The Defense of the Vienna Bridgehead

Armored warfare can be viewed on many levels, but in the final analysis, it is the individual vehicle crews who decide the outcome of battles. The following is an account of a battle fought within a month of Germany’s surrender. It is remarkable for two reasons. The fact that Germany could still field forces capable of defeating a numerically superior enemy at this stage in the war is one aspect of the story. More fascinating, by far, is the impact that one tank and its crew could have on the outcome of a crucial battle for a key piece of terrain. It is an engagement worth studying for the lessons it still offers to modern day military professionals of the armor force. By early April 1945, Soviet armies were poised on the eastern edge of Germany’s heartland. The Wehrmacht put up stiff resistance where it still had enough strength left to do so, but the overwhelming materiel might of the Russian armies and air forces was making an effective defense of the remnants of the Third Reich increasingly dif- 26 ARMOR: The Magazine of Mobile Warfare ficult. Some German units, however, were able to fight and win classic delaying actions against the invading Soviet forces. One such action was fought in the city of Vienna in the second week of April, 1945. By the 12th of April, only one bridge over the Danube River was left standing in the vicinity of the city (see map, page 31). This was the Floridsdorf Bridge, located in the 21st District of Vienna. Elements of the Der Fuehrer and the Schutz Staffel Deutschland Panzergrenadier Regiments of the 2nd SS “... In the final analysis, it is the vehicle crews who decide the outcome of battles... 8 8 Panzer Division (Das Reich), perhaps two battalions in total, were still in possession of approximately one to two kilometers of Vienna on the southern side of the Floridsdorf Bridge. They were supported by a handful of tanks from the Das Reich Panzer Regiment. Attacked incessantly by the Russian forces and harried by urban guerillas friendly to the Soviets, the German forces fought stubbornly to buy time for their comrades setting up a defense on the northern bank of the Danube. The German infantry fought in three dimensions. Underground, the citizens of Vienna had broken passageways through the walls in their basements so that the city could be connected during air raids. The German infantry used this underground network extensively. The Soviets could control the street level for two blocks behind the German infantry who still controlled the basements. The same situation applied to the upper levels of the buildings. It was street fighting at its worst. The situation, put simply by one German who fought there, was “a mess.” Most of the German armor had been withdrawn from Vienna when the street fighting began. The Germans had learned the grim truth at Stalingrad that armor was severely handicapped in city fighting. Not only that, but should the Floridsdorf Bridge be destroyed, the German armor would be effectively trapped on the southern bank of the Danube. As it was, movement across the Floridsdorf Bridge was extremely difficult, as the Russian forces had it covered with both direct and indirect fire. The Soviets wanted to take the bridge intact to aid their advance. The Germans wanted to use it to buy time for an effective defense to be established behind the Danube and then to blow the bridge when the Soviets finally took it. To this end, the bridge was completely wired for demolition. The panzers of the Das Reich Panzer Regiment were established in leagers in the vicinity of Stammersdorf, approximately five kilometers north of the Floridsdorf Bridge. The tank crews had camouflaged their positions well, but more due to the habits acquired on the Western Front, where the allied air forces reigned supreme during the day, than to any fear of the incompetent ground attack pilots of the Russian Air Force. The common joke in the 2nd SS Panzer Division was that when the Russian Air Force made a bombing attack, the safest place to be was on the target. Early in the afternoon on 12 April, the regimental commander of the Das Reich Panzer Regiment, Standartenfeuhrer (Colonel) Enselin, called together all the tank crews whose vehicles were in the vicinity of the regimental headquarters in Stammersdorf. One such crew was that of tank number

