Published in „Siegrunen“ Magazine – Number 55,
January 1994
For the SS „Totenkopf“ Division Panzer Army and General von Manstein’s 56th Panzer Corps, the „Totenkopf“ Division had experienced an exhausting but highly successful summer campaign. Although the division had taken about 5,000 casualties out of 18,754 troops initially deployed, (including the Commanding General, SS-Gruppenführer Theodore Eicke, who had been badly wounded in July), it had constantly distinguished itself as a spearhead attacking force that always got the job done.
On 12 September 1941, the „Totenkopf“ Division was reassigned to the II. Infantry Corps to help in mopping-up operations to the north of Demyansk. So, for the first time in two and a half months, the SS unit was removed from the offensive arm of the campaign and given a chance to catch its breath. Part of the divisional job was to protect the flanks of the Army
Group along the banks of the swampy Pola River. The lines were far from stabilized here, and both the Germans and Soviets had bridgeheads on extending along both banks of the river. „Totenkopf“ troops began digging in on 15 September 1941, constructing bunkers and dugouts along the Pola and in villages nearby.
Classic photo of a „Totenkopf“ grenadier.
Within a few days it became apparent that the frontlines were still quite „hot/’ as heavy enemy artillery fire was directed towards the divisional positions and increasing Soviet activity both on the ground and in the air was noted. On 18 September, several Soviet probing attacks carried out by light infantry were made on the „Totenkopf“ positions, but all of them were easily repulsed. Still it did not augur well for the future; it was clear that this front sector would not offer the tranquility that had been hoped for.
On 19 September, SS-Gruf. Eicke, having recovered from his earlier wounds, arrived back at the divisional headquarters at Baljajewtschina. His appearance as usual, was electric; it provided an immediate shot-in- the-arm for the division. Eicke resumed command of the ‘Totenkopf“ Division on 20 September, relieving the more placid SS-Brigadeführer Georg Keppler, who had held the position on a temporary basis. With his flair for the dramatic , Gruf. Eicke then issued the following „order-of-the-day“ for his men:
Comrades:
I have been instructed to convey the greetings and thanks of the Reichsführer-SS to all officers, NCOs and men. The fame of the division under fire, in heroic battles in the swamps and bogs against a mean and malicious enemy, is well known to our Führer, Adolf Hitler. Your courage and victories will stand as a beacon of light in the history of the war. Hats off to you, soldiers of the Führer.
We remember with deep respect and gratitude our dead comrades, who went to their graves for the future of Greater Germany; they now lay at rest in the soil that they conquered in battle for the German Reich. We stand strong in our faith in the Führer and in our victory for kindred people, families and fatherland.
‘Corps Spirit’ and the comradeship of the front will further help us at our tasks. For me, the most important thing, and greatest joy in my life is that I can be back with you again.
Signed: Eicke.“
The dynamic presence of „Papa“ Eicke was certainly a morale booster for the troops of the „T“ Division who had the greatest affection and respect for their commander. Gruf. Eicke was a tough leader, but he never asked more from his men that he was prepared to do himself. For a hardline National Socialist he was quite a „democratic“ general and that was a prime reason for his popularity. Eicke immediately went about trying to rebuild the depleted ‘Totenkopf“ units. In the meantime, scout troops were dispatched on a daily basis to try and gain intelligence about the enemy intentions. By 22 September 1941, the divisional headquarters had evidence that the Red Army was concentrating a significant number of troops, armored vehicles and artillery batteries in the Pola River sector. The alarm flag was up and the „Totenkopf“ soldiers began to prepare for the worst!
On 23 September, Operation „Berta,“ the occupation of the Pola sector was completed; the „Totenkopf“ Division was now fully dug-in on a line running west- to-east, facing to the north, and began preparing for whatever the communists had to offer. The Waffen-SS troops were holding positions stretching for almost 30 kilometers along a front that went from Dobrilovo to Bojary and then to Podoly and Gnsivizi. The 23rd also saw the first stirrings of the expected Soviet counter offensive. Air and artillery bombardments increased in the „Totenkopf“ sector and small probing attacks aimed at the juncture of the „T“ Division and its lefthand neighbor, the 30th Infantry Division, began.
Officers commanding the „Totenkopf“ soldiers at Lushno. Top row: Georg Keppler Divisional CO), Theodor Eicke (Divisional CO), Heinz Lammerding (la, First Staff Officer). Bottom Row: Max Simon (CO „T“-Inf.Rgt.l), Matthias Kleinheisterkamp (CO „T“- Inf.Rgt.3), Helmuth Becker (CO „T“-Motorcycle Recce Btl.). All of these officers would go on to receive the Knight’s Cross and later command SS divisions and/or army corps.
