Chapter Seventy-Three
On June 18, the Kharkov counteroffensive ended. The German army killed and captured more than 80,000 Soviet troops, destroyed or captured over 1,500 Soviet tanks and assault guns, and seized more than 2,000 artillery pieces.
Fahnrich harvested 27 tanks in the battle, successfully pushing his score to 98, just two away from one hundred, making him the number one tank killer in the army. Dick Karl of the first company also pushed his score to 50, successfully ranking himself among the top ten German tank killers. Junker's Black Panther also started, destroying 9 tanks and piling up its score to 15, making it the number one killer of the Black Panther tank. However, after the battle ended, Fahnrich also received some bad news - Eckert died due to lung infection. Oberfeldwebel Julian von Eckert, a young 24-year-old Junker-born commander of the 4th Panzerj?ger company, died in May 1943 after being shot by Soviet snipers and infected with his lungs. Fahnrich attended Eckert's funeral...
The German losses in the Kharkov battle were not small either, and the replenishment of several months was almost exhausted. The casualties of soldiers were close to 10,000. Especially the loss of various tanks - among the 80 participating Tigers, the Wehrmacht's 35 Tigers lost 5; the Waffen-SS's 45 Tigers lost as many as 17; more than 200 4th tanks lost nearly 60; and various assault guns also basically lost about a quarter. Both sides were exhausted, and the front line calmed down.
Throughout July and August, both Germany and the Soviet Union were busy deploying troops and replenishing large amounts of technical weapons and troops to the front line. Germany took advantage of the favorable situation in the Kursk salient to prepare for a decisive attack to regain the strategic initiative, annihilate the Soviet Voronezh Front and Steppe Front, and severely damage the Central Front; while the Soviet Red Army was striving to defeat the German army's attack in the salient and eliminate as much of Germany's attacking forces as possible, strive for both wings to fly together, eliminate the main force of the German Southern Group Army in the salient, and try to severely damage the German Central Group Army, creating a favorable situation for future annihilation battles.
Fawriel's tank was reassigned to the rear, and he got a new mid-term Tiger with the number 223 sprayed on it, along with his unique tiger skull pattern. At the same time, he met another friend - Sal Fai Li Deke, who is now at the same level as Fawriel, who has just been promoted to first class. Deke, the sergeant, is now the commander of a Ferdinand heavy assault gun in the 653rd battalion, proudly wearing a First Class Iron Cross on his collar, which he had obtained from the Northern Third Assault Gun. Compared to Ferdinand, Fawriel's Tiger was immediately dwarfed. The front 102mm vs 200mm, 88mm L56 vs 88mm L71, Fawriel's Tiger was completely defeated, but at least in terms of mobility, Fawriel could still mock Deke...
On September 3, the German Southern and Central Army Groups launched an attack on the Kursk salient from both north and south. Over 150 Tiger tanks and more than 300 Panther tanks led the way for the 3rd and 4th Panzer Armies to strike at the Soviet lines. Among the Tigers and Panthers, some huge guys stood out - Ferdinand tank destroyers, which occasionally stopped to fire shells, destroying one Soviet tank after another from a distance.
The Russians dug countless trenches and bunkers on the ground, burying tanks halfway in the bunkers with only the turret exposed to fire. Favre saw some unusual Soviet tanks through his binoculars - much larger bodies than T34 and low but huge turrets with a thick and long cannon on top - obviously thicker than his Tiger and Ferdinand...
"Finally met... IS and IS2 heavy tanks! Let me see if you are as strong as I saw before..." Favniel said in a low voice. The current distance is still relatively far, but the 122 cannon of the IS2 has already started aiming at the leading Tiger tank. However, the shells seem to be deviating terribly, with the closest landing point over 100 meters away. Before Favniel could even mock the IS2's poor aim, a shocking bombardment began. The Soviet Red Army's artillery seemed to be endless, and the shells fell like they were free. Favniel's tank No. 223 was shaking violently like a small boat in a stormy sea, and Favniel was completely helpless, praying that he wouldn't be hit directly by the heavy cannon... Soon, the German heavy artillery shifted its target, no longer providing firepower for the assault, but instead began counter-battery fire, trying to take out the Soviet artillery positions. In the sky, hundreds of German and Soviet fighter planes and attack aircraft were engaged in a fierce dogfight over Kursk, with neither side having time to launch attacks on ground targets, as they were busy dodging each other's fighters. The fighter planes were entangled in a chaotic melee, repeatedly biting each other's tails.
The defensive positions of the Soviet Red Army, one after another, countless anti-tank guns and semi-fixed tank firepower points made it difficult for the Germans to advance. For two whole days, they only advanced less than twenty kilometers, and it can be said that the rapid breakthrough of the campaign had become an illusion...
Fahnenj?ger's Tiger 223 was also hit by several cannon shots, fortunately none of the heavy projectiles penetrated the armor. He and his comrades were blocked by a group of fortifications formed by small hills on their route. As he tried to find out the weak point of the Soviet Red Army's defensive position, he found that there was a new batch of grenadiers coming from behind. His vision was very sharp, clearly seeing that it was a lieutenant colonel leading this well-equipped soldier. The lieutenant colonel looked at the Soviet army's position with disdain and gave orders directly: "Is Fahnenj?ger Sergeant? I am Lieutenant Colonel Schüttrohm. Please have your Tiger tank provide cover for us, we will occupy this position to open up a passage for the subsequent impact."
"Schürzenhammer? This name sounds familiar, where have I seen it?" Fafnir didn't have time to think slowly, "Advance! Grenade ready!" The Tiger tank's engine roared, driving this 56-ton behemoth at a speed of 30 kilometers towards the Soviet army's position. Another old tiger and several No. 4 tanks and other armored vehicles hastily followed in Fafnir's footsteps. The German tank group charged head-on into the Soviet defense line.
The Soviet troops were distracted by the impact of German heavy tanks and didn't notice the approaching Lieutenant Shutroham's grenadiers, Fawny watched the charging grenadiers and couldn't figure out how they planned to break into the Soviet trenches.
The answer to this question came out quickly - Lieutenant Schtroham's speed was extremely abnormal, and he rushed through the hundreds of meters of open space in just a few steps, leaving the Soviet machine gunner's aim unable to keep up with his footsteps. However, the Soviet machine guns and mortars were too numerous, and soon they buried the lieutenant in a torrent of bullets and shells. Just as Favniel was about to lament for the lieutenant, a figure suddenly jumped out of the smoke! A machine gun protruded from the lieutenant's abdomen! Favniel was shocked to discover that half of Lieutenant Schtroham's body was mechanical! His brain suddenly remembered where he had seen this name before! "Schtroham! JOJO's Adventure?!" Then Favniel suddenly felt a slight tremor in this world, as if some different things were beginning to merge with this world...
