Battle of Balabonowka

Battle of Balabonowka (also known as the Balabonowka Bag) was a battle between German and Soviet armor in Ukraine between 25 and 30 January 1944 during World War II. Genesis and development On January 25, 1944, after the Battle of Kursk, the German forces of Erich von Manstein were retreating from the Ukraine area towards Vinnitsa bordering the Dnieper River, their retreat was constantly threatened with being fenced off due to a series of Soviet offensives tending to pocket them. Von Manstein created a Kampfgruppe or mobile reserve with the remains of surviving units that had the mission of stopping these offensives acting independently of command. The Kampfgruppe named Schwere Panzerregiment Bäke was formed with the remnants of the 11th Panzerbake Regiment attached to the Panzer-Ableitung Regiment No. 503 led by the panzer ace, Franz Bäke, some artillery units and a corps of engineers, this unit operated between the I and IV Panzer Army. This rearguard group, the Panzerregiment Bäke surprised a regiment of the III Army of Soviet tanks in the steppe of Balabonowka and proceeded to attack them, the battle lasted 5 days in which the German armor composed by tanks Tiger and Panzer V Panther they eliminated 267 armored cars and 156 enemy guns finalizing the 30 of that month.

The Bäke unit only lost 5 tanks (4 Panther tanks and 1 Tiger). Franz Bäke received the Knight Cross Oak Leaves for these military achievements,

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