The Wiking Division  were now mustered in support of some rescue efforts.
Fortunately the division had just been ugmented by a fresh armoured regiment with 79 Panthers (!), which had been forming in germany since December 1943.
The division was  committed to an operation to relieve the cut off town of Kowel on the Ukrainian-Polish border, which had been surrounded by Soviets spearhead since mid-march.

The attack was ill fated from the start, with Wikings ammunition supply train being blown up by an artyllery shell.
For several days they were trapped in the city, after a Russian counterattack severed the waffenSS  corridor.
Wiking men fought furiously to re-open a link to their commander and the trapped garrision was finally relievered on 6 April.
It was a victory of sorts, but the division had suffered many casualites.