These softening-up attacks took place mostly in the area west of Lushno, between Lushno and Suchaya-Niva, which was held by II. Battalion /SS-“T“ Infantry Regiment 3 under the command of SS- Hauptsturmführer Thier. Initially, the SS men had no difficulty in repelling these weak enemy efforts but as the day progressed it was noted that the Soviet ground attacks began recurring with clockwork regularly every two hours. By now, enormous numbers of Red soldiers and tanks could be seen massing on the east bank of the Pola, preparing to cross to a west bank bridgehead for an attack from the north on the „Totenkopf“ positions. The division was now placed on full alert. Two captured Soviets soldiers volunteered the information that an attack would be launched on the „T „Division front by midday on 24 September.
As it turned out, the all-out attack actually began early in the morning of the 24th. The focal point of the onslaught was once again the intersection of the 30th Infantry Division and the „T“ Division, where the German lines were perceived to be at their weakest. Seven Soviet Guards Divisions along with light and heavy tanks from the 63rd Tank Division and assorted horse cavalry units, led the assault on Lushno. Opposing this massive force were two „Totenkopf“ elements: SS-“T“ Infantry Rgt. 3 under the command of SS-Standartenführer Matthias Kleinheisterkamp, which was on the far left wing of the divisional lines, and the SS-“T“ Kradschützen (Motorcycle) Battalion under SS-Obersturmbannführer Helmuth Becker, which was positioned on the right of SS-“T“ IR 3, in and about the town of Lushno itself.
The enemy made a quick initial breakthrough into Lushno but was soon thrown back by a prompt „Totenkopf“ counterattack. While the fighting raged throughout the morning on this part of the lines, the main divisional positions did not come under attack until exactly noon. At that appointed hour, an enormous tide of Red Army soldiers began flooding towards the SS troops from the forest, the bridgeheads and from directly across the river. Entire regiments were confronting understrength „Totenkopf“ companies! In conjunction with excellent close-air support, an estimated 50,000 or more Soviet soldiers hit the „Totenkopf“ lines almost simultaneously. Never before in the entire Russian campaign had such a massive force been encountered.
SS-Gruf. Eicke (right) in the frontlines with SS-Stubaf. Otto Baum, commander of III./SS „T“ IR 3 and later commander of the 16th and 2nd SS Divisions.
In savage fighting, the „T“ Division was quickly broken down into fragmented pockets. Platoons and companies went down fighting or dissolved into chaos. By 1500 hours on the 24th, it appeared that the „Totenkopf“ positions would be lost and that maybe even the entire division could be written off. But in the subsequent hours the difference between ordinary soldiers and superbly motivated elite troops, manifested itself. Soldiers of the ‘Totenkopf“ Division, alone or in groups, although totally cutoff, held their ground and fought back.
Soldiers from the Panzerjäger (Anti-tank) Battalion in particular, distinguished themselves by their feats of unbelievable heroism. Despite their desperate situation, the anti-tank gunners kept firing point blank at the enemy until they were overwhelmed or ran out of ammunition. None of them budged an inch, and before their positions the Red Army soldiers died in droves. Emblematic of their performance were the deeds of SS-Sturmann Fritz Christen, one of the true heroes of the battle for Lushno.
To the north of Lushno, Christen and SS- Rottenführer Unterberger found themselves the sole survivors of their AT gun battery; the enemy had bypassed them and they were left alone in what was now no-man’s-land. While trapped in this position, the two SS men carried out their own incredible fight against all odds. On the 24th of September, with 15 Soviet T-34 tanks advancing directly towards him, Fritz Christen opened fire with his AT gun and managed to destroy 6 of the lumbering monsters in succession, which had the effect of driving the rest away. Rttfhr. Unterberger provided assistance by scavenging ammunition from the other knocked out batteries for use in Christen’s gun. On the next day, the tanks were back with an infantry escort. Christen again went into action. Working frenetically he blasted 7 more tanks to shreds while Unterberger blazed away with small arms fire at the infantrymen.
Within a 24 hour period, Fritz Christen had accounted for 13 T-34s, whose burning hulks formed a semi-circle around his AT gun position. Scattered about the tanks were the remains of 100 dead Red Army men. When finally relieved, after spending 72 hours without food or water under continuous enemy fire, Christen was brought to Gruf. Eicke, who immediately bestowed the Iron Cross, First Class upon him and recommended him on the spot for the Knight’s Cross. On 30 September 1941, SS-Sturmann Fritz Christen was flown to the Führer’s battle headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia where he was personally decorated with the Knight’s Cross by Adolf Hitler. The award was especially notable on two accounts: Christen became the youngest soldier (age 19) and first enlisted man in the Waffen-SS to receive that coveted decoration.
