169

Episode 169: Operation Barbarossa (5)

Every street was full of people.

Even small villages with less than 50 people and cities filled with buildings like matches in a matchbox were full of people.

A welcome placard made of cloth and paper was hung on the power line.

'A warm welcome to the liberator German army!'

"Hitler! Hitler!"

"Thank you! Thank you, German friends!"

Lithuanians, who had suffered from communist oppression for nearly two years, wholeheartedly welcomed the arrival of German troops.

When news came that the German army was coming, everyone stopped what they were doing and ran outside.

When the German military procession appeared, people all chanted and shouted "Hurrah for Hitler."

People who knew how to play instruments played them, and old people and children waved their hands.

Women brought out bouquets of flowers, handed them to the marching soldiers, and showered them with kisses of gratitude.

"Ha, this is the first time I've been jealous of ground dogs."

The tank commander, Sergeant August Deller, whetted his appetite as he watched the infantrymen marching on the left and right sides of the tank receiving kisses from women.

The soldiers, who had been stuck in the military where it was difficult to even look at women, were shocked to see a 'woman'.

"If I had known this would happen, I would have just stayed in the infantry."

"But isn't it good that you don't have to march with sore legs?"

Gunner Corporal Otto Karius said.

"I don't mind losing my legs for now, so I want to become an infantryman."

"You must be kind."

The 21st Tank Regiment of the 20th Panzer Division, to which Karius was assigned, was advancing toward Šiauliai, a city in Lithuania.

When the trusted Stalin Line was breached in one day, the Soviet army was completely devastated.

Small units attempted a counterattack, but their counterattacks were inevitably halted by bombing from the German Air Force.

Luftwaffe pilots ran wild like fish out of water, slaughtering Soviet troops on the ground.

Since air superiority had long ago been transferred to the Germans, the Soviets were left defenseless against attacks from the sky.

The Soviet army, whose supply was cut off due to air raids, could not hold out for long and either surrendered or disintegrated and scattered in all directions.

The German army advancing east could often see equipment abandoned by the Soviet army.

The Germans were busy laughing at their enemies as they saw war equipment as valuable as gold being thrown away carelessly, including trucks, howitzers and anti-tank guns, tanks and armored vehicles.

"Anyway, you guys are such fucking idiots. "Can we win if we fight like that?"

Where Sergeant Deller's hand was pointed, there were dozens of intact trucks lined up on the side of the road without any cracks.

Things that were originally left in the exact center of the road were moved to the side so as not to interfere with traffic.

"Do you think we'll get to Leningrad any time soon?"

***

"Comrade Lieutenant, Comrade Lieutenant!"

Kolobanov, who had hidden his tank behind an old, ramshackle cabin, woke up when he heard the urgent voice of the gunner, Sergeant Usov.

I couldn't even shower or wash my face for over two weeks, so my face was covered in grime, and the stubble growing on my chin and philtrum covered my entire lower body, making me look like a bandit.

The grease-stained uniforms gave off a stench so terrible that I couldn't even describe it in words.

"The Germans are coming."

The German army is coming. At those words, the sleep that had been pouring out of me seemed to have washed away.

"What is the scale?"

"It is estimated to be approximately one company of infantry. "There are about 10 trucks and half-tracks."

Due to the fierce fighting that continued from the first day of the war, the 1st Tank Regiment suffered significant losses in combat power.

As regiments were reduced to battalions, battalions to companies, and companies to platoons, the superiors combined several companies into one company.

Kolobanov was serving as the company commander of a temporarily organized company.

The nine KV-1s currently under his command made up one-third of the total strength of the 1st Tank Regiment.

Kolobanov ordered the reconnaissance team to ambush, then boarded the tank and prepared for battle.

Although the tank crews were hungry and exhausted, they prepared for battle without a single complaint.

Still, since the only enemy to deal with this time was one company of infantry, the side that ambushed them had the advantage.

If you do it well, you will be able to annihilate your enemies without taking any damage.

"Here he comes."

About 10 minutes after receiving the reconnaissance team's report and preparing for battle, the first German troops appeared.

German troops riding in two Kubelwagens were racing on the road.

"Shall we shoot?"

