• "Twenty degrees left, forty degrees elevation. British HMG emplacement." rang the calm, deep voice of Herman, the 34 year old veteran gunner. He was the calmest of the five-men tank crew, unlike the others, he had been trained in the elite program and had been selected into the SS guard and storm trooper squad before, yet he declined and joined the Tiger tank crew instead. "Explosive round loaded", said Trevor, the youngest of the crew. His job as loader wasn't exactly hard to master, but there is an element of skill needed to load the right rounds at the right time, especially in a battle against enemy tanks, timing is everything. "Fire." came the order, from the lips of the grizzled forty-two year old tank commander, Jasper. He had seen many things in the war, very disturbing things, but he was rich with experience and an excellent commander, as he inspired terror in the enemy and respect and coordination in his fellow crew members. "Shyst!" roared Kasparov as the 8.8 cm Kwk 43 tank gun fired, the recoil propelling the 31 year old driver's head into the metal roof with a dull clang. "Serves you right for slacking off last night, Kasparov." Chuckled Chernov, the radio operator. He had a cheerful personality, and never failed to keep the tank squad's morale high, he was also an excellent engineer, and always kept the Panzerkampfwagen Tiger VI Ausf. B going, even in combat situations. The heavy machine gun emplacement had burst into flames, pieces of its crew among the debris littering the floor. The Tiger tank continued to advance, its prototype 986 horsepower V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 engine w/ fuel-injection propelling it past the terrain at a remarkable speed. "This is Tigergruppe. Yes. Orders received. well guys, it seems we'll be seeing some action after all." Chernov smiled slyly. "A couple of Pershings are advancing on Trun, only 2 miles from here." "Alright. let's move, Kasparov." Said Jasper in a bored voice. "Oh come on, cheer up old chap. It has been some time since we had something interesting, those Shermans were a piece of cake." Laughed Trevor, eager for action as usual. "Just shut up and do your job, lets hope you can tell the explosive rounds from the armor piercing rounds this time, Trevor." Joined in Herman, who was reminiscing the time when hey fought against a couple of M4 Shermans; Trevor kept loading explosive rounds instead of AP rounds and the bluster nearly cost them their lives had the Panther IV's not turned up. But as they neared the village of Trun, their lives were suddenly endangered once again. "Hey, there's something in the woods." Muttered Kasparov as he peered out of the tiny viewing slit. "It's probably just an American 37mm, take it out." ran the command from Jasper. But as they neared, the thing advanced an they could see that it was not just an anti-tank gun; the long 76 mm M1A1 gun turned to face them as the M18 Hellcat came out of ambush. "Load the round! Load the round!" Barked Herman for Trevor had been staring blankly. "Aim for it's rear, you have a clear shot!" said Jasper, quickly but calmly. "Shoot! Shoot! Sh-" Chernov was cut off as a deafening boom filled the air. The Hellcat had fired first. The Tiger tilted to one side as the round hit, but luckily the round did not penetrate the frontal armor. Another deafening boom, but this time, Herman pulled the trigger. The round hit the left side of the Hellcat's rear, and it stopped, smoke pouring out of its turret and viewing window. It was a direct hit to the engine. The tank's hatch opened and the crew were clambering out, a fire had evidently broke out inside. "What are you doing?! kill them, Chernov!" Roared Kasparov angrily, but calmer calmer than a minute ago. "Oh..right." laughed Chernov with relief as he manned the secondary machine gun. but it was not needed, as the crew climbed out of their tank, there was a muffled boom and one of the crewman flew a few yards while the second died at the hatch. The ammunition have exploded. Shouts of cheer and congratulations passed around the tank, even Jasper smiled. (to be continued)