Battle of the Perlechkin Line

# The Battle of the Perlechkin Line

## The Perlechkin Line

With mounting tensions between the Lusivakian Commonwealth and the Sovereigns' League, it was only a matter of time before the Kingdom of Hetland had to choose a side, and in turn, gird themselves against the other. Work was underway on a comprehensive line of defense before Chergarian forces even entered the country to launch their invasion of Syrvania, but construction was rushed as the tide began to turn in the west. The Perlechkin Line was inspired by a string of fortifications erected during the Leersog War of the 450s, which ultimately won for Hetland possession of the central provinces from Syrvania. Its descendant would take its name from General SaÏjvo Perlechkin, who commanded multiple garrisons of the Hettic Army along this defensive line, and led them through three separate sieges.

For a week, fighting had raged just inside Hetland’s western border, in the Leersog province of Urdow. Erratic maneuver warfare and poor communication led the Hettic Home Army’s Central Staff to suspect Syrvania may already be starting to stall. To capitalize on the opportunity, garrisons along the Perlechkin Line were mustered to mount a counterattack. In reality, Syrvania was about to launch its first major, decisive offensive. After 5 days of constant assault and artillery bombardment the Syrvanian forces broke through the defences with massed tanks and artillery. Three days later the Hettic home army was ordered to fall back to the river Zlowice. Despite their victory the Syrvanian 3rd armored division suffered heavy losses including loss of most of their tanks.

*The following is **non-canon.** It is a fanfiction describing what author thought could've happened there.*

## Breakthrough At Kitter Moer

About a mile outside the quaint village of Kitter Moer, The Hettic 2nd Battalion of the 327th Infantry Regiment had constructed a network of trenches south of and perpendicular to the Gorchokitz road. The trench network was flanked on both sides by concrete anti tank barriers, making a direct full frontal attack on the trench system the only possible avenue of attack for the third armored division. The task of capturing Kitter Moer had gone to the Syrvanian 5th Brigade of the 3rd Armored Division. The 5th Brigade consisted of four battalions: three infantry battalions, each numbering around 1,000 soldiers, and one overstrength armored battalion, the 27th, consisting of fifty eight tanks and 143 Civjetsitraktor armored personnel carriers. The attack was launched in junction with an attack on the unfinished fortifications at Praegan.

### Nulgost 20th

The 5th had been advancing almost entirely unopposed, along with rest of the Syrvanian 1st Army through northern Hetland. On the evening of the 20th, lead elements of the 3rd Battalion advanced to the Gorchokitz road and dislodged a small group of Hettic scouts acting as forward observers. The brief skirmish cost the Syrvanians two killed and five wounded, the Hets lost four killed, one wounded and two captured. During the night of the 20th - 21st the Syrvanians dug in, set up headquarters and mortar pits and carried brief incursions into Josevzs Field, the field separating the road and the fortifications.

### Nulgost 21st

Throughout the day on the 21st, the Syrvanian Commander, Brigadier General Radko Sryhaktomir, drew up plans to assault the trench system at Kitter Moer. There was little fighting on the 21st. Across Josevs Field, the Hettic Commander, Major Hans Mayovick, radioed Hettic 32nd Division headquarters, requesting reinforcements for his understrength Battalion, numbering at the time 472 officers and men. Not taking the Syrvanian threat seriously, and concerned with heavier fighting elsewhere, his requests were denied. Rifle and Sniper fire were traded across Josevzs field all day, leaving eight Syrvanians and eleven Hetts dead. A Syrvanian attempting to take aerial photographs of the Kitter Moer trench system was shot down and the pilots taken prisoner. Brigadier General Sryhaktomir decided to attack on the morning of the 22nd and briefed his staff of his decision at 9pm.

### Nulgost 22nd

Syrvanian Soldiers were awakened at 4:30 am on the 22nd, and briefed on the plan of attack. The 5th was to attack in waves. The First Wave would be the 1st Battalion, supported by A Company of the 27th Tank Battalion. The Second Wave was to consist of the 2nd Battalion, supported by the B Company of the 27th. A reserve force of the 3rd and the C Company was to be held in the rear and attack Kitter Moer only if they were needed. After securing the trench system the 5th was to attack Kitter Moer and take up defensive positions until further orders arrived.

