March 1966, Berlin Outer Position.

Kiritz pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the head of an American prisoner of war. The last time the American looked at Kiritz with American-style hatred.

Kiritz pulls the trigger.

The body of the American turned over. Cerebral plasma flows out.

"Now, right?" Kiritz handed the pistol to Hoffman: "You can do the rest." Kiritz pointed to a dozen American POWs kneeling in a row.

Hoffman's eyes were confused and disgusted, and he didn't immediately take Kiritz's gun. Kiritz stepped forward and shoved the gun into his hand: "Do as I say, Hoffman." He hesitantly took the gun and looked at Kiritz.

"Don't hesitate – mercy is superfluous." Kilitz leaned into the young man's ear: "It's 1966, and this is Berlin – the Americans would have done the same if they caught us." Hoffman, pull the trigger...... You see, it's as simple as that. Kiritz took a few steps back, ready to leave: "Obedient - hurry up and finish it, we are waiting for you at the sawmill." The reconnaissance platoon arrived, and the meeting met in five minutes. ”

Kiritz picked up a cigarette and turned away, the lighter was not very good, and after several attempts, a little spark finally ignited the cigarette in his mouth.

He slipped the lighter into his pocket, and the sound of a pistol firing could be heard behind him.

Sergeant Mel just walked over.

"Listen, the child has grown up." Kiritz let out a puff of smoke and sneered.

The former looked at Kiritz seriously and said nothing.

"We'll hide in the scrap heap of the sawmill for a while."

A Moder assault gun was quietly parked in a scrap pile in a sawmill. Horizontal and vertical timber rested on it, obscuring its metal outline.

"Let the brethren of the reconnaissance platoon come out and speak."

One covered in black mud. The little man with a haggard face stood up with hot tea in his hand: "Reconnaissance Platoon Private Paulus reports." Ten minutes ago we learned that an American company-sized unit had broken through the front line twenty minutes earlier and was moving towards the sawmill line. Long ...... Sir. ”

"Lieutenant. Kiritz. Lieutenant Meldres. Kiritz stepped forward and cordially patted the little guy from the reconnaissance platoon on the shoulder.

"Company size?" Nash, the loader, muttered unhappily, "Why don't you use radio to convey such urgent information?" ”

"Radio ...... The radios on the front line were all seized by the American army. The commander temporarily decided that I and the other five people would personally go to the various second lines to deliver the letter. The little man explained breathlessly. It's embarrassing.

The commander's periscope was coldly pressed against Kiritz's eye sockets. Fortunately, Mel was by Kiritz's side, Nash, the loader, and Hoffman, the driver, were around Kiritz, and the four of them barely supported the cold iron shell with their own body heat. In Kiritz's eyes, a large group of American troops was slowly appearing on the avenue at the main entrance of the sawmill with an M1 tank as the core.

"How many? Dad? Hoffman stammered from underfoot.

"Shh Mel immediately stopped the young man from asking further. The experienced artillery commander saw the enemy Kilitz saw from his scope. And he could hear the enemy they ignored: "Shh......h The Americans are behind us. ”

As soon as the words fell, an American conversation came from behind him.

The sound was like a cold gun in the darkness, hanging high above our heads.

"Have we been discovered......" Nash unloaded the submachine gun from his side.

"N-wait." Kiritz turned the periscope to the back. More than a dozen Americans were examining the bodies of the Americans they had just executed: "We haven't been found yet. ”

"Oh my God......" The tense atmosphere enveloped everyone. When Hoffman spotted a group of Americans in front of them two meters from his driver's window, the steel hull was almost blown up by the suffocating atmosphere!

But they still didn't move, they still lurked quietly. The engine was constantly on fire, and the pile of scrapwood perfectly concealed the outline of the German metal.

Paulus, the little man in the reconnaissance platoon, was puzzled by what they called each other: "What did you just call a lieutenant...... Dad? ”

"Humph! I don't understand. Brother! Nash pulled the scout aside. Pointing at the person who was talking to a few of them.

"You see, Lieutenant Kiritz is our father, and we are all his children. You see, Mel is the eldest son, I am the second son, and the youngest Hoffman Jr. is the youngest son! Nash, the loader, looked up proudly: "How's it going?" Envy, right? Our crew is our family – Lieutenant Kiritz is no ordinary man! If you had come a few weeks earlier, you would have seen a few other brothers...... It's a pity that they're all gone. ”

"Oh...... Wait a minute. Wait a minute! Paulus shook his head and smiled, a state that is very rare in this difficult battlefield: "You say each of your car groups is a family? Ha Lu Ha! I'm afraid it's not like it, right...... There are women in every family. But I don't see any women in your family? Hum...... Where are the women? Where? The little man continued the joke with an exaggerated look-out motion.

