Nigel Cawthorne Read Online Free Page B

had hardened somewhat. German anti-tank artillery could not be set up. For that, the snow was still too deep.
    After a week, the attack had to be called off. The Russians counterattacked, moving through the forest where not even their tanks could be spotted by German bombers.
    Winter warfare in Russia requires heavy tanks, like the German Tiger, that can move through the deepest snow. Under those conditions the tank is superior to the assault gun, because the tank’s artillery piece is farther off the ground and can be rotated with the turret above the level of the snow …
    But spring was on its way, and improving weather conditions favoured the Germans. They took the village of Vazvy, but the battle was far from over.
    In the depths of the forest, the enemy had established several lines of defence. The Russians are masters in the construction of shell-proof wooden field fortifications. About 3km southeast of Yazvy the attack of the division bogged down.
    So the German spearhead swung to the northeast and, after bitter fighting, broke through.
    Now the snow began to melt with a vengeance. The water in the woods was knee-deep … But the weather brought one advantage: the enemy evacuated the woods south of the Yazvy–Ramushevo highway, and withdrew to the high ground of Ramushevo. On the west bank of the Lovat he held only one small bridgehead adjacent to the village. Thereby the threat to the southern flank of the attacking forces had, at least temporarily, been removed. Now the infantryman could protect himself against the water. The forest provided sufficient cover to permit the hasty construction of simple wooden shelters. In the meantime, reconnaissance was conducted for the continuation of the attack. After all, our encircled comrades were waiting to be freed. Every man knew what was at stake.
    Lucky indeed was he who found a large bomb crater. Most Russian swamps are the result of an impermeable layer of clay, usually only shallow. Large bomb craters were frequently deep enough to penetrate the clay. As a rule, they did not fill up with water and, as long as they were not located within large inundated areas, their edges were often the only patches of dry ground. There infantrymen sat, there and on islands either provided by nature or man-made from tree trunks. The ground below the water was still frozen. Wide, shallow streams ran through every field and forest. The flood waters had washed out every bridge. Heavily travelled roads were covered with a 1m layer of mud.
    Ramushevo on the River Lovat was now the objective, but the thaw presented another problem:
    The fields of the peasants are located to the west of the town. Through them runs a stream which had, at this time, swollen to a 400m-wide river. The northern part of the river had solid, steep banks, indicating deep water at that point … With the disappearance of the snow, the artillery had finally regained its normal effectiveness. After the most painstaking reconnaissance, the attack on the bridgehead got underway on 15 April. It succeeded with surprising ease, although the bridgehead, too, was protected by the overflowing stream. Despite the arrival of numerous enemy replacements, the Russian troops were no less exhausted than our men.
    Since the distance to the northern edge of the village was only about 300m, the obvious next move would have been to attack Ramushevo from the captured enemy bridgehead. No attempt, however, was made as the banks of the stream were steep and high, and the water was bound to reach above a man’s head … At this time patrols had to wade though snow water, which was knee-deep south of the highway …
    On 20 April, German forces assembled for the attack on Ramushevo … The enemy had not counted on a German attack through the flooded area … The men had to wade through more than waist-deep snow water. Soon after, other German units penetrated the village from the west and, by 22 April, Ramushevo had been completely cleared of