In the 80's I worked with an Austrian fellow that spent the war years in Russia. After a time he was open to conversation about his experiences. He described retreating with a few others on horseback ahead of nearly a dozen Russian tanks until they became trapped in a draw with imminent slaughter ensured. The hill behind them was higher than the one in which they rode into the draw.
Near their last moments they heard the sound of tracks above them and the barrel of a single 88 come into view. The German tank destroyed five Russian tanks as fast as they could reload, sending the others in disarray and the men on horseback made their escape.
He added that we just never had enough of anything. The Russian civilians were on the Germans side early and the men in the army got along very well with them. Then Hitler unleashed his atrocity squads on the populace and the Germans had to now fight on the front and rear. He said the troops despised Hitler for that turn of events.
I also read that Germany was constantly improving tank models in production which lead to incompatible parts in the same model line.
My coworker finally ended up captured and became a pow for three years, most of it spent working in a gypsum plant. He also mentioned exchanging his uniform with a dead German to avoid being shot upon capture. He related that as a prisoner the older military guards did not treat them too bad. Like the Germans they had their fill of violence but the young guards were brutal, not having been involved in the long years of direct battle. He ate plenty of cabbage soup and with little else turned into a living skeleton. Finally he was allowed to begin the walk home.
All in all, he said he would have much preferred staying in Austria and continue skiing with the girls, a feeling he had from the get go. There were many more tales but this is a train forum.