Assault and Battery IV

A map exercise conducted by the 78th Assault Division in February, 1943

Eugène Delacroix A Collision of Moorish Horsemen (1844)

This article continues the tale begun with the organizational decision game of the same name. Thus, readers will want to read (and, ideally, work through) the aforementioned exercise.

Assault and Battery I

Assault and Battery II

Assault and Battery III

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On 5 February 1943, Major General Paul Völckers, commanding the 78th Assault Division, conducts a map exercise [Planübung] for the senior officers of his outfit. (These included his principal staff officers, the commanding officers of his four regiments, and the commanding officers of all eleven of his fighting battalions.)

The scenario for the exercise owes much to the actual situation faced by the XXXIX Armored Corps at the time of the exercise. (Until withdrawn from the front on 17 December 1942, the 78th Infantry Division had been part of that formation.)

In the scenario, as in contemporary reality, the XXXIX Armored Corps defended part of what might be called the “Rzhev Pocket.” Located some two hundred kilometers west of Moscow, this “peninsula” of German-controlled territory had been shaped by recent Soviet attacks in the vicinity of the German-held town of Rzhev.

The sector of the XXXIX Armored Corps lay on the eastern side of the Rzhev Pocket, in a place where Soviet forces had recently seized a portion of the west bank of the Vasusa River. Soviet control of that ground represents progress towards the encirclement of Rzhev. It also allows Soviet artillery observers to direct long-range fire directed at trains running along the railroad that connects Rzhev to Sychevka (and thus the rest of the German railroad network.)

The red line indicates the “no man’s land” between German and Soviet forces. The dotted black line shows the railroad that runs from Sychevka to Rzhev city. The transparent grey rectangle covers the area shown in the second map.

The scenario presumes that, having been rested, reorganized, rearmed, and replenished, the 78th Assault Division possesses all of the units, weapons, vehicles, and people it is supposed to have. Thus, it consists of three assault-grenadier [Sturm-Grenadier] regiments, a field artillery regiment (with a heavy field artillery battalion, an assault gun battalion, and an anti-aircraft battalion), a battalion of self-propelled anti-tank guns, and a battalion of 120mm mortars.

All of the artillery units are “at establishment.” Thus, rather than having three field pieces, each battery possesses four howitzers.

The 78th Assault Division has rejoined XXXIX Armored Corps.

The Situation

The weather is cold and clear, with average temperatures in the vicinity of -8 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit). The rivers are frozen. The ground is covered with 50 or so centimeters (19 inches) of snow.

Soviet forces occupy a substantial portion of the west bank of the Vasusa River. The southern half of that position (hereafter referred to as “the salient”) lies opposite the sector held by the XXXIX Armored Corps.

The XXXIX Armored Corps occupies a plateau that wraps around, and, thanks to a ten meter advantage in height, dominates the plain held by Soviet forces. Pieces of high ground, some of which rise to the level of the plateau, punctuate the plain. The longest of these is the ridge that runs south from the village of Nikonovo. The highest is the hill near the village of Cholm Rogatschevski.

The hill near Cholm Rogatschevski provides Soviet gunners with excellent views to the west and to the south. In particular, it allows them to observe, at a distance of 4.5 kilometers, fire directed at a portion of the Rzhev railway that runs along a north-south ridge just north of the Ossuga River.

The Soviet forces facing the 78th Assault Division have been quiet for more than a week. The forward positions they have dug - often with the help of women - lack barbed wire obstacles, but are often protected by minefields.

The garrisons of the forward positions seem to be relatively weak. German intelligence estimates that 7,600 Soviet soldiers are serving in the salient between the two rivers. They are armed with 72 light (76.2mm), 36 medium (122mm), and 54 heavy (152mm) field pieces, as well as 45 Katyusha multiple rocket launchers.

The Soviet field artillery in this area has done little in the way of routine firing, to the point where it seems that the Soviet forces might be trying to economize on ammunition. When, however, German forces send patrols into “no man’s land,” the Soviet gunners will unleash a barrage on the German main line of resistance.

Soviet aircraft have not flown any low-level reconnaissance missions.

Soviet deserters report that they have seen no preparations for offensive operations. In particular, they have seen no tanks in the salient.

The Plan

The commanding general of XXXIX Armored Corps has ordered three of its five divisions to conduct an “attack with limited objectives” to seize the aforementioned heights in order to deprive the Soviets of the ability to fire upon the Rshev railway. These divisions are the 78th Assault Division, the 216th Infantry Division, and the 2nd Armored Division.

Once the heights have been seized, the divisions will prepare to hold them against Soviet counterattacks.

The plan calls for the first two divisions to attack simultaneously. Once they have taken the heights in front of them, the 2nd Armored Division will conduct a secondary attack to capture the heights along the southern border of the salient.

The Schwerpunkt of the attack lies with the 78th Assault Division.

The entirety of the field artillery of the XXXIV Armored Corps will cooperate with the attacking divisions. In particular, you will have:

• 96 light (105mm) field howitzers

• 13 heavy (150mm) field howitzers

• 17 heavy (105mm) guns

• 12 heavy (210mm) mortars

These figures include the 36 light field howitzers of your assault grenadier regiments and the 12 heavy field howitzers of your heavy field artillery battalion.

In order to deceive the Soviets, two divisions of XXXIX Armored Corps - the 14th Motorized Infantry Division (north of the Ossuga) and the 2nd Armored Division - will conduct raids.

The Problem

Make a plan for the employment of the 78th Assault Division. These plan should include the designation of a Schwerpunkt, a concept for the use of field artillery, and a scheme for using the following elements:

• Assault Grenadier Regiment 95

• Assault Grenadier Regiment 14

• Assault Grenadier Regiment 215

• Assault Gun Battalion 189

• Antitank Battalion 178

• Heavy Mortar Battalion 5

• Army Anti-Aircraft Battalion 293

The field artillery in direct support of the 78th Assault Division consists of the following battalions, each of twelve pieces.

• Six battalions of 105mm light field howitzers

• One battalion of 105mm heavy field guns

• One battalion of 150mm heavy field howitzers

The symbols in dark blue represent field artillery battalions organic to the 78th Assault Division. Those in medium blue depict field artillery battalions provided by other formations.

Please feel free to use the comments section to describe your plans.

Source: Source: 78 Sturm Division, Ia, Anlagenband F zum Kriegstagebuch, Umgliederung [78th Assault Division, Appendix F to the War Diary of the Operations Section, Reorganization], US National Archives, Captured German Records, Microfilm Series T-315, Roll 1100, frames 209-220.