Post by wozah on Aug 17, 2008 22:59:22 GMT
He was in a dream. He was sure of it.
Because in a different place, in a different time, thousands and thousands of miles away from his home and country, Horst Von Epp found himself inside the turret of his Panzer IV Ausf. G battle tank, dressed snugly in his Winter camoflaged outfit.
Wearing a white helmet strapped to his chin with his face covered partially in a white scarf, parted enough so that his eyes could see a bit and monitor the horizon infront, he viewed the snowly landscape around him with a pair of frozen binoculars.
At his sides, rumbling and moving with his Panzer were three other Panzer IV tanks, moving uniformly with his tank in V formation... the iron beasts pushing onward to Stalingrad, their mechanical engines roaring and belching out noxious diesel smoke behind them.
To each of their flanks meanwhile, spaced several thousands meters apart were other Panzer platoons, some of them recent models, Panzers III's and others mere support tanks, the mobile artillery support tank, the Sturmgeschütz III.
Behind them, following at a safe distance were a fleet of several white camoflaged halftracks and modified white Opel trucks, both fleets of vehicles filled with winter camoflaged Waffen SS Panzergrenadiers.
As part of the German relief force being mounted to give the trapped 6th German Army at Stalingrad a breathing space, their job was to break through the Soviet lines, cause havoc, and eventually break the Soviet encirclement of the 6th Army, shifting the fortune of the Russians and hopefully shifting the moment for Germany.
But all these hopes died, without Horst or the 2nd Waffen SS Division knowing it as they sped with other German Units towards Stalingrad.
"Achtung, Achtung." A familiar voice in his radio set spoke, the voice of his CO.
"We're now out of our front lines and are now approaching enemy territory. Keep your eyes open for enemy tanks and engage at will. I expect nothing short of victory gentlemen. Unit commanders, do your duty. The 6th Army is our top priority! Our honor demands it. The very survival of the Third Reich depends on it. Heil Hitler!
May God give us strength."
Horst Von Epp frowned behind his scarf covered face and ignored the melodramatic tones of his CO, acknowleding and mimicking his superior officer through a crisp reply of "Heil Hitler". Then he went down the hatch and screwed it tight above him as he sat in the Commanders seat, unwrapping his head so that he could breath and allow the heat of the tank to warm his face and body from the frigid cold outside.
Beside him, seating on a lower chair was his Gunner, dressed in the same uniform and peering through the Panzer IV's scopes. Behind him, his Loader, who stood behind the Gunner, held on a handle bar and waited patiently for orders.
Horst had no way of seeing his Driver and his Radio man, since both were seated infront of the tank, but he could imagine them, his Driver peering through his periscopes as he manuvered the tank while his Radioman monitored the airwaves, wielding an MG42 machinegun through the tank's frontal slot.
His tank crew were one of the best in the Regiment, and he knew this since he had served with them in countless missions, spanning from the beginning of Operation Barbarossa to the eventual operations which led to the Germans being trapped at Stalingrad.
They had gotten used to the limited space of the tight crampy quarters of the Panzer IV, and they knew every techincal and mechanical aspect of their tank, the strengths and weaknesses because this was vital in mechanized warfare. To know your strengths and weaknesses of your tank was life and death. There could be no mistakes. Mistakes caused lives. Any weaknesses found must be covered up, and any strengths likewise, used and maximized.
And because of this, Horst felt himself shake a bit, not form the Russian cold, but from the reports he had read a few years back, even before they anticipated this move to rescue the trapped 6th Army...
The Soviets had learned their lessons. They now fielded a tank in huge numbers, a tank that what Horst read and learned from expierence, was better than anything that the German Army fielded against the Russians in 1943.
He had even heard stories from other commanders that whole Panzer IV and III's tanks have fired shell after shell into these T-34 tanks and have nothing happen, their puny 75 cm cannons useless against these monsters with their innovative sloped armor that was thicker and unpentrable by their guns.
How the Russians came up with such a tank, Horst saw it as a miraculous mechinal engineering feat that was previously unheard of by the Russians.
High Command noted this advantage, and they tried urgently to upgrade and modify their tanks to check the T-34's superior quality. The Panzer V, or Panther Tank was still being in the works, but the Waffen SS and other Wehrmacht units would not recieve this tank by several months later, when they most certainly needed it the most now, heading towards Stalingrad to turn a decisvive moment.
