Opening Moves

Immediately organising his units by radio, he pulled his formation into defensive order, moving to command them from close by a house on the six hundred metres line north of Rudersdorf, around which his armored-infantry were already arraigned.

Swiftly he pulled the ‘enemy’ units of the 63rd and 41st behind the lines drawn by the 63rd’s ‘friendly’ companies, sending the infantry of C/63rd to extend the line across the front of the tankers at Netzberg and retaining some as a mobile reserve in the same area.

Making sure his tank companies had topped off on fuel at first light as instructed, the problem of practice rounds was addressed. Each vehicle had retained only mock main rounds to avoid any accidents but each company had its own supply train close at hand with war rounds aboard. None the less, it was a long process and would take time to complete.

The infantry units had live rounds available nearby and the exchange went swiftly and without problems, a testament to the steady nature of the men, for all was conducted under the increasing noise generated by artillery moving its fire zones closer.

C & D/41st had withdrawn through the infantry lines and were rearming themselves, C/41st having made rendezvous with their ammunition trucks in the fields south of Neustadt where they commenced the exchange of rounds. D/41st had met with their supply vehicles parked on an overgrown country road in the woods to the south of Rudendorf and were already well into the rearming process.

A new problem for the silent American defenders arrived overhead, as four Ilyushin-II’s, the famous Shturmoviks, flew down the road line towards Linz.

Fig#10 – Kefermarkt.

D/41st, although nearer to the flight line, benefited from the overgrown road and was not spotted. C/41st was not so fortunate.

Off to the right one, pilot saw tanks and lorries concentrated in a small open area, oblivious to their presence.

Amazed that they should find enemy tanks so exposed, they held off the attack whilst the leader radioed his contact report and the position of his targets.

All four then turned and drove hard and fast, aiming at the tanks gathered around the Neustadt-Matzelsdorf road.

Each carried a very successful Soviet tank-busting weapon, the PTAB, which was essentially a small bomblet with a shaped charge capable of penetrating the top armour of most battle tanks, as well as killing any men close enough to the point of explosion. Today the PTAB’s, each aircraft was carrying two hundred, were dropped like a carpet all over the tankers of C/41st as they desperately toiled to load with ammunition.

The Sherman carried medium armour when dealing with tank versus tank combat but its roof armour of 25mm was not capable of resisting direct impacts from the PTAB’s.

Of the sixteen tanks targeted, twelve were knocked out by either direct hits or fires and explosions caused by strikes on the tankers and trucks around them. The casualties were enormous and few capable men survived, effectively removing the whole company from action in a few seconds.

All four aircraft circled lazily to assess the damage, undertaking individual strafing runs on the site before they flew back to re-arm, completely untouched and in celebratory mood.

The shock of that attack was felt in the headquarters tent of General Dager but he quickly adjusted to the loss and reorganised his right, ordering A/41st nearer to the centre in the woods to the south of Wittinghof and re-siting its supporting elements from C/63rd accordingly. D/41st would move as soon as rearmament was complete, secreting themselves in the woods to the east of Neumarkt.

Artillery was now starting to fall upon his infantrymen but caused few casualties, as they were dug-in. In any case, the barrage quickly passed on as it was supposed to be sweeping ahead of the advancing rifle corps it was supporting.

Overhead came the sound of an aircraft engine, immediately causing consternation until it was recognised as an L-1 Vigilant Observation aircraft, and more importantly, friendly.

Within a few seconds, a radio burst into life as a Colonel tasked as an observer in that aircraft and who had expected nothing more than a few hours flying over exercising tanks, called in a sighting report. He indicated infantry and light vehicles advancing towards Kefermarkt from the north. He reported no tanks and, on Dager’s instructions, a confirmation was requested and received.

The Soviets were vulnerable.

This was something that Major Adam Yartsov of the 64th Rifle Division was only too aware of, despite the success of his mission so far. A handful of wounded was all his unit had suffered on its drive from Freistadt towards Linz and, even though one of those was his best non-com, he could not complain at getting away so lightly.

His 440th Rifle Regiment had not always been so lucky and leading an attack was pretty much always a poisoned chalice.