Chapter 1459 The Will to Die

The heavy armored force led by Wendell is already 40% of the strength of the Viking division that can still operate tanks. Wendell not only brought the only two companies of King Tiger heavy tanks to a company, he even deployed nearly half of the Panther 2s to add strength to himself.

This is not because Wendell is afraid of death and wants to rely on these precious heavy equipment to increase his chances of survival. Wendell has never thought about it this way, let alone done it.

The reason for doing this is because the unexpected surprise battle under Hill 239 really left a psychological shadow on our side.

That battle not only destroyed more than half of the logistical supplies and fuel of the besieged German army group, but also killed the last remaining organic armored force of the Wehrmacht.

Yes, there is no problem with the Soviet army's intelligence collection and it can be said to be accurate.

After that battle, the only remaining organic armored unit among the more than 40,000 besieged German troops was the SS Viking Division.

The heavy losses and the annihilation of all the Wehrmacht armored forces made the remaining German troops quickly realize a very serious problem.

The sudden slap on the back of the butt must have been well-established and powerful, otherwise it would not have been so quick and clean to eat up the defense troops who came to the rescue without leaving even a bone. Come out, you must know that it is a whole regiment of tanks plus an equal number of infantry.

What kind of strength would it be like to be able to assemble such a mechanized mixed force and eat all the enemies in a few hours?

A Guards tank division?

No, this is not enough.

According to the German army's speculation, this should at least be something that a Russian tank army can do.

Considering the worst-case scenario, the German army analyzed and judged that the current situation should be that a Russian tank army was chasing and intercepting its own side. And the tank army catching up behind them should be the same group of guys who took away their own supplies before. They have a large number of heavy tanks and are more powerful than the other tank army in front of them.

Therefore, Wendel was able to bring nearly half of the Viking division's armored strength to the rescue at one time. This was a decision made only after the Germans had truly realized the seriousness of the situation.

It's a pity that such a seemingly powerful force still seems to be difficult to work. The real strength of the group of Russians chasing after them from behind is more terrifying than expected.

At this point, Wendell no longer feels that he can 100% defeat this group of Russians who have gathered around him, and he has no confidence at all.

This has nothing to do with morale or anything like that. It's just a feeling of despair that comes from the bottom of my heart after seeing such a disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves.

Facing this powerful and invincible enemy, survival or destruction has become a life-and-death problem before us, and we must make a choice.

Wendell, who did have some hesitation in his heart, felt as if his mind was accelerating like a slide, remembering a lot of things in an instant.

There is laughter, pain, tears, and even more happiness

Wendel recalled the scene when his parents cheered for his birthday when he became an adult, the moment when he solemnly swore an oath under the military flag for his ideals and the righteousness specified by the head of state, and the accidental death of his mother when he was a recruit in the first year of the army. When he passed away, he cried loudly, remembering the moment when he and his beloved girl made a private vow to marry after the war.

"You are not young, Wendell. When I was your age, you were already four years old. I will not stop your dreams and career, but you should always remember your mother's last wish. She continued to pull it until her death. He held my hand and said he wanted me to take good care of you and help you find a good girl who can accompany you throughout your life. You know what I mean."

His father's words suddenly appeared in his ears like the soft sound of a gramophone. Wendell, who had big beads of sweat on his forehead, felt that his heartbeat was faster than ever before. He knew clearly that he was about to finish. The promise made to my father was no longer fulfilled.

"Sorry, Dad, Alyssa, I have something I have to do, and I'm sorry for you."

Holding a pendant with photos of his mother and fiancée on the front and back, Wendell, who swore allegiance to the Führer, finally chose to fulfill his oath under the military flag.

"If we cannot see Germany stand tall in the world again under the leadership of the Führer, then I am willing to defend everything in Germany with my blood."

These were the last words written by an unknown ordinary SS soldier in a field hospital at the last moment of his life.

After his death, he was discovered and exploited by the keen-eyed Dr. Goebbels, supplemented by a powerful national propaganda machine to report it virally, published in newspapers, broadcast on radio channels, and even in frontline SS camps. The loudspeaker in the room was full of these words.

Wendel thought it was nothing at first. He was probably just a passionate young man with a firm belief that most SS soldiers had. He stood firm and fought for the Führer and the country's national justice until the last moment without wavering.

But isn’t there a saying that people can only truly recognize themselves at the moment before they die.

Wendell, who clearly knew that his last time was running out and his life had entered a countdown, finally understood that this sentence was perfect for him.

I am also the kind of person who would be willing to sacrifice my life to defend Germany, and go through fire and water, even death, if I can't see Germany standing tall in the world under the leadership of the Führer.

After all, it is better to die and not see anything than to live in a German world with broken faith and failure.

Ideological firmness is far more useful than morale. This is a powerful weapon that can play a role no less than any advanced equipment, and the group of Viking Division fanatics who are surrounded at this moment just have this weapon.

The Red Army tanks that were flanked from both wings and pressed forward from the front gathered a huge offensive energy. The SS, which was attacked from three sides, kept shrinking its forces and tried to defend together, but it still seemed futile under this desperate and overwhelming numerical advantage.

The German tanks that were constantly destroyed and exploded were like rats running out of a rat hole washed by a flood, one after another.

Wendell, who was in command, could no longer accurately estimate the rate of loss of his troops. The number of tanks that were blown into pieces one after another was so many that he could no longer count them.

However, misfortunes never come alone. It was not only the Russian tanks that were rushing towards them fiercely. The Russian infantry who had already disembarked from the tanks were also rushing towards them like ants marching, under the cover of the tanks.