Meanwhile, „back at the front,“ the Soviets attacks began to wane; all around Lushno pockets of „Totenkopf“ troops stood immovable, continually repelling the massed enemy infantry assaults. By midafternoon on 24 September, the „T“ Division began to tentatively regroup as the elements of various isolated units slowly regained contact with each other. But the town of Lushno had been lost and Gruf. Eicke ordered an immediate counterattack to retake it. At dusk a battlegroup spearheaded by the SS-“T“ Pionere (Engineer) Bataillon stormed the village and destroyed the enemy forces holding it, but everyone knew that the Reds would be back!
SS-Sturmann Fritz Christen just after the battle, before the award of the Knight’s Cross.
“Totenkopf“ anti-tank gunners in action.
At 0500 hours on 25 September, the Soviets attempted to overwhelm Lushno with a force of 30 T- 30 tanks that were „protecting“ a massed infantry onslaught. The Red Army foot soldiers however were wiped out quickly by enfilading machine-gun fire. That left only the tanks to deal with. The ‘Totenkopf“ „stormtroops“ would go after them. Heavily armed with hand-grenades and explosive charges, these brave soldiers attacked the massive T-34s individually, sending grenades down muzzles and blowing off their treads and turrets. Once the tanks were disabled the crews were shot down on the spot or taken on in hand-to-hand combat; needless to say, few of the Soviet tank men survived.
At 1200 hours, the Soviet attacks further intensified with strong artillery support. The 30th Infantry Division which was holding positions to the northeast of „Totenkopf,“ was dislodged from the frontlines and then began to hurriedly fall back to keep from being cutoff. This now opened the door for a possible major catastrophe; however the „Totenkopf“ soldiers were not about to let that happen. At 1500 hours, Red Army troops attacked a „Totenkopf“ engineer company that was positioned behind a small mine field. To clear the land mines, the Soviets drove a herd of pigs on before them. Neither the pigs or the Reds ever got through.
Some extracts from the SS-“T“ IR 3 war diary for 25 September 1941 help convey what was developing:
„1700 Hours: Word has reached the Regiment through radio communications from II. Battalion, that the battalion commander, SS-Hstuf. Thier, has fallen in action, and that a deep enemy penetration was made. New, strong attacks supported by heavy artillery and mortar fire have been made on our positions. The enemy has begun another assault on Lushno but is thrown back. The attack on Jeruschkovo was beaten back as well.
1930 Hours: After bitter fighting for every foot of ground in Lushno carried out by I. Battalion, the enemy is driven back with bloody losses.“
From 26 to 27 September, the Red Army launched continuous suicide attacks on the „Totenkopf“ lines, almost breaking through on numerous occasions. But „almost“ doesn’t do the job; the SS men matched and surpassed the enemy efforts with an almost superhuman performance. The defensive struggle of the SS grenadiers was closely supported by the batteries of the SS-“T“ Artillery Regiment. 9th Battery located 1,000 meters to the west of Lushno, was right in the thick of the fighting. Firing over open sights at close range, the battery sent salvo after salvo into the enemy troop concentrations, completely disorganizing them. 12. Batterie/SS-“T“ Artillerie Rgt. under Hstuf. Maserie, fired without pause into the Soviet jumping-off positions. Ostuf. Hasselberg personally directed the battery’s fire. Two 8.8 cm guns of the SS-“T“ Flak Abteilung under Ostuf. Hohmueller scored direct hits on a number of enemy tanks. At one point they were almost overrun by the enemy and Hohmueller was badly wounded.
In spite of the barrages fired by the Waffen-SS batteries, which left the Red Army dead stacked up like cordwood, the Soviets always managed to come back with renewed strength. At noon on 26 September, the 26th „Stalin“ Division assaulted the positions of I./SS- „T“ IR 1 under Hstuf. Zollhoefer at Bol-Samoschj. A furious battle raged for hours but the Russians were stopped cold and forced back. Almost simultaneously a strong enemy force with tank support began to press from the northeast against Lushno. The valiant II./SS- „T“ IR 3 was once again driven out of the town, losing four battalion commanders in a row killed or wounded. But in the early evening the 150 survivors of the battalion counterattacked and in a short, brutal battle hurled the Soviets back and regained Lushno. It was an almost unbelievable achievement, given the depleted status of the unit, but the adrenalin factor was still holding off the onset of fatigue for the few grenadiers who remained.
