Tiger vs 50 Tanks!?

The Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle of World War II, saw a fierce German offensive collide with a determined Soviet defense. On the third day of the battle, near the village of Teterevino, a famous German tank ace faced off against more than 50 Soviet

tanks

, a legendary encounter with controversial details. For this controversial topic, we include the Soviet and German perspectives, so you can decide. It is July 8, 1943. A platoon of German soldiers take cover under intense fire with shells hitting the ground and machine gun fire flying overhead in a brutal, disorienting frenzy. They look over their embankment toward the battlefield beyond, opening fire with their rifles.

But they do little, because they are not facing men, but a wall of heavy war machines. Along the front line, a large number of T-34

tanks

roll in the rain of lead. It is a giant counterattack with 9 tank and infantry brigades. The entire line lights up with war thunder. "Withdrawal!" The Germans retreat to their shallow trenches just as the Soviet tanks take full advantage and advance towards their lines. As the tanks approach, the German infantry has a plan. They have a new weapon, a shaped charge grenade. Tanks rumble over the German trench. The infantry holds their breath as machine gun fire takes out some unfortunate souls.

The tanks pass and the infantry launches Panzer-Wurf mines at the backs of the T-34s. Not all are successful, but this brave attack shoots down two T-34s. The Soviets move on. But unbeknownst to them, a predator lurks in the distance. This is the powerful Tiger I heavy tank, under the command of Unterscharführer Franz Staudegger of the 1st SS Panzer Division. The powerful beast terrifies its enemies. And you can also play it at World of Tanks, the sponsor of today's video. World of Tanks is a free online game with over 1 million players worldwide. And it is available for PC.

Run in with guns, ambush your opponents with sneaky tactics. Stay back and eliminate them from afar, like the main character in today's video. With over 800 tanks and over 40 battlefields, there's always a new way to play. Play with allied tanks or axis tanks or any of the many tanks from throughout the history of armored warfare. The choice is yours. Historical accuracy and inspiration means authentic models and vehicle features that will make you feel like a real tank commander. Support the channel by downloading World of Tanks today, using the first link in the description. If you use the link in the description and the COMBAT code, you will receive 7 days of premium access, 250,000 credits, the Cromwell B premium tank (Tier 6) and 3 rental tanks for 10 battles each: Tiger 131 (Tier 6), T78 (Level 6) and Type 64 (Level 6).

Through its dome he sees the progress. She wasn't supposed to be fighting, she had stayed behind his unit to repair a broken suspension. But now three T-34 tanks cross the field in front of him without any discernible formation. From time to time they stop and fire on the rudimentary German trenches while surrounded by the smoke and haze of battle. It's too perfect. He points out a target to the gunner and orders "Fire!" In an instant, the Tiger unleashes its powerful weaponry, propelling the 88mm projectile into the air. Throw a green tracer behind him and then pierce through the enemy's faceplate, stopping him where he is.

The rest of the enemy tanks don't seem to notice, but that doesn't surprise Staudegger. He will enjoy turning all distracted enemy tanks into scrap metal. "Fire!" Another explosion sweeps the fields and with it another T-34 burns in flames. "Nice shot. Keep them coming!" The loader takes another armor-piercing bullet and slams it into the chamber, just as the gunner takes aim at his third victim. "Fire!" The projectile hits the enemy vehicle and stops it completely. But then his turret starts to spin. Other. The T-34 is subsequently shot and smoke rises from the hatches. In just over a minute, the three enemy tanks he sees are eliminated without a single return shot.

Then more movement catches his attention. It's another T-34 and it's taxiing on the railroad embankment. And then another. And other. Most of the cargo has arrived, but Staudegger is unfazed. Fire! Projectiles rain down on the enemy vehicle and it suffers the same fate as his comrades before. The rest of the tanks notice even more T-34s passing over the embankment. There are more than a dozen and they keep coming. But Staudegger's Tiger shoots down another enemy and the Soviets finally spot the German machine. One of the T-34s rotates its turret and returns fire. His projectile hits the earth.

