APPENDIX E
During the three days the regiment fought against superior German tank forces during which Krusze was captured. By 19 August 1944, the regiment approached Krusze, and by 21 August 1944, the village had been captured, with the regiment operating from ambush positions. The regiment had to repel several enemy counterattacks, after which the enemy started operating in small groups in order to locate our positions and destroy our Josef Stalin tanks. Due to our constant moving of positions, the regiment managed to avoid significant losses and repel any German counterattacks and slowly advance toward Krusze.
German losses:
2 Tigers knocked out
20 Panthers
1 Panther captured intact
Our losses:
1 Josef Stalin tank destroyed, completely burnt out
2 Josef Stalin tanks severely damaged
Casualties:
2 dead and 12 wounded
To back up the Russian claims, listed below are the official total losses for the 9th German Army for the same period:
SS-Totenkopf—19 August 1944—3 Tigers
SS-Totenkopf—20 August 1944—4 Panthers
SS-Wiking—20 August 1944—18 Panthers