Some...

[HerrKommandant_Harald.]

Hey guys, good morning. I'm writing to tell you a random anecdote that happened to me in IL-2; It was an autumn morning around 8 am, I was with my crew in Stalingrad, I'm the commander of a Panzerkampfwagen IV, belonging to the Leibstandarte. We were in an open field with the engine off and I was using monoculars on the cupola, commanding a Panzerkampfwagen Ausführung E-VI. In the distance, a communist column of medium tanks escorting a handful of supply vehicles was approaching our position from the Northwest, at 1400 meters, around 8:48 am. Our 88mm gun kept firing Pzgr 39 and Sprgr rounds. Well... when the column was destroyed, two tanks and a couple of trucks were escaping east along the road. I decided to give chase, especially the truck, which didn't seem to be going fast enough to avoid being overtaken. Along the dirt road, in the distance, there was a village among thick bushes and trees. It seemed calm until a horizontal rain of tracer rounds from the bushes near the village flooded the tank. I don't know how I managed to get in and close the hatch. I ordered everyone to stop and reverse, using only the machine gun. Although heavy, it would barely scratch our paint, even though the noise inside was decent. I ordered the gunner to fire Sprgr rounds, but the position was indistinct and far away among the bushes. I thought there was no cannon; that would have been the first thing they used. I trusted them, and then we approached. As soon as that, a loud whirring of air: "Achtung! Anti-tank!" I yelled; it must have passed no more than two meters from us. I threw smoke to lose our visual signature and retreat. We were too close; it was a trap. One hit and that was it. It was. An armor-piercing round went through the armor and reached the engine and fuel. We evacuated, finding shelter in the autumn woods until we reached our positions. I'm just sharing this experience with my German colleagues: don't trust your rank; sometimes danger comes from within. Warm regards.