Syrvanian Corporal Dima Jovanovic of the 1st later recalled "The pre dawn hours of the 22nd were very tense. We were all very young, and few of us had seen real action. We were well trained, and most of us being farm boys had known how to shoot until we could walk, but we had never *shot another man.* They awakened us at 4:30, briefed us on the plan and told us we had two hours to get ready. There was a nervous energy inside me, we all talked excitedly and joked as we ate our breakfasts, but I couldn't stop trembling. I cleaned my Kb. 509 three times in a row just to have something to do".

Across the field Hettic Lieutenant Ionut Miheala wrote in a diary "We knew it was coming today. I was in A company, and we were on duty. We hadn't been warned, and command was unsure of exactly when the attack would come, but it was inevitable. I could hear hundreds of voices across the field speaking, and engines starting up, and I dearly wished we had mortars or heavy artillery support. But all I could do was sit tight and put on a brave face for my men."

At 6:30 am the Syrvanians launched an opening Mortar barrage on the Hettic lines. Lieutenant Miheala wrote "It felt like the world was ending, the ground was shaking, and I caught a mouthful of dirt. Shrapnel was flying everywhere and I could hear nothing but the screams of wounded men. It seemed to go on and on until it was over just as soon as it had begun. As my hearing returned to me I stood and surveyed the scene. despite the intensity of the barrage, most of my men were relatively unscathed, though they were just as shaken as me. I checked my watch. It read 6:45. I could hear shouting in Gorzoly and tank engines revving across the field, and immediately set about having my platoon reman their positions."

As B company of the Hettic 2nd battalion rushed into the trenched to bolster the defenses, A and B companies of the 1st Battalion, along with twenty tanks of the 27th, began their attack on the trench system. They almost immediately came under heavy Hettic Machine gun and Anti Tank artillery fire. As the Infantry were sheltering behind the tanks, they were forced to advance slowly, making them sitting ducks for Hettic anti tank gun fire. The Hettic guns were well entrenched and hard targets for the Syranian tanks to return fire, and all twenty tanks were knocked out before they even reached the trench system. Yama DiSeros, a erlandic photographer who had volunteered to accompany the 1st took several photos of the chaos. Colonel Zivko Hajclas, the 1st's commander was killed by Hettic rifle fire as he attempted to rally his men and get them to charge the trenches.

At this time, A and B companies of the Hettic 2nd battalion were manning the trenches, totaling about 300 men. C company was helping evacuate casualties and provide first aid, as well as being held in reserve. One platoon of C company was stationed in Kitter Moer itself.

In the field, the scene for A and B companies was one of utter mayhem. Most men cowered behind tanks, while other returned fire at the trench system, but the overwhelming volume of fire coming from the Hettic t defenses made it very difficult to shoot back effectively. Small team and squad strength groups of men attempted to rush the defenses but were cut down by accurate rifle and machine gun fire. Some men climbed on top of the knocked out tanks and positioned their Stanlaws on the turret and returned fire at the hettic defenses. All together, organization had fallen apart as most officers became casualties very quickly, and the ones that didn't were forced to take cover with their men. The A and B companies suffered 60% casualties in the opening minutes of the attack.

At 7:05 AM, C company of the 1st battalion and D company of the 2nd battalion were ordered to make their attack on the hettic defenses and rescue A and B companies. C and D companies were supported by fifteen tanks from the 27th. Corporal Jovanovic was in 1st Platoon, D company and recalled "We had been hearing the sounds of battle going on furiously for close to half an hour when we were ordered to move out. As we crossed through a hedgerow onto the Gorchokitz road we saw the casualties. Dozens of men were laying out in neat little rows as medics franticly ran among them, putting on bandages, injecting morphine, and placing the most seriously wounded on stretchers. It was a terrible site, men who I had spoken with a mere hour ago were now screaming in agony. We crossed the road into the field. Even more chaos greeted my eyes. There were burning tanks everywhere, and scores of dead and wounded men scattered in the grass. Everyone who could walk was either keeping as low to the ground as they could, shooting back, though not many were doing this, or hiding behind a tank"