“Totenkopf“ troops (here from the motorcycle battalion), fighting their way back into Lushno.
On 27 September 1941, the battle for Lushno reached its peak. Gruf. Eicke ordered every able-bodied man in the division into the frontlines, Then along; with his staff, Eicke grabbed a carbine and moved into the trenches of Ostubaf. Simon’s SS-“T“ IR 1 just outside of Lushno. In one last gasp effort, the Russians threw 100 tanks and 3,000 fresh infantrymen straight into the face of the „Totenkopf“ defenders. They poured into Lushno only to be repeatedly thrown out. In the trenches and the dugouts there was close combat of the most savage nature. Behind the „Totenkopf“ units there were no reserves and no prepared positions to fall back on. It boiled down to „fight or die“ for every man that could wield a weapon.
By early afternoon of the 27th, the Red Army had shot its bolt. At 1350 hours, Ostubaf. Lammerding, the divisional first staff officer, made the following entry in the „Totenkopf“ HQ war diary: „The main line of battle is fully back in our hands.“ The heavy fighting was over; the Soviet attack force lay burned to cinders before and just inside the „Totenkopf“ positions. Two-thirds of the Red Army infantry that had accompanied the last assault wave had been killed or captured. More than 50 of the 100 tanks had been destroyed, most by individual effort. The heroic tank destruction team led by the later Ritterkreuztraeger Hstuf. Max Seela from 3rd Company/SS-“T“ Engineer Battalion, had accounted for many of them. These brave combat engineers had taken on each giant T-34 separately; leaping onto them and planting dynamite charges or sending grenades down turrets and muzzles.
SS-Gruppenführer Theodor Eicke surveying the battlefield.
Also performing with unsurpassable bravery was II./SS-“T“ IR 3, which alone lost 72 killed, 132 wounded and 6 missing at Lushno. Of the battalion commanders, Hstuf. Thier was killed in the fighting and each of his three successors was wounded! The 117 survivors were reformed into a training company under Hstuf. Launer and pulled out of the lines until the battalion could be reformed. The adjutant of II/SS- „T“ IR 3, Ostuf. Raduenz and the 3rd Company commander, Ostuf. Singer, both received special acknowledgement in the Army Corps order-of-the-day for their courageous leadership against the enemy.
On the morning of 28 September, a few last feeble Soviet probes were made only to be easily turned back by the SS troops, who now struck back with a vengeance at the weakened Bolshevik forces. With heavy artillery blazing away, the „Totenkopf“ soldiers bludgeoned the demoralized enemy and turned their withdrawal into a route. The Pola River Front was made secure. The cost to the SS „Totenkopf“ Division: 2 000 casualties in five days, ate least a third of whom were killed-in-action! But not one tank, not one enemy penetration, not even one enemy soldier had gotten through the SS lines.
SS-Sturmann Fritz Christen, (Anti-tank Btl.) and SS-Hstuf. Max Seela, (Engineer Btl.), two of the heroes of Lushno.
The battalions that had suffered the most were withdrawn to be rebuilt, but the „Totenkopf“ Division as a whole remained on the front and prepared for an October advance that would take it even deeper into Soviet territory. In the German press, the men to the SS Division were given extensive coverage under the title: „The Heroes of Lushno“; it was not an exaggeration! Leaders of the Wehrmacht such as Generaloberst Busch, paid special tributes to the outstanding performance of the Division under Gruf. Eicke’s guidance. More importantly, the Soviets were deeply impressed.
SS-Staf. Kleinheisterkamp decorating soldiers from SS-“T“ IR 3 after the battle for Lushno.
Marshall Umoschenko had thrown his best troops against the „Totenkopf“ Division and they had been beaten into the ground. Soon the practice of offering a bounty for captured „Totenkopf“ sleeve titles would become an informal Red Army custom.
It was now quite apparent to both friend and foe alike, that the SS-“T“ Division was a force to be reckoned with. Later that winter it would help write another epic during the defense of the Demyansk Pocket, but the performance of the division at Lushno assured its military reputation for the rest of the war. With clear-sighted fortitude, total sacrifice and transcendent bravery, the ‘Totenkopf“ grenadiers had indeed surmounted impossible odds. It was what would come to be expected as a matter of course from all units of the Waffen-SS, German and non-German alike!
Passing a burning tank on the battlefield.
“Totenkopf“ anti-tank gun crew at rest.
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