1227. The crew had been together since the Battle of the Bulge, and was seasoned and experienced. The tank commander, Obersturm-feuhrer (First Lieutenant) Arno Giesen, was also the platoon leader of his Panther tank platoon. He had been with the 2nd SS Panzer Division since 1943, and had fought at Kursk, Normandy, the Bulge, and in the Hungarian Offensive of early 1945. He had, to date, 97 tank kills to his credit. Giesen was 19 years old. His gunner, Unterscharfeuhrer (Sergeant) Gert Ehegotz, had been with the unit since 1943 and was a superb and experienced tanker. Ehegotz was 23 years old. The driver, Unterscharfeuhrer Alwin Sternath, had been driving tanks in the 2nd SS Panzer Division since 1941, and was a master mechanic. At 44, he was one of the oldest men in theregiment, and was a personal friend of the regimental commander. He was like a father to the younger members of the crew, calling them all, even Giesen, by their ARMOR The Magazine of Mobile Warfare 27

“... Barkman was one of the most successful tank commanders of the war, with 82 tank kills to his credit..... nicknames. The loader, Rotten-feuhrer (Corporal) Fritz Sprieg, and the radioman, Unterscharfeuhrer Guenter Rau, were both seasoned combat veterans, and knew their jobs well. Sprieg and Rau were 19 and 20, respectively. The crew sat intently listening to what the regimental commander had to tell them. The regimental commander had to scream to the assembled men because 300 meters away a battery of Hummels, 155-mm self-propelled artillery pieces, were hammering away at the Russian positions. The situation on the other side of the Floridsdorf Bridge, he told them, was critical. The tanks supporting the infantry had nearly run out of ammunition. No trucks could get across the bridge due to the intense fire directed at it. A tank would have to cross the bridge with ammunition onboard to resupply the crews on the southern bank. Enselin asked for volunteers. The men were silent, for they knew it was a suicide mission. Enselin scowled, reminding them that their’s was an SS unit and there would be volunteers. Everyone looked at each other. Finally, Sternauth nudged Giesen, saying, “Bubie, (Le., “baby”), we’re going,” and raised his hand. Enselin saw the hand of his friend and laughed, remarking, “I knew I wouldn’t have to make this the first time I had to volunteer someone for a dangerous mission.” The crew of 1227 worked hard that afternoon preparing for the mission. The Panther was loaded with 92 rounds of 75-mm main gun ammunition, ten cases of machine gun ammunition, five insulated containers of hot food, and cigarettes and two bottles of cognac for good measure. In addition, it would pull an ammunition trailer containing an additional 50 rounds of main gun ammunition. Late in the afternoon, everything was ready. Giesen shook hands with Enselin and drove off towards the Danube. Around 1700, Giesen reached the bridge and directed his tank into a covered and concealed position. Sternauth and Giesen dismounted to make a leader’s reconnaissance ofthe bridge. On the friendly side of the bridge was a battery of 88-mm antitank guns, commanded by Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant) Struwe, a Luftwaffe officer. Struwe informed Giesen that there was a bomb crater in the middle of the bridge, making vehicular traffic hazardous at best. Giesen and Sternauth looked at the bridge through binoculars. Struwe asked them what they were going to do. When Giesen told him, Struwe looked incredulous. “Not for a million marks would I drive across that bridge,” Struwe gasped. “Only the Waffen SS could be so crazy!” Giesen’s plan was to drive across the bridge at full speed under the cover of darkness. Since the Panther had seven forward gears, it would be necessary to start the tank’s run at the bridge from two kilometers away. Under total blackout, this ride could well have been the crew’s last. The driver had to memorize every foot of the bridge and, from memory, swerve at exactly the right moment to avoid the crater and the dark Danube below. Giesen and Sternauth watched the bridge until it got dark, and then returned to their vehicle. Giesen directed his vehicle back along the road until it had plenty of running room. Struwe cleared the road. Giesen called the regimental headquarters and asked for artillery on the Kahlenburg, a known Russian artillery position, and for direct and indirect fire to be directed at the Russian positions on the southern bank. Enselin grabbed the radio mike. “Don’t ever think that we placed your head on a chopping block,” Enselin said. “Whatever we can do for you, by God, it will be done!” The regimental commander kept his word. As Giesen started his run at the bridge, German Hummels and Wespes (105-mm self-propelled artillery guns) hammered at the Kahlenburg and German units deployed on the northern bank fired away at their Soviet