After Action Report-

DTG: 6/11/1943 19:00 – 22:00 Z

Area: Lyov – 25km due west of Kursk Oblast

Units engaged:

1 Company 8^th Otdyelnaya Shtrafnoy

1 Company 8^th Guards Rifle Corps

1 Mixed platoon T34-85 and T34-76

1 Platoon IS-2

1 Platoon Heavy Weapons

1 HQ platoon

Opposing forces

Remnants of Kampfgruppe Spindler

1 StuG Battery

1 Sturmdivision PAK section

4 Tigers E’s – probably survivors from the SS Totenkopf division destroyed at Kursk

1 battery of possibly 10.5 cm (15cm) LeFH 18’s

2 Combined companies of regular Wehrmacht- units unknown

Commanded by Oberst Otto Ernst Remer (ѣ)

At approximately 19:22 Z the combined armour platoons of IS-2 (5 units) and T34’s (2- 34’s and 6-T34- 85’s) deployed west from Lyov along the line towards the hamlet of Rylsk to probe the German defensive line covering the retreat of the main body of forces out of the Kursk Salient. The infantry units of Otdyelnaya Shtrafnoy and the 8^th Guards Rifle Corps were ordered to dig in around the outskirts of Lyov. The logistic unit forgot to provide entrenchment tools to the 8^th Guards and they had to wait for the Shtafnoy Company to dig in first in order to obtain entrenchment tools. The Logistics commander is now manufacturing rifle butts in Siberia.

Mixed T34 units and 8^th Otdyelnaya Shtrafnoy units on the outskirts of Lyov

Contact was made with a German outpost unit comprising of an Artillery observer and a PAK unit on Hill 226 by IS-2 platoon at 19:30Z. They also observed some Tiger E’s retreating around the far side of the hill.

A sniper unit infiltrated to a position near the German outpost earlier and they now proceeded to engage the artillery observers causing them to go to ground. The IS-2’s engaged the enemy with little visible effect.

The T 34’s advanced to the edge of some broken ground to the north west of Lyov and observed 3 vehicles of a StuG battery retreating towards the west. A pair of T34’s engaged the StuGs, flaming one of the vehicles.

The German PAK units engaged the IS-2 group flaming one of the tanks and the Tigers turned back to engage the rest of the IS-2 unit, damaging one unit and causing the crew to bail out. The sound of artillery firing was heard and a red smoke grenade landed among the IS-2 group. A heavy barrage followed which fortunately caused no further damage to the tanks apart from wounded pride and the tank of Kapitan Vineyetsky had to be abandoned temporarily, washed and aired out to get rid of the smell.

The StuGs observed earlier engaged with two T34’s that went around the broken ground instead of through as ordered by the commander. One of these units were heavily damaged and had to be abandoned.

The StuGs were seen retreating into broken ground to the west. The T34’s did report back that they observed heavy dust to the north-west and some German troop movement. The dust was possibly caused by artillery firing from a fixed position.

The rest of the T34 group started moving through the broken ground towards this reported position losing one tank due to a clutch problem and one tank- the commanding unit- bogged down in broken ground approximately 250 meters into the bushed area. The T34’s that did manage to break through observed a battery of LeFH’s on the far side of the clearing, as well as several German infantry units, mainly armed with an assortment of small arms, but with some Panzerfaust units among them.

Near Hill 226 the Sniper unit and IS 2’s engaged the PAK and Tiger Units, eventually destroying all the Tigers and one PAK unit for the loss of one additional IS2.

T34 units engaged by StuGs near Lyov. Both T34’s came under heavy fire and were damaged to the extent that they were abandoned to be retrieved later by an Engynery unit

The Artillery fired again, aiming at the HQ and heavy weapons unit just crossing raised ground to the South West of Lyov. Several units were lost, but fortunately to commanding unit survived the barrage by jumping into a nearby latrine trench.

The T34 units engaged the artillery position and remaining StuGs destroying two cannon and both StuGs in the process. One T34 unit noticed a German forward artillery observation position at the edge of broken ground north of Lyov and destroyed this unit. This was very fortunate, since this post would have been in a position to guide fire onto the 8^th Otdyelnaya Shtrafnoy positions.

In the meantime German soldiers entrenched near the artillery positions stormed towards the stationary T34’s shooting at their positions and in an admittedly heroic charge managed to knock out 1 T34 and causing severe damage to  two more, rendering  mixed T34 platoon useless. The German soldiers continued through the bush and stormed towards the 8^th Otdyelnaya Shtrafnoy positions.

 At hill 226 the remainder of the IS-2’s (3 machines) crested the hill (a foolish move exposing their full hulls to anybody wishing to take a shot). They were very close to the German HQ unit without knowing so, and in the aftermath of the battle it was learned from captured Germans that the German commander, Oberst Otto Ernst Remer (ѣ) personally fired a Panzerfaust at the nearest IS-2 knocking a track off. The nearby PAK position managed to complete the destruction of the machine with a well -placed round into the lower glacis.

The remaining IS’s managed to destroy the PAK unit and some German units before moving down the slope towards lower ground.

The German units near the 8^th Otdyelnaya Shtrafnoy positions managed some shots towards the entrenched units and a single salvo of artillery fire destroyed some troops that were exposed. The Kommisar was very upset at this because he spilled vodka on his new uniform. He ordered return fire and the Germans retreated into the broken ground.

With the destruction of the German Command unit the rest of the forced seemed to lose heart and they broke and started to retreat towards the west.

The lessons learned from this engagement are not to deploy lighter armoured units not protected by infantry and not to expose heavy armour units piecemeal to the enemy.

It also highlighted the fact that the training of snipers leaves much to be desired and this unit has been sent back to Stalingrad to receive more training from the Valiiy Yaytsev Academy.

It also highlighted the fact that cornered German soldiers can be deadly and will persevere until the very end- this war is not over.

Mdladshiy Serzant Kronjov