Tiger Heat: German Panzers on the Eastern Front

Rather than become an artillery target, the King Tigers decided to push forward, in the hope they could help clear the village before the infantry followed to finish off any remnants of the Red Army. Making use of their frontal armour and 88mm gun, the King Tiger gunner scanned the horizon, ready to fire as soon as he located a target. The King Tigers wanted to minimize their time in the open and seek some form of cover. The King Tiger’s tracks ripped at the grassland throwing huge grass sods into the air behind them. As they drew to about half a mile, small arms fire began to start bouncing off the armour. The Red Army had been alerted to their presence. However, in doing so would take their attention away from the advancing German infantry about a mile behind the King Tigers. As the Tigers got closer to the village, the Red Army began to fire M-42 guns, the 45mm shells bouncing off the King Tigers frontal armour.

One M-42 45 mm shell hit another King Tiger on the front plate that caused Commander to bite his tongue. Another round hit turret close to his, feeling like he had been punched to the side of the head. The King Tiger continued like a dog chasing a cat. Repeated M-42 rounds were now being deflected off the thick King Tiger armour, flying off in all directions before landing harmlessly in the grass with shrapnel flying in all directions. The M-42 was an upgrade of the 45 mm anti-tank gun M1937 (53-K). The M-42 had a longer barrel and 45 mm shells with more powerful cartridges. It was quite effective against lighter vehicles and could pierce the side armour of Panther and Panzer IV, but not against a King Tiger that generally took at least a 57-mm anti-tank gun model 1943 or similar to pierce side armour.

M-42s had been placed around the village and dug in with mounds of soil surrounding them. The Tigers started to target the angry M-42 guns on the move. A King Tiger fired a HE shell at an M-42 gun. It hit the soil surrounding it and exploded; the force of the blast twisted the barrel of the M-42 gun and killed the soldier’s operating it in an instance.

As the King Tigers drew near, another M-42 gun crew decided to flee rather than fall victim to a King Tiger. They knew their gun would struggle to do any form of damage to a King Tiger and had not slowed any of them down so far. The MG 34 gunner was firing away at Red Army soldiers. Another M-42 gun was taken out by a Tiger – the HE round sent the entire M-42 gun into the air, almost spinning over on its self. This was the last round fired at the M-42 guns as the Tiger Tanks had reached their positions racing at full speed and used all their 67 tons to smash through and crush the remaining M-42 guns. As their crews leapt out of the way to avoid the marauding tanks.

The soil mounds surrounding the M-42 guns had been flattened by the weight of the King Tigers and their distinctive track pattern imprinted into the soil. The M-42 guns were now just twisted lumps of metal completely smashed and rendered useless. Small arms fire was still bouncing off the King Tigers armour as the tanks swung left and headed down the first street. The MG 34 gunner continued to fire away at the fleeing Red Army. A couple of well-placed HE rounds took out a couple of MG positions mounted in the second floor of two ruined buildings. The King Tigers continued until they came to a stop alongside a row of shops. As the German infantry started to stream down the hill towards the village. Their distinctive grey and blue uniforms standing out against the grass as they moved into an extended line to take the village.

The sun began to break out from behind the clouds and add an unwelcome heat to the tank crews already sweating inside their tanks. Red Army artillery opened up once again. Firing its shells on the German infantry rapidly approaching the village. Men could clearly be seen being blown apart as rounds hit the ground all around them. The infantry soldiers were now zipping left and right to avoid the bombardment. Some being lucky and others not being quite so lucky. More shells exploded this time only bits of shrapnel hitting the advancing infantry. From the King Tigers the crew watched the sheer terror the German infantry must be going through as they dodged artillery shell after artillery shell.

As the King Tigers slowly moved forward, some Red Army soldiers popped out of a shop doorway in front of the King Tigers. As the Red Army soldiers popped out a hail of fire from the King Tigers MG 34 cutting them down in their tracks. The King Tigers continued to move forward following the ruined shops along the edge of the village.