C and D companies supporting tanks decided to rush the Hettic lines rather than slow down and let the Infantry use them as cover. They zig zagged between the knocked out tanks at full speed and rushed the trenches. They were engaged by anti tank guns and KbCz anti tank rifle crews as they crossed the field, but their speed combined with the cover from the knocked out tanks allowed most of them to reach the trenches, but when they reached the trenches they were unable to make progress as they were unable to cross the trench lines or make it over the dirt berm, and they quickly became caught. They managed to inflict casualties on the Hetts however with their main guns and machine guns. Despite this, Hettic soldiers quickly moved in and began destroying them with AV AT grenades. The Syrvanian tank crews who survived the explosions were either captured by the Hetts or shot if they attempted to resist. Two tank crewmen managed to escape back to Syrvanian lines, and one tank crew barricaded themselves inside their knocked out tank and held off Hettic counter attacks for the duration of the battle.

Despite the high casualties the Tankers suffered, they did temporarily alleviate machine gun fire on the infantrymen allowing them to rush the trenches. C and D companies had been taking casualties from rifle and machine gun fire, but it dropped rapidly, and, organizing the survivors of A and B companies into them, they charged the trench system.

Corporal Jovanovic remembered "The bullets made a "Zwiip Zwiip Zwiiiiiip" sound as they buzzed past us. When they hit a man they'd make a "Thwack!' sound and he might drop right there, or take a few steps more forward and drop. Some of them lay on the ground quietly, either dead, or biting their lips trying not to scream while others cried out in pain. It was terrifying, every moment you knew could be your last, and you just had to keep moving forward between the" Zwip Zwip Zwiiip-thwack!" of bullets.

C and D companies (including A and B companies) reached the first trench at 7:14 am and stormed it. They captured about twenty Hettic Soldiers, most of them wounded. Lieutenant Miheala described the taking of the trench. "We had all been distracted with the tanks and very few of us had been firing at the approaching infantrymen. I turned and saw hundreds of them within seventy yards of the trench. I immediately seized a discarded roqueledge and emptied its magazine into them. I believe I felled five or six of them. They were coming upon us very fast with fixed bayonets and I knew we stood no chance against them in my current state. I immediately had my platoon retreat to the second trench, but many more stayed in the first one."

Corporal Jovanovic described storming the first trench, "At the last minute their fire picked up. Those of us with rifles and afenbachs all had our bayonets on, other men fired their machine guns at the trench as they advanced. When we were about thirty yards away from the first trench I knelt and drew a bead on a man blasting away with his mounted machine gun. I squeezed the trigger and my shot caught him right in the neck. His head jerked back and twisted around and he slumped off the machine gun. It was the first shot i had fired in the war and it felt good to have some control over the terrifying situation i was in, to know that I was fighting back, that I could reach out and touch the Hetts, that they were not invincible. I did not reflect on the fact that I had just taken a mans life, there was so much going on that there was no time for reflection. I got up and sprinted the rest of the way and jumped into the trench. I saw another Hettic soldier, desperately trying to mount his bayonet on his Brandt Rifle. I slashed at him with my bayonet, striking his wrist. I then swung my my rifle butt into his face and brought it down onto his stomach, hard. He raised his hands in surrender before I could stick him with my bayonet and finish the job. Two more men came and rolled him over, binding his hands behind his back. A burst of machine gun fire from above killed a man behind me and I pressed myself against the south wall of the trench. There were hettic soldiers above, firing into the trench. A Sergeant returned fire with his ATP.90 and a dead Hettic soldier tumbled into the trench. More men fired back and threw grenades up and the firing subsided a good deal. Another man began climbing up to get out of the trench. The moment he peeked his head above the slope where the Hetts had been firing from, his head jerked back and he fall back into the trench, a gaping hole in his helmet. Another group of men tried to enter a communication trench, connecting the first trench we were in with other trenches deeper in the system. No sooner had they entered than they were cut down by a burst of machine gun fire. One managed to jump clear and blind fired around the wall with his Stanlaw."

