Trench Raid 'Tiger'

From the annals of the 78th Assault Division

(Bundesarchiv)

Published in September of 1944, the first issue of Information for the Infantry (Nachrichten für die Infanterie) contained a detailed description of a trench raid conducted by an ‘assault division’ (Sturm Division) on the Eastern Front. As only one German formation with that designation fought in that theater, we can be sure that this designation refers to the 78th Assault Division. However, as the anonymous author of the article declined to explain where or when the operation took place, I can only say that the raid occurred somewhere on the Eastern Front, in the snow covered months between of the fall of 1943 and the spring of 1944.

The following translation errs on the side of readability. Likewise, for the sake of clarity, the illustrations exclude some of the information provided in the maps supplied with the original article.

Trench Raid ‘Tiger’

From the Combat Reports of an Assault Division

The success of trench raids (Stosstrupphandlungen) and attacks with narrowly limited objectives depends upon painstaking preparation. Excessive haste leads to failure. It is therefore necessary that each unit understand how to set the stage for the assault squads. The following example shows how this can be done.

Mission

1. Penetration of the enemy main line of resistance eastwards, northeastwards, or north of strong point ‘Tiger’ after a short concentrated fire strike of all support weapons

2. Capture of prisoners in order to obtain a better picture of the enemy.

3. Roll up of a portion of the enemy main line of resistance, destroying the garrison, its weapons, its fighting positions, and its shelters.

Deliberate withdrawal [of the raid force] after the completion of the mission under the protection of the fire of supporting weapons

A sketch map showing a German main line of resistance (blue), a frozen river (pale blue), the Soviet main line of resistance (red), and heavily wooded areas (green)