ASL - Journal Magazines
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ASL - Journal Magazines
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Pavlov's House
A bunch of fanatical Russians try to keep the Germans out of a three storey building as they rush from all sides. A bloody battle with lots of very tall …
1942-10-15
Ragnarök
Ragnarök (the Norse Armageddon) was upon the SS Division Nordland. The Reichstag had fallen, and most of Berlin was at the mercy of the Red Army. The remains of Nordland seemed doomed, and Hauptsturmführer Hans-Gösta Pehrsson gave his last order as…
1945-05-02
Golden Pheasants
Only the truly fanatic remained in the old town by 19 April. General Simon now commanded only isolated bands of SS men or Luftwaffe troops here and there. Nazi political officers – known jokingly as “golden pheasants” for their love of fancy but…
1945-04-19
Three for the Third
As the Third Infantry Division approached the center of Nuremberg, the battle developed into the type of fighting the US had hoped to avoid. Slow, costly advances through the rubble-strewn streets deprived the XV Corps of their mobility advantage,…
1945-04-18
Circle of Doom
Nuremberg – “the most German of German cities” – would be defended by the 13th SS Corps of the First Army, and the 15,000 fanatic Nazis under General Max Simon were prepared to defend the old city “to the last bullet”. By April 15, they would get…
1945-04-16
Penny Packets
By the fifth day of the German attack, the race for Bastogne was over. The German units that weren’t able to bypass the strategic town would lay siege to it instead. Two of the best Wehrmacht formations in the Western Front were…
1944-12-21
Riding with the King
After three weeks of constant movement, the 2nd Ukrainian Front’s Debrecen attack bogged down. Large Red Army formations were encircled, and Hungary was committed to remain Germany’s last European ally. Trapped near Nagykallo, the VII Mechanized…
1944-10-25
All Down the Line
The 4th Parachute Brigade moved to seize the high ground around Koepel. However, the German defensive line along the Dreyenseweg, a road running north from Oosterbeek, would have to be overcome. Manning this line were elements of Kampfgruppe von…
1944-09-19
Light Aid Detached
Left behind in the Guards Armoured Division’s dash to Brussels, the Light Aid Detachment set up a repair facility in the quiet town of Lessines. Early on 4 September, the quiet was broken by excited townsfolk warning of a German column descending on…
1944-09-04
Point To Make
The northern wing of Guards Armoured Division expected a clear run to Brussels. Crossing the Somme battlefields of the First World War, the Grenadiers set their sights on Waterloo, where they had gained their title in 1815. Even after two tanks were…
1944-09-03
No Mercy in Burcy
As SS-Panzer-Division 9 attempted to encircle and isolate the 11th Armoured Division with concentric left and right flank attacks, it was left to the last divisional reserve, the Pionier battalion, to storm the center ground. The divisional artillery…
1944-08-03
Muddy Mayhem
Marine pioneers had constructed corduroy roads to bring forth armor and bulldozers to build fords across Suicide Creek. As soon as the ford was complete, the Marines began their assault across the stream and into the Japanese bunkers. The Marines…
1944-01-04
Diversion
As Marine pioneers attempted to build a ford across Suicide creek, the entire line was tasked with providing suppressive fore and diversionary attacks to keep the Japanese busy. Lt. Col. Williams, CO of the 3/7 Marines, ordered yet another crossing…
1944-01-03
Kerry's Crossing
In the Battle of Suicide Creek, the Marines moved tanks up though the jungle but could not get them across a high-banked creek - until Kerry L. Lane manned a bulldozer and, under intense fire and totally exposed to the enemy, dumped enough landfill…
1944-01-03
One Miserable Night
Throughout the course of the day, Marine pioneers and Navy Seabees had been building a corduroy road through the horrifically think jungle in an effort to bring up tanks, as well as bulldozers. The arrival of the Marine Shermans would have to wait…
1944-01-02
Jungle Infiltration
After hitting severe Japanese resistance along the stream that became known as Suicide Creek, the 7th Marine Regiment’s slog through the dense jungle of Cape Gloucester came to a halt as the Marines tired and failed to take the stream “on the fly”.…
1944-01-02
First Love
Company L of the 7th Marine Regiment was the left anchor of the Marines’ swing to the southeast to flank the Japanese defenders of Hill 600 and Borgen Bay. “Love” Company was the first to stumble upon a small stream that was unmarked on the maps…