"Daddy Kiritz!" Nash called Kiritz's name: "This guy asked where the woman in our family is!" ”

During these months, introducing strangers to the women of their home became one of the things that Kiritz was most passionate about during these years.

"Do you want to see the woman of our family, Paulus?" Kiritz handed the little man a cigarette and carried him outside the back door of the cabin. Outside the door were pushed wood, the bitter wind, and their white chariots. Kiritz put an elbow on the track of their Type 3 assault gun: "This is my woman. Kiritz gently patted the hard shell of the chariot: "Her name is Marina, she is the mother of the children, my wife. ”

The cigarette from the Scout's mouth falls to the ground. Kiritz laughed, and this joke produced this kind of helplessness and surprise on the faces of many people. The children also came to the door with cigarettes in their mouths, as is customary. Hoffman should have asked his question in a pretended manner.

"Dad? How did you get my mother to give birth to me? I mean...... How did my mother give birth to me? Hoffman asked pretending to be obedient, clutching one hand into a hole and thrust the middle finger of the other hand into the hole.

The scout and Nash burst out laughing. Mel laughed asthmatically. The cigarette in his hand fell to the ground.

Kiritz held back and barely laughed: "On the question of how I gave birth to your mother...... Kilitz pretended to be deep behind the assault gun, and then while holding a cigarette in his hand, he stuck his stride on the steel: "That's where I came from—your mother has a hole here, and you guys were born out of this hole!" ”

Scout Paulus has a sense of humor that they didn't expect. He walked up to Kiritz and pointed to the hole in the metal behind the chariot and asked, "Lieutenant." How did you get your wife pregnant? ”

The laughter was gone. This was the first time such a question had been asked, and the children had come over and waited for Kiritz to answer.

"Hey. Paulus, come here. Kiritz hugged the scout over, leaned his face against the black metal hole behind the tank, and smiled mysteriously: "See this hole?" That's what Daddy Kiritz is capable of! Why don't I teach you...... Hahaha! ”

Kiritz's answer to Paulus was undoubtedly brilliant. Once again, the children fell into a schadenfreude laugh.

"Marina. Dear ......" Kiritz looked at their chariot with admiration: "Behold, our youngest son Hoffman is so old!" Hoffman is the crystallization of my love affair with you! Kiritz pretended to kiss the chariot and glanced at Hoffman.

The young man was laughing, but Kiritz caught the loss in his eyes that could not be concealed. yes, he just executed his first execution...... Some people also call it...... Slaughter.

It may be a bit difficult for him...... After all, he was too young.

A few minutes later, the little scout Paulus left.

They jumped into the assault gun and never saw the man again.

"Hoffman." Kiritz coldly ordered: "Full speed - now." ”

Hoffman started the engine. The machine emits "Woo woo woo...... Woo woo woo ...... Woo woo woo woo ...... sound. It was simply impossible to get repaired, leaving the engines of all German tanks in an unstable state. It sounded like a complaint. And every time the engine starts, there is a danger of stalling. If they had put out the fire here, these well-armed Americans would have torn them apart with grenades without hesitation.

"Woo woo woo...... Woo woo woo ...... Woo woo woo woo ...... "This sound has been repeated countless times. Despair in the chariot has reached its peak.

"It's dead." Mel looked through his observation hole as he watched the American in front of him, and he was little by little aware of what was being hidden by the pile of scrap wood.

"Nash! Armor-piercing shells! Kiritz patted the loader on the shoulder, who quickly shoved an armor-piercing round into the gun lock.

"Aim at the enemy's vehicle." In the periscope of Kiritz, the American tank is sluggishly stopped, and its turret is pointing little by little at us.

"Hoffman! Move it! Don't let your mom down! Kiritz cried out almost in despair.

"Woo woo woo...... Woo woo woo ...... Woo woo woo woo ...... Toot toot! "The engine finally made the sound that everyone had hoped for with all their minds, thank goodness...... Marina's engine is working! Hoffman hung up the gears of the left and right tracks with both hands - Marina sprang out like an angry bull!

The scrap pile collapsed in an instant. Like a moving wall, the Moder assault gun indiscriminately ran over the American infantry in close proximity. Before their chariot could jolt over the enemy, Mel saw the moment and pulled the trigger, Marina's main gun let out a muffled sound, and the American tank burst into sparks.

