The Leibstandarte and Das Reich Divisions were the most successful units on the German southern wing on the first day of the offensive. Their army comrades on each wing got bogged down in the thick mud and the numerous Soviet minefields.

The German attack falters

Throughout the night, the Waffen-SS commanders reorganized their forces to punch through the second line of enemy defences as soon as it got light. Again a massive artillery and rocket launcher bombardment was planned, to be followed by an infantry assault with Tiger tank support. It took almost two hours for the Leibstandarte's panzergrenadiers to clear paths through the Soviet mine belts and blow holes in the barbed-wire entanglements. Daylight came, and in four more hours of fighting the Waffen-SS men cleared out the enemy bunkers and gun positions.

Meanwhile, the Das Reich's Der Führer Panzergrenadier Regiment was repulsed with heavy losses when it tried to take a strongpoint in its sector. A divisional-sized artillery fire mission was needed to clear the way forward.

SS-Standartenführer Theodor Wisch, the Leibstandarte's new commander, was forward in his armoured halftrack watching the battle, and once the panzergrenadiers had cleared a passage through the enemy position he gave orders for his panzer kampfgruppe to motor northwards. It had barely moved a few hundred metres forward when more than 45 T-34s charged out of a wood directly at the Waffen-SS tanks. Eight were knocked out by the panzers, while Stuka dive-bombers picked off another three before the Soviet tanks retreated. The panzers were rearmed and refuelled in the forward battle zone from halftrack supply vehicles, before moving forward again later in the afternoon, with panzergrenadiers providing support in armoured carriers. They only got a few kilometres north before the force ran into a massive pak-front and huge minefield. Four tanks and many halftracks were lost to mines. At the same time as the Leibstandarte Division's panzers were rolling forward, Das Reich's panzer kampfgruppe and reconnaissance battalion were ordered to exploit the breach created by their own panzergrenadiers. They destroyed 10 Soviet tanks, but were stopped in their tracks by anti-tank fire which hit a number of Tigers. Again the Soviets had managed to halt the German attack and prevent the panzers breaking into the open countryside.

Dat two: Soviet counterattacks

Out on the Waffen-SS right flank, the Totenkopf Division was still battling to cut through the 52nd Guards Rifle Division, which was tenaciously holding its main defence position. Attacks in the late morning broke the back of the defence, though, and the Totenkopf was able to make big gains. However, in the afternoon large Soviet counterattacks by II Guards Tank Corps battered the division's right flank. Waves of armour surged forward, with some attacks involving more than 300 Soviet tanks.

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