Ukraine — Near the Uman Crossroads, July 1941
From the Panzer IV
"Confirmed contact!" Konrad shouted. "It's a tank! And it's nothing we've seen before!"
Falk peeked out of the hatch for just a second. Enough to see the low, solid silhouette between the trees. Wider than a Panzer III, rounder than a KV. And its gun… long. Threatening.
"Identification?" Falk asked, still holding fire.
"It's new. Not a T-26. Not a BT. God—it's something different!"
"AP round!" Falk ordered. "Now!"
Konrad aimed. Ernst slammed the shell into place. Falk gave the word.
"Fire!"
The shot rocked the Panzer IV. The hull vibrated… and the shell struck the enemy tank's front armor.
"Hit!" Konrad said.
"Effect?"
Silence. Konrad checked through the sight.
"Nothing. Not even a scratch."
Falk clenched his jaw.
"We didn't even tickle it..."
The T-34's turret turned.
"Move! Reorient!" Falk barked.
Lukas hit the clutch. The Panzer reversed, turning hard. The engine roared, but agility wasn't its strong suit.
"Enemy shot!" Ernst warned.
The shell whistled overhead. No impact. But the air shook.
"That's a 76mm!" Konrad shouted.
"Next round—side shot, aim for the wheels!" Falk ordered.
The T-34 was moving. Its speed was shocking. It shifted like a light beast, but with the armor of a monster.
The second German shot bounced off the turret.
"Nothing! Damn it, no penetration!"
"We have to get its flank! Or the engine!" Falk snapped.
Lukas understood without words. He pulled a tight turn, heading for a shallow depression in the ground.
"Can we flank it?" Helmut asked.
"We're going to try."
From the T-34
Semyon didn't smile. He didn't sweat. He was in his element.
"Adjust turret, three degrees left!" he shouted.
"Ready!" Mikhail responded, lining up the gun.
"Fire!"
The T-34 shook from the recoil, but the shell flew clean. It missed—but forced the enemy back.
"They're regrouping! Trying to flank!" Grigori reported.
"Don't let them. If they push further, we rotate completely."
Alyosha maneuvered with precision, as if the tank were part of his body. The T-34 glided over the ground.
"They're good," Mikhail said.
"Yes. But they don't know this tank," Semyon replied, tapping the side armor. "Here… they're the ones who should be afraid."
In the Panzer IV
"Fire!" Falk shouted.
The shot was lower. Konrad aimed for the gap between the drive wheel and the armor.
The shell hit. A sharp metallic crack. Something broke loose.
"We hit it!" Ernst shouted.
Konrad didn't celebrate. He kept aiming.
The T-34 stopped advancing.
"Engine's dead! Smoke from the exhaust!"
"Reload! One more!"
The second shot went into the turret's side. Penetration. Konrad shouted:
"We've got it!"
From the T-34
Inside, the air turned black. Smoke. Sparks. Blood.
"Side hit!" Grigori yelled.
Mikhail was on the floor, wounded. Not fatally, but unable to move.
"Evacuate! Out, now!" Semyon shouted.
Alyosha opened the hatch. One by one, they rolled out. The tank was burning—but hadn't exploded. It wasn't their enemy's victory. It was their own survival.
From the ground, Semyon looked across the battlefield.
"They're good."
But not better.
Just… luckier.
From the Panzer IV
The T-34 burned. It didn't explode. Just burned—as if refusing to die.
"Is it neutralized?" Falk asked.
"Yes. Crew's out. No more movement. No fire."
Silence returned.
Falk didn't celebrate.
"Helmut, report our position. One enemy destroyed. No casualties. Holding."
He turned off the intercom briefly. Looked to the horizon. Then to the ground.
"Konrad."
"Yes?"
"Thanks for not missing."
The gunner didn't respond. He just stared into the smoke.As if, in every black spiral,he saw himself.