miles back to Toropets.

As an aside, German units in other encirclements didn't get orders like this until things were bad. Really, really bad. This is every man for himself at this point.

18th Jan - 40 men from the 1st Battalion arrive at Toropets. Almost everyone else is KIA or MIA at this point. The unit is basically wiped out.

Overall, it's a typical, but very early, story of a Russian encirclement battle, the kind which would play itself out again and again for the next 4 years in more famous places like Stalingrad and Cherkassy. This is just a smaller version, but it's a very typical tale of the Eastern Front for an unfortunate group of German soldiers.

Cory

[Andreas]

Interesting story.

I'll have a dig through my sources, but I can not imagine to find much on it there.

If the survivor was in 3rd company, that would have been 1st battalion (3./IR189 = I./IR189).

The German Corps war diary maybe in existence at the BA-MA, the war diary of the regiment certainly not, and the war diary of the division probably won't mention what happened to IR189 since it was not with them at the time.

All the best

Andreas

[Andreas]

I checked the BA-MA website. The diary of II. AK may not help them, if that was the command under which 81. ID worked. They need the diary of whoever was in command of the Toropets sector.

Short bit on the larger battle

Maps - Alex, the webmaster here maybe helpful, he is certainly always very willing to provide info to me when I ask him about obscure engagements.

I recommend Google search for "Toropets January 1942", that will give a lot of hits.

There is also an article on RAS, VIZH Issue 1, 1988.

All the best

Andreas

[Runyan99]

Thanks for the links, Andreas.

[ April 07, 2006, 12:50 PM: Message edited by: Runyan99 ]

[Joachim]

Also Carell seems to have interviewed a survivor from the unit, one Leutnant Erich Schlosser who was an NCO in the 3rd Company (unknown battalion) at the time.

Lieutenant = NCO?

Gruß

Joachim

[Andreas]

Okay, I did some more research. Sources used are Leeb 'Notes and Situation Assessments from two World Wars' (in German), and Erickson, 'Road to Stalingrad', as well as Ziemke, 'Moscow to Stalingrad'. Nothing specific about IR 189. Especially the lack of info in Leeb is depressing. IR189 was not the only regiment destroyed there, another was IR 416 from 123. ID, and IR 418 was heavily damaged (or the other way round), at least according to von Leeb's notes, which end with his resignation on Jan. 17.

IR 189 is only ever referred to as 1/3 of 81. ID. It was probably railed into the sector on or just after 29 December. Then it went off the train at Andreapol, and to all intents and purposes just vanished into thin air without even figuring in the narrative of the AG commander (who concerned himself down to regimental level). Quite depressing.

I can at this stage only recommend getting a hold of the relevant pages of II.AK and 16. Armee, as well as AG N war diaries.

All the best

Andreas

[Runyan99]

I think he was an NCO who was later promoted to Lieutenant.

Now that I have all this information, I might try to revisit this engagement as a 4-5 day CMC campaign. It's just the right size and scope.

I may have to reduce the Soviet force to just 2 Regiments however, to make it more of a game, and less of a slaughter.

[Runyan99]

Originally posted by Andreas:

IR 189 is only ever referred to as 1/3 of 81. ID. It was probably railed into the sector on or just after 29 December. Then it went off the train at Andreapol, and to all intents and purposes just vanished into thin air without even figuring in the narrative of the AG commander (who concerned himself down to regimental level). Quite depressing.

The Soviet article you provided the link for at RAS does the same thing. It mentions the Soviet 249th Rifle Division, and the fighting at Peno, and then the fighting at Andropol, completely failing to mention the destruction of the 189th in between.

It's just one of those many situations on the East Front where the destruction of an entire Regiment of men isn't even worth mention or notice.

[Andreas]

Found something in Haupt 'Army Group North'. Basically a restatement of what Carell has written (railed in as first regiment of 81.ID (Major-General Schopper), detrained at Toropets and Andreapol, immediately sent north without winter clothing and equipment), and my guess is that it is based on the same sources. He states that the KG of IR 189 consisted of the regiment under Colonel Hohmeyer (who was posthumously promoted to Major General), II./AR181 under Lt.Col. Proske (MIA), and 3./Pi-Btl. 181. 40 men of II./AR 181 returned, and 1,100 KIA including Colonel Hohmeyer were found later in a forest near Okhvat.

All the best

Andreas