Battle of Mtsensk: the collapse of the Wehrmacht division thanks to 50 Soviet tanks

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

On October 6, 1941, a significant tank battle took place near the city of Mtsensk. The fourth tank brigade under the command of Colonel Mikhail Katukov defeated the fourth tank division of General Heinz Guderian, which was almost ten times superior in combat power.

Background

In August 1941, Lieutenant Colonel Katukov was unexpectedly summoned to Moscow to be appointed commander of the fourth tank brigade. The brigade's combat mission was to keep the defense of Moscow from the offensive of German tank forces. Many Soviet soldiers who survived the battles on the borders managed to learn the tactics of fighting German tankers. The Russians came to the conclusion that the Germans were excellent strategists and fought competently.

Mikhail Katukov (second from left).

First, the infantry went on the attack, after the firing points were fired upon by artillery and aviation, and then the weakened defense broke through with a powerful tank attack. But such a well-oiled scheme was predictable. Tankers from the Katukov brigade came up with several tricks and tactics. For example, the so-called false front line of defense and camouflage of tanks.

The 4th Panzer Division under the command of Colonel General Heinz Guderian was to attack the city of Orel, then Serpukhov, and then Moscow. The Germans did not expect strong resistance. It was assumed that a large part of the Red Army was destroyed near Kiev, and there were no soldiers left to defend the capital. On September 30, Guderian's tanks broke through the hastily built defense of the Kharkov military school cadets. On October 1, the German division occupied Sevsk. On October 3, tanks of the 4th division entered Oryol.

Heinz Guderian (right).

These days Guderian made the following entry in his diary: “The T-34 tank is an example of a typical backward Soviet technology. This tank can only be compared with the worst of our tanks."

Defense start

On October 3, the fourth tank brigade arrived at the city of Mtsensk to go further to defend Orel. In total, Katukov had 46 tanks at his disposal, but combat vehicles arrived by train gradually, so some tanks were sent to Oryol for reconnaissance. Six "thirty-fours" who entered the city that day were destroyed. At night, Soviet tankers were able to take revenge and destroyed 14 medium and light German tanks and five vehicles with infantry.

Mtsensk battle.

In the morning, Katukov arrived in Oryol with most of the brigade. Despite the losses, the Soviet lieutenant colonel found out two important things. First, it became clear that the Germans were in Oryol. Second, the tank ambush tactics worked. Upon learning of the capture of the Eagle, the original order was changed. Now the fourth tank brigade was not supposed to let the Germans into Mtsensk and wait for reinforcements. The brigade commander ordered his tanks to take up defenses on the Optukha River, five kilometers from Orel.

Tank shock for the Germans

The T-34 tank made a splash. According to Novate.ru, the 26-ton armored vehicle was armed with a 76, 2-mm cannon, which could penetrate the armor of German tanks at a distance of 1500-2000 m, while German tanks hit a target at a distance of no more than 500 m, and only only if the shell hit the side or the rear of the Soviet tank.

Tank shock for the Germans.

Major General Müller-Hillebrand openly said that the appearance of the T-34 tanks radically changed the tactics of the armored forces. If before that the main task of tanks was to defeat infantry and artillery at a distance, then with the advent of the thirty-four in German armored vehicles, they began to focus on the defeat of tanks. It was on this principle that the legendary German tanks "Panther" and "Tiger" were later built.

The sudden change in the tactics of fighting by Soviet tankers was remembered for a long time by Guderian's divisions. Katukov's tankmen attacked in brigades, concentrating fire on one target. German tanks caught fire one by one. No one prepared the Germans for tank duels, and small tanks, mainly Pz Kpfw I and Pz Kpfw II, were absolutely not suitable for fighting the T-34. The best tank division of the Wehrmacht was forced to retreat, leaving eighteen burning tanks on the battlefield.

First warrior

It would have been foolish to repeat the tank ambush in one place, and on the evening of October 4, Katukov's brigade retreated to the village of First Warrior. It was an excellent fighting position. It had a good view, and the tanks could be hidden in bushes and haystacks. Early in the morning of October 6, German tank columns appeared again near Orel. They easily noticed the infantry battalion of Captain Kochetkov, which took up a position on one of the high-rise buildings, and attacked it. Katukov sent four T-34s under the command of Lieutenant Lavrienko to help the infantry.

Battle near the village of the First Warrior.

Lavrinenko's group demonstrated a new type of combat, which consisted of alternating attack and concealment. Four tanks suddenly drove out of the forest, and before the Germans could react, they struck. Then they disappeared into a ravine and again unexpectedly drove out from behind the hill. The main target was the weakest point - the feed of the German tanks. Having lost 15 tanks in a few minutes, the 4th division of the Wehrmacht retreated again.

As a result of the battles near Mtsensk, the Germans lost a total of 133 tanks, half an infantry regiment, several aircraft, mortars and other weapons. The fourth German Panzer Division was virtually destroyed. Hitler considered Guderian personally responsible for the failure of the attack on Moscow. In December, he was removed from office and sent to the reserve. The career of Mikhail Katukov, on the contrary, went uphill. He became a general and received the Order of Lenin.