counterparts. The Panther got up to speed. As it passed Struwe, he rendered to Giesen a hand salute. Giesen smiled. He was more afraid of falling into the Danube than of being hit by Russian fire. Sternauth was the oldest and most experienced driver in the regiment, and that night he proved that he was also the best. Small arms fire ricocheted off the turret, but Sternauth drove the Panther safely to the southern side of the bridge. As soon as the tank drove off the bridge into the open plaza, however, all hell broke loose. A barrage of Russian artillery raked the area. Rounds impacted as close as 20 meters to the tank. The crew hustled the Panther into aside street where a scout directed it into position in the front line. Geisen exhaled deeply. The front line was quiet. Down the street was another Panther tank of the Das Reich, commanded by Oberscharfeuhrer (Sergeant First Class) Barkman. Giesen had never met Barkman, but he had heard of him. Barkman was one of the most successful tank commanders of the war, with 82 tank kills to his credit. He had fought in France, Russia, and the Western Front, and had been decorated with the Knight’s Cross. Giesen moved his Panther behind Barkman’sand dropped the ammunition trailer. Barkman’screw worked frantically to reload. They had been fighting constantly for several days and were down to five rounds of main gun ammunition. They also ate heartily from the rations which Giesen had carried over the bridge. Giesen backed his tank into a building for the night. He then dismounted to coordinate with Barkman. The situation was confused, Barkman related, but the Russians were still being kept from the bridge by the experienced and well-positioned German infantry. As Giesen and Barkman conferred, a tank suddenly appeared behind them. The infantry screamed that it was Russian. Giesen flew back to his tank as Barkman traversed his turret to the rear. The street was bedlam. German infantry and halftracks were in Barkman’s line of fire. A flare went up, illuminating the street. The Russian crew, suddenly realizing their situation, flew past Barkman towards their own lines. Barkman couldn’t traverse his turret fast enough to draw a 28 ARMOR: The Magazine of Mobile Warfare bead on it. The Russian tank escaped. Barkman restored order. He got the half-tracks off the street and under shelter. The infantry went for cover. Just as quiet once again returned to the street, Barkman's tank exploded, the victim of a panzerfaust (bazooka) fired by an urban guerilla from a building across the street. Barkman and his entire crew were killed. The German infantry reacted with a viciousness all too common on the Eastern Front. They cleared the building room by room with grenades and satchel charges, reducing it to rubble. Anyone inside, civilian or enemy military, were killed. Giesen was finally able to take control and restore order. The street battle raged. The ammunition in Barkman's tank continued to explode. Giesen reported to regimental headquarters and received orders to hold the bridgehead until the following night. The street quieted. Giesen instituted the sleep plan for his crew. At 0400 he was awakened with orders to move his tank to the infantry command post in control of the bridgehead. When Giesen arrived, the defense for that day was coordinated by Sturm-bannfuehrer Schmidt, who was in charge of the command post. Giesen was informed that only his tank and one other, a Mark IV, were still operational. Four tanks had been destroyed during the night by guerillas. "he infantry had the buildings and streets in the city blocked by dynamite charges and covered with automatic weapons from basements and rubble. The problem was the road along the riverfront park, which could not be blocked on the east side. The Mark IV, being the less capable tank, would protect the western approach to the bridge along the riverfront road behind a barricade of steel railroad ties. Giesen, along with two 75-mm antitank guns, would defend the eastern approach. Giesen expressed his concern about guerillas. Schmidt promised to occupy or guard all buildings along the riverfront within the German sector, preventing anyfur-ther attacks by guerillas on the remaining two tanks. Satisfied, Giesen'screw took up position in the riverfront park and settled down to what for them would be one of the busiest days of the war. Giesen used the foliage in the park for concealment. Around 0800, the first T-34 appeared on a cuwe in the street 900 meters away to the east. Giesen let the enemy tank approach. The T-34 came forward a few hundred meters and then suddenly made a sharp