Sixth Tank Corps had made a deep penetration into the eastern edge of Rzhev "bulge" during the first several days of the Mars offensive. But on 28 November, the attack's third day, German counter-attacks struck the flanks of the advancing units and cut off both tank corps and most of 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps. The tank corps' commissar, P.G. Grishin, radioed that spirits were running high but food, fuel, and ammunition were running low. If contact could be re-established quickly, Grishin believed, great success lay ahead, but if not, morale would quickly drop. Man. Gen. N.I. Kiriukin, the 20th Army commander, ordered the cavalry corps to take command of adjacent units and re-establish contact with all speed. At dawn on the 29th, the coordination assault began with a heavy artillery barrage.

After a heavy artillery barrage, Col. G.I. Pankratov mustered all of his remaining cavalrymen and launched them in a division-sized charge against the German lines. Right behind them came the 247th Rifle Division's foot soldiers, marking their fifth straight day of full-scale attacks. On the northern flank of the attack, 100th Tank Brigade came forward as well. The Germans held their positions and huge numbers of Soviet dead piled up on the battlefield, yet they would not give up the assault. Finally the corps command called off the attacks as dusk approached. Pankratov's division had lost 490 men and 145 horses killed in the charge.