And they only needed 5 dead tanks. Keep shooting! Staudegger is now still on the move, moving carefully from one place to another. The German crew takes expert aim. Another T-34 bursts into flames as the armor wall realizes its situation. The volume of fire directed towards the Tiger increases with every second. Staudegger constantly changes position to avoid becoming an easy target. But the Soviet guns find him when an enemy shell hits the armor with a deafening noise, but fails to penetrate. Staudegger doesn't flinch at all, he knows his machine. He knows this technology is superior. The Soviet 76mm is no match for the Tiger. "Target. 37 degrees." Fire!

The gunner obeys without hesitation and yet another T-34 explodes into a million pieces. More shells hit the

tiger

, reverberating through the hull as the loader rushes to launch another armor-piercing shell into Another shot rings out, and then another, and then another! The

tiger

is doing its best to seek cover. But with the deluge of enemy fire, the projectiles get caught in the armor and bounce in all directions, but They fail to damage the apparently invincible German heavy tank. Staudegger remains very calm and directs the fire with cold and calculated precision. The Soviet losses increase, but they still do not back down.

In fact, they press more. open field, moving away from the protection of the embankment they have just passed. “Come to me, my fair ones.” El Tigre continues to claim victims left and right, firing as fast as he can reload, while the projectiles continue to ricochet off his armor. . The exterior of it is peppered with dozens, perhaps hundreds of impacts, but the beast is still fully operational. "We're out of armor-piercing shells, sir." They run out of armor-piercing ammunition, but the Germans are so confident that they switch to high-explosive ammunition and their grim work continues. Please support the channel, comment, like and subscribe to this video.

Without any help, Staudegger and his Tiger stop the Soviet advance. Defeated, the T-34s finally come to their senses and retreat to roll down the embankment to safety. Staudegger continues shouting orders to shoot, determined to get as many as he can. But they finally manage to escape and the battlefield falls silent. Before him are 17 burning wrecks. But it's not enough. “Driver, prepare to move! “We are chasing them.” It is an incredibly risky maneuver. They would be leaving the safety of their ambush position without armor-piercing ammunition and with a suspension that has just been repaired and may not be perfect.

There is nothing to worry about. Go! But Staudegger doesn't care. Surprisingly, despite numerous impacts, the tracks of his tank are not damaged. The Tiger's engine roars as it starts up. The driver is aware of the ad hoc suspension repairs as he drives across the kilometer-long battlefield. Until they reach the embankment. Then they pass over the train tracks and, on the other side, see the surviving T-34 tanks and their crews in the distance, regrouping. The blast of the powerful 88mm cannon floods the battlefield once again, propelling the projectile towards its completely unaware targets. The shell detonates in the gathered tanks, destroying one of them and eliminating some of the men.

The crews run back to their vehicles and open fire, but their shots easily ricochet, like all those before them. The Tiger rotates its turret and crushes the nearest T-34 with a single brutal blow. Many retreat in panic, some try to fight back. Other tanks remain parked, as their crews fled on foot with the arrival of the fearsome Tiger. When the dust settles, five more wrecks have been added to the pile for an incredible total of 22 tanks destroyed by a single Tiger I under Staudegger's command. But his Tiger I did not emerge unscathed, with 67 scars left by Soviet tank commanders.

For his participation in this battle, Staudegger was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. It is July 8, 1943, and the 26th Tank Brigade of the 2nd Tank Corps is southeast of the village of Prokhorovka. The commander of the 282nd battalion, Captain Leonid Raigerodskii, waits nervously aboard his T-34. He has been given extremely vague orders to attack the Germans and take two towns. Teterovino was close to the planned confrontation line and Luchki a little further away. It is 16:30 and 32 T-34 medium tanks and 21 T-70 light tanks begin to roll. The villages were lost just the day before, battle plans are virtually non-existent, and the five company commanders and two battalion commanders have no maps of the area.

