In the early stage of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941,
Strachwitz commanded the 18th Panzer Battalion in 18th Panzer
Division, where he became a popular and respected field commander with
great tactical skills. He soon gained the nickname of Der Panzergraf -
The Panzer Count. He took part in major battles of the early fighting
on the Eastern Front, including crossing of Bug and fighting at
Brody-Dubno. At this stage, The Panzer Count became known for his
daring tactics, which often result in heavy losses inflicted upon the
Red Army by his unit. In 1942, Strachwitz was promoted to the rank of
Lieutenant Colonel and advanced with 16th Panzer Division in von
Paulus' 6th Army to Stalingrad, where was wounded and evacuated
escaping the fate that fell upon the 6th Army. In the same year, he
was awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross. Upon his return,
Strachwitz received the command of panzer regiment of elite
Grossdeutschland division. The 3rd Battalion of the panzer regiment
was equipped with heavy Tiger I tanks. On March 28th of 1943, Colonel
Strachwitz was awarded the Swords to the Oak Leaves of the Knights'
Cross during heavy fighting around Kharkov. Strachwitz then took part
in the fighting during the Operation Citadel in the Summer of 1943.
Following the failure of the operation, German units were forced to
retreat. During this time, Strachwitz showed to be only skilful in
attack but also in defence. He quickly understood patterns followed by
Soviet commanders during attacks and launched numerous local
counterattacks into their flanks and rear. Strachwitz became an expert
in creating tank-killing grounds destroying countless Soviet tanks in
short periods of time. On April 1st of 1944, Strachwitz was promoted
to the rank of Major General and commanded 1st Panzer Division for a
short period. On April 15th of 1944, Strachwitz was awarded the
Diamonds to the Oak Leaf of the Knight's Cross (11th recipient of the
award) for his actions at Tuccum and Riga. In late 1944, became senior
panzer officer of Army Group North responsible for reorganizing panzer
and panzergrenadier units. At the same time, he commanded
Panzerverband Graf Strachwitz (also known as Kampfgruppe Strachwitz)
in the summer of 1944 operating in Lithuania. Strachwitz was also a
holder of the German Cross in Gold, which was awarded for bravery.
Strachwitz was involved in a serious car accident. He barely survived
and returned to service, ordered to raise tank destroyer brigade at
Bad Kudova.
As the war situation became more and more desperate, Strachwitz fought
his way through Czechoslovakia to reach Bavaria, where he dissolved
his command and ordered all men to surrender to the Western Allies.
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