Pushing fear behind his mind, Horst Von Epp tried to build himself up, noting that his tank and the others were modified to deal with the T-34's. Outfitted with a new lengthier cannon, they would be an equal match for the T-34's, and hopefully, this would suffice until the Panzer V came into service.
For now, Horst would have to rely on his tank crew's expierence and his Panzer platoon's discipline and training. It was a wellknown fact that T-34 crews on the other hand were often plucked from farms and placed into these tanks with no prior training whatsover.
"Sir..." The Gunner broke Horst's thoughts.
"What?"
"I see something moving in the distance, 1,000 meters."
Horst Von Epp nodded thoughtfully, preparing himself for battle.
"It's them," Horst replied, "We're at the Russian front lines, stay sharp, Gunner, fire at will when in range." He then adjusted his radio set near him so that he could contact his other Panzers.
"Fredrick, Werner" he spoke into the radio, "We'll be-"
There was a sudden dull thumping explosion outside the Panzer IV's hull and Horst knew they had been spotted by the Russians, who were now firing Artillery shells into their formation.
"We're in contact. Hold formation until we reach the lines. Then break formation and perform outflanking manuvers. 1st Panzer and 2nd Panzer Platoon will protect our flank as we move into the defenses and perform a double envelopment. The defenses are typical. There should be a trenchline, some bunkers and some fortified AT cannons. We'll hold position once we're near and provide support while the Panzergrenadiers behind us will dismount and infiltrate the trenchline and knock out the the bunkers and AT cannons. Once that's done, move forward and don't stop. Understood?"
A few moments of static blared out of his headset as more explosions rocked the outsides of his Panzer IV tank, then his subordinates acknowledged, some of their voices hinting fear.
He could not blame them. Going in the attack with inferior tanks, however slightly modified and upgraded, was not a comfortable thought. Horst put peered through his scopes and adjusted them as they went forward.
Just as their intelligence officer briefed them, several thousand meters infront of them in the open snow was a long stretching line of barbed wire and crisscross metal tank barriers. There were a few pillboxes, made out of wood material and beside each and every one of them was a sandbagged 45 mm anti-tank gun. Horst knew that these were weak cannons and they were still out of range to engange the Panzers.
As if on cue, the entire area infront of him flashed and went alive with tracer firing crisscrossing and coming towards them, hitting his tank and causing pinging sounds to echo inside while the 45mm anti-tank guns fired futielessly, their rounds barely hitting the Panzers and instead, hitting the ground a several meters infront of them.
"That's it, let'em lose!" Horst excitedly radioed his Panzers.
The Gunner beside him smiled, and pressed the trigger. The Panzer IV shook once, and there was an explosion moments later, with one of the bunkers bursting in white explosion along with wooden debris raining down.
Almost immediately, his Panzer platoon and other Panzer platoons opened fire, letting loose their cannons as he watched with satisfaction behind his scope, bunkers, AT cannons and trenclines exploding wildly.
It was so intense, he could see several figures getting out of the bunkers and fleeing, likewise, he could see the AT crews abandoning their cannons.
The enemy soldiers in the trenchline however, stayed put and continued firing bravely at the Panzers, unknown that they too were finished.
This was were the Panzergrenadiers came in, with their specialty clearing out trenchlines, they closely followed their halftracks as they went forward towards the trenchline, crushing the barbwires and providing cover for the Waffen SS, since they were in the open snow and could not find cover.
Once the halftracks stopped at the tank barriers, since it could not move any further, the white camoflaged troopers disappeared from view.
Suddenly, he heard a huge explosion with something metallic twisting and Horst moved his periscope to the source of the noise only to stare in wild disbelief at his right side.
OberscharführerWillhem Werner's Panzer was a smoking ruin, with its hull on the snow beside its body.
"We're being flanked!" A voice shouted in the radio, which turned out to be Oberscharführer Rolf Fredrick.
"Sir!" His radio man joined in the conversation, "I'm getting reports that the 1st Panzer and 2nd Panzer platoons at are sides are being attacked by T-34's. They're withdrawing!"
Counter-attack, Horst thought savagely. "We can't pull back. There still men out there in the trenchlines, hold togeth-"
"Contact! Enemy Armor, 3' oclock!" A voice shouted in the radio.
Horst saw a T-34 tank emerge from his right three hundred meters away, with its turret and cannon looking directly back at him.
"DRIVER REVERSE!" Horst managed to shout.