The C and D companies found themselves unable to advance beyond the first trench, however they managed to neutralize the positions above them firing into he first trench. A brief stalemate ensued, as the Syrvanians set up aid stations to treat the wounded and others ventured back into the field, dodging Hettic fire to receive heavier equipment, such as trench clearing devices and more grenades that had been discarded by A company in the initial attack. The defending Hetts quickly began throwing up sandbags in the communication trench, and two Platoons from C company entered the trench system to reinforce the defenders. Major Mayovick conferred with his Company Commanders and decided a counter attack against the Syrvanians was out of the question. He was still unsure of the Syrvanians total strength, and though that he could hold off the attack.

On the Syrvanian side a young Lieutenant Colonel, Borislav Kryonern had taken command following the death of Colonel Hajclas. A radio team had managed to reach the trench with their equipment intact, and he radioed 5th Brigade headquarters, requesting reinforcements. At 7:39 am the 2nd wave was launched and the 3rd, supported by another fifteen tanks began advancing on the trench system. They suffered minor casualties while crossing the field, and upon reaching the trench system, they began advancing into it. The tanks stopped at the first trench and began firing down the communication trenches with their main guns and machine guns, inflicting heavy Hettic casualties. A, B and C Companies of the 3rd Battalion lead the advance into the trench system, supported by C and D companies. Syrvanian Soldiers used flamethrowers and grenades to dislodge Hettic Soldiers, before clearing the remaining defenders of a position out at close range. The Afenbach 12, adapted by the Syrvanian Army in 524, with many doubts over how useful it would be proved very effective in close combat. The fighting in the Trench system was close range and frenzied, but the Syrvanians methodical, organized attack gained ground heavily despite heavy and determined Hettic resistance.

Corporal Jovanovic recalled "We'd have to nearly wipe out a position before the Hetts would even think of retreating, the man in front of me sprayed a bunker with his flamethrower and we were still taking fire from inside it. Finally one man staggered out of the bunker and he was immediately it with a hail of bullets. He crumpled to the ground. I stepped over his body, tossed a grenade into the bunker and continued on."

Grenades were heavily used by both sides due to the close and compact nature of the battlefield, and caused high casualties. By 8:00 am The Syrvanians were able to move their wounded, Hettic prisoners, and reinforcements back and forth across Josevzs field without taking fire.

The Second trench line was taken at 8:03 am. It fell much more slowly than the first trench line, and the resistance was far more organized. Some Hetts managed to retreat to the third trench, but many were cut off and killed or captured. Lieutenant Miheala recalled withdrawing from the second trench. "Through the smoke, a Syrvanian Soldier stepped over a discarded machine gun, his rifle held across his chest as if he were just walking along after a hunting trip. My Chamber P-6 was up in an instant and I fired. My first round caught him in the shoulder, and he stopped short. My second round hit him in his stomach and he doubled over and tried to crawl away. I didn't shoot him again, there is nothing honorable in executing a wounded man who has already been neutralized. He was quickly dragged away by his comrades. I turned back to shout more orders to my men and when I returned my attention to where the man had been there was another Syrvanian Soldier standing in his place, his rifle leveled on me. I tried to bring my pistol up but it was too late - I didn't hear his gunshot but i felt it. My stomach felt like It was struck by a sledgehammer, but strangely there was no pain. I continued to attempt to draw a bead on him, but he jacked another round into the chamber of his rifle and fired again. This time I was hit in the chest, but like the first shot I felt no pain. More Syrvanian soldiers stepped into the trench. The first few were felled by our fire but more came and the trench was lost. I managed to make my way into the center of the third trench but others were not as fortunate as I was.

