TheCodeBreakers
Eastern Front, mounted to flatten the Kiev salient and further forestall
Soviet offensive propensities. The 48th Panzer Corps had as its objective
the disruption of the Russian 60th Army. Air reconnaissance produced
no information, and the corps decided not to send out ground scouts for
fear of alerting the Russians. The attack at 6 a.m. December 6 completely
surprised the Russians, who recoiled in confusion.
In those days [wrote the corps' chief of staff, Colonel F. W. von
Mellenthin] we were really good at intercepting Russian wireless
traffic; enemy messages were promptly deciphered and passed to
Corps in time
to act on them. We were kept well informed of Russian reactions
to our movements, and the measures they proposed to take, and
we modified our own plans accordingly. At first the Russians
underestimated the importance of the German thrust. Later a few
antitank guns were thrown into the fray. Then slowly the Russian
annaabi.ee 