1944-01-02
The Art of Dying
After a hard struggle, the Red Army had succeeded in establishing a significant bridgehead at Serafimovich, on the west bank of the Don. The German XVII Corps and the Italian XXXV Army Corps were assigned to a joint counterattack. At the crack of…
1942-09-01
Opium Hill
During the course of the Malayan campaign, the IJA landed in the north-western parts of Singapore on February the 8th. After the capture of Tengah airfield, the Japanese invading force, consisting of some 13.000 troops, moved south towards Pasir…
1942-02-14
Messervy's Men
As part of the British invasion of Eritrea, Colonel F.W. Messervy’s “Gazelle Force”, a motorized commando unit comprised of three machine gun companies, a filed gun battery and a mechanized cavalry unit, was established with the mission of creating…
1940-11-06
Ugly Faces
The Belgian town of Nieuport was to anchor the east end of a perimeter to keep the Germans from Dunkirk for as long as possible. Belgian forces had been expected to contribute to the defense,, but King Leopold, without consulting the allies,…
1940-05-28
Raid on Rodimtsev
The German 6th Army had been trying to cut of Rodimtsev’s 13th Guards from the rest of the 62nd Army. On the night of 1-2 October, the Germans had decided to try a new ploy by infiltrating 300 men from Infanterie-Division 295 down the main drain…
1942-10-02
Heroes of the Soviet Union
On 26 September, Lt. Anton Dragan and five other wounded survivors dug their way out of the rubbled strongpoint which German assault guns had collapsed. Emerging into darkness, Dragan sent his orderly Hozhushko out to scout the area. He returned…
1942-09-26
Bark You Dogs!
On 21 September, Lt. Anton Dragan and the remnants of his company from the 1st Battalion, 42nd Guards Regiment fell back to a three-story building on the corner of Komsomolskaya and Krasnopeterskaya, which they fortified. For the next five days,…
1942-09-26
Everything Is Lost
As the frontage of the various Russian corps's shortened because they were getting nearer to the center of Berlin, field artillery was incorporated into direct assault formations. The typical tactic (after a few days of figuring things out) was to…
1945-04-30
Bloody Bois Jacques
In an attempt to assault Bastogne from the east, the 26th Volksgrenadier Division infiltrated along the Bourcy-Bastogne rail line through a forested area known as the Bois Jacques (Jack’s Woods). This area marked the boundary between the US 501st and…
1944-12-22
Schloss Hemingstein
Always close enough to the battle to maintain his reputation as an action reporter, “Papa” Ernest Hemingway had become close friends with the commander of the 22nd Infantry Regiment, Colonel Charles Lanham. Lanham wanted to make sure Hemingway had…
1944-09-14
Ishun Tank Traps
Because of a severe shortage of self-propelled guns, a decision was made to equip the 1452nd Separate Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (SAP) with KV tanks, which had the most destructive armament of all the heavy tanks presented in the Crimea at…
1944-04-11
Sovkhoz Haystacks
In accordance with a combat order from headquarters, tanks of the 7th Independent Guards Heavy Tank Regiment occupied an all around defense at Telman sovkhoz (collective farm) and were prepared to fend off enemy tank attacks. This regiment was…
1944-01-28
Elephants Unleashed
The battle for Kursk had begun. After breaching the first line of defense, the 86. Infanterie-Division supported by the gigantic Ferdinand tank destroyers of schwere Panzer-Abteilung 654 continued toward the Russians' second defensive belt. But the…
1943-07-05
The Triangle
As the battle for Guadacanal raged 800 miles to the east, the Japanese had neglected the defense of the Papuan Peninsula. Decisive action by the Allies could crush the Japanese forces in New Guinea and thereby permanently remove the enemy threat to…
1942-11-21
Brigade Hill
Following a valiant defence of Isurava Village in late August, the Australians withdrew south, relentlessly pursued by the Japanese. The Japanese Nankai Shitai (South Seas Force) under the command of Major General Horii, were eager to inflict a…
1942-09-08
Last Push To Mozhaisk
After nearly a week of exhausting combat, the Russian 32nd Rifle Division had proved to be as effective as its German counterparts. In order to speed up the advance towards the Soviet capital, the Germans were compelled to break through Russian…
1941-10-17
The Marketplace at Wormhoudt
