Regiments: The Evacuation of Bischofroda

 

Chapter 56

Ivan Feels the Heat

By late summer, it was clear to the Soviet high command that the war was not going well.  Despite endless propaganda articles in Eastern Bloc periodicals, as well as select Western outlets sympathetic to the Soviet invasion of West Germany, it was clear to serious analysts that the Pact armies were beginning to lose the initiative. This was made abundantly clear when Soviet forces began a surreptitious evacuation of occupied Bishofroda.  

"We were told that our forces' success on the battlefield required...how did they put it? Oh yeah. That it 'necessitated a redeployment of forces from Bischofroda to other areas to cement our great communist victory,'" remarked Sławomir Milko with a sardonic smirk on his face. A former colonel in the armed forces of Poland, Milko has been an outspoken critic of the USSR's ill-fated attack in the post-war years.  "So, with victory all but certain, my men were given the job of defending the area of Bishofroda while an evacuation of our comrades took place." He laughs. "Some contradiction, eh?"

Soviet trucks evacuate Warsaw Pact personnel from Bischofroda

"Of course, this was very dispiriting for my soldiers as we were constantly told how we were winning the war. If we were, why the evacuation? Why the retreat? Kremlin bastards..."

Colonel Milko and his men of the 8. Pulk Czolgow did not have time to ponder this contradiction as NATO scouts soon began probing the Polish tank regiment's position.  

Dug-in Polish tanks engage a NATO probing attack

"Initially, it was mostly American light equipment - some ATGM-equipped [Anti-Tank Guided Missile] HUMVEEs with dismounted infantry - that first hit our lines," recalled Leopold Leśko, who served as a gunner on a Polish T-72 tank.  "They were easily rebuffed by our dug-in armor.  Still, it made for quite a show!"

American light vehicles burn in the distance with Polish dismounted infantry in the foreground

"Then they hit us further south," remarked Milko.  "This was typical behavior for a probing attack. You push here, you push there. It is all about finding a weak point in the defensive line." Col. Milko chuckles. "Unfortunately for the Americans, we Poles don't have weak points!"

Pact troops engage a NATO probe attempting to breach a defensive position

While both initial NATO probes failed to penetrate far into Pact defensive lines, NATO SEAD [Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses] proved deadly. The prowess of NATO air power was a continuing narrative of World War III in Europe, as many historical studies have since demonstrated. [Most recently, Sir General Alfred Hamshire's The Bloody Skies: A Narrative of the Air Campaign in CENTAG.]

"The bastards were sneaky!" recalled Tobiasz Staroń, who was attached to an air defense unit built around the formidable ZSU-24-4 Shilka.  "Suddenly, we came under fire from our rear! Somehow the NATO boys snuck behind us and began hitting us with cannon fire. Then, just to seal the deal, two of those damnable [A-10] Warthogs hit us. I was never sure what killed our vehicle. But that was the end of my war. I spent the rest of the year recovering in a hospital. Unfortunately, the rest of my crew was not as fortunate."

A pair of ZHU-24-4 Shilkas are knocked out of action

The main thrust of the NATO attack would culminate around a small collection of residential homes that sat across a vital road.  It was here that the greatest pressure was applied to Milko's position. "We were told to hurry, hurry, hurry!" recalled Marek Ptak, at the time a private tasked with assisting the evacuation. "'There was no time to waste!' shouted an officer constantly. I found this odd. I mean, how could NATO forces be so close when we were winning the war?"

The evacuation continues...

"It turns out he was right, though."

NATO artillery shells detonate in the skies near residential homes in Bischofroda

"Suddenly, I heard 'pop! pop! pop!  I was inside a house that was being used as a regimental intelligence HQ, grabbing boxes of documents and lord knows what else and running them to the trucks. I stopped what I was doing and ran outside to look. I was shocked to see NATO arty [artillary] detonating over the troops dug in at the edge of the town.  It was a chilling sight! Of course, it was only the beginning. All hell broke loose right after that harbinger."

NATO heavy artillery hits dug in Pact positions

NATO mounted such a strong attack that Col. Milko needed to call for reinforcements. "There was a Soviet tank company held in reserve. Honestly, I think they were there to keep an eye on us as much as the enemy - the lingering effects of the crushed Solidarity movement, you understand.  Regardless, I needed them and didn't hesitate to make the request."

A Soviet tank company, along with helicopter gunships, rushes to relieve beleaguered Polish forces in the distance

"It was barely enough!  A Soviet tank company is a powerful force on the field of battle," added Milko. "But the new American tanks, the [M1] Abrams, quickly inflicted damage to the relief company. They even managed to so savage a platoon that it was forced to retreat!" Milko takes a drag on his smoldering cigarettes, spits on the ground, and adds, "So much for our Soviet masters."

A Soviet tank burns while its compatriots retreat behind a smokescreen 

"The battle ebbed and flowed for quite some time. I wasn't sure who was going to win. I can say that now," says Milko with a smile. The Americans were pushing us hard. They really wanted that position. At one point, some of our dismounted infantry ran out of ammo fending off NATO forces!"

During a lull in the fighting, ammo is delivered to defending Pact forces 

"Nonetheless, our brave troops held the line, allowing the evacuation to be successfully completed. I tell you, I was glad to get out of there later that evening, under cover of darkness and a steadily worsening rainstorm."

A Warsaw Pact BMP burns while its fellow vehicles hold the line against a determined NATO attack

"I had 15 dead, 52 wounded and 14 vehicles knocked out, and for what? A glorious retreat?"

A helicopter gunship and a BMP stand guard outside Bischofroda after the battle

"Things would only get worse, of course," concludes Milko with sadness on his face. "I think that was the beginning of the end."