Tony Le Tissier - With Our Backs to Berlin

Fighting strength 178.

Casualties: 3 dead, 3 wounded,

8 severely wounded have died so far.

Resupply urgent: ammunition, Verey cartridges, hand grenades, food, flares, bandages, medicines, tetanus.

Emergency water supply re-established.

Later Wolfgang Schöne was to comment: ‘The tactical radio, partly through my fault, was loaded with unnecessary traffic (i.e. recommendations for medals and promotions, detailed strength returns for routine traffic, the especially grotesque questions from Division about Herr von Albedyll’s two pigs and my ironically intended reply).’

On 19 March the Luftwaffe succeeded in dropping thirteen containers on the village street at a cost of two aircraft shot down, but the containers could only be recovered at night due to the heavy enemy machine gun and anti-tank gun fire. These containers brought welcome relief to the garrison and proved a considerable boost to morale, as the radio log shows:

From II 0512 Attack on 5 Company. Barrage requested.

To II 0540 Supply bombs again today.

From II 0652 Strong movement and noise during the night, apparently in preparation for attack on 5 Company. Quiet in front of 6 Company. Watch out for green flares. Where is the resupply?

From II 0823 Enemy has dug his way in during the night to hand grenade throwing distance on the boundary between 5 and 2 Companies and close east of the WUHDEN-KLESSIN road. Expecting attack today from several directions.

From II 0845 To 13 Company: Request from 0900 hours onwards harassing fire on TONI during the morning.

From II 0925 To 13 Company: Harassing fire on TONI falling too short. Up 50m.

From II 0942 To 13 Company: Request irregular harassing fire on TONI until noon with up 50m.

To II 0950 Can barrages on MÜHLE-MARS be thickened up? If so by how much?

To II 1016 Please report daily fighting strength and casualties from 18 Mar onwards.

From II Reply to 0955 hours. 13 Company: MARS and MÜHLE cannot be drawn in closer. Command MÜHLE unchanged. Command MARS up 50m. Combine fire.

To II 1042 How is the fire on MÜHLE-MARS?

To II 1150 Expected supply drop 1400-1430 hours. Fire Verey lights as per last time. Hopefully it will work.

From II 1342 Checked fighting strength of 18 Mar 45: 5 officers, 55 officer cadets, 17 senior NCOs, 121 other ranks, plus 2 tank crews. Casualties: 2 officer cadets, 1 other rank wounded. 1 officer cadet, 2 other ranks dead.

To II 1448 There has been a delay. Exact time is coming through.

To II 1520 Delicacies arriving 1630 hours. 24 aircraft. Light signals. Mark drop zone.

From II 1605 Enemy attacking. 1 salvo on MARS.

From II 1620 Query: Has barrage on MARS been fired?

From II 1625 Request barrages on MARS and TONI up 25m.

From II 1655 Own bombs here. Detailed report follows.

From II We thank you for the help. Detailed report follows.

From II 1719 Beaten off in front of 5 Company.

To II 1722 Well done, Schöne.

From II Forward Observer 13 Company to 13 Company: Guns on bearing 190 more WUHDEN one shot.

To II Report immediately how many supply bombs on target.

From II 10 bombs on target.

To II Query: Was shooting down of two of our aircraft observed?

From II Yes, in the direction PODELZIG.

From II 1745 Without prejudice to further commendations, request award of Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class to Second Lieutenant Heinrich of 5 Company. From the first days of the encirclement he has beaten back numerous attacks, some severe, with his company, held his position steadfastly and on 10 Mar personally led a counterattack to restore the old front line.

To II Lieutenant Schöne: On the instructions of the Divisional Commander Second Lieutenant Heinrich is awarded the Iron Cross First Class. Heartiest congratulations.

From II 2047 Fighting strength: 5 officers, 54 officer cadets, 18 senior NCOs, 115 other ranks, plus 2 tank crews.

Casualties: Wounded 5 officer cadets, 5 other ranks.

Dead 3 other ranks.

7 light wounded back on duty.

To II 2245 Lieutenant Schöne: How did the food taste?

From II Lovely, we thank you!

The resources of the Panzergrenadier Division ‘Kurmark’ being recognised as inadequate to break the deadlock at Klessin, Grenadier Regiment 300, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Helmut Weber, was detached from the 303rd Infantry Division ‘Döberitz’ and given two or three days to prepare. Its task was both to relieve the Klessin garrison and re-establish firm defensive lines back to Grenadier Regiment 1242, at the same time apparently taking over control of this sector from the depleted 1242nd. Then, at the last minute, the promised armoured support was withdrawn.

The regiment advanced behind a heavy artillery barrage at 0515 hours on 20 March, only to find themselves heavily shelled in turn. However, moving fast, the commander of the 2nd Battalion, Captain Böge, managed to break through along the track to the hamlet with some of his men and some sappers of the Armoured Engineer Battalion ‘Kurmark’ within fifteen minutes. Losses among the attacking force were considerable and only 45 men eventually got through to Klessin, where Lieutenant Schöne handed over command of the garrison to Captain Böge, but was instructed by Regiment to continue reporting as before. The Soviets followed up their counter-bombardment with attacks from both north and south and soon regained their blocking positions as they systematically destroyed the 300th’s troops in their path.

At about 0900 hours a Volkssturm man of 7 Company who had been captured in the previous day’s fighting appeared with a Soviet demand for the garrison to surrender by 1400 hours. This demand. signed ‘The High Command of the Red Army’, was set out in proper German and promised, should they surrender, immediate attention to the wounded and immediate release to their homes once the war was over. It was ignored and the Volkssturm man rearmed and put back into the line, only to be killed later on. The radio log continues:

From II 1545 Request immediate recce along road to here whether trenches are free of enemy. Green flares if trenches free of enemy, otherwise red.

From II 1615 From 6 and Assault Companies. Trenches reoccupied by enemy. One to one and a half companies. An energetic attack with supporting fire could still regain these trenches today. Reserves close by. After break-in, strong protection to right and left.

To II 1656 Immediate radio silence except for urgent matters.

To II Request strengths of Böge elements there.

From II 1800 To Commanding Officer 300: Strength of 2nd Battalion 300:

HQ 2/3/10, 5 Company 1/2/7, 6 Company 0/1/7, Engineers 0/0/4, Storm Company 0/0/4, 2 Company 1/4/4.

From II 1948 Request running harassing fire on SPERBER during the night.

To II 2025 Where is your strength and casualty report?

To II 2055 We are trying again. Time 2300 hours.

From II To Regiment: Fighting strength 5 officers, 56 officer cadets, 17 senior NCOs, 110 other ranks, plus 2 tank crews.

Casualties: 3 other ranks wounded, 1 officer cadet dead.

Total wounded 64.

Air supply tomorrow necessary with batteries, food, flares, Verey cartridges, machine gun ammunition and hand grenades.

The 300th launched a second attack at 2330 hours with its greatly diminished resources, but this again was stalled by Soviet artillery fire with heavy loss. Attempts at relief involving some heavy fighting resumed on the 21st, as these extracts from the radio log show:

From II 0832 To Armoured Artillery Regiment ‘Kurmark’: from Forward Observer, 2nd Battery. Possibility exists that codes have been blown. Use new codes.

From II What is the situation?

To II New countermeasures being prepared.

From II 0935 To Commanding Officer 300: