Paul Hausser's StuG battery commander of SS Div. Reich (mot.) killed in action near MOSCOW - E28

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Episode 200

During the drive north to reach the Smolensk-Moscow highway the division’s battery of 3 StuGs supported the infantry’s advance. At 9h during an attack on Slobodka the enemy retreats and the battery commander, Captain Günster’s StuG, Prinz Eugen is in pursuit. A direct hit by a Soviet anti tank gun leaves the StuG’s periscope and targeting sights inoperable. After about an hour’s work the damage is repaired and the StuG is again on its way. The attack continues and as the formation begins along the approach to the highway, enemy infantry are suppressed with MPi fire from the StuG.

At Nishnjaja-Petrjajka Print Eugen now again at the tip of the formation spots two well camouflaged enemy anti-aircraft guns off to the right and destroys them with a pair of shots. Before being able to fire off an additional round the StuG is struck and penetrated by a round just below its periscope instantly killing 3 of the crew. The StuG’s loader, Corporal Papriocki, is only slightly wounded and manages to escape the burning hulk. He makes his way back to the battalions field command and reports the death of his comrades.

Situational Map
Oct. 9, 1941

Unlike all the other maps there is no information about the enemy units on the map. Is it a coincidence that this happened at precisely this key moment in the campaign, with the surrounded enemy pockets, Moscow’s supposed last defensive bulwark, about to be wiped out?

The fundamental basis of political authority during the 3rd Reich was the Führerprinzip or, principal of the leader. At the top of the political hierarchy it meant that “the Führer’s word was above all written law.” In effect it even meant that he was infallible, incapable of making mistakes or being wrong.

At OKW there was a generally accepted belief that victory was at hand. On this day October 9th, Otto Dietrich of the German Ministry of Propaganda, quoting Hitler himself, forecast in a press conference the imminent destruction of the armies defending Moscow. As Hitler had never had to lie about a specific and verifiable military fact, Dietrich convinced foreign correspondents that the collapse of all Soviet resistance was perhaps hours away. German civilian morale - low since the start of Barbarossa - significantly improved immediately, with rumors of soldiers even coming home by Christmas.

9. Oktober 1941
In a night action we’re able to advance up to the Heights of Kolmina. Our uphill attack is set launch at sunrise. In heavy street combat we’re forced to take each individual house; by noon the area is in our hands. Although successful, the heavy enemy fire has inflicted considerable losses in our ranks. At the height of this chaotic attack their ferocity actually forces to leave our dead and wounded behind where they fall. Behind the town the strong Soviet forces occupy well prepared defensive positions which include bunkers. During the fighting the enemy sends assault groups forwards which, with the support of armor, try to attack us on our exposed left flank in a valley.

Half of my platoon occupy the last houses in the town while the other half remains back in reserve. I receive the order to move up those in reserve as quickly as possible and provide relieving fire for those under attack. The enemy manages to maintain their intensity fire on the town especially targeting the garden areas around the houses with their heavy mortar teams.

To save time I personally run back for my men. Within just a few minutes we’re returning and plan to mount a counter attack to quickly take the enemy’s newly established firing positions. Having learned from the last few hours of urban combat we advance in single file with 10 steps of separation between each soldier. A sudden nearby explosion throws me against the wall of a house and my mind goes momentarily blank. I hear a shower of debris bounce off my helmet and then the screams of wounded soldiers. Turning around I see 11 of my men lying on the ground wounded by the detonation of a mortar round. Other than myself, only my second in command, who was taking the last position of the procession, remains unwounded.

With the help of a soldier who happened to be nearby we carry the wounded into a house. We then grab the two machine guns and ammunition boxes and run forwards to our positions. With this single round the enemy has gotten lucky and taken out half of the formation and effectively put our two heavy machine-guns out of operation. A man who had been hit by shrapnel with a sucking chest wound dies; the others seem reasonably stable. Fortunately the use of our two MGs seems to have become unnecessary as the enemy’s forward positions are taken out. Over the next few hours and with the help of our two Sturmgeschütze, we are then able to move on, engage and silence the bunkers and defensive trenches positioned off to the right.