As the brief reprieve the Allies received when Hitler ordered the Panzers to halt at the Channel coast ended, the Leibstandarte was ordered to support the 20th Infanterie (Mot.) Division in the general offensive to crack the Dunkirk perimeter. The…
1940-05-28
Maczek Fire Brigade
At the initial stage of the German invasion of Poland, the XXII Corps had orders to break the defense south of Cracow, defended by the Polish 10th (Motorized) Cavalry Brigade. In charge of the brigade was Colonel St. Maczek, who immediately started…
1939-09-04
Defending The Voentorg
With “Pavlov’s House” and “Zabolotnov’s House” both still in no-man’s land, the Voentorg building on 9th January Square became a key position, dominating all movement through the square. The 42nd Guards company was soon reinforced by three anti-tank…
1942-09-22
Terror At Twilight
Two battalions of Regiment 194 were fighting hard to maintain their front along the riverbank, and pressure as increasing daily from both north and south. As light was fading on September 18th, a strong attack hit the southern flank, threatening to…
1942-09-18
Cellar Dwellers
The remnants of Captain Gerhard Munch’s 3rd Battalion had occupied the U-shaped State Bank building since September 14. The Russians counterattacked on the night of September 15th with a company of submachinegunners and managed to break into the…
1942-09-17
Prussia in Flames
On January 14th, Rokossovskiy's 2nd Byelorussian Front attacked north and nortwest from the Narew bridgehead. The aim was to reach the debouch of Weischel and Danzig. On the 20th Stavka suddenly ordered Rokossovskiy to change the attack in a…
1945-01-28
The Prelude to Spring
East and north of Budapest, the Russian front was advancing. The 2nd Panzer Army had to surrender the cities of Pecs and Mohacs on 29 November. An offensive by the 3rd Ukrainian Front came in a broad area between the Danube and Drava Rivers. Though…
1944-12-08
Marders not Martyrs
Too many recent examples of martyred German soldiers trying to stand their ground against the upgraded Soviet tanks had convinced German authorities to make changes. In late June, the 13th Panzer Division finally got an opportunity to refit their…
1942-09-10
Borodino Train Station
The armored spearheads of the 10th Panzer Division had reached an important railway junction on the road to Moscow. Kampfgruppe Hauenschildt was tasked to hold the Borodino Train Station while armored elements of the division were to push forward…
1941-10-16
Flanking Flamethrowers
The landscape south and west of Borodino was covered with snow by first light on 15 October, but the skies were clear. The 32rd Rifle Division was holding its ground against the German onslaught, when some fresh elements of the 86th Schützen Regiment…
1941-10-15
Lenin's Sons
To the south of Borodino, the SS Das Reich was committed to several actions aimed at breaking the Soviet lines in order to rush towards the east. The Der Fuhrer Regiment, fighting on the southern flank of the Division, had regrouped and was to seize…
1941-10-14
The Yelnya Bridge
After the collapse of Soviet forces facing Army Group Center, a handful of Russian units were sent to defend the main communications routes to Moscow -- the most critical of which was the Minsk highway which ran south of Borodino. Meanwhile, the 10th…
1941-10-13
The Coconut Plantation
The Japanese forces holding out on northern Bougainville had established a last line of defense across the Bonis Peninsula. To the north lay Buka Island and its airstrip – a key objecive in the Allied push towards Rabaul. A plan was devised to…
1945-06-09
For A Few Rounds More
As March 30th dawned, the U.S. 5th Infantry Division and the 3rd Armored Division advanced on the village of Menden in an effort to seal the encirclement of the Ruhr pocket. In front of the village, the 737th Tank Battalion found itself engaged by…
1945-03-30
On To Florence
During July the German Fourteenth Army's stubborn withdrawal up the Italian peninsular slowed. The intention of the German command was to keep the Allies out of the valley of the River Arno and give their reserve divisions time to prepare the Gothic…
1944-07-22
Lend-Lease Attack
The German High Command realized that Operation Bagration was indeed a large scale Soviet offensive. The first German reinforcements to arrive in Minsk from Ukraine were the 5th Panzer Division. Their first contact with the advancing Russian units…
1944-06-28
A Nice Morning For A Ride
After the night assault seized the bridge and a thin lodgement north of the Simeto, problems were experienced communicating to follow on units that the bridge had been captured. As the companies holding the lodgement began to come under increasing…
1943-07-16