When Tigers Crushed IS-2s: The Fierce Battle at Targul Frumos That Stopped Soviet Armor

the German tiger tank which first appeared on the Eastern front in the Autumn of 1942 quickly established itself as a formidable force on the battlefield its thick armor struck fear into the hearts of Soviet tank Crews who watched in despair as their shells bounced harmlessly off its Hull while its powerful 88 mm gun turned their own tanks into burning wrecks even after the Soviet t34 tanks were upgraded with an 85 mm gun they still couldn't outmatch the Tigers the Soviet High command knew that to turn the tide of War they needed a new weapon a heavy tank that could not only withstand the Tiger's fearsome Firepower but could also strike back with equal ferocity the Yosef Stalin heavy tank or is-2 introduced in 1944 was a behemoth designed to be the Soviet answer to the tiger with its monstrous 122 mm gun and heavily armored Hall the is-2 was built to go head-to-head with the German big cat in the spring of 1944 the stage was set for an epic confrontation as these two steel Titans prepared to Clash on the battlefields of Eastern Europe at the the onset of 1944 the Eastern Front was a cauldron of fire and fury the Red Army fueled by their recent victories was relentlessly pushing Westward determined to bring the German Reich to its knees yet despite their losses and retreating lines the German verock remained a formidable Force far from the broken Army the Soviets hoped to encounter the stakes were high as the Soviets set their sights on Romania a country whose oil fields were crucial to the German war efforts Marshall of the Soviet Union iwan con commanding the second tank Army and supported by the 27th Army initiated a major offensive in April and May of 1944 his objective was to break through the German Romanian defenses along the pr River and clear the path to the py oil fields in central Romania which were fueling the German war machine his armored forces numbered 650 tanks and self-propelled guns the key to Soviet success lay in breaching the front near Targo fos a small town that would soon become the sight of one of the most intense clashes of the war for the Germans their only hope was to Halt the Soviet Advance with a series of expertly executed defensive actions and deadly ambushes although the initial Soviet Advance toward Romania was Swift by April heavy rains began to pour transforming the ground and dirt roads into a muddy Quagmire that brought the Soviet mobile units to a grinding halt in the preceding 3 months Soviet forces have liberated most of Ukraine forcing the Germans to retreat 250 to 300 Mi however this rapid Advance meant that KF and other commanders in the southern sector had outpaced their supply lines Additionally the heavy troop losses sustained during the offensive needed to be addressed while some of this was mitigated by drafting male peasants from the liberated areas it would take time to train and transform them into effective soldiers [Music] with the onset of the muddy season stavka the Soviet High command instructed all front commanders to adopt a defensive posture this strategy served a dual purpose it provided time to train new recruits and allowed Supply depos to move closer to the front lines additionally stavka used this period to amass forces for a new offensive one aimed at delivering a decisive blow to the center of the German line on the Eastern Front in a massive summer campaign while KF waited for the ground to dry out enough to resume limited operations the Germans took advantage of the lull to reorganize their forces on April 1st Colonel General Ferdinand shner assumed command of army group South Ukraine within this command structure the eighth Army led by General Otto voer comprised a mixed force of German and Romanian units collectively design ated as Army group voer on paper this Force boasted 30 divisions but 17 of them were Romanian with varying levels of Effectiveness from good to poor many of the remaining German divisions were reduced to little more than battle groups due to previous engagements V's primary striking power resided in his Panzer divisions the 23rd 24th and 3rdd SS toaden COV and Elite paner Grenadier division Grosso land faced with the challenge of Defending a wide front against likely Soviet armored attacks Buller employed his mobile forces as fire brigades ready to rapidly respond to any Soviet advances that threatened his line he strategically positioned them on the few reliable roads in the area to ensure quick deployment the gross deut land division GD was well well versed in such operations having faced similar situations before from January to March 1944 the GD engaged in several Fierce battles around the Ukrainian city of kirov vagad before retreating West toward the Romanian border upon reaching the border at the end of March the division continued its Westward Movement successfully repelling a Soviet attack aimed at cutting the jasse kishinev rail line during the first week of April in this action the GD destroyed 89 tanks 10 anti-tank guns and inflicted heavy losses on Soviet infantry units by mid April the division had established a defensive position stretching from Rin oasa about 12 Mi Northwest of Taro fos to the seret river approximately 12 Mi Northeast of the city the gross deut land division remained a