We're dead! Horst thought, we're dea-
Hauptsturmführer Horst Von Epp suddenly awoke from his bed, eyes wildly opening as he sat up from his bed and let out a deep gasp, controlling his breathing as he calmed down.
Another nightmare, he thought wearily, massaging his forehead with his hand.
He then rested his head back on the pillow and stared at the plain white ceiling above him, remembering the nightmare and the ill fated mission which still haunted him till this day.
After the enemy had counter-attacked them, Horst's Panzer was knocked out of commission by the T-34 which had knocked out
OberscharführerWillhem Werner's Panzer earlier. Fortunately for him, the turret of the Panzer was facing the T-34 just as it fired.
The shell hit the cannon and twisted it, making Horst's Panzer incapable of returning fire. Though he was not wounded gravely, the force of the explosion knocked him out, killing his Gunner but sparing the others.
Before the T-34 could fire again, Horst's crew quickly abandoned the Panzer and escaped, getting out before they could be gunned down the T-34's machine gun and dragged Horst's unconcious body across the snow, managing to hitch a ride with one of the accompanying Panzergrenadiers as they retreated back to their lines.
In the end, the Russians squeezed the 6th Army and accepted their surrender.
The following months later, the Russians advanced and a string of battles occured, ending with the Battle of Kursk. The lines stabalized till then with both sides waiting patiently for the next attack by each side.
Horst stiffled a yawn and got up form his bed, massaging his forehead again as he walked around his room in his pajamas. Deep within the confines of the Reich's Officer's quarters, he had just arrived from the Eastern front yesterday for a new assignment within a different Unit of the 2nd Waffen SS Division.
He found himself too exhausted when he arrived from the 5 hour flight, and he hurled himself on the bed after he was assigned to his room.
Looking around now, he saw that it was a simple room. The walls were painted plainly with a pleasant wallpaper and that the room itself was furnished well, with a desk for him at a nearby corner and a window right beside it with a good view.
There were two doors, one leading outside to the corridor and another right beside his desk, the bathroom where for once in his life, he could take abath in hot water.
He also noticed that the window was open and while the sunlight poured in, he could hear birds chirping, sounds of men shouting marching songs and sergants barking orders along with the telltale sound of boots marching on the ground.
Time to take a bath, he told himself.
Because in a different place, in a different time, thousands and thousands of miles away from his home and country, Horst Von Epp found himself inside the turret of his Panzer IV Ausf. G battle tank, dressed snugly in his Winter camoflaged outfit.
Wearing a white helmet strapped to his chin with his face covered partially in a white scarf, parted enough so that his eyes could see a bit and monitor the horizon infront, he viewed the snowly landscape around him with a pair of frozen binoculars.
At his sides, rumbling and moving with his Panzer were three other Panzer IV tanks, moving uniformly with his tank in V formation... the iron beasts pushing onward to Stalingrad, their mechanical engines roaring and belching out noxious diesel smoke behind them.
To each of their flanks meanwhile, spaced several thousands meters apart were other Panzer platoons, some of them recent models, Panzers III's and others mere support tanks, the mobile artillery support tank, the Sturmgeschütz III.
Behind them, following at a safe distance were a fleet of several white camoflaged halftracks and modified white Opel trucks, both fleets of vehicles filled with winter camoflaged Waffen SS Panzergrenadiers.
As part of the German relief force being mounted to give the trapped 6th German Army at Stalingrad a breathing space, their job was to break through the Soviet lines, cause havoc, and eventually break the Soviet encirclement of the 6th Army, shifting the fortune of the Russians and hopefully shifting the moment for Germany.
But all these hopes died, without Horst or the 2nd Waffen SS Division knowing it as they sped with other German Units towards Stalingrad.
"Achtung, Achtung." A familiar voice in his radio set spoke, the voice of his CO.
"We're now out of our front lines and are now approaching enemy territory. Keep your eyes open for enemy tanks and engage at will. I expect nothing short of victory gentlemen. Unit commanders, do your duty. The 6th Army is our top priority! Our honor demands it. The very survival of the Third Reich depends on it. Heil Hitler!
May God give us strength."
Horst Von Epp frowned behind his scarf covered face and ignored the melodramatic tones of his CO, acknowleding and mimicking his superior officer through a crisp reply of "Heil Hitler". Then he went down the hatch and screwed it tight above him as he sat in the Commanders seat, unwrapping his head so that he could breath and allow the heat of the tank to warm his face and body from the frigid cold outside.