"no. Just let those guys go. Hit those coming behind you."

The German soldiers passed by the scene without knowing that the enemy had ambushed them nearby.

As Klobanov expected, the main force appeared after the two Kübelwagens passed by.

While infantrymen carrying machine guns and cartridges marched left and right, trucks and Ketzhen loaded with supplies rolled by, making a rustling noise.

Sergeant Usoff turned the steering wheel and aimed at Ketzhen.

"I took aim. Did you shoot?"

"okay. "Start shooting."

After receiving permission from Kolobanov, Usov stepped on the launch pedal.

A 76mm grenade left the KV-1's main gun and hit the side of the Ketzhen, sending the infantrymen aboard the vehicle flying through the air.

"Hit!"

Seeing Kolobanov's tank firing, the tanks under his command also opened fire on their main guns.

The German army, which had been marching leisurely as if in training, quickly fell into chaos.

The ambushed reconnaissance team also fired machine guns and knocked down the German soldiers.

Even without Kolobanov giving any instructions, Sergeant Usov fired the shells at the target on his own.

Two Kechhens and one Maultier fell victim to Kolobanov's KV-1.

The driver, whose right arm was blown off from a burning tank after being hit by a shell, was crawling out and fell after being hit by shell fragments.

The Germans also attempted a counterattack by hiding behind ditches and debris, but were unable to even make a scratch on the tank.

To ensure a clear end to the enemy, Kolobanov advanced his tanks.

As the tanks advanced and came up the road, several frightened German soldiers attempted to flee.

The front machine gun seat of the tank spewed fire and dealt with the fleeing German soldiers.

"good! Everyone is doing great! "Keep it like this-"

Kolobanov, confident of victory, immediately turned his head when he heard an explosion on his right.

One friendly tank was burning, engulfed in orange flames.

As soon as the driver and operator opened the hatch and jumped out of the tank, an explosion occurred and a plume of bright yellow fire rose out of the hatch.

***

"Hit! Well done, Karius!"

After confirming that the enemy tank was destroyed, Sergeant Deller entered the turret and patted Carius on the shoulder.

The KV-1, which is now on fire, was Karius' first battle.

Today wasn't Carius' first battle, but since he had only dealt with infantry so far, this was his first time directly destroying a tank.

The ammunition operator who was waiting with a 75mm armor-piercing shell opened the closure and pushed the shell into the chamber.

"Loaded!"

Deller's two No. 4 tanks also fired one after another, destroying each tank. In one case, a shell hit the ammunition depot and the turret separated from the hull.

The Soviet troops, noticing the presence of German tanks, immediately increased their speed and charged.

They seemed to have decided that it would be advantageous to narrow the distance as much as possible and engage in close combat since a long-distance artillery battle would be disadvantageous to them.

"Carius, aim at the guy on the far right! Distance 750!"

Karius swallowed dryly and rotated the turret. Karius set his sights on the center of the KV-1, which was running aggressively like a wild boar, and immediately pressed the trigger without even reporting to Deller.

A white flash erupted from the gun port.

Just before Karius pressed the trigger, the enemy turned to the right.

Therefore, the armor-piercing bullet fired by Karius did not hit the front of the car body, but instead hit the track.

The KV-1, whose tracks and wheels were blown off, stopped and turned its turret.

"Reload! "Hurry up!"

Sergeant Deller shouted as he saw the enemy turret rotating.

Karius was nervous and his legs were shaking. This time he had to defeat his enemy with one blow.

If we made a mistake, this side could have suffered.

"Loaded!"

"Shoot!"

As the new armor-piercing round entered the chamber, Karius pressed the trigger without delay.

The armor-piercing shell that left the main gun penetrated the KV-1's gun mantlet and tore through the interior.

Karius shouted excitedly as he saw yellow flames rising from the hole where the hatch had blown out.

"Destroy enemy tanks!"

"Great! Next-"

At that moment, a huge shock wave hit the tank. Sharp fragments and hot sparks flew everywhere.

Karius closed his eyes as he felt hot liquid flowing down his forehead along with a heavy pain.

***

"We caught him!"

The shell fired by Sergeant Ussov hit the lower part of the hull of Tank 4.

