The Central Front D+11 (20 July, 1987) Part II

0445-1200 The river crossing operation began on time. At Alfeld, two battalions of artillery lashed the ridge on the western side overlooking the river with high explosive rounds. This was the area where the American tanks and fighting vehicles were dug in. The next volley from the guns delivered a thick screen of smoke onto …

The Central Front D+11 (20 July, 1987) Part I

NATO forces had been chased across the Leine completely. Soviet tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and troops were pressed up against the eastern bank of the river. The 56th Guards Motor Rifle Division was spread at Brüggen, Alfeld, and Freden. The division’s engineering battalion had been savaged by an air attack on its assembly area the …