Johann Huber was, in 1944, a young probationary officer. But the needs of the war brought him as a simple crew member of a Pz IV tank of the 7th Panzer Division (MPa), Rommel's old "Ghost Division", which was now fighting the Soviets.
Huber was a tank loader for Sergeant Izeke, who was also an emergency crew chief, as he had no combat experience, as was the tank gunner. The inexperience of both almost cost the destruction of the chariot. However, by sheer luck the chariot and its crew survived and continued to fight.
On October 7, 1944, the Germans were fighting hard to hold off the Soviet offensive in the greater Memel area at the northeastern tip of East Prussia. The day was cloudy with light rain. The 7th Infantry Division, along with the remnants of the 551st People's Grenadier Division (MPG) was trying to hold back the Soviet flood.
Huber's chariot was found in the village of Luoke. There were also elements of the Grossdeutschland Division there. With anguish the crew saw Grossdeutschland Panther tanks blow up. The storm of Soviet artillery fire followed. Shells, rockets… people and human parts that were being thrown high in the air.
"We stopped at a point where we could see the road. It was a horrible scene. There were dozens of dead and wounded soldiers, 100, 200 seriously wounded and dead…” . This was the result of the Soviet Katyusha rockets.
"Everyone wanted to retreat. The Russians had taken over the southern end of the village, some strong unit of their tanks must have moved there without us noticing. We are afraid ", Huber recounted.
“As we were taking up positions a non-commissioned officer rose from the ground. he was wounded in the abdomen by rocket fragments. He was holding his guts with both hands. He approached our chariot and wanted to get on. I approached him. She was shouting and crying.
“Take me with you, he was shouting. He wanted me to take him in the chariot but he couldn't stand it. He fell back clutching his guts and crawling towards the chariot. His entrails spilled out onto the ground. It was horrible. He died trying to the end to save himself Huber said, shocked.
"Our driver Richard Braunmandle moved another 10m. and stopped. There were injured people on the road." Other tanks, however, did not stop. They passed over the living and the dead, crushing them. Finally about 12 infantrymen got on the chariot . But soon the Soviets opened heavy fire. Bombs, rockets, machine guns... "Russians, we are surrounded, we have to get through," shouted the driver.
The German tank opened fire with its machine guns. "We were advancing and the fire was falling on the armor. We must have penetrated about 2 km into the Russian positions. Suddenly the sergeant yelled for me to get out of the tank and check. The tower is stuck. On the chariot there was only one soldier, terrified, around 50-55, frozen, as the temperature was -30 Celsius. All the others had been killed”…
Huber was lucky. He escaped the slaughter in the East. He was transported by ship to the West and together with his colleagues joined an infantry company that would be sent to Berlin in April 1945. Finally the war ended and he was captured by the Americans.