of XXXIX attacked on 19 October. However progress was agonisingly slow, the muddy roads almost impassable to any but tracked vehicles, and the Army was having difficulties bringing in supplies behind the troops. The Corps finally reached and captured Tikhvin on 11 November, leaving a 100 kilometre flank weakly covered by the 8th Panzer. The freezing weather meant that the roads improved slightly, which helped the transport of supplies, but not the troops who, still lacking winter clothing, suffered greatly from the conditions. Eventually nearly the entire division was united in the Kholm relief attempt, and after its successful relief, defended a very loose, but wide sector just to the south of Kholm, in the bogs and marches stretching down towards the Army group boundary. Here the division remained for most of 1942 until it was transferred to Army Group Centre, in the winter of 1942. After the winter fighting of 1941, the incursions by the 3rd and 4th Soviet Shock armies between Army Groups North and Centre, had stretched the front to such an extent that the Germans could not occupy a single line, but resorted to isolated strong points instead. This defence stance, although necessary left them vulnerable to penetration, and in xx 1942 the Soviet exploited their weakness and encircled substantial forces in the city of Velikiye Luki. Hitler forbade a break out attempt by the troops and declared the city a fortress General Chevallerie, who had defended the area since the winter battles, determined to accomplish what the Wehrmacht had pulled off twice the previous winter, at Demyansk and Kholm, which was to have the encircled troops supplied by air and mount a successful relief operation. The 8th Panzer Division would become a main component of the relief attempt, and was in place by 1 December. After an initial surge the division attack bogged down against fierce Soviet resistance. The relief forces continued to inch forward but progress was slow and costly, and by 13 December 1942 the 8th Panzer Division has suffered 1473 casualties including 82 officers. Two days later the divisions' drive was virtually stopped. The main weight of the relief was now with group W to the south, but its attacking units had similarly suffered highly and unit strengths were plummeting. The attack was kept going for the sake of the encircled troops but it was obvious to General Kurt von der Chevallerie