Major Mayovick had entered the command center in the third trench to inspect the situation and decided to conduct a fighting retreat with his remaining men to attempt to link up with the 327th Headquarters and inform them of the breakthrough (His radio had been destroyed by a mortar round during the initial bombardment.) He ordered the most seriously wounded to immediately be placed in the four zav trucks and driven to Kitter Moer, where they were to direct the platoon stationed there to join the rest of the first battalion and help cover the retreat. There were enough Zav trucks at kitter moer to carry all of the remaining men of the 1st battalion, as well as evacuate some of the residents from the village, but he needed to buy enough time for the evacuation to be successful. Some of the less seriously injured were placed in the barracks behind the trench system until they could be evacuated.

The Syrvanians captured the central command center in the third trench at 8:22 am, after fierce close quarters fighting. Intense hand to hand combat left at least a dozen Hettic and Syrvanian soldiers dead. From the command center the Syrvanians could fire down the third trench and onto the Hettic quarters behind the trench system. Major Mayakovic was captured, but not before firing an emergency flair signaling a complete retreat to Kitter Moer. Most of the remaining Hettic soldiers fled on foot to Kitter moer, the ones that stayed behind were all killed or captured in a brief fight, firing at the Syrvanians from bushes or behind barracks buildings.

Lieutenant Milheala narrowly escaped, he recalls "Staggering out of the trench system and down the road toward Kitter Moer. My wounds were hurting now, and my head was light with blood loss. Looking back on it, had I gone on like that much longer I probably would have collapsed and bled out on the side of the road, another nameless body for the Syrvanians to inspect in the following days. I had gone perhaps five or six hundred yards when some soldiers found me. "Good heavens Lieutenant" they said. "How did you make it so far". They gave me water, which I hadn't had since the outset of the Battle, and bandaged my wounds. None of them were medics, but they took a blanket roll and tied it to two of their rifles, which they used as a makeshift litter to carry me the rest of the way. It was strangely calm when I arrived in Kitter Moer, there were few soldiers around, we had passed one Platoon marching towards the trenches on our way to town. At this point I was in no state to think about any of this and was just glad to be out of danger. They loaded me into the back of a truck with a medic and another wounded man, and I passed out from blood loss. When I awakened, it was two days later in a Field Hospital."

The platoon from Kitter Moer launched a tentative counter attack against the Syrvanians about three hundred yards from the trenches but were easily repulsed.

The last Hettic Resistance at the trench system collapsed at around 8:30. The trench system was declared officially secure at 8:45 am, and the 14th along with the remaining tanks crossed Josevzs field where engineers were quickly constructing a bridge over the trench System to allow the tanks to cross over the line.

Corporal Jovanovic recalled the aftermath of the battle. "My watch read 8:51, I could hear firing in the distance, but I realized that for now, the Battle was over. I sat down overlooking the fields and hedgerows towards Kitter Moer and for the first time, was able to think and take in what had just happened. I vomited my breakfast up. I was a whole mix of emotions, relief, happiness, fear, sadness all at once. I took a gulp of water from my canteen. I felt lost. For the first time, I was able to reflect on the fact that I had actually killed people. Real people. I had seen more death and destruction in an hour and a half than most people see in their entire lifetime. I realized how much had changed since two hours ago, where I had transformed from innocent, never having seen real suffering or death to a killer. I picked up my rifle, put away my canteen, stood and began walking. Past dead Hetts and Syrvanians alike. Some men were just sitting still like me, taking it all in. Others, a minority knelt among the dead, looting them. Some men were bayonetting wounded Hetts. I kept walking. There was the occasional rifle shot going off, or burst from an ATP, all of the shots belonged to Syrvanian weapons. I stepped over the charred corpses of a squad of Hettic soldiers, victims of a flamethrower. One Hettic soldier I passed was still alive, albeit missing a leg. His arm was a shredded chunk of meat. With his good hand, he reached out towards me. I took my canteen off my belt and gave him a drink. Though we did not speak each others languages, his eyes said "Thank You". I reached the first trench and began searching. I quickly found what I was looking for. I approached the Veerwell nest where I had entered the trench hours earlier. He was still there. Laying on his side, right hand still gripping the trigger of the machine gun. I turned him over. Sure enough, there was a hole at the bottom of his neck, caked in dried blood. His green eyes were wide open, staring at me. He could not have been more than a year older than me, possibly younger. A brandt rifle was still strapped to his back and his bayonet was sheathed on his belt. I opened the pockets of his tan uniform and searched through them. A small rind of bread, a few loose rounds, a pack of cigarettes, some hettic money, and a letter. I stopped at the letter, and took it. Next to it there was a photograph. It showed the dead soldier standing in his uniform, arm in arm with a young woman, smiling. He is very much alive in the photograph and I stare at it for a few seconds. I found a small bible in another pocket, and took that and the lighter in addition to the letter and photograph. I put them in my rucksack, closed the mans eyes and crossed his arms over his chest before picking up my rifle and walking off to rejoin my unit. I knew this was just the beginning of what would be a long and bloody war, but I had no idea how much lay ahead of me."

