3rd Battle of Kharkov Pt 4 - 5 SS PzGr Wiking - 1 SS PzD LAAH - Felix Steiner - 2 SS PzD Das Reich

I’ve been using this 4 page German report as a framework to which I add other original source historical materials. This includes 5. SS Wiking footage, Soviet combat footage and a comparison of Soviet propaganda before and after the defeat. I’ll also introduce to the Grischino Massacre that was perpetrated by the Soviets.

In an attempt to regain control of the situation, the 183rd Tank Brigade, the 11th Tank Brigade, the 11th Motorized Infantry Brigade and what remains
of the 1st Assault Brigade were thrown into the battle. At 24.00 hrs the tanks of 183rd Tank Brigade arrived to Krassnoarmejskoje where they combined with those of the 12th Guard Tank Brigade for the attack.

This Soviet footage was taken during Operation Star in the Ukraine in 1943. This version was produced with original English tone for export. Soviets cameramen were generally more willing, or possibly forced, to film combat scenes than their German counterparts. They also often filmed enemy soldiers that had been killed in action.

The 4th Guard Tank Corps suffered a heavy loss of both men and equipment. The 14th Guard Tank Brigade’s Chief of Staff reported at 24:00 hrs the destruction of his communications station. The same was reported earlier by the 9th Independent Guard Tank Brigade.

Support from the 10th Tank Corps was not sufficient due to the fact that
Bacharow has failed to provide the promised reinforcement of the
5. Ski Brigade.

Ok, so now let’s pivot for a moment and talk about the Grischino Massacre which involves the 4th Guard Tank Corps. The massacre happened in the Ukrainian towns of Grischino, Krasnoarmeyskoye and Postyschewo. The town Krasnoarmeyskoye, mentioned continually in this report, was renamed to honor the Red Army. In Russian Krasnoarmeyskoye means Red Army. After the war the towns merged and in 2016 during a process of decommunization, its name was changed to Pokrovsk.

On February 10 of 1943 when the 4th Guard Tank Corps retook the city a number of Germans fell into their hands.

When the 5. SS PzGr. Wiking entered on the 18th they discovered 696 corpses, 406 of which were Wehrmacht soldiers. The rest were civilians including female communication personnel, construction workers, nurses and civil officials. There were also 89 Italian soldiers, 9 Romanian soldiers, 4 Hungarians and 8 Ukrainian volunteers. Many of the bodies were terribly mutilated.

Of course that’s not to say that the German’s were innocent of committing attocities. This photograph shows two civilians hung in Grischino after retaking the town.

As early as December 1943 some Germans would be tried and sentenced for their actions in Kharkov.

As would be expected, with the surrender of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad on Feb. 2 1943, Soviet propaganda of the time focused on this event. In the third February leaflet from the series Front Illustrierte which was printed around the 18th, Nr. 6, we see photographs of the 24 Generals that surrendered. At the end of the leaflet they’ve added information describing the success of the Soviet Operation Star which saw a major push to recapture the cities of Kursk and Kharkov.

During the beginning of February the first edition, as would be expected, focused on the surrender of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad.

Defeat for the German Army in Russia is Inevitable

The catastrophe of Hitler’s army in Russia has begun.
Soviet troops, expanding their offensive, have pushed the
German troops back 600 KM from Stalingrad. They have
already cleared the north Caucasus region and are
advancing successfully into the Donets Basin. Krasnodar,
Rostow am Don, Woroschilowgrad, Kursk, Charkow and
hundreds of other Soviet cities have been retaken by the
Red Army.

Under the powerful blows of the Red Army, over the last few months more than 700,000 German enlisted soldiers and officers have been killed in combat.

German Soldiers, take note! If you do not end this senseless resistance, you will never leave Russia alive. The only way to save yourself is by surrendering. Surrender and you’ll avoid the hell that this war has brought otherwise all is lost. Surrender now and your eventual return home to your family after the war is guaranteed.

The 600 KM advance in just 2 weeks was impressive. For propaganda to be effective the half truths must be believable to instill fear and motivate decisive action. With the reverses of the 3rd Battle of Kharkov, that city was no longer occupied by the Soviets. Quickly leaflet Nr. 6 "Variant R" which omitted Operation Star gains was mass produced and distributed. Out of interest the normal Edition 6 is much rarer and more valuable. The price rang of individual leaflets range in today’s market from around 75 to 200 EUR depending on the edition and condition.