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September 1942
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| The pursuit begins. The goal is to destroy the oponent. When
the enemy has left his fortified position and tries to escape, the main
tasks of the army commander are to pass the retreating elements, in order
to stop them and start another fight, or to pursuit in order to exhaust
the enemy and cut off their road.
Sometimes the advance is halted, like the armored formation here. The daily goal leaves enough time for the formations to find a suitable route; in this way the formations can keep contact while their commanders have short meetings. When necessary, parts of the goal can be changed, so the fighting capabilities remain good despite the rapid advance. It will be difficult for the enemy to halt and find time to fortify. |
The decision to advance... A meeting of commanders takes only a short while |
...and the results: a crew member thought he could eat his bread, but the stomach of his vehicle has a higher priority |
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| Forwards! Within 15 minutes the armored columns, driving next to and behind each other, are moving. The leading tanks are followed by endless columns of vehicles. |
On side roads and more behind: while motorized troops are close behind the advancing tanks, slower formations on bicycle or transport by horses are following |
| After long hours the first opponents. The crew of a Russian anti-tank gun are retreating from their position when they see the tanks advance, and try to escape. Only when one of the tanks turns towards them, they change their mind and surrender. A small delay which will not be noticed by the following transport columns. |
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| A formation of motorcycle infantry without helmet. This is an indication for a long pursuit without meeting resistance, since taking off the helmet is only allowed when to contact with the enemy is expected. |
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