A Group of Grenadiers of the SS Wiking Prepares for an Attack

In September 1942, the SS-Division ‘Wiking‘ began pushing eastward toward Sagopshi and Malgobek in Caucasus, but encountered very stiff resistance and suffered heavy casualties. On 28 September, ‘Wiking’ reached the outskirts of Sagopshi but the Soviets committed two tank brigades, which resulted in a large-scale tank battle outside the town. Most of the tank combat occurred at ranges of just 200 to 400m. ‘Wiking’ claimed to have knocked out 11 Soviet tanks in the action, but admitted losing about a dozen of their own. Despite heavy losses, the ‘Wiking’ continued to attack for another week, until it finally secured Malgobek on 6 October. After that, the division shifted to the defence and Koroteev’s 9th Army began launching regular counterattacks. Here, an assault group of SS Panzergrenadiers is about to launch an attack from dead space behind a barrage

Source :
Book "The Caucasus 1942-43; Kleist's Race for Oil" by Robert Forczyk and Steve Noon