Beside him, seating on a lower chair was his Gunner, dressed in the same uniform and peering through the Panzer IV's scopes. Behind him, his Loader, who stood behind the Gunner, held on a handle bar and waited patiently for orders.
Horst had no way of seeing his Driver and his Radio man, since both were seated infront of the tank, but he could imagine them, his Driver peering through his periscopes as he manuvered the tank while his Radioman monitored the airwaves, wielding an MG42 machinegun through the tank's frontal slot.
His tank crew were one of the best in the Regiment, and he knew this since he had served with them in countless missions, spanning from the beginning of Operation Barbarossa to the eventual operations which led to the Germans being trapped at Stalingrad.
They had gotten used to the limited space of the tight crampy quarters of the Panzer IV, and they knew every techincal and mechanical aspect of their tank, the strengths and weaknesses because this was vital in mechanized warfare. To know your strengths and weaknesses of your tank was life and death. There could be no mistakes. Mistakes caused lives. Any weaknesses found must be covered up, and any strengths likewise, used and maximized.
And because of this, Horst felt himself shake a bit, not form the Russian cold, but from the reports he had read a few years back, even before they anticipated this move to rescue the trapped 6th Army...
The Soviets had learned their lessons. They now fielded a tank in huge numbers, a tank that what Horst read and learned from expierence, was better than anything that the German Army fielded against the Russians in 1943.
He had even heard stories from other commanders that whole Panzer IV and III's tanks have fired shell after shell into these T-34 tanks and have nothing happen, their puny 75 cm cannons useless against these monsters with their innovative sloped armor that was thicker and unpentrable by their guns.
How the Russians came up with such a tank, Horst saw it as a miraculous mechinal engineering feat that was previously unheard of by the Russians.
High Command noted this advantage, and they tried urgently to upgrade and modify their tanks to check the T-34's superior quality. The Panzer V, or Panther Tank was still being in the works, but the Waffen SS and other Wehrmacht units would not recieve this tank by several months later, when they most certainly needed it the most now, heading towards Stalingrad to turn a decisvive moment.
Pushing fear behind his mind, Horst Von Epp tried to build himself up, noting that his tank and the others were modified to deal with the T-34's. Outfitted with a new lengthier cannon, they would be an equal match for the T-34's, and hopefully, this would suffice until the Panzer V came into service.
For now, Horst would have to rely on his tank crew's expierence and his Panzer platoon's discipline and training. It was a wellknown fact that T-34 crews on the other hand were often plucked from farms and placed into these tanks with no prior training whatsover.
"Sir..." The Gunner broke Horst's thoughts.
"What?"
"I see something moving in the distance, 1,000 meters."
Horst Von Epp nodded thoughtfully, preparing himself for battle.
"It's them," Horst replied, "We're at the Russian front lines, stay sharp, Gunner, fire at will when in range." He then adjusted his radio set near him so that he could contact his other Panzers.
"Fredrick, Werner" he spoke into the radio, "We'll be-"
There was a sudden dull thumping explosion outside the Panzer IV's hull and Horst knew they had been spotted by the Russians, who were now firing Artillery shells into their formation.
"We're in contact. Hold formation until we reach the lines. Then break formation and perform outflanking manuvers. 1st Panzer and 2nd Panzer Platoon will protect our flank as we move into the defenses and perform a double envelopment. The defenses are typical. There should be a trenchline, some bunkers and some fortified AT cannons. We'll hold position once we're near and provide support while the Panzergrenadiers behind us will dismount and infiltrate the trenchline and knock out the the bunkers and AT cannons. Once that's done, move forward and don't stop. Understood?"
A few moments of static blared out of his headset as more explosions rocked the outsides of his Panzer IV tank, then his subordinates acknowledged, some of their voices hinting fear.
He could not blame them. Going in the attack with inferior tanks, however slightly modified and upgraded, was not a comfortable thought. Horst put peered through his scopes and adjusted them as they went forward.
Just as their intelligence officer briefed them, several thousand meters infront of them in the open snow was a long stretching line of barbed wire and crisscross metal tank barriers. There were a few pillboxes, made out of wood material and beside each and every one of them was a sandbagged 45 mm anti-tank gun. Horst knew that these were weak cannons and they were still out of range to engange the Panzers.
