Division pulled off a masterly stroke with the Enginers platoon of
Headquarters Company, 394th Rifle Regiment.
South-east of Tula he seized the railway bridge over the Upa in a
a very special trick.
The main fighting line ran four miles from the bridge. Four miles of
flat, frozen ground with no cover for creeping up to the bridge and
just as the Germans, clung to the villages at night because of the
cold, and he therefore believed that it might be possible in the dark
to filter through a thin enemy picket-line.
The plan was put into effect. An assault party of altogether nineteen
men with three machine-guns, relying only on their compass, moved
softly forward through the black night and the Russian lines. When
dawn broke they were 500 yards from the bridge. Then came the second
part of the plan.
battle equipment and dressed themselves up as German prisoners.
Pistols and hand-grenades were stowed away in their overcoat pockets.
Two Ukrainians, Vassil and Yakov, who had been with the sapper platoon
for the past two months, shouldered their rifles. In their Russian
greatcoats and forage caps they looked absolutely genuine. Talking
Russian in loud voices, they led their three 'prisoners' towards the
bridge while Sergeant Heyeres and his men were waiting under cover.
The first Soviet bridge guard of four men were asleep in two foxholes.
The action took only a few seconds, and there was no sound.
Now the five were heading for the 80-yard-long bridge. Their footsteps
rang on the hard ground. Vassil and Yakov, talking at the top of their
voices, acted their part magnificently. They had nearly got to the
bridge when a shadow detached itself from it. A sentry was coming
towards them. "Just the man we want," Vassil said loudly. "We are from
the next sector, but perhaps you can take these fascists off our
hands."
It was all over before the Russian suspected anything. But the second
sentry at the end of the bridge was watching intently.
And as they came nearer he challenged them, became suspicious, jumped
down the bank under cover, and raised the alarm.
Too late.
top of the bridge with his machine-gun and fired for all he was worth.
Beyle and Strucken flung their hand-grenades against the dugouts of
the bridge guard. The Soviets came staggering out, still dazed with
sleep, and raised their hands: 87 prisoners, five machine-guns, two
heavy anti-tank guns, three mortars, and an intact assault bridge were
the bag made by this handful of German troops.
Their cunning and courage had gained the equivalent of a victorious
battle.
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