left turn into aside street. At that moment, Ehegotz squeezed the trigger, hitting the T-34 in the right rear. The target exploded, the first of fourteen kills that day for Giesen. Throughout the morning, four more tanks appeared out of the side streets, and Ehegotz had afield day hitting them in the flank as they came into the open. Around noon, a Russian jeep appeared with four soldiers waving a large Soviet flag and drinking vodka out of bottles. They appeared to be enjoying their ride along the beautiful riverfront park, until Rau and Ehegotz sprayed them with machine gun fire and killed them all (the Panther had a hull machine ARMOR: The Magazine of Mobile Warfare 29 gun operated by the radioman, along with the coaxial machine gun in the turret). Russian infantry, meanwhile, was clawing its way from building to building along the riverfront towards the bridge. Giesen’s tank started to receive hits from rifle grenades, which could not, however, penetrate the frontal armor of the Panther. Giesen backed his tank into hull defilade towards the Danube and then mowed the buildings occupied by the Russian infantry with machinegun and main gun fire, collapsing them. No more rifle grenades were fired at the Panther. Early in the afternoon, IG2 fighter bombers, the Iron Gustau, appeared overhead. They did not dive to attack like the German Stuka or the American P-47 Thunderbolt, but dropped their bombs while flying high and level. The bombs fell everywhere, on friend and foe alike. The IL2s returned every 45 minutes that day, but never bombed with great accuracy. Around 1400, the commander of the German infantry along the riverfront buildings, Obersturm-fuehrer Weber, informed Giesen that a Russian Stalin tank was sitting in aside street just outside the German perimeter. The Germans had a great respect for the JS-I11 with its thick armor and 122- mm main gun. Giesen dismounted to make a leader’s reconnaissance with Weber. Through the labyrinth of rubble that was Vienna, the two made their way to a position from which they could observe the enemy tank. What they found was comical chaOS. The Russian tank was sitting on aside street about 75 meters from the riverfront road and facing north. On top of it was a Russian infantry squad drinking, smoking, and taking a rest from the war. Giesen told Weber to have a squad of men ready with panzerfausts and automatic weapons. After Giesen shot the tank, the infantry should fire their weapons to clean up any survivors. Armed with the information gathered on his reconnaissance, Giesen returned to his Panther. The Germans made a practice of distributing books to their tank crews with all technical data available on enemy armored vehicles. Giesen checkedfor the height of the Stalin tank. He wanted to lay the main gun for correct elevation and deflection before he moved on the better armed and armored Soviet vehicle. Giesen briefed his crew, especially the driver and the gunner. The driver’s task was especially difficult. Sternauth would have to move the tank forward until the gunner had a clear shot at the enemy vehicle. He would have to drive smoothly to provide a good firing platform (the shot would be made on the move). After the round went off, he would have to put the tank in reverse and get away from the Russian’s field-of-fire in case Ehegotz missed. With the crew properly briefed, the main gun was laid for elevation and deflection, and a practice exercise was made in a short space in the park. The crew reported ready. Surprise was crucial to success. The infantry fired their automatic weapons down the riverfront street 30 ARMOR The Magazine of Mobile Warfare to the east both to discourage any Russian moves down the riverfront while Giesen was occupied with the Stalin tank and to drown out the noise of the Panther. Sternauth nudged the Panther forward. The crew of the Stalin remained unaware of the impending doom moving towards them. The Panther crept on until the enemy tank filled thegunner’s sights. The ride was steady, and Ehegotz fired. The 75-mm overlong barrel recoiled and the round found its target. It hit the forward flank of the Stalin just below the turret ring. The Stalin’s fuel and ammunition exploded. Immediately, three pan-zerfuusts impacted on the hull of the burning tank. Machine gun fire raked the entire area. For the rest of that day, the Soviets never again attempted to move down that street. Giesen moved his tank back down into hull defilade. The time was 1415. Giesen’s major worry was that the Russians would position an antitank gun at the curve in the street away to the east. For that reason, he positioned