The 11th Army, advancing on the right side of Army Group South, skirted the Rumanian border with the Black Sea port of Odessa as its primary objective. The small town of Balta, located 120 miles northwest of Odessa, had changed hands several times during recent fighting, but was currently held by the Russians in battalion strength...

The 11th Army, advancing on the right side of Army Group South, skirted the Rumanian border with the Black Sea port of Odessa as its primary objective. The small town of Balta, located 120 miles northwest of Odessa, had changed hands several times during recent fighting, but was currently held by the Russians in battalion strength. As the German 239th Infantry Division attacked to the east of the town, and the Rumanian 6th lnfantry Division attacked to the west, the 744th Engineer Regiment, less one company, was ordered to take Balta, preparatory to building a 24 ton highway bridge across the Kodyma Riverjust south of the town. At the time, Company C, 744th Enginecrs under command of Lieutenant Ehrhart, was temporarily attached to the 239th, repairing vehicular bridges east of Balta. Upon learning that his parent unit was encountering difficulty reaching Balta, Lt. Ehrhart, on his own initiative, decided to take the town with a surprise attack from the east.