In the hours following the capture of the Trench system, Syrvanian soldiers executed several wounded Hettic soldiers, and looted many others. No soldiers were court martialed and held accountable. The wounded Syrvanians and Hetts were both treated well by medics and all had been evacuated to a field hospital by the evening. During the night of the 22nd - 23rd Major Mayakovsky escaped and was able to make it back to Hettic Lines on the 28th. Syrvanian Soldiers met little resistance for the rest of the day and had secured Kitter Moer by 4:00 pm that afternoon. 5th Brigade moved its headquarters to Kitter Moer and entrenched around the village.

The Battle of Kitter Moer cost the Syrvanians 289 Killed in Action, and 353 wounded in action. 37 tanks were lost. The Hetts suffered 174 killed in action, 293 wounded in action and 274 captured. Only forty six men of the First Battalion escaped back to Hettic lines.

The 5th Brigade repulsed two more Hettic counter attacks on the 22nd. The 3rd Division arrived in force to back up the 5th brigade on the 23rd, and on the 24th the Hetts retreated across the river Zlowice.

## The Battle of Praegan

Just outside Praegan, the 134th Infantry Regiment, numbering around 3,200 troops, had been assigned to man a brand-new bunker complex next to a road. The bunkers were connected by an underground passageway where the barracks and telegraphy room were. There were also exits leading to the muster yard and the front battlements. Several smaller bunkers were constructed outside of the main complex, as well as several tank turrets mounted on top of concrete structures along the front battlements. On the south side of the road, in a small forest clearing, was an older trench system. There were two forward trenches, as well as a small reserve trench further back in the forest. A redoubt was built on the northern end of the second trench, as well as a smaller one on the southern end. The Syrvanian 81st Infantry Brigade, part of the 2nd Independent Rapid Division, was chosen to take the town. The 81st was comprised of 5 battalions, numbering roughly 800 troops each. The 81st was joined by the 13th Tank Battalion, comprised of 52 tanks and 126 Civjetsitraktor transports.

### Nulgost 20th

The 2nd Independent Rapid Division advanced towards Praegan and camped several miles west of the Hettic defenses. The day was spent scouting the forest for potential staging points for the attack, setting up camp, and inspecting the troops to ensure they were combat-ready. Hettic scouts spotted the Syrvanian camp being set up from a hidden observation post. They reported their sighting to the Hettic HQ at a church just outside of Praegan itself. Colonel Luba Yegoroff, commander of the 134th, requested reinforcements from the 253rd Infantry Regiment, but the request was denied. He sent another request, this time to the 62nd Tank Battalion. Major Ihor Michalek, commander of the 62nd, sent two tank companies to reinforce Praegan, which were due to arrive the following night.

### Nulgost 21st

During the night of the 20th-21st, a staging point was established near Dobroslaf Road south of a fork connecting it to Sedlacek Road, on the east side of a small river in the forest. Mortars were set up for use during the attack. An observation post was established on a hill that provided a clear view of the trenches so Syrvanians could spot precise mortar strikes. The Hettic troops fortified the northern redoubt in the old trenches, as it would be the hardest position to capture and could be used to make a final stand if necessary. At 2130 hours, Brigadier General Fedir Babenko, commander of the 81st Infantry Brigade, received word of General Sryhaktomir’s decision to attack Kitter Moer the next morning and notified his officers at 2200. A plan was made for the 1st and 2nd Battalions and 21 tanks to attack the incomplete bunkers while the 3rd and 4th Battalions, 24 tanks, and 16 Civjetsitraktors attacked the trenches. The 5th Battalion would stay at the staging point with the last 5 tanks and the other Civjetsitraktors, able to reinforce or rescue either force if needed.

