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14 #232 Reinforcements were already moving into the Luga Line and some were transferred to 11 th Army: Col. L.V. Bunin’s 21 st Tank Division, Gen. Maj. A.Y. Fedyunin’s 70 th “Order of Lenin” Rifle Division, and Col. V.Y. Tishinsky’s 237 th Rifle Division were all allocated to the Northern Operational Group. Those divisions were facing the Germans for the first time, though the 70 th at least had the experience of fighting the Finns in the 1939-40 Winter War. The Soviets were gambling, as the overall correlation of forces was only marginally favorable. They had insufficient armor and Red Army tactics left something to be desired at that time in the war, but they would enjoy a high degree of surprise in a favorable battlefield position. The counterstroke at Soltsy began on 14 July with subsidiary moves to set the trap. The Northern Operational Group, built around the headquarters of the newly arrived 16 Rifle Corps, attacked from the line Gorodishche-Utorgosh with two divisions toward Sitnya and with one toward Soltsy. The Southern Group was built around Gen. Maj. A.S. Ksenofontov’s 22 nd Rifle Corps (formed in Estonia of 180 th and 182 nd Rifle Divisions), and included the remnants of 202 nd Motorized Division plus the recently reformed 183 rd Rifle Division. It deployed facing the exposed German southern flank for a push north to Sitnya. The plan was Waiting for the Soviets: German antitank gun crew. for the groups to launch converging thrusts to encircle and destroy enemy forces. In the skies above, Soviet aircraft would provide direct support. At 3:00 am on the 15 th , the following radio message arrived at 4 th Panzer Group headquarters: “Rear area services of 8 th Panzer Division, three kilometers east of Borovichi, are defending against enemy attack with machineguns and mortars.” Throughout the 15 th , similar reports were received at German command posts. The Soviets had launched a powerful attack from the north into the flank of 8 th Panzer Division, and simultaneously from the south over the Shelon. That meant the bulk of 8 th Panzer’s combat units, being located between Soltsy and the Mshaga, were cut off from the division’s rear echelons. Further, the Red Army had pushed up forces from the south to close the German supply route. At the same time, advance elements of the 3 rd Motorized Division came under renewed attack by the 237 th Rifle Division at Maloye Utorgosh. In hard fighting, the 3 rd ’s troops repulsed seven Soviet attacks, some in hand-to-hand fighting. Forming the hammer of the Soviet drive was 70 th Rifle Division, which enjoyed a favorable local ratio of force. By 6:00 am on 15 July all of the 70 th ’s
Comparative Unit Strengths, 1941 Manpower AFV MG Mortars AA DF Guns Artillery MT German Panzer ‘41 division 15,600 165 1,067 30 74 75 70 2900 Motorized division 16,400 821 712 93 28 71 38 2800 Infantry division Soviet 17,200 3 643 142 11 79 70 942 Tank division 10,940 475 ? 852 (2) (2) (2) ? Motorized division 11,600 326 ? 1582 (2) (2) (2) ? Infantry division, May ‘41 14,400 293 491 150 4 69 32 685 Infantry division, July ‘41 10,700 - 279 78 6 34 8 249 Manpower = full strength AFV = total armored fighting vehicles, tanks, assault guns; includes armored cars and half tracks in certain units MG = machineguns; includes anti-aircraft machineguns and vehicle-mounted weapons Mortars = total mortars AA = anti-aircraft guns, 20mm and larger; multi-barreled weapons count each barrel DF Guns = all artillery direct fire weapons and antitank guns larger than 20mm; includes some self-propelled pieces Artillery = all howitzers and multiple rocket launchers; includes some self-propelled pieces MT = motor transport vehicles Notes 1) This number is cited in several sources, but seems to assume the attachment of a tank or assault gun battalion to the division. The number of organic AFVs was probably 20-30. 2) Total all “guns,” weapons 45mm and greater (except 50mm mortars). 3) In some divisions, 16 light tanks and 13 armored cars. Note: the diagram of the German 56 th Motorized Corps includes the 290 th Infantry Division, which was detached prior to the operations described in this article. units were in position. A last minute reconnaissance led to the 68th Rifle Regiment going around Soltsy to put it into position to cut off 8th Panzer Division. Detecting that movement, a German battlegroup of two battalions of motorized infantry supported by tanks, immediately attacked and penetrated into the 68th ’s defensive zone. But suddenly the German column found its own rear and flanks under attack. According to the Soviet account, the Germans panicked, leaving behind 15 destroyed tanks and 200 dead and wounded. With the preliminaries out of the way, the Soviet attack developed in its full fury, with 8th Panzer Division standing alone against 3rd and 21st Tank Divisions, 22nd , 52nd , and 80th Rifle Divisions, and 22nd Rifle Corps, consisting of 180th , 182nd and 183rd Rifle Divisions, and the 202nd Motorized Division. The battle raged west to Borovichi as the Soviets crossed the Shelon River and thrust from the north with the 70th and 237th Rifle Divisions and parts of 21st Tank Division. By late in the day, 8th Panzer Division had divided into three battlegroups: • the Shelon sector under Oberst Scheller ( Infantry Regiment 8, I and III/Panzer Regiment 10, II/Artillery Regiment 61, Recon Battalion 59, II/Nebelwerfer Regi- ment 52, 8 strategy & tactics 15 th Panzer Regiment); • the railroad bridge sector under Maj. Schmid ( Antitank Battalion 43, Pioneer Battalion 59, Flak Battalion 92, minor units, 8th Panzer Regiment); • and well forward along the Shelon River a battlegroup under 1st Lt. Crisolli (II/ Panzer Regiment 10, Infantry Regiment 28, II and III/Artillery Regiment 80, II/Flak 23, minor units of the 8th Panzer Regiment). Scheller found himself under heavy attack with reports of the Soviets at the edge of Soltsy. From above, Soviet aircraft attacked road-bound columns. By midday panic had set in with some German units. That evening, Red Army infantry was entering Soltsy but, since it was starting to rain, at least the Soviet aircraft were grounded. For the night, the battlegroups of 8th Panzer Division organized an all-round defense. The next day, 16 July, 8th Panzer Division fought while fully surrounded. Early that morning it withdrew from most of Soltsy and established its main defense line along the road west of the north-south railroad. A battle still raged over Soltsy airfield where German tanks came under direct fire from enemy anti-tank and artillery batteries. German motorized units attacked twice but were thrown back. Red Army pressure on
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