No artillery or mechanized infantry support has been left in the rear. But orders are orders. Soon, they hear the crack of gunshots against the hull and shouts to open fire over the radio. Huge tanks come to life and fire volleys of high-explosive shells at the German positions ahead. The 76mm guns pound back with recoil, filling the turrets with fetid smoke. Raigerotskii tries to stay focused. His view of his world is limited to his sight and a handful of vision slits. In the T-34-76 the commander is also a gunner, so it is difficult for him to look around and find targets.

Then, through the explosions, ricocheting bullets, and desperate chatter of combat, he hears something. Something in the distance, getting stronger. It's a howl, a Stuka howl. "Maneuver!" He can only keep moving and hope as the scream grows louder and louder, a harbinger of doom, cutting through all other sounds to terrorize the souls of the Soviets. A giant explosion sounds outside. The crew doesn't know if they caught anyone nor can they check because "AHEAD" sounds on the radio. Five tanks to Raigorodskii's right advance over the elevated railroad tracks and disappear from view. The sounds of battle become louder and several huge explosions occur.

Now it's Raigorodskii's turn. He and a group of more Soviet tanks head towards the railroad tracks. As they reach the top of the railroad tracks and the tanks fall, what is revealed is a terrifying sight. Of the five tanks that fell, three are already burning and the battle continues and is fierce. Raigorodskii's tank fires and hits the enemy lines. Columns of dirt rise into the air and orange flashes pierce the haze, exploding masses of metal that used to be Soviet tanks. The Soviets are under heavy fire. Mortars, anti-tank grenades, artillery and tanks rain down on them.

The Germans shoot with all their might. Captain Raigorodskii sees his comrades fall around him, never to rise. “Under cover!” He orders his driver to take cover behind a burning tank while he desperately tries to piece together the situation. Radio conversations are saturated with comrades pointing out targets, trying in vain to organize, and talking over each other. Raigorodskii searches the terrain alone with his small, basic optics. He sees nothing until, suddenly, a bright flash gives away the enemy's position. He is so far away that, even knowing where he is, he can barely see more than a dot.

But he tries to aim anyway, his lives depend on it. The crosshairs land on the source of the flash and he fires. The shell flies away. But he has no idea where he landed. He shoots again and again. Around them, tanks open fire on the numerous enemies. But do little, as one by one they will be taken down. The situation is completely unsustainable. Raigorodskii cannot take a kill shot. "Curse!" Finally an order comes over the radio. The brigade commander orders the withdrawal. "Withdrawal!" One by one, the T-34s begin their retreat. Raigorodskii then joins them and retreats as shells explode around him.

Low caliber bullets ricochet off the armor as everyone runs towards the safety of the embankment. But the Germans do not give up and another nearby tank explodes in flames. Safety is close, tantalizingly close. Another projectile falls to the ground next to them. "Go!" "Faster!" Raigorodkii's heart races as they retreat in an attempt to save themselves. "Maximum speed!" An 88mm shell travels across the battlefield. His green tracer leaves behind him. He heads straight for a T-34, Raigorodskii's tank. The shell goes right through it. Thecrew becomes another group of men on the massive list of the Soviet Union's fallen.

The remaining T-34s and T-70s taxi along the railroad tracks, under fire the entire way. The German panzers stopped firing. They are safe for now. By the end of the day, 21 T-34s and one T-70 would be destroyed in total. Five of the plane's wreckage were located before the railroad tracks, out of Staudegger's sight, probably victims of artillery or Stukas. In the main battle area, the sheer volume of fire made it impossible to discern which kills were carried out by whom. But that did not stop the German high command from ignoring the actions of the other participants in the battle.

Instead, they attributed all of the day's deaths to Staudegger, presenting him as a war hero and using him as an example of the power of the invincible Tiger. Unterscharführer Franz Staudegger would survive the war and was never prosecuted for his involvement in the SS. He passed away peacefully in 1991. Support the channel and download World fo Tanks, using the link in the description.