As the armor-piercing shell exploded and swept through the interior, the tank came to a halt.

Another Tank No. 4 also stopped maneuvering after being hit by a 76mm armor-piercing round in its turret.

"good job! Keep moving forward! "End the fascists!"

Now there is only one tank 4 left. He drove an armor-piercing round into the turret of the KV-1 that was right in front of him.

All personnel inside the turret were killed by the shell that hit the turret, but the tank continued to advance and collided with Tank No. 4.

Tank 4, which stopped in a collision with the KV-1, was destroyed by shells hitting the side and turret, respectively.

After destroying all enemy tanks, Kolobanov let out the breath he had been holding.

"Only three survived. Huh... .."

Of the 9 tanks, only 3 survived. Still, we defeated all the enemies who counterattacked, so at least we did what we could.

Kolobanov, who went from being a company commander to a platoon commander, smiled bitterly.

The battle between the infantry was still in full swing. It would not be too late to smoke a cigarette after the battle was over.

***

"… .Cough!"

Carius, who barely came to his senses, frowned when he smelled the foul smell filling the tank.

The two people who were seated in the lower part of the hull where the shell hit - the driver and the operator - were killed instantly.

There was a strong smell of blood, gunpowder, and the typical smell of sewage that comes from an old bathroom.

The smell of death was more terrible than I imagined.

The tank commander, Sergeant Deller, and the ammunition operator hit their heads on the outer wall of the tank and fainted due to the impact of the attack.

Carius, who was contemplating a way to get the two unconscious people out of the tank, suddenly remembered the enemies outside.

Karius peeked his head out of the hatch and spotted three KV-1s advancing past the devastated Panzer IV.

They thought they were completely defeated and didn't pay any attention.

I even saw a scene where a shell penetrates armor and explodes. What precautions do I need to take?

No crazy soldier would care about an already dead body in the middle of a fight.

It would be a different story if it were a fainted soldier rather than a corpse.

After confirming that the enemy's gaze was directed elsewhere, Karius checked the aiming system.

Except for the fact that the motor went out and the turret had to be turned manually, the sight, main gun, and chamber were all fine.

The fact that he had to take care of not only aiming and shooting but also loading on his own seemed like a burden, but he had already made up his mind.

"It's not over until it's over, you fucking commies."

Carius took the armor-piercing shell from the stand, placed it in the chamber, and then turned the swivel handle to rotate the turret.

Even when he turned the turret 180 degrees, the enemy did not notice because they were preoccupied with dealing with the Panzer 4 in front.

When the last Panzer IV was destroyed, Karius took aim at the one exposing the side of the left turret.

And triggered.

***

"what?!"

The KV-1's turret, which had been intact until just moments before, was cracked and sparks were flying in all directions.

A corpse fell from the air in front of Kolobanov, who was dumbfounded as to what was happening.

The body of the tank commander was thrown up into the air the moment the tank was hit.

'Are there still any enemies left?'

Kolobanov looked around in confusion. But no matter where I looked, there was no sign of the enemy.

"Where on earth are you hiding?!"

The KV-1, positioned to Kolobanov's left, followed suit and was engulfed in flames.

The sound of steel colliding and breaking was heard, and the screams of tankers covered in flames rang out.

The tank crews rolled on the ground to put out the fire on their bodies, but the fire on their bodies did not go out easily.

Suddenly Kolobanov stuck his head out of the hatch and looked behind him. I checked the front, right, and left, but didn't look behind me.

no way… .

"Fuck! Turret, turn the turret! "He's not dead yet!"

Kolobanov's heart seemed to stop when he saw that the turret of Tank 4, which he thought had been destroyed, had turned 180 degrees and was facing backwards.

The tank that was thought to be dead was still alive.

The hatch was blown off by the impact of the shell, and the Schirzen mounted on the turret and chassis were misaligned, but the firing system, which was the lifeblood of the tank, was operating normally.

As the enemy noticed, Karius' hand movements also became faster.

He closed the occluder, put his eye on the scope, and turned the handle.

"hurry! Hurry!"

"Fuck you, Ivan!"

When the turret was almost fully turned, Kolobanov saw a bright flash of light coming from the muzzle of Panzer 4.

