At the end of January 1944, the 5th WSS Panzer Division "Wiking" was encircled in the Cherkasy pocket along with five other German divisions.

June 23, 2023

The pocket was surrounded by 35 Soviet divisions and was compressed to 100 square kilometers. This time Hitler allowed the breakout attempt and the Div. "Wiking" as the only armored division in the pocket and also well equipped, led the strike to the south. After the element of surprise had passed, the Russians began a heavy counterattack with armored support.

However, the onset of a snowstorm gave the German troops excellent cover and eventually the broken formations reached the final barrier to rescue, the less than 2 meter deep river at Gniloj and Tikits.

Since there was no bridge or ford, the soldiers had to swim across the river, with a human chain helping non-swimmers to cross. Many were swept away by the icy waters, but most made it to safety.

Finally, thanks to the action of the Wiking Division and in particular the Walloons of the Walloon Assault Brigade, who formed the rear guard, 34,000 of the originally 55,000 men trapped were finally able to escape from the pocket by February 20, 1944.