### Nulgost 22nd

At 0400, the Syrvanian soldiers were woken up and briefed on the plan. At 0630, the attack was launched. The 3rd and 4th Battalions and their vehicles crossed the river unhindered. Once they were on the other side, however, the Hettic troops spotted them and opened fire with machine guns and AT cannons. Cpl. Myiat Korylinz, a soldier in the 4th Battalion, described how suddenly the bullets began ripping through the trees in his journal. “We were marching up the hill on the west side of the river, and then out of nowhere bullets were whizzing past us. Several of our guys went down, and everyone hit the dirt. A tank and a couple transports went up in flames as well. The other vehicles went back down the hill to avoid meeting the same fate. Lt. Kozlow called in a mortar strike, which kept the Hetts suppressed so we could advance."

On the north side of the road, the 1st and 2nd Battalions attacked the bunkers in waves. The first wave was made up of A and B Companies of the 1st Battalion and 10 tanks. The Hettic defenders were well protected by the bunkers, and the first wave took heavy casualties. 3 tanks were destroyed, and B Company was mostly wiped out. Lt. Yaroslaw Vaschenko, a soldier in A Company, recalled the chaos of the attack. “Those Veerwells did quite a bit of work to our guys. They’re not as big as a Stanlaw, but the Hettic troops often took to making the bullets split point so they would shatter on impact and cause a lot of damage. The guys who survived the wound often died of lead poisoning later because the shards couldn’t be found.” The Syrvanian survivors retreated to the forest, where they prepared to launch the second wave. “It was quite pitiful. Some Syrvanians were laying dying in the fields, and their comrades could do nothing to help. We shouted a victory cry, though we knew they’d be back,” wrote Hettic captain Kohut Boykof in his journal.

As the Hettic troops sought cover from the mortars, the Syrvanians charged towards the trenches. Once at the trenches, they dismounted their vehicles and entered the first trench. Flame tanks fired at the second trench to give them cover. The Syrvanians focused their attack on the southern end of the trenches, where the defenses were lighter. Private Rayko Polensky, a Hettic soldier, recalled the ferocity of the battle. “The first trench was full of Syrvanians. The fighting was very close quarters, and there was a lot of hand-to-hand combat. I used to brag about how accurate I could shoot, but here I was firing as fast as possible. On the southern end of the trenches, some of our guys were gathered in the redoubt. The first trench had been completely taken over on the southern end, and the Syrvanians were climbing into the second trench and preparing to attack the redoubt. We were still fighting hard on the north end, but we were outnumbered. We fell back to the second trench, which was pretty heavily fortified on our end.” Cpl. Korylinz found himself in the thick of the fighting on the southern end, where the Syrvanians were preparing to storm the redoubt. “I was right in the middle of the battle. The trench was crowded and loud, and guys were tripping over dead bodies. A Het grabbed my gun, but I pulled out my pistol and shot him. The Hetts began to fall back to a redoubt in the second trench, but their retreat was total chaos. A guy who had the misfortune to run past me, and I stabbed him with my bayonet. After all the surviving Hetts were in the redoubt, we climbed out of the first trench and into the second. Some guys ran straight there through the comms trench. There was less fighting in the second trench, and we prepared to storm the redoubt.”

Lt. Vaschenko had been shot in the leg during the first assault, though he was lucky enough not to get hit with a split point bullet. He was helped back to the forest by two comrades, though one was shot in the hip and died of shock. He watched as the second wave, comprised of 9 tanks, C and D Companies, and the survivors of the first wave, was launched. “The second wave was less organized than the first, with everyone running serpentine. Casualties were much lighter than in the first wave, though it wasn’t enough to take the trenches.” 2 tanks were destroyed in the charge. The Syrvanian troops sought cover and waited for reinforcements while the rest of the tanks returned to the forest. While retreating, 3 more tanks were destroyed. Captain Boykof described the disarray of the Syrvanian charge in his journal. “The Syrvanians made a second attack about fifteen minutes after the first. This one was very chaotic, and we didn’t inflict as many casualties. The Syrvanians took cover and waited to charge, presumably because they decided there weren’t enough of them to take our positions. Their tanks returned to the forest and we waited for another attack.”

