08:21
Our command post is subjected to one of the enemy's fire missions and a building just 150 meters away is flattened.
The southern area is now quiet and an infantry squad is carefully moving forward to see if it can take out any of the enemy mortars that have been plaguing us.
In the north and center, the situation may be approaching a crisis. The enemy KV-1 has been joined by four others and there are still almost a dozen light tanks nearby. StuG Battery 224 has a total of 34 AP and 28 HEAT rounds remaining. One of the StuGs is immobilized and will almost certainly risk being destroyed if it gets into a firefight with many of these heavy tanks. That one vehicles also accounts for almost half the remaining HEAT rounds. Smoke will be needed to keep that vehicle obscured from observation. Another one of our StuGs is down to two crewmen.
The 5cm AT guns have limited options here as the amount of ground cover is sparse. Our engineers with explosive charges are not going to be able to get close to the KVs for the same reason and enemy infantry still has the field.
Oberstlt. Schumacher instructs maximum suppressive fire be placed on the heavy tanks while at the same time the enemy infantry must be scattered. The StuGs will continue to work over the remaining light tanks. If the KVs can be forced to remain buttoned up without infantry support, they may be reluctant to advance further. We have to win a battle of fire with their infantry and light tanks and a battle of nerves with their heavies.
Our infantry are ordered to prepare for assaulting the KVs should it become absolutely necessary. But since only three infantry squads are equipped with the magnetic shaped charges that have to be attached directly to the vehicles, this will only be a last and final option.
08:30
Enemy infantry are grouped together just south of our pioniers, so they are forced to remain in place where they have cover.
The count of KV-1 tanks has now reached seven, but our plan has had the hoped-for results. Some of their heavies are moving forward while others retreat. It appears that their command and control has totally broken down within this tank company. We have to be thankful that they rely so heavily on the use of flags and hand signals for maneuver. While they remain buttoned up and without radio communications, coordinated actions are all but impossible.
Captain Tellner reports to the CP that his battery is down to forty nine rounds of AP and HEAT ammunition. About a third of those rounds are on board the StuG that is disabled. Ivan has seven KVs and five light tanks still functional from what can be observed.
At least the enemy indirect fire has finally lightened up...