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Рубрики WWII; Танки; Версия для печати

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By 22 December, the series of defensive battles along the Chir was over, with the Germans clearly the tactical victors. The Fifth Tank Army had been virtually eliminated, despite a Soviet local 111 superiority in infantry, 71 in tanks and 201 in guns.13

Tactical victory did not, however, translate to operational success. On 22 December, the XLVIII Panzer Korps received orders to move immediately 90 miles to the west to form blocking positions in front of Rostov. The 11th Panzer Division moved first and temporarily came under the control of the Romanian Third Army. Two days later the remainder of the LXVIII Panzer Korps arrived and resumed control of Balck's division.

When Balck first arrived in the Rostov area, he concluded "the situation was so grave it could only be saved through audacity—in other words, by attacking. Any attempts at defense would mean our destruction."14 With only 20 operational tanks, Balck moved his division toward Skassyrskaya to block the Soviets. When he found nothing at Skassyrskaya, he continued moving farther south to Tatsinskaya, which put him in the Soviet rear.

Balck deployed his units around Tatsinskaya. Meanwhile, the Soviet XXIV Tank Corps commander received intelligence reports that there were German tanks to his rear. He reacted by ordering all his units to concentrate around his position at Hill 175. The order was sent by radio in the clear and, of course, was intercepted by the 11th Panzer Division.

On Christmas Day 1942, Balck closed the ring around the XXIV Tank Corps. The 11th Panzer Division, however, had been moving and fighting too long and too hard. It was down to only eight operational tanks, and it simply did not have the strength to break into the Soviet positions. But Balck continued to maintain the pressure, and by 27 December the Soviets had been squeezed into a tighter pocket. On 28 December Balck received operational control of the 4th Panzer-grenadier Regiment. With this additional power the 11th Panzer Division was able to break into the defensive perimeter and destroy yet another Soviet tank corps.15

For his part in the destruction of the Soviet Fifth Tank Army, Balck received the Oakleaves to his Knight's Cross. In January 1943, he was promoted to Generalleutnant and in March received the Swords to the Knight's Cross.