But the storm broke on 24 December 1943 - 1000 Soviet tanks smashed southwest towards Manstein's headquarters at Vinnitsa, 80km (50 miles) away. On 27 December the Russian force rolled on into Kazatin. The 1st Panzer Division pushed south to retake the town and the Leibstandarte manoeuvred in front of Berdichev to stop a massive column of tanks heading towards it.

T-34 avalanche

On 29 December the Russians attacked in strength, launching more than 150 tanks along the length of the Leibstandarte's front. That morning it could only get four Tigers, eight Panzer IVs, seventeen Panthers, fifteen StuG IIIs and four Marder self-propelled anti-tank guns into the line to meet the Soviet onslaught. Two assault guns and a couple of 88mm guns had to meet an attack by forty T-34s. They knocked out nine of them, and then the intervention of a Tiger destroyed eight more, driving off the attack. A pair of Panthers saw off a breakthrough during the afternoon, and the 88mm flak guns also accounted for many T-34s. In total, some 59 Russians tanks were knocked out in front of the division's line. During the early evening, however, a force of 65 enemy tanks had skirted round the northern end of the Leibstandarte's line.

The Waffen-SS held the line with grim determination during 30 December, but the pressure became unbearable on the final day of 1943. Hundreds of T-34s surged forward, to be met by a hail of fire which knocked out 25 of them. As darkness descended, the division was ordered to fall back as part of a deliberate withdrawal by XXXXVIII Panzer Corps from Berdichev. During the five days of the battle the Russians had lost more than 200 tanks in front of Balck's corps front. But the Germans had also lost equipment, which could not easily be replaced.

The Leibstandarte Division was pulled out of the line near Berdichev in the first days of January 1944, and then moved north to try to close a gap in the front between XXXXVIII Panzer Corps and LIX Corps. By the time the Leibstandarte Division was pulled out of the line for rest and refitting itself, it had claimed 288 Soviet tanks destroyed since the start of its Christmas offensive. Away from the frontline, the Leibstandarte Division was soon able to repair its damaged vehicles, and on 21 January 1944 it had 22 Panthers, 25 Panzer IVs, 1 Tiger and 27 StuG IIIs ready for action. All these vehicles would soon be needed on the Eastern Front.

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