The assaulting force struck and demolished the 2nd Luftwaffe Field Division. Like all the Luftwaffe "divisions" the 2nd was in fact the size of a brigade, with only four infantry battalions, and was especially weak in artillery with just eight 75mm mountain guns and a battery of Stug IIIs. It had been badly damaged in its first action south of Belyi during Operation Mars nearly a year earlier. In addition to the flight of 2nd Luftwaffe Field Division the right flank of 263rd Infantry Division was badly smashed. While the attack of the 357th Rifle Division was contained the 78th Tank Brigade, carrying troops of 21st Guards Rifle Division with more mounted on trucks, along with the 163rd Antitank and 827th Howitzer Artillery Regiments, entered the gap and rapidly drove to the west and liberated Nevel from the march. General Galitskiy reported, "In the city of Nevel, the enemy garrison was destroyed, and many warehouses, vehicles, and other equipment were seized. There are prisoners. The quantity of trophies is being calculated." At the same time the 4th Shock Army, deployed on 3rd Shock's left (south) flank, also launched an attack towards Gorodok. General Shvetsov had formed a shock group from two of his rifle corps, each advancing abreast in three echelons. 2nd Guards Rifle Corps led with its 360th Rifle Division, followed by 117th and 16th Lithuanian Divisions and two tank brigades. 83rd Rifle Corps had its 47th Rifle Division up, supported by 234th, 235th and 381st Rifle Divisions and another two tank brigades. Although there were no further panicked withdrawals by II Luftwaffe Corps the attack gained about 20km but ultimately faltered just short of the Nevel-Gorodok-Vitebsk railroad and highway. Earl Ziemke wrote that the sudden collapse of 2nd Luftwaffe Division came as much a surprise to the Soviets as to the Germans: By Soviet reckoning the Nevel Offensive Operation ended on October 10, but the fighting in and around the salient continued at least into mid-December with the German forces attempting to cut off the salient as a whole while the Soviet forces expanded their hold to the north, south and west. The Germans' first impression was that they had fumbled badly but not irrevocably. Field Marshal G. von Küchler, commander of Army Group North, ordered his three remaining reserve divisions into the breakthrough area while Hitler ordered the "corner posts" (the positions on either side of the breakthrough gap) to be held at all costs.