4. POINT PEIPER
KRASNAYA POLYANA, RUSSIA, February 13, 1943: The second winter in Russia was coming to an end. The Wehrmacht's summer offensive had died in the ruins of Stalingrad and now the Red Army had swung into action with aim of of capturing Kharkov. As a result many German formations had been cut off. One such unit, the 320th Infantry Division, had been reduced to a floating pocket of mostly walking wounded. The call went out to the newly arrived Leibstandarte Division for help. A KampfGruppe under the command of Jochen Peiper was despatched to link up and rescue their trapped Army comrades. After a sharp fight they linked with the 320th and then began retracing their path, convoy in tow, reaching their original crossing on the river Udy at dawn. Unfortunately for the Germans the bridge had been destroyed and the nearby village of Krasnaya Polyana occupied by a Soviet ski battalion. Knowing that each moments delay meant more fatalities amongst the convoy, Peiper ordered his vanguard to seize the village and crossing point.