The Walder Chronicles Part 2: Book 14 of the Blitzkrieg Alternate Series by Max Lamirande

Author:Max Lamirande [Lamirande, Max]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-25T16:00:00+00:00

Another KV1 encounter

1st Tank Company, 2nd Division, May 5th, 1942

After completing the Brest-Litovsk encirclement, the 2nd Panzer Division made good progress toward Minsk in the first four days. But then it encountered the 22nd and 27th Soviet armored divisions a few miles south of a town called Biaroza. It rested on the main “highway” toward Moscow and was the most direct route to Minsk. It was composed of T-26’s and BT-7’s light tanks. The battle was sharp, but the efficient Panzerwaffe troops rapidly destroyed both Red Army forces.

The little town was then taken almost without a fight. Tank units followed things up by crossing the small bridges across the river, taking up position to form a bridgehead, and sending several tank platoons forward for reconnaissance before the general advance resumed. Walder was part of that recon, as Captain Wiezbach had been ordered to secure the bridgehead with his company.

Unknown to General Veiel (the commander of the 2nd Panzer), all hell was about to break loose in the area. He had sent those tank units to the slaughterhouse. About an hour after they started their drive east and north toward the main road, Wiezbach’s Panzers were suddenly stopped dead in their tracks by a new group of the dreaded KV-1 and KV-2 heavy tanks.

The KV-1 was a 43 tons beast, armored with 75mm guns. It was so heavily armored that it was impervious to anything in the German weapon inventory except the excellent 88-millimeter flak guns that were not that handy to move to a battlefield. The KV-2 was even bigger, with a resounding 52 tons and a 152 mm howitzer gun.

Facing them were a very thin-looking line of 38-tons Czech Panzers, some Panzer IVs (including Walder’s), and Panzer IIIs. They just didn’t have the guns to fight the steel behemoths, and the first clash between the two groups of tanks was not to the German’s advantage.

“Fiselheim, get us away from here,” yelled Eich as the one of the 38t panzers blew up beside his tank. “Where to, commander?” “Just away from here. Back across the bridge, hurry!” he said as the tank’s gun barked again, making it recoil backward in a spray of dust. The ground seemed to shake from the multiple explosions around them.

It didn’t take long for frantic reports from Wiezbach to reach Veiel that they’d again encountered the steel beast known as KVs. The division commander called for artillery and a Stuka strike, but for the next few minutes, Walder, Wiezbach and the surviving tanks of the company were on their own.

Fiselheim was able to turn the tank around, dodge a couple of enemy shells, and drive across the small bridge without a scratch. One of the Panzer IIIs in the unit was not so lucky. A Soviet 152mm round plowed itself into its rear armor and engine as it was about to roll onto the bridge. A spectacular explosion followed as the poor German machines splintered to pieces in a mighty fireball.

“Get us around these houses on the left,” ordered Erich, wanting to be out of the enemy’s field of fire.

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