superbly equipped unit with high morale as its troops diligently constructed their defenses each of the divisions two infantry regiments was composed of three battalions each Battalion containing four companies of 100 men along with a heavy weapons Battalion per regiment Additionally the division included a Sturm Bitz Battalion equipped with 35 to 40 assault guns a combat Engineer Battalion and an underst strength reconnaissance battalion the division's formidable armored force was comprised of the four battalions of the Panzer regiment GD each equipped with around 40 tanks this regiment consisted of one battalion of medium Panzer four tanks two battalions of Panzer five Panther tanks and one battalion of heavy Panzer six tiger tanks the regiment's massive Firepower was further bolstered by an armored artillery regiment and three batteries of lethal Dual Purpose 88 mm guns commanding this formidable division was Lieutenant General oo one manful famously known throughout the Vermont as the Panzer Baron despite his small stature one-man toyful was widely recognized as one of the finest Panzer commanders in the German Army while the spring rain slowed the advance Soviet forces were far from idle alongside training Replacements and replenishing supplies KF orchestrated a series of attacks to keep the Germans on edge on April 16th Soviet forces launched a surprise assault on a gross deuts Land Company stationed in the town of bals approximately 9 mies Northwest of Taro fos the Soviets managed to capture the town but their hold was shortlived as a rapid Counterattack from the Germans swiftly reclaimed the position the persistent Soviet probing attacks LED one man toyful to believe that a major enemy offensive was imminent in the tarole fos sector reports from his scouting patrols indicated a significant buildup of red army forces directly behind the front lines an additional reconnaissance confirmed that something substantial was brewing to preempt the anticipated Soviet offensive one manoel ordered a limited Counterattack on April 25th two Panzer Grenadier battalions launched an assault on Soviet positions near Hill 372 supported by artillery and Sturm to shuts the Panzer grenadiers Advanced aggressively dislodging the Russians from their positions and destroying several anti-tank guns and three tanks however 2 Days Later a subsequent German attack uncovered an alarming development among the destroyed Soviet armor with the new Js 2 Joseph Stalin heavy tanks armed with powerful 122 mm guns this discovery prompted an urgent enhancement of German defensive measures to counter the formidable new threat without delay oneman tol's troops had expertly established their defensive position positions although the Soviets held The High Ground to the north most of the enemy occupied Hills suitable for observation were about 6 Mi away too distant to effectively assess the German defenses the Shrew Panzer Commander recognized Prime tank ground when he saw it and the terrain the Soviets would need to cross on route to Taro fos was ideal for Swift armored movement however this same terrain was largely open providing the Germans with an excellent Field of Fire to Target the advancing Soviet forces the Panzer Grenadier and fuselier regiments of the gross doand division would be at the Forefront of the impending assault with the ground now dry Kan planned to unleash his tanks in a direct powerful strike against the Germans aiming to break through the grenadiers and fusers and rapidly drive across the valley in a Swift overwhelming assault the German entrenchments were well fortified with anti-tank guns and dug in stugs providing formidable defense Hills 192 and 197 located west of the town of palini offered the Germans Prime observation points to direct artillery fire onto the Soviet approaches similarly Hills 254 and 372 provided the same Advantage for monitoring and countering any Soviet forces attacking farther to the West in addition a second line of defense heavily armed with anti-tank weapons and infantry was established about a mile behind the primary line of resistance most of the powerful Panzer regiment GD was held in reserve near tarle fos poised to Counterattack any Soviet forces that managed to break through the German line one man told strategically positioned his headquarters on a hill behind Taro fomos offering a perfect vantage point over the entire sector from this commanding position the Panzer Baron and his staff were prepared to coordinate the battle with careful precision and control the Germans anticipated that the Soviet offensive against tarole fos would begin on May 1st the holiday of the proletariat air reconnaissance confirmed the continued buildup of tank and infantry concentrations in front of the German lines but the expected attack did not come Dawn broke on May 2nd around 4:00 a. m. and just moments after the first light appeared the Soviets Unleashed a ferocious artillery [Music] barrage as shells rained down on the German positions the Infantry desperately clawed deeper into the Earth praying that death would pass them by amid the deafening Roar of exploding shells the cries of the Wounded could be heard but miraculously most of the German entrenchments sustained minimal damage the soldiers braced themselves knowing that the real battle was just beginning at around 5 a.