Syrvanian flame tanks surrounded the redoubt and torched it. The Syrvanians finished off the survivors and turned their attention to the northern end. The Syrvanians tried to take it twice but were repulsed both times. Before the third attempt, a mortar strike was called in on the northern redoubt, where most of the Hettic troops were concentrated. The third attack was spearheaded by tanks and armed Civjetsitraktors. The vehicles cleared out some of the Hettic troops, but the majority of the Hettic troops remained. The Syrvanians charged in from both the first trench and the southern end of the second trench. Cpl. Korylinz described the brutality of the fighting in his journal. “There was a fierce firefight to take the trench. When we began the assault the mortar rounds were still falling and exploding in the redoubt. Our tanks and Civjetsitraktors seemed to be trying to drive as madly as possible. Everyone was shooting crazily. Guys were going down left and right. I fired several shots and then sought cover behind a fallen tree. A guy with a trench clearing device fired into the trench, which forced a bunch of the Hetts into cover. He was killed by a grenade moments later. I mounted my rifle on the tree and fired into the trench. I jumped into the trench and immediately I fell to the ground. There was a sharp pain in my side, and I knew I’d been shot. Most of the Hettic troops had been killed by then, and there was only a brief struggle before the trench had been taken.” Luckily for Cpl. Korylinz, the most damage that was done was the grazing of a kidney, and he returned to active service two months later.

The third wave, comprised of the entire 2nd Battalion and all the remaining tanks, was launched against the bunkers at 0700. 4 tanks were destroyed in the charge, but the majority of the troops made it to the bunkers. The troops from the second wave joined in the attack. All of the front battlements, except for the section facing the road, were captured easily, but a seemingly infinite number of troops were pouring out of the bunkers. A counterattack was launched against the front battlements. The fighting came to a stalemate, and an attempted attack on the muster yard suffered heavy casualties.

The Hettic soldiers stationed at the church attempted to retake the trenches. They attempted to capture the northern redoubt with the help of their tanks, but they were held back. Another force attempted to flank the trenches through the woods but were unsuccessful. With the help of another mortar strike, the attack on the redoubt was forced back. The troops of 3rd and 4th Battalions prepared to flank the bunkers across the road. There were a few bunkers and front battlements facing the road, and several Syrvanians were killed trying to cross it. Syrvanian tanks opened fire and kept the Hettic troops suppressed, and the rest of the troops crossed the road unhindered. The Hettic troops were beaten down enough that they didn’t put up much of a fight and the front battlements were completely cleared. Most of the Hettic soldiers escaped through the bunkers to the muster yard, where a company of Hetts acted as a rear guard to give the rest of the troops a chance to escape. The rear guard was mostly taken out, and the survivors were taken prisoner.

The Syrvanians spent an hour getting reorganized and tending to the wounded. At 0900, the 5th Battalion arrived with the rest of the vehicles to attack the church. The fight for the church was brief, as most of the Hettic troops had retreated, with one battalion and 2 tanks staying behind to buy time for the rest of the 134th to escape. The church was captured after half an hour, in which the remaining Hettic battalion was completely wiped out.

The Syrvanians lost 219 killed in action and 312 wounded in action. 23 tanks and 41 Civjetsitraktors were destroyed. The Hetts lost 196 killed in action, 374 wounded in action, 83 missing in action, and 8 tanks destroyed. What remained of the 134th reached Hettic lines on the 24th. Colonel Yegoroff was with the Hettic battalion that stayed at the church and was killed. Unlike at Kitter Moer, there was to be no Hettic counterattack. The 134th was devastated, with most of the commanding officers killed or missing and one fourth of its troops killed, wounded, or captured.