Chapter 71

  The Battle of Stalingrad came to an end, the main force of the German Sixth Army escaped the encirclement of the Soviet Red Army and luckily retreated to the Rostov line, where they were sent back to France for reorganization. The German Southern Front lost more than 200,000 troops, which was only their own loss - the Romanian army here was almost wiped out by the Russians, and the entire Axis powers lost nearly 500,000 soldiers and almost all of their technical weapons when they launched the attack. The South suddenly became extremely weak, but still much better than the strategic situation of the Germans in the original world under Favreuil - at least they still had troops and formations.

  The Soviet Red Army lost heavily in the campaign, with total casualties nearly twice those of the Germans, but they had succeeded in holding Stalingrad and inflicting a full-scale defeat on the Axis forces in the south. Meanwhile, more and more Soviet people were joining the Red Army, and factories were working at full capacity to supply technical equipment - as well as important American aid.

  Fawzi got his glory in this battle - the Knight's Cross. He first successfully defended the bridge at the beginning of the battle, and then withstood the Russian attack on the German army's rear route in the middle and late periods, contributing to the withdrawal of the main force of the Sixth Army. He also created his own record - destroying 17 Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns within 24 hours, increasing his score to 85, already the number one tank killer in the entire army.

  However, the losses of the 503rd Independent Heavy Tank Battalion were not small. When the entire battalion went into battle, there were twenty-one Tigers and thirty-three number three tanks. By the end of the campaign, only six Tigers were still operational, with seven completely lost; only eleven number three tanks remained mobile. Nevertheless, they accumulated over one hundred and twenty Soviet tanks destroyed, earning themselves a great reputation and their commander a Knight's Cross.

  The Germans were busy adding wounds in Rostov, and the lost troops and equipment could not be replenished for a while. The Soviet Red Army on the opposite side was getting stronger day by day. The Führer still issued an order not to retreat, and the Southern Group Army was in chaos.

  Fafnir had nothing to do, his tiger was already repaired, he himself was idle, but a month later he was unhappy in his heart "Damn it, Shutekko is dead... This guy still owes me a debt of gambling! You bastard!" He sat alone on the tiger without saying a word, just holding a beer and staring blankly, after a long time he poured the untouched beer on the ground, "Goodbye, Shutekko."

  Time slowly passed, four months had gone by, Germany's losses were still being replenished, the Romanian army was severely weakened, and the entire Southern Army Group's strength was only slightly stronger than after the Battle of Stalingrad. The front line remained long, and the troops were even more stretched thin. The Soviet Red Army on the opposite side had high morale, with new units constantly being formed and replenished, their strength had now fully recovered and was even stronger than before the battle.

  On May 12, the Soviet Red Army launched an offensive.

  North Africa, Tunisia. Former bus driver and current Knight's Cross recipient, Oberfeldwebel Beiligen is not in a good situation either. In late November 1942, he arrived in Africa with his new Tiger tank, looking forward to sunshine, beaches, and beautiful women. He seemed to be on vacation compared to the cold and damp Russia, which was like paradise. He even wrote several letters to mock his friends Favniel and others who were still struggling in Russia, showing off that he was now on vacation... At first, it was indeed quite pleasant. When they first arrived in Africa, he drove his Tiger tank according to the command of General Fox and gave the Americans a head-on blow. Successfully giving American tankers "Tiger phobia", he and the six tanks from the 501st battalion that arrived first destroyed more than thirty American tanks, whether it was M3 Grant or M4 Sherman, they were completely helpless against them, all shells were deflected, and German Tigers at a distance of one kilometer would destroy American tank troops like shooting rabbits. Then Beiligen gave the British another lesson - on how to avoid the Tiger's attack. In 1942, he added twenty death rings to his barrel.

  But good luck will eventually run out, the marshal was recalled and replaced with a general to command, while the British and American tanks seemed endless - especially the Americans, who were wealthy and arrogant. Tanks and planes seemed to be available without spending dollars... they would lose one and replace it with ten, while the German logistics were once again tragic... By March 1943, no matter how well the Panthers and Tigers fought, the entire African army was compressed into the "Mareth" fortified line, trying to hold on to the last landing site in Africa, and logistics could be said to have been completely cut off. The only good news was that the Tigers finally had 18 vehicles, totaling two companies.

  On April 19, the British Eighth Army began its attack; on the 22nd, the British First Army and the US Second Corps joined in. On Hill 609, Bélorge fought magnificently, he and his crew named three Tigers at a distance of over one kilometer while firing machine guns at approaching American infantry. The American artillery had little effect on them, but the American planes in the air were a major threat to them. By nightfall, the Americans had not advanced an inch on Hill 609 and had left behind many tank wrecks. The Americans called in air support for non-stop bombing day and night, and on the 24th, the first Tiger was lost on Hill 609 - successfully destroyed by American planes. By the 30th, all fortifications on Hill 609 had been lost due to repeated bombing and shelling, "Damn it!" Bélorge cursed as he fired machine guns, out of ammunition and unable to resupply for a while due to American bombing. At this time, American soldiers were rushing towards his Tiger from all directions, German and Italian infantry had long been suppressed and driven off the hill, and another Tiger had also been destroyed by planes earlier. An American soldier suddenly stood up, less than 20 meters away from the Tiger, he pulled the trigger of a bazooka... The rocket hit the rear of Bélorge's Tiger. A loud explosion! The Tiger's ammunition was detonated! The turret was overturned, and the tank crew was blown out.

  "Medic!! We've got a German here and he's still breathing!" the American soldiers shouted. Bellwangen was lucky not to have been killed in the blast, but he had also lost consciousness...

  After waking up, Bellwigen lost his legs and is now in a prisoner-of-war camp, while the African army had vanished into thin air just days before he woke up...

  Fafnir's friend was lucky enough to have not died on the battlefield... At this time, he was at a loss, and the Russian attack was extremely fierce!