Balkan-Kessel MTO (id:#63875)

(From The Cellar Pack # 9 ID: FT265)   [next]   [previous]

Bolec, Serbia 1944-10-17 (9 others)

Overview:

All through 1944, the German Army suffered encirclements, from Korsoun-Tcherkassy (Ukraine) in February, to Falaise (Normandy) in August, not to mention Belarus. These kessel (cauldrons) in German military vocabulary, sometimes led to crushing defeats as near Minsk. A forgotten battle took place in southeastern Europe, near Belgrade, where in mid-October Tito’s Partisans and Marshall Tolboukhine’s riflemen surrounded the bulk of 1.Gebirsgjäger-Division in the process of liberating the Serbian capital. The mountain division, along with various units, the better part of Grenadier-Brigade (mot.) 92, were trapped in a kessel between the Belgrade suburbs and the Danube, where its destruction looked certain. However, Gerneralleutnant von Stettner kept a cool head and organized his forces in three groupments in order to escape to the west on the night of the 17th. Meanwhile, the Allies tried to break into the enemy perimeter.

Defender: German (Elements 92nd Motorized Grenadier Regt, Panzerspah Company ZBV468 & STuG.Abt.191)  

Errata (source)