Although some fighting continued through the night the 3rd Shock continued its offensive at 0800 hours on April 17. 12th Guards Corps now had the 23rd Guards and 33rd Divisions in first echelon with 52nd Guards in reserve and 9th Guards Tanks in support. By 1300 hours units of the 23rd had reached the Friedlanderstrom Canal which formed a main line of the German second defensive zone. The canal itself was 10 metres in width and 1.5 - 3 metres in depth. On its eastern bank, in the area of Buschof Creek, there was a protection detachment consisting of a platoon of infantry, three machine guns and eight assault guns. Ambush positions with soldiers armed with Panzerfausts were also employed. In the Slanhof Creek area the Germans had concentrated a powerful artillery group covering the approaches to the canal. They also had air support in the form of groups of 3-5 Fw 190 fighters. The terrain in the division's attack zone was highly favorable to the defenders as it was a low-lying plain devoid of cover, while to the west of the canal the ground gradually rises to a series of heights covered with woods.Soviet General Staff, The Berlin Operation 1945, Kindle ed., ch. 12