his Panther’swell-sloped frontal armor in that direction. That decision would save his life, for in a few minutes three T-34s appeared at the end of the street in column, along with a platoon of infantry on foot. The Russians raced for the cover of the foliage along the river. Giesen and his crew reacted automatically. Ehegotz fired round after round at the enemy tanks. Sprieg was busy pumping rounds into the breech. The main gun became a large caliber machine gun at the hands of the experienced crew. It was standard operating procedure in the German army to operate with closed hatches in combat and the tank soon filled with fumes from the expended main gun rounds. The turret blower was kept off because it interfered with the crew’s intercommunication system. Giesen vomited, but kept on fighting. All three T-34s were destroyed in a matter of seconds. Second rounds were fired into the dead hulks, causing catastrophic explosions. The German infantry screamed with delight and eliminated the Russian infantry platoon. “Alwin, back up!” Giesen ordered. The tankers of the German army made it a point never to stay in the ”... Around 1700, four T-34s appeared at the curve and roared down the riverfront road toward the bridge... # I f. vd UDefense of the Vienna Bridgehead \ N 0 E: A l l. m -.long D.””b. rmmm, - b v N b b h. r o d A same place after firing several rounds from it. The chance of detection was just too great. Sternauth stomped down hard on the accelerator. The tank lurched back. Suddenly, an enemyround glanced off the front slope, just in front of the radioman’s position. “We’re hit, we’re hit!” Rau screamed. “Shut up! Don’t lose your head!” Giesen yelled back as he took charge of the situation. His fear had come true. While he was busy with the T-346, a Russian antitank gun had been set into place to the east. It was kill or be killed. “Guenter, suppression!” Giesen ordered. Rau regained his composure. The hull machine gun rattled away at the Russian gun crew to keep them occupied. “Antitank gun!” yelled Giesen. An antitankround was currentlyin the breech, but it was faster to fire it off than to unload it. Ehegotz squeezed the trigger and emptied the breech. “High explosive!” ordered Giesen. The loader obliged by loading an antipersonnel round. “Fire!” Giesen screamed, and round after round sought out the antitank gun and its crew. Smoke again filled the turret and Giesen vomited once more. but there was nothing left in his stomach. The antitank gun, however, was utterly demolished. The German infantry again screamed their approval and joined in the chorus with their automatic weapons. “Alwin, back up!” The driver moved the tank back, this time into a hide position from which it could not be engaged. The danger, for now, had passed. The crew caught their collective breath. Giesen talked with Rau and calmed him down. In combat, an excited crew was a dead crew. The hatches were opened and the tank was aired out. Coffee was brewed to clear their parched throats. Sounds of the dead Russian vehicles still exploding could be heard in the distance. Giesen planned his next move. He had to get his vehicle back into firing position. He ordered Sternauth to back the vehicle and to move up the slope in a different area so as not to reappear in the same position from which he had last fired. The front slope was still facing the curve. The time was nearly 1600. Around 1700, four T-34s appeared at the curve and roared down the riverfront road towards the bridge, much like they had in the morning. Giesen’screw again reacted me-chanicallv. for in combat there was ARMOR: The Magazine of Mobile Warfare 31 no time to think about what had to be done. An antitank round was already in the breech. The gunner always engaged from front to rear. His range was set. Such being the case, the enemy tanks could be engaged with a minimum of commands. As the T-34s came on, they fired their weapons wildly into the houses along the riverfront. The experienced German infantry sat tight. Giesen let the Russians close to within 300 meters before giving the command to fire. The first round hit the turret of the lead vehicle, partially dislodging it. The Russians panicked. They saw an escape route down aside street to the left and rushed for it. That was exactly what Giesen wanted. As the T-34s turned to enter the street, Ehegotz hit them in their flanks, destroying three out of the four. Dead Russian vehicles and personnel littered the street. Another assault towards the bridge had been crushed. N o more Russian tanks would venture towards the bridge before sunset. It was just as well for the