I think it may be a "open mouth insert foot" moment for me. A comment made in haste.

(sounds of someone digging a foxhole)

I can only remember 2 instances of someone claiming the officers "disappeared" during battle. One was at the battle of Smolensk/Yelna where a soldier stated that he and his fellows were abandoned by their officer during a German attack. The other one was of a young soldier that was trapped in a ravine with his unit while being mortared to pieces and the officers disappeared.

Both were read on the internet. I'll see if I can find them.

(hunkers down in hole)