Operation April Weather

Creation of the 1st Division of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces

According to the order of the Organizational Department of the General Staff of the OKH of November 23, the formation of the 1st infantry division of the KONR Armed Forces (according to the German nomenclature - 600. Infanteriedivision (Fremd, russische)) began at the Gutsbetsirk-Münsingen ( Württemberg ) military training ground. It was formed from various remnants of the so-called Eastern battalions, which were withdrawn mainly from the Western Front . The division also included 6,000 people of the 29th Grenadier Division of the SS troops and a small number of prisoners of war. The officers were graduates of the propaganda school in Dabendorf ^[4] .

The division had three infantry regiments (1601th, 1602nd, 1603rd) of the two-battalion type, an artillery regiment consisting of three light and one heavy howitzer divisions, an reconnaissance division consisting of two cavalry squadrons, a heavy weapon squadron and a tank company, and a fighter anti-tank division, engineer battalion and communications battalion, field reserve battalion and logistics regiment. The division was armed with 12 heavy and 42 light field howitzers, 6 heavy and 29 light guns, 31 anti-tank and 10 anti-aircraft guns, 79 mortars, 536 easel and light machine guns, 20 flamethrowers (Flw 41). A fleet of armored vehicles included 10 Jagdpanzer 38 "Hetzer" and 7 T-34 tanks . Personal firearms were presented with the latest MP 43/44 (SG 44) assault rifles. On March 31, the division reached 12.5 thousand troops ^{[5] [6]} .

Prerequisites for participation in the operation

By the beginning of 1945, the Red Army came close to the Oder. The German command threw the last reserves into battle. During this period, close attention was focused on the newly formed KONR troops. In a speech on January 27, 1945, Hitler , speaking of the 1st Division of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces, said that "either it is good for something or not." The head of the Main Directorate of the SS Gottlob Berger suggested checking the combat effectiveness of the Russian formations. General A. A. Vlasov , who has been the Commander-in-Chief of the Committee forces since January 28, 1945, supported this proposal, since the successful combat use of the Russian units could contribute to the further development of the Liberation Movement.

By order of Vlasov and Major General Trukhin, Colonel Sakharov formed a special strike group consisting of volunteers of the security battalion and graduates of Dabendorf. Having successfully completed the tasks in the area of ​​the towns of Neu-Levin, Karlsbize and Kerstenbruch, the group opened the possibility of the combat use of the 1st division. The order to transfer her to the Vistula Army Group area was issued by Himmler , who at that time held the post of commander of the reserve army ^[3] .

On March 6, 1945, the division left the camp on foot and headed for Erlangen . On the way to it, single prisoners and whole groups, fleeing prisoners of war and Ostarbeiters . Their number increased, and it was decided to reduce them to a regiment of five-battalion, which consisted of 5,000 people. On March 22, units of the division reached Erlangen, where they were loaded into echelons for two days. On March 26, the entire composition of the division arrived at the Liberoze station, located 25 kilometers north of Cottbus and 30 kilometers from the front line ^[7] .

It was decided to use the division on the site of the 9th army of General T. Busse . On March 29, the division was relocated to the training "Kurmark", where it began to build a second line of defense, in which special attention was paid to artillery training. Field fortifications for anti-tank weapons were set up, slots for grenade launchers were torn off, platforms for anti-tank, regimental and division artillery, mortars were created ^{[3] [8]} . On April 6, an order was received from the commander of the 9th Army to prepare the division for an attack on the bridgehead, which provoked indignation at General Bunyachenko, who announced that he would execute it only if confirmed by Vlasov. On April 8, Vlasov gave his consent to the division’s participation in the operation. The battle plan drawn up by Bunyachenko was adopted by the command of the 9th army and approved. Bunyachenko also requested from the German troops artillery support in the amount of 28 thousand shells. The offensive was scheduled for 05:00 on April 11 ^{[7] [9]} .

On April 11, at 5:15, the shelling of the Erlengof bridgehead began, but instead of the promised 28 thousand shells, only 6 thousand were fired. The infantry attack, carried out from the north and south, was supported by 6 aircraft. Initially, the operation was successful. In the southern sector, an attack on the right flank of the 4th company of Captain V. A. Stekolshchikov was carried out by two companies from the 1st battalion of Captain Yu. B. Buderatsky, who belonged to the 3rd regiment of the Vlasov division. Part of the attackers broke into the first trench, where hand-to-hand fighting broke out. But under machine-gun fire, the Vlasovites had to step back and lay down in front of wire fences. The attack choked, and it was decided to withdraw the units ^[10] .

At the same time, in the northern section, two platoons broke 300 meters deep into the bridgehead, but the defenders pressed the Vlasovites to the ground. The captured section of trenches was kept by the company of Captain Zolotavin from the 2nd Infantry Regiment and the company of the 1st battalion of Captain Buderatsky from the 3rd Infantry Regiment, which was kept by the company of Captain Zolotavin from the 3rd Infantry Regiment. On April 14, at 6.30, the defenders counterattacked and forced the attackers to leave the trench and withdraw to their original positions ^[11] .

General Bunyachenko, seeing the futility of the offensive, ordered to stop the attack. In response, the commander of the 9th Army ordered the operation to continue. Bunyachenko convened a council of regiment commanders and decided to end the fighting ^[7] .

For disobedience, General Busse deprived the division of food, fuel, and ammunition. General Bunyachenko again convened a council of regiment commanders, and after discussing the situation, the following decisions were made:

• The German command should be warned that if Commander-in-Chief Vlasov does not arrive in the division within two days, then it will march south to join with other parts of the Russian Liberation Army. In the event that obstacles appear on the part of the German troops, the division will break through with fights.

• The commander of the 9th army must supply the division with everything necessary. Otherwise, the division will be supplied with force from German warehouses.

• It is necessary to immediately establish contact with other parts of the Russian Liberation Army.

General Vlasov never arrived. On the night of April 15, the division went south to the Czech Republic , where it later took part in the Prague uprising ^[7] .

168 defenders of the Erlengof bridgehead were presented for awards. The main hero of the defense, Senior Lieutenant I. Yu. Law was ordered by the Order of the 33rd Army Headquarters No. 098 / n dated May 12, 1945 to be awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree ^[12] .

• Alexandrov K. M. Fighting on the Oder bridgehead "Erlengof" April 13-14, 1945: The last salvos of the civil war? . - "Diploma", 2011.
• Artemyev V.P. The First Division of the ROA: Materials on the History of the Liberation Movement of the Peoples of Russia (1941-1945) . - London. Canada: COLLECTION, 1974.
• Hoffmann J. History of the Vlasov Army / trans. with him. E. Hesse. - Paris: YMCA-Press, 1990.