As if on cue, the entire area infront of him flashed and went alive with tracer firing crisscrossing and coming towards them, hitting his tank and causing pinging sounds to echo inside while the 45mm anti-tank guns fired futielessly, their rounds barely hitting the Panzers and instead, hitting the ground a several meters infront of them.
"That's it, let'em lose!" Horst excitedly radioed his Panzers.
The Gunner beside him smiled, and pressed the trigger. The Panzer IV shook once, and there was an explosion moments later, with one of the bunkers bursting in white explosion along with wooden debris raining down.
Almost immediately, his Panzer platoon and other Panzer platoons opened fire, letting loose their cannons as he watched with satisfaction behind his scope, bunkers, AT cannons and trenclines exploding wildly.
It was so intense, he could see several figures getting out of the bunkers and fleeing, likewise, he could see the AT crews abandoning their cannons.
The enemy soldiers in the trenchline however, stayed put and continued firing bravely at the Panzers, unknown that they too were finished.
This was were the Panzergrenadiers came in, with their specialty clearing out trenchlines, they closely followed their halftracks as they went forward towards the trenchline, crushing the barbwires and providing cover for the Waffen SS, since they were in the open snow and could not find cover.
Once the halftracks stopped at the tank barriers, since it could not move any further, the white camoflaged troopers disappeared from view.
Suddenly, he heard a huge explosion with something metallic twisting and Horst moved his periscope to the source of the noise only to stare in wild disbelief at his right side.
OberscharführerWillhem Werner's Panzer was a smoking ruin, with its hull on the snow beside its body.
"We're being flanked!" A voice shouted in the radio, which turned out to be Oberscharführer Rolf Fredrick.
"Sir!" His radio man joined in the conversation, "I'm getting reports that the 1st Panzer and 2nd Panzer platoons at are sides are being attacked by T-34's. They're withdrawing!"
Counter-attack, Horst thought savagely. "We can't pull back. There still men out there in the trenchlines, hold togeth-"
"Contact! Enemy Armor, 3' oclock!" A voice shouted in the radio.
Horst saw a T-34 tank emerge from his right three hundred meters away, with its turret and cannon looking directly back at him.
"DRIVER REVERSE!" Horst managed to shout.
We're dead! Horst thought, we're dea-
Hauptsturmführer Horst Von Epp suddenly awoke from his bed, eyes wildly opening as he sat up from his bed and let out a deep gasp, controlling his breathing as he calmed down.
Another nightmare, he thought wearily, massaging his forehead with his hand.
He then rested his head back on the pillow and stared at the plain white ceiling above him, remembering the nightmare and the ill fated mission which still haunted him till this day.
After the enemy had counter-attacked them, Horst's Panzer was knocked out of commission by the T-34 which had knocked out
OberscharführerWillhem Werner's Panzer earlier. Fortunately for him, the turret of the Panzer was facing the T-34 just as it fired.
The shell hit the cannon and twisted it, making Horst's Panzer incapable of returning fire. Though he was not wounded gravely, the force of the explosion knocked him out, killing his Gunner but sparing the others.
Before the T-34 could fire again, Horst's crew quickly abandoned the Panzer and escaped, getting out before they could be gunned down the T-34's machine gun and dragged Horst's unconcious body across the snow, managing to hitch a ride with one of the accompanying Panzergrenadiers as they retreated back to their lines.
In the end, the Russians squeezed the 6th Army and accepted their surrender.
The following months later, the Russians advanced and a string of battles occured, ending with the Battle of Kursk. The lines stabalized till then with both sides waiting patiently for the next attack by each side.
Horst stiffled a yawn and got up form his bed, massaging his forehead again as he walked around his room in his pajamas. Deep within the confines of the Reich's Officer's quarters, he had just arrived from the Eastern front yesterday for a new assignment within a different Unit of the 2nd Waffen SS Division.
He found himself too exhausted when he arrived from the 5 hour flight, and he hurled himself on the bed after he was assigned to his room.
Looking around now, he saw that it was a simple room. The walls were painted plainly with a pleasant wallpaper and that the room itself was furnished well, with a desk for him at a nearby corner and a window right beside it with a good view.
There were two doors, one leading outside to the corridor and another right beside his desk, the bathroom where for once in his life, he could take abath in hot water.
He also noticed that the window was open and while the sunlight poured in, he could hear birds chirping, sounds of men shouting marching songs and sergants barking orders along with the telltale sound of boots marching on the ground.
Time to take a bath, he told himself.
