Chapter 1489: Conspiracy in the Dark (Part 1)

In the original timeline, the world without Malashenko after 1941, the Viking Division, which was urgently upgraded to an armored division after the Battle of Kursk, did not have a very strong armored force. There was no Tiger or Panther, only a few small outdated Type 3 and Type 4 tanks to fill the number, and there were not many of them, which were not enough to be of great use. At most, it was a light armored division.

In this world that is very different from the existing history, time has once again proved one point with silent facts: the butterfly effect caused by the time traveler is a real and thorough double-edged sword, and the truth that war is the first driving force for human technological progress is really true.

Germany, which was beaten black and blue by the powerful Soviet tank forces, was forced to speed up the research and development of the armored forces and invested more time, energy, manpower and material resources than in the existing history. The direct result derived from this is the early release of the German Zoo.

Later, due to the spread of the butterfly effect, the Panther 2, which should not have been actually manufactured in the existing history, was accelerated to be developed, mass-produced and put on the battlefield in 1944 due to the strong practical needs of the front line.

Another butterfly effect result caused by Malashenko is that the current Viking Division still has a strong strength even after suffering a huge blow.

Two fully equipped armored regiments were killed by the Stalin Guards First Tank Division led by Malashenko, which was equivalent to directly removing an arm of the Viking Division.

The remaining armored regiment was still fighting in the daytime, and the sea of ​​​​T34 tanks intercepted by the Red Army was extremely fierce and dark. From nearly noon to dusk, the battle was stopped and the troops were called off. It was a bit like a miniature version of the Battle of Kursk.

The Viking Division, which has a large number of Panther 1, Panther 2 and a small number of King Tigers, naturally has an indisputable huge advantage when facing T34.

Even though the Russians on the opposite side had replaced nearly half of their tanks with the new T3485, this tank, which only had a turret and a gun, was still no match for the German elite armored forces. In terms of single-vehicle performance, it was not even as good as the Panther 1, not to mention the more powerful Panther 2 and the Tiger King, which was like a mobile hill.

So even with a huge numerical disadvantage and only half of the armored forces, the Viking Division still fought well and achieved good results in the main frontal attack battlefield during the day.

At the cost of a single armored regiment losing 35%, most of the troops of the Russian Guards Tank Army on the opposite side were eliminated. The burning wreckage of the T34 tanks can be seen everywhere on the battlefield, and the Panzerfaust, which has been equipped on a large scale by the Viking Division, also played an important role in this battle.

Most of the T34s that wanted to rush up and destroy the German tanks were destroyed one by one with iron fists by the SS infantry guarding their own tanks. The iron fist that can be easily carried by a single soldier can penetrate the armor with one shot when dealing with the T34, without any ambiguity.

The extremely excited foreign SS soldiers shouted repeatedly that this was the life-saving artifact sent to them by the Führer.

After the daytime battle, the Viking Division, which had fought fiercely for a whole day, still maintained a fairly good armored force. With the support of the Tiger King, Panther 1, Panther 2, and the remaining miscellaneous ones, some of which were even the No. 3 and No. 4 drawn from the scattered Wehrmacht, the Viking Division can barely gather up more than half of the armored regiment, which can be regarded as a miracle at the moment.

After receiving the order from the division commander Herbert, the Viking Division, which was still energetic and in high spirits, immediately began to act.

These foreign SS soldiers dragged their exhausted bodies, but they exuded a high and tenacious willpower that was completely inconsistent with their physical condition, and even completely opposite. All the equipment and supplies that could not be taken away were abandoned on the spot, and all the things that could be taken away were loaded onto trucks and packed up and taken away.

The lack of fuel needed for the breakout operation was one of the practical problems faced by the Viking Division. Although there was fuel that Sturmmann had collected and transferred from the Wehrmacht as a backup, it should be able to maintain the minimum fuel demand for a 100-kilometer cross-country journey.

But Herbert, who believed that he would definitely succeed in the breakout, was obviously not satisfied with this. His pair of shifty eyes turned under Himmler's small glasses. He immediately thought of a "bad idea" that could quickly obtain fuel but was bold. This kind of thing can only be done at a special time like now.

"Scott, take your men and go to the Wehrmacht cowards next door to "borrow" some oil. Remember, bring all the equipment you need, load the bullets, and move quickly!"

The one who was urgently called, called Scott, was a SS-level assault captain. He was not a soldier under Herbert, but a battalion commander of the SS-Walony Panzergrenadier Brigade after the Viking Division was combined.

Herbert had a great appreciation for this young man in his early thirties who was a fanatical believer in the Führer, and he took good care of Scott during the days of fighting when Cherkassy was besieged. Several times when Scott and his troops were in danger, Herbert sent reinforcements to save his life and his men and repel the Russians.

The Viking Division and the Walloni Panzergrenadier Brigade, both members of the SS, were now united and reported to the group for warmth. Naturally, they were under the unified command of Herbert, who had the highest military rank and highest position. Scott naturally had no objection to Herbert ordering him a mission, but after understanding the meaning of Herbert's hint, Scott was a little worried.

"General, is this a bit of a precaution? I mean, what if those guys from the National Defense Forces refuse to give us oil?"

Herbert's hint was very obvious. He clearly assigned Scott to grab the fuel. Regardless of whether the National Defense Forces were willing or not, they had to get the necessary fuel back. This was the only task that must be completed.

Scott, who knew that the SS and the Wehrmacht disliked each other, was worried. What if the Wehrmacht were unwilling to give him fuel?

You must know that Commander Stummermann's troops have been disbanded and the order to self-select has been issued. If the Wehrmacht cannot maintain the Wehrmacht, there is still oil that is useful. There is no order from superiors and it is a critical time when supplies are so scarce and the situation is sensitive. Scott is really I'm afraid that if I can't guarantee my errand, something big will happen.

Seeing that Scott was still undecided and hesitant, Herbert, who sneered at the corner of his mouth, was determined to cheer Scott up at the last moment and let him understand "the true meaning of the facts."