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Today we are back with the 10. Pz. Rgt. which was part of the 8. Pz Div. as they remain the most advanced unit for all of Army Group North during the opening phase of Barbarossa. Watching footage of this unit, we’ll see an incredibly rare clip of what was considered an early Wunderwaffe on the Eastern Front. Then we’ll follow the 8. PzD as it advances on and then take the key city of Dünaberg. A special forces Brandenburger unit made the success of this operation possible and we’ll see exactly how they did that.
This is the situational map for June 25 1941 on the Eastern Front. We are looking at Army Group North, specifically Erich von Manstein’s 56th Panzer Corps, part of Panzer Group 4. and their drive to the north east towards Leningrad.
The fact that the 8. had advanced so much farther than the 1. and the 6. panzer divisions was not because of a lack of aggressiveness. From June 23 until the 27 these panzer divisions were engaged with Soviet armor attached to the 12 Soviet mechanized corps in what would be known as the Battle of Raseinia which was the first tank battle on the eastern front.
After taking part in the Polish campaign in 1939 the 3rd Light Division was expanded, to become the 8th panzer Division. This is when the 10th Pz. Regiment, which came from Eastern Prussia, was incorporated. The division was outfitted with 212 tanks which were primarily Czech and Panzer 2 light tanks.
This is a Hanomag 252 armored troop transport from the 3. Kompanie of the Panzer Pioneer Battalion 59. Both sides of the transport were armed with 3 launchers similar in functionality to the Nebelwerfer, or smoke launchers. The 6 launchers launched 28 cm rockets that the soldiers had named Stukas zu Fuss, or Walking Stukas because of the tremendous whistling noise that they produced when fired which effected enemy moral.
The division’s orders for the 25th were to continue moving north east towards Dünaburg. The division was divided into two Kampfgruppen, or battle groups. Lieutenant colonel Crisolli lead the first group which would head out before dawn and contained the 10. Pz Rgt. The other battle group would follow behind.
The advance of the 8th Pz. Div. continued late into night of the 25th until the unit arrived to the outskirts of Dünaburg. Other than the 3. ID (mot.) which had followed the 8th in, the next closest German formation was the 3. SS Pz. Div. Totenkopf which was about 100 km behind.
Again the division was divided into two Kampfgruppen. Positioned to the right, lieutenant colonel Crisolli with his group would wait until the moment was right when he would make a move to the main road bridge into Dünaburg. The group to the left was led by Colonel Scheller who would then move on the rail bridge into the city. Surprise was key. Should the Soviets take note of the danger they would surly blow the bridges and prepare their defenses for the pending attack.
Ahead of these Kampfgruppen, two teams of Brandenburger Lehrregiment 800 soldiers were sent forward. The leader of the Brandenburger team was lieutenant colonel Knaak and experienced officer. Each team was transported in two captured soviet trucks and, as you can see here in this grainy photograph, the special forces soldiers were wearing captured soviet uniforms.
The left attacking group approached the rail bridge and drove unnoticed past 5 Soviet armored cars. They continued onto the bridge and came face to face with more armored cars. Armed only with machine guns, engaging the enemy would have been hopeless so they quickly reversed and wildly crashed onto the road to the right at the base of the bridge and set up a defensive perimeter. Sergeant Krückeberg, found and was able to disconnect, a demolition charge that had been placed to destroy the bridge.
Knaak and his group of Brandenburgers were tasked with taking the main bridge into the city. As they approached in their captured trucks the Soviet guards manning the security post at the bridge’s base were busy speaking to civilians. Without hesitation the Brandenburgers engaged and killed them and then quickly sped onto the bridge.
Not until almost reaching the other side did the enemy begin firing from both sides of the river and heavily defended positions along the eastern bank. Just as Knaak’s contingent in the lead truck pulled off the bridge down a steep embankment to the right a Soviet PAK fired and hit the truck, immediately killing Knaak.
The withering fire immobilized the second truck. Those that were not injured got out and managed to run across and join their comrades on the eastern bank. The task at hand now was to the hold the position against attacking Soviet engineers who intended to blow up the bridge until reinforcements could arrive.
