Meanwhile a renewed Russian attack on the German rear was repulsed by the 5th Panzer regiment of the Wiking division, which was itself completely destroyed in the process. During the day General Stemmerman had been killed by anti-tank fire as he attempted to change command posts and General Lieb had assumed command.

Leon Degrell, serving with the Wallonian Brigade, part of the SS Wiking Division, described the ensuing panic;

”In a frantic race to escape, some carts carrying the wounded overturned. Suddenly a column of Russian tanks appeared and drove over the carts, smashing them one by one like boxes of matches. They machine gunned the horses and ran over the wounded crushing them beneath their tracks.”