Konets
14th of February of 1982
9 Years after World War III
50 km outside the Bonn ruins, Rhine-Westphalian Federal Republic
21:21 hours local time
The following interview details the events that took place after the Battle of Fulda on the 7th — 9th of November of 1973, with former Senior Lieutenant Fyodor Mikhailovich Sergetov, a tank commander who was part of 15th Guards Tank Regiment, which was part of the 39th Guards Motor Rifle Division. This is the second part of Pops’ interview with him on his experiences during the war.
What happened after Fulda was secured?
After the town was secured, and the river was cleared of the Americans, we were then ordered to advance towards Frankfurt. Initially, it seemed simple enough. As we approached, however, it turned out the Americans were starting to become increasingly resilient. For some context, It all started as our regiment (the Division was forced to separate in order to cover more ground and advance faster) approached a small town called Schotten, which, according to intelligence reports, had NATO forces digging up defensive positions in there. I still remember looking into the Podpolkovnik’s eyes, and I could see the reluctance when he received the order before leaving Fulda. In my sleep, I can still hear him privately telling me: “Мы создали монстра, Федя. Я просто надеюсь, что мы можем приручить его.” (Translation: “We have created a monster, Fedya. I just hope we can tame it.”)
We left the town of Fulda and began our advance as the Sun began to set upon it, and I still remember the look on the faces of my comrades as they left. It was a face of confidence, and some of the men joked about how we would finish the enemy with one fell stroke, and that was just the new recruits….but most, myself included, did not laugh. We survived the first three days of the fighting in Germany and we were about to see more of it.
On the 11th, we reached the town in the late morning. The company had taken no losses during the advance, but NATO forces had set up ambushes in the mountains and others lost some men. The 117th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment had lost some patrols and several platoons’ worth of infantry in the mountains, and we lost half a platoon’s worth of tanks to American M60 tanks hidden in the forests. I remember that the men of the 120th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment had gotten to the town ahead of us. As for us, we were sent in on the second wave of the attack, after the first wave had barely managed to break through NATO defences. But this time, they were not letting go without a fight.
Why wouldn’t they just retreat?
Personally, I don’t know. Post-war narratives suggest that NATO was planning to retreat after we had been stalled long enough, but given the events that unfolded, I find that difficult to believe. However, I will point out that the Americans were already battered during the retreat from Schotten, so it could have been possible. But back to the matter at hand. Our objective was to secure Schotten, and smash the American defences there quickly and decisively.
As acting company commander, I was to take NATO down forces along the left flank, while also avoiding any ambushes set up in our axis of attack. In the process, we ran into at least two NATO ambushes, and lost at least five tanks to a squad of anti-tank infantrymen and two M60s respectively.
When we approached the town, the Americans were already expecting us, and the next thing we knew, we were forced to engage in combat with not only M60s, but also with anti-tank infantry platoons. I remember that for every three houses in a street block, there at least one anti-tank infantry platoon hidden in the house or building. It took several airstrikes, artillery barrages and a lot of napalm to ensure that NATO didn’t inflict too much damage on the left flank.
Things got ugly once we were inside the town, with NATO anti-tank infantry and tanks everywhere. For every street block we took, we were met with fierce resistance, even with aid from our comrades the 117th and 120th. We got pinned down in the middle of Gederner Street as we advanced further into the town, when a platoon of M60s, two M113 APCs and an anti-tank platoon to the right of our tank appeared in front of us and we were attacked. “Ёбаные натовские сволочи!” (Translation: “Fucking NATO bastards!”), I thought as I tried to radio for reinforcements, and it broke down. I started barking orders everywhere to my gunner and driver, as the company barely managed to survive the engagement. By the time we pushed NATO forces deeper into the town, our company and a chunk of the left flank was already battered to the point we had to stop and fix some of the tanks.
How long were you stuck fixing those tanks?
We were stuck there for an hour before the town got gassed, and I remember desperately trying to shoot American infantry, jeeps, APCs and tanks as they approached to stop us. I still remember one occasion where an American squad of riflemen began to approach on one second and then the next, they were mowed down by machine gun fire. Then the next thing I know, an airstrike started to release Sarin gas everywhere. I still remember the terror I felt as the gas descended on us, with the others just holding on for dear life inside the tanks. We were extremely lucky to even get inside as the gas dissipated, but the damage was done. As the last of the gas was cleared, I……I….*sighs* I saw things one would not believe at the time. In hindsight, though I would say that many of us would be used to seeing a dead corpse, either in decay, radioactive or just a skeleton. But I still remember seeing raw, fresh bodies laying all around me, and many of the tank crews in my company were among the dead. The smell of burning gasoline, smoke and death was all in the air, as I left the tank. The next thing I knew, I felt like a monster. My idealistic image of the protective Motherland cracked…in a way that could not be easily mended. To send men to the slaughter and then use chemical weapons on both combatants, it….it was insanity.
However, that was not the only time when our generals had been insane enough to use weapons of mass destruction for the sake of being drowned in their own lies. In fact, many of us had no idea of what was coming. You see, Mr. Williams, those very generals had, indeed, created a monster, but the Americans merely fed it.
That was the last time for at least a year before Pops and Sergetov ran into each other again. I guess this was because of my other uncle, who Pops claims died in the Korean Front fighting the Norks. According to him, he was also a tank commander like Sergetov and died during the Siege of Seoul. I am still wondering about Pops’ relationship to the lad, but thirty-five years after the interview, I can see why.
