Saturday 11 May 2013

Guardsmen in the Fall, Part 6: Battle at Bogoduhov

"6. Battle at Bogoduhov

After the battle at Shtepovka, the brigade did not fight for ten days. As of 10:00 on October 13th, Major-General Belov's forces were as follows:
  • 5th CD: Matveevka
  • 9th CD: Alekseevka, Zaryavinka
  • 6th Guarts ITB: Sennoye
The enemy, with a force of around two battalions, occupied Bogoduhov, and up to a battalion of infantry occupied Gubarevka.

At 15:00, on October 13th, tanks attacked hardpoints at Bogoduhov, met by heavy AT gun fire. Elements of the 9th CD were late, and could not reinforce the successes of the tanks' assaults. At nightfall, the cavalry retreated to initial positions. The tanks could not remain close to the village without infantry cover.

Another assault was scheduled for October 14th. The tank brigade acted subordinate to the 9th CD, with an assignment to clear Bogoduhov, and link together the 5th CD and 108th Cavalry Regiment.

The advancing tank group did not encounter any resistance until 300-400 meters, at which they were faced with AT gun fire, and mortar fire at the cavalry. The tanks kept advancing, destroying a significant portion of the enemy's AT guns. The brigade captured the enemy's battalion HQ, and destroyed a large portion of the enemy infantry. At 22:00, left without cavalry support, 6th Guards ITB left Bogoduhov and returned to initial positions. 

The last attack on Bogoduhov was scheduled for October 15th. The objective remained the same. The enemy, unable to resist the attack, left Bogoduhov, abandoning their armament. The 6th reached the center of Bogoduhov. The 9th CD met heavy resistance, and could not advance. A flank attack from the west forced them to retreat. The 6th Guards ITB was ordered to withdraw and return to Sennoye. During these three days, the enemy lost:
  • AT guns: 16
  • 105 mm guns: 4
  • Trucks with ammunition: 1
  • Infantry: two battalions
We lost:
  • KV tanks: 2
  • T-34 tanks: 2

3 comments:

  1. Wow, the Guardsmen pwned a lot of Germans back then. I really wonder if you have documents about other units as well.

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    Replies
    1. I have a few, look through the tags for specific names. There is a also an article drafted about the battle at Ogledow, but democracy demands I publish other things :)

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    2. Unfortunately I have already read almost all articles you have published, so I will obviously have to wait for more to come.

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