Eastern Outskirts of Warsaw — September 8, 1939
The ground trembled beneath the treads. Columns of the Leibstandarte and the 10th Panzer Division pushed forward along the wide avenues leading to the outskirts of Warsaw. It was no longer open countryside, but ruined suburbs—low houses, workshops, and cobbled streets torn apart by recent explosions.
The smoke from the air raids still hung in the air. Some buildings were still burning. Others crumbled slowly, as if refusing to fall until the very last moment.
"This isn't a retreat," said Konrad, peering through the sight. "They're waiting for us."
And so they were. From shattered windows, basement positions, and improvised barricades made of overturned trams, Polish defenders opened fire with light machine guns, rifles, and Molotov cocktails. It wasn't a continuous line. It was urban resistance.
Falk's Panzer fired twice into a fortified building. The second explosion brought down an entire wall, but shots still rang out from inside. Ernst reloaded as the vehicle shook from the impact.
"We're taking crossfire from the right flank!" Helmut shouted.
"Lukas, forward and then left! We're clearing that corner!"
The tank pushed through the remains of a marketplace. On the shattered pavement lay bodies—civilians and soldiers, some strewn across makeshift trenches.
"They won't surrender," Ernst said, his voice carrying no fear or admiration—only respect.
Above, the Stukas no longer dove as they had before. Polish anti-aircraft fire had taken its toll. One dive bomber spiraled down in flames, trailing a black ribbon of smoke across the sky.
Communications were chaotic. Wehrmacht units couldn't advance from the south. Streets were blocked with burning barricades. Groups of civilians, armed with whatever they could find, were actively defending their city.
"This won't be over quickly," Falk muttered, as his Panzer turned into another smoke-covered street.
In the distance, the towers of central Warsaw were already visible. Between them, columns of smoke rose like tongues of fire against a sunless sky.
Warsaw was resisting. And it was ready to fight—house by house, street by street, brick by brick.