Germans that the Russians did not attack again soon, for Giesen’s turret had jammed. Giesen informed Weber and Schmidt that he would have to move his tank to the cover of the underground garage of a nearby building when darkness fell. At dusk, Giesen backed his tank all the way to the bridge, then moved forward and crossed the street into the safety of the underground garage. The crew went to work trying to find the obstruction in the turret ring. Rau and Giesen dismounted with panzerfausts as security. Around 1900, the infantry used the lull in the battle to begin redeployment across the Floridsdorf Bridge. In small groups, on foot and in half-tracks, the infantry left the ruin of Vienna. German guns were ready on the north bank to silence any Russian fire directed at the bridge, but surprisingly the Russian reaction to the move was very lethargic. Around 2030, Giesen heard Russian tanks approaching the bridge. They came past the hulks of their comrades and passed by the building where Giesen had hidden his tank. Giesen called the command post. “Don’t get excited and blow the bridge, whatever happens, until I’m across!” he told them. It was the fourth time that day that Giesen had reminded the command post about that crucial issue. The situation, however, was under control. The Germans did not panic. NO infantry accompanied the Russian vehicles. They would not have made it to the bridge anyway, as the German infantry had the riverfront wellcovered with automatic weapons. The Russian tanks drove up to the plaza by the bridge and stopped. There they formed a 360 degree perimeter. Giesen took Rau and three panzerfausts and went hunting. They crossed the street into the riverfront park and crept up to the edge of the plaza. They could hear the Russians cursing inside their tanks, scared and nervous about the quiet surrounding them. Suddenly, the Russians started their engines and began to move back towards their lines. Giesen let the first two tanks pass and then Rau and he let loose with their panzerfausts. Giesen destroyed the rear tank, but Rau only clipped his target. Giesen let loose the third panzerfaust and the second T-34 also exploded. The other two T-34s headed at top speed for safety. No more Russian attacks would come that night. Giesen had just destroyed his thirteenth and fourteenth tanks this day, an admirable accomplishment by any standard. Giesen returned to his tank and found out that his crew had cleared the obstruction in the turret. The infantry command post moved back and colocated with Giesen’s tank. Theinfantry saw their opportunity during the lull in the battle after the destruction of the Russian tanks. Group after group crossed the bridge, evacuating the bridgehead. Giesen placed his tank behind a sandbag wall prepared for him by the infantry. Weber stayed with a machine gun crew as a rearguard. The time was 2130. Giesen arranged with Schmidt that by 2245, all other vehicles and personnel would be across the bridge. The night was fairly quiet. At 2230, the Mark IV crossed the bridge. At 2300, the infantry command post evacuated. “I’ll see you in Stammersdorf,” Giesen told Sturmbannfuehter Schmidt. “You seem to be pretty confident about that,” Schmidt replied. Giesen smiled. “I’ve been confident all day long.” Schmidt laughed. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll wait for you on the other side of the bridge.” “And you know what not to do when you get there?” queried Giesen. “Yeah, I know,” replied Schmidt, laughing. “Don’t blow the bridge!” Only Giesen’s Panther and Weber’s machine gun crew remained in Vienna. Giesen backed his Panther to the bridge, keeping his front slope towards the enemy. The infantry crossed the bridge on foot, using the railings as cover. Giesen gave them a few minutes and then followed, keeping his turret over the rear deck and facing Vienna. In a few minutes the Panther was across to the north side. The time was 2315, 13 April 1945. The Vienna bridgehead had been safely evacuated. For his heroic efforts in resupplying and defending the Vienna Bridgehead, Giesen was awarded the Knight’s Cross.

PETER R. MANSOOR was commissioned in Armor from West Point in 1982, the top cadet in his class. He was also an honor graduate of the Infantry Mortar Platoon Course and the Armor Officer‘s Basic Course and is a graduate of the Airborne Course at Ft. Benning, GA. He served as tank platoon leader, D Company, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, cav-alryplatoon leader in ATroop and as XO, D Company. He is currently assistant regimental S3 with that unit. 32 ARMOR: The Magazine of Mobile Warfare