The Second Battle of Dubno : A Soviet Perspective

The second battle of Dubno started with a 21st century style tank fire exchange. Ozgurnikov's T34's and TD company engaged the Stug. and Panzer IVs of McEwan at ranges of 2000 meters. The exchange ended with 4 Stugs out of action and a further Panzer IVs were destroyed or abondoned. In response to this unfair exchange, the German heavy Armor company advanced under the fire of 1st Hvy. TD detachment. Again the ranges were above 1000 meters.  The Panther group came as far as the village but stopped at the border having come under concentrated fire of 1st Naval Bn and its supporting A/T gun platoon. McEwan lost 4 Panther G's to Ozgurnikov's 6 T34s. The mountain bn. attached to the 1.Nav.Bn also helped to fend off the German grenadiers supporting the attack. True to the style of McEwan the armor attacked with the elan of Napoleonic cavalry.

 

In the mean time the artillery brigade attached to the division fired 4 volleys of heavy rocket and mortar rounds into the German left flank. No results were observed but it is believed that there was some infantry concentration in the area so it is quite possible that  there were some casualties. Soviet forces also used their overwhelming artillery superiority to cover the retreat of their medium tank company by firing repeated volleys of smoke.

 

Most saddening loss was the destruction of 2 of the pet Sherman platoon , much loved by Ozgurnikov himself. He is claimed to have said , 'they will pay for this ! , I will grease the tracks of my tanks with their intestines. '

 

1st Co. 2nd Naval infantry bn. penetrated the German line of advance and outflanked the Panther company's advance. In the meantime second company moved through the central valley (nicknamed 'the subway') but met with the advancing German armored thrust.Having lost men to German armor and powerless to stop it without any A/T weapons the company retreated.

 

This battle was particularly bloody for the Soviet cause as they have 278 KIA out of about 350+ casualties. Ozgurnikov however, voiced that as long as the Germans came in the same old way, they would be able to beat them in the same old way.