Soon, a heavy impact sound swept through the inside of the tank, and hot fire was felt.

The armor-piercing shell that bounced downward after hitting the gun mantlet penetrated the upper part of the car body, generating countless fragments in the process.

Sergeant Usoff was pierced between the eyes by a piece of shrapnel and died instantly.

The events that followed passed so quickly that Kolobanov could not remember them.

When he came to his senses, he had already fallen about 100 meters from the tank.

The only person who managed to escape from the tank was Kolobanov.

The rest died inside the tank or were shot by machine guns while escaping.

In the distance, German troops riding on Panzer 4 and Sd.Kfz 251 armored vehicles were approaching.

Kolobanov stopped watching, turned around, and ran.

***

"With the half-destroyed Panzer 4, I destroyed three enemy tanks all by myself… . "You really are a great soldier."

"That's right. "If Siegfried was reincarnated, it would probably be this friend."

Looking at the entire Eastern Front, this battle was one of the most common battles that occurred every day, but such an unusual outcome had never been reported to date.

The commander of the 21st Tank Regiment suggested awarding Karius the Iron Cross, 1st Class, and recommended him as a cadet.

Goebbels, who had gained a valuable sense of publicity for the first time in a while, smiled.

In a week from now, the entire German people will know about Karius' name.

He is a man who has shown cinematic performances even in history, so I am looking forward to his future activities even more.

Today, Army Group North captured Riga, the capital of Latvia.

The 340,000-strong army of the Soviet Northwest Front was isolated on the Courland Peninsula.

Since not only air superiority but also control of the Baltic Sea had been transferred to the friendly forces, the Soviet military had no way to rescue the friendly forces isolated on the Courland Peninsula even if they wanted to.

Instead of completely eradicating the Soviet forces surrounded in Courland, Lev planned to maintain the siege and run all the way to Estonia.

There were concerns that our side might be attacked, but Manstein saw no problem.

Manstein and Lev shared the common opinion that it was more important to advance as quickly as possible and occupy Leningrad than to destroy isolated Soviet troops and ensure the safety of the rear.

"The Soviet army surrounded in Courland will not be able to hold out for long, as they are short of supplies and supply by sea has been cut off. And if the enemy had the ability to counterattack, wouldn't they have been surrounded in the first place? "I don't think it'll be a problem either."

The landing on the Courland Peninsula, planned by Brauchitsch and Leder, was dismissed.

Army Group Center is fighting with the Soviet Army over Minsk.

Since it is the largest and most famous city among the cities in the western part of the Soviet Union, the Soviet military is said to be trying hard not to easily lose Minsk.

Even so, our army's superiority remains the same.

"Finally, Army Group South also launched its offensive today."

"Hoo?"

Kleist's Army Group South, which had been slow to advance until now due to blocking the main force of the Soviet Army, launched a full-scale offensive today and began to push the Soviet Army east.

The primary targets of Army Group South were Uman and Vinnytsia, followed by Zhytomyr and then Kiev.

If the situation is like this, the Kremlin has not yet given permission for the front-line troops to retreat.

Definitely defend the current position. The Kremlin's order to the Red Army was to fight and die to the last man.

Hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers were left stranded on the Stalin Line due to an idiotic order that even a military officer would not give.

Due to Manstein's instructions to avoid combat and maintain a standoff with the enemy, no battle occurred, so ammunition was relatively plentiful, but food was not.

Since they could not survive by eating bullets instead of bread, the troops stationed on the Stalin Line voluntarily hung up a white flag to avoid starving to death when food ran out.

In this way, as Manstein expected, our troops were able to completely take control of the vast Stalin Line without firing a single bullet.

Some units disposed of their own supplies before surrendering, but many left them behind, allowing our troops to obtain enormous amounts of weapons, ammunition, and clothing.

The amount was enough to fully arm one field army.

Even though I only selected Class A weapons that were in good condition.

"It's safe to call it the second Halifax supply. Ah, I guess we should call it Stalin supply here?"

"I don't know if I should at least send a thank you letter to Stalin."

"Who knew that Bolsheviks also had such a unique side! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

There was another special news.

This time the news came from the Southern Army Group.