Schlacht bei Diemelstadt
D+29 | 18 August 1989, 12:00hrs - 16:00hrs vs @ Warburg
The Warsaw Pact offensive initially made good progress, especially in the north but failed to breach the Weser River. The communist offensive stalled and both sides settled down to operational pauses. Like two weary and battered prize fighters resting in their corners, both the Warsaw Pact and NATO armies rested and refitted over a ten-day period. Then, in mid-August, the Pact resumed the offensive with heavy pressure on the West German III Corps. The Fresh Polish Operational Front hit the West Germans hard, trying to outflank NORTHAG by driving towards Dortmund.
The West German 2nd Panzergrenadier Division was the III Corps back-stop to prevent the Polish advance on Dortmund. The Division moved into position but was not able to solidify the defense when the Poles struck. Panzerbrigade 6 cobbled together a Kampfgruppe and sent it forward along Autobahn 44 to set up a blocking position just east of Diemelstadt where the autobahn passed through a saddle, a perfect place for such a defensive position. The plan was to delay the Polish force long enough for the rest of the division to establish a more solid defense in the rugged terrain along the axis of advance to Dortmund.
The Polish 16th Mechanized Division, in the first echelon, received orders to advance quickly along Autobahn 44 and break through the West Germans before their defenses were fully established. Intelligence detected a small West German force digging in where Autobahn 44 passes between high ground just a few kilometers east of Diemelstadt. The to move forward quickly and clear the route of West Germans fell on the 55th Mechanized Regiment. At noon on August 18, the T-55 tanks and BMP IFVs of the regiment moved out on the attack.
Scenario by Fred Schwarz | Map by David Whitt