m. the Roar of tank engines shattered the early morning Stillness signaling the star of the ground assault armor from the second tank Army supported by infantry from 27th Army began to advance the battle was now fully underway and the Germans prepared to face the full might of the Soviet offensive the Soviet attack plan involved a powerful armored assault with 200 to 250 tanks targeting Panzer Grenadier regiment GD to keep the Germans off balance additional armored infantry attacks were launched against the Junctions between Panzer grenadiers and fuselier regim GD which was defending the German right [Music] flank the T30 4 medium tanks and is-2s Unleashed Point Blank fire on the Panzer Grenadier positions as they thundered forward advancing through the valley between Rin oasa and Hill 372 the Soviet tanks charged at full speed slamming into the German line with devastating Force the Germans responded with everything they had but the overwhelming power and momentum of the steel behemoths bearing down on them proved difficult to match many of the Season veterans had witnessed this scenario play out repeatedly as Soviet material superiority grew on the Eastern front as the Russian tanks closed in nearly upon them the men in the Frontline positions hunkered down deeper into their foxholes allowing the Soviet armor to roll directly over their positions it took immense courage to remain still as a 57 ton Beast like the is-2 rumbled overhead but not everyone could hold their nerve some of the Panzer grenadiers broke under the pressure jumping up and fleeing in panic those who did were met with a grim fake some were MO down by Machine Gun fire While others were tragically crushed beneath the Relentless steel Treads of the advancing Russian tanks the first Battalion of the paner grader regiment faced especially severe losses as Soviet tanks Advanced the Panzer grenadiers tried to reestablish their firing positions but the Red Army infantry was already closing in realizing it was time to disengage several units began began withdrawing to secondary defensive positions in the meantime the Soviet tanks had surged ahead leaving their infantry support behind the infantrymen who had been riding on the tanks were forced off by Machine Gun and Rifle fire leaving the advancing tanks to continue alone suddenly hidden German anti-tank guns Unleashed a barrage of fire one by one Soviet tanks were destroyed destroyed as the deadly 75 mm and 88 mm shells hit their targets despite heavy losses the tanks continued their Advance toward Taro fos German stuts then joined a fight also firing from concealed positions the first company particularly excelled in this battle taking out several of the massive tanks as they pressed forward toward their goal after navigating The Barrage of anti-tank and assault gunfire 10 of the Russian t-34s found themselves in the assembly area of Colonel willly lite's paner regiment both sides were caught off guard but the German Gunners responded more quickly in mere seconds the 10 tanks became raging steel infernos with no losses on the German side seeing their fellow soldiers in trouble some of the slower is-2s paused and began began firing on the panzers from as far as a mile and a half away one man toyl was at lanai's headquarters when the barrage commenced at first both commanders believed they were being fired upon by their own side it didn't take long for them to understand that they were facing the new Soviet heavy tanks one man toyful swiftly contacted major Herbert Gill's third tiger Battalion ordering a company of the heavy German tanks to confront the enemy while the Tigers and is to exchanged fire from a distance a company of the more agile Panzer 4s used The Limited cover in the area to move up to 3,000 ft from the Soviets as the 75 mm shells started hitting their targets the remaining Soviet tanks withdrew leaving several burned out hulls behind approximately 250 Soviet tanks were destroyed in the area between Targo fomos and the front line of the Panzer Grenadier regiment ji with the Germans losing only a handful of their own tanks it was an outstanding victory for the Germans but the battle was far from over in the fuselier sector the Soviets launched a similar Combined Assault the fusers like the Panzer grenadiers on their left allowed the Russian tanks to pass over their positions before emerging to confront the accompanying infantry as the Soviet armor Advanced without its infantry support it eventually reached the command headquarters with his staff gathered around him the regiment Commander ordered a close quarter's Counterattack using Hollow charges sticky mines and bundles of grenades the Germans systematically destroyed 24 enemy tanks at around 11:00 a. m.