Panzer Ace. Bix

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admfisher
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Panzer Ace. Bix

#1

Post by admfisher » 25 Jul 2002, 07:04

This is my first part:

Feldwebel Bix of the 35th Pz Rgt. 4th Panzer Division.

On the 4th of Oct. 1941 Feldwebel Bix in Pz III armed with a 5 cm L/42 encoutered T-34 and KV-1s tanks of the Russian Army tanks for the first time. In this battle which was in a part of Orel Bix for the first time, would also see Panzers retreating for the first time since the start of the war.

After this the crews of his tanks and others had to come to grips with the fact that they found tanks they could not stop by gunfire. On this occasion in Orel 8.8 Flak and 10.5 field artillery helped to stop the Russians.

As part of the Elberbach Brigade which was from the 35th Pz. Feld. Bix was in action again in Oslavaya.
In this action he was to fight and win his first battle with a heavy Russian tank.
It was in the afternoot of the of the 14th of Nov. 1941 when the Brigade had been ordered to attack the village. While attacking into the village the Russians tanks that had been there forced out to fight. Bix on fighting his own little battle spotted a KV-1 at a range of 30 meters. At that range he order his gunner Kruase to fire special armor piercing shot. They fired three with no penatration to the surprise and horror of the crew.

At this time he called by radio to his Leutnant Bloke for pioneers. Bloke called back to him, "Bix, if nothing else works try to shoot his cannon in two,,"!
Bix at first did not know what to think, but they tried.
The first shot the gunner Krause fired. The smoke from the gun firing and shell exploding at close range, blinded them both.
Bix ordered another shot, but Krause fire twice more before Bix ordered him, to cease fire.

After the third shot the KV-1 came to life and started to rotate it's turret towards Bix's tank. Leutnant Bloke was just coming onto the seen and Russian stopped and fired at his tank as they fired back.
The KV-1 started spewing spoke out of insides..
Then Bix's radio operator calls up, " His barrel has burst, Herr Feldwebel."

This was just the shot in the arm that Bix and the rest of of the Elberbach Brigade needed.

Then on the 24 th of November 1941, acting as the forward of the Elberbach Brigade, Feldwebel Bix advanced into Vanev there his tank destroyed 1 AA gun, 1 MG postion and while chasing a KV-1, 2 T-28 light tanks.
After this his unit caught up with him and his crew in the city.
Hauptmann Lekschsat came up in his tank for a report from Bix. Just after the tanks quieted themselves Bix heard a tank engine starting from about a 100 m's away.
Bix who was outside of the tank called to the driver to drive ahead to a barracks, from which they could see the KV-1 one around the corner.
"Open Fire!", Bix ordered but the shot blinded them as it struck the Russian. The short range was clouded so that they could not see the Russian.
Now it was the Russian's turn to fire but they were also blinded by the first shot. The Russian shot went high and wide.

Bix now tried to get into the turret but his jacket caught on the hatch. His intercom was torn out now. To Bix's horror the KV-1 was on a ramming coarse with his tank, he had seen the Russians do this many times before.
He yelled to his driver to reverse but there was no response.. The intercom was not connected. He scrambled around the turret to the drivers visor and motioned for him to reverse. This Schrwatz did just in time. The Russian went past them with only a couple of meters seperating them.

The big KV-1 smashed into a large stone wall and stopped the wall falling down onto the turret.
At first Bix thought the Russian may be immobolizied. But then the KV started to try and move. At a range of 10 meters they fired into the side of the turret with no effect!

By this time Bix had managed to get back into the tank and plug his radio in. The Hauptmann called, " Harpoon this is Chief, we are coming!"
Not a few secounds later the shots from the approaching tanks started to hit and bounce off the KV-1's thick armor. There were so many shots being fired that Bix's tank was getting rained on by pieces of shells, and armor.
Remebering his earlier success he ordered Krause to fire on the gun again, Krause anticipated this order and was ready, after three shots again. Bix ordered him to cease firing. Seeing the gun was hit he ordered Krause to target the running gear, after four shots he stopped.
Now the giant was done for, the Russians baled out and took off for safety.

One thing should be mentioned about Feld Bix. He had earned a reputation as tanker who could find ways others couldn't. In three times before the battles mentioned he finds himself behind the Russians.
This was on some occassions a forced option say in attacking an anti tank front, another time attacking a town, and once in a recon role.

All information is from the book Panzer Aces

More to come...
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Tolga Alkan
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#2

Post by Tolga Alkan » 25 Jul 2002, 09:29

Good work,
thanks for sharing,

Tolga


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Christian Ankerstjerne
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#3

Post by Christian Ankerstjerne » 25 Jul 2002, 19:54

Yes, in deed a great article!

Christian

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admfisher
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Bix article

#4

Post by admfisher » 25 Jul 2002, 21:26

Thanks for your comments. His is a very interesting story. I will be finishing for you all over the next couple of days.
:D

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gebirgsjager
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Panzer Aces

#5

Post by gebirgsjager » 04 Aug 2002, 17:45

This is a very interesting book and available in paper back.

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