In Kiritz's periscope, their low hull allowed the shells to fly almost against the heads of enemy infantrymen, and the infantry huddled around the tank were knocked to the ground like ripples.

"High-explosive shells! High-explosive shells! Kiritz shouted at Nash.

Marina was still running at full speed among the unprepared American infantry, like a wolf like a herd of sheep. In the face of hordes of infantry, their tanks did not have machine guns. Machine guns are already redundant...... In Kiritz's periscope, frightened faces appeared in front of Marina. Then a pair disappeared under her iron shoes. Kiritz's eyes did not leave the enemy's turret for a moment, the American tanks were not destroyed, they must still be capable of returning fire. A vague premonition gathered in Kiritz's mind.

"Hoffman! Hoffman! Turn right! Put ours face to face it! "Hoffmann, despite his youth, is a reliable driver who is familiar with the various pressures that Marina's gears and transmissions can withstand at all speeds. Hoffman deftly maneuvered the chariot, and Marina slowed down while making a light right turn.

"Pound! Buzz.................. "The American tank fired, and a heavy blow hit the front armor of the German army. A terrifying resonance rang out throughout the wagon, and Kiritz barely had time to congratulate himself on the fact that his order had saved everyone...... I only felt that my eardrum had been shattered a few steps......

A calm Mel then pulled the trigger. The old artillery commander has been fighting with Kiritz since 65. He had a calm mind, and he rarely fired a cannon, but every shot was sure to hit. The old guy said that he had to be completely sure of every blow before he sent it. Whenever Old Mel holds this "grasp" in battle. He sucked both of his cheeks into his mouth, and the hairless top of his head made his whole face look like an octopus's head.

A high-explosive shell steadily hit the hull of an American tank. The infantry around dozens of tanks was blown into the sky by the artillery, and the dismembered fragments burned and rained down. The tanks of the Americans, too, seem to be finished. It stops from reversing. The barrel drooped down.

Marina didn't stop for a moment, she still rushed towards the American tank like a bull.

40 m ...... 30 m ...... 20 m ......

"Nash! Armor-piercing shells! Nash! Turret! "For the cunning of the Americans, Kiritz cannot be taken lightly.

At this time, Hoffman's voice suddenly came: "Don't fire the cannon - someone is crawling out!" They're finished! ”

When we were only a few meters away from the American tank, the tacit Mel sent the third shell into the enemy's turret. The tanks of the Americans completely collapsed. A violent explosion tore through its iron sheet from the inside, knocking its turret into flight...... As for the American tankman who was climbing out of the roof? He was torn in half on the spot by the violent explosion - his lower limbs were stuck in the deformed turret, and his entire body was thrown dozens of meters away along with his upper limbs......

Kiritz knew exactly what Hoffman meant. Damn pity always hangs over Hoffman's mind like a ghost. Blurred his judgment of the situation.

"Hoffman! What did you mean? We should have spared that American tankman, right! Veer! 180 degrees – steering! ”

Marina frantically rammed into the flaming American tank, and then it braked sharply. Reverse at full speed.

"Look! The ground is full of Americans who were injured by the bombing! Run it over! Ha! Nash actually stuck his head out of the cabin at this moment, and he shouted excitedly when he saw that there were enemies in front of him.

Hoffman didn't say a word.

"Run it over." Kiritz coldly ordered.

Every moment, countless bullets hit Marina's armor, and the grenades thrown by the Americans were bounced off by Marina's hard outer skin and exploded in all directions. She endured these pains that could lead to our death a thousand times, silently. The chariot was constantly jolting, and they knew that this bump would only occur when they ran over people. Marina reversed on the spot, turned right, then forward, turned left, and under Hoffman's maneuvering, the chariot turned around the corner with a minimum radius, and several American wounded escaped being run over.

Kilitz easily noticed this. Mel also turned his head and exchanged glances with Kiritz.

Kiritz, however, remained silent.

Having lost the only tank cover, the entire American infantry had little hope. They could have pulled down, but they chose to keep fighting...... And under Marina's artillery, tracks, and armor, the rest of the battle was just a massacre.

The earth was dyed black and red.

There is no suspense about the collision of human flesh and steel.

By the time the Panzers of the "Skeleton" Division arrived, their battle was over. Looking at the Americans who were tossed and turned by Marina all over the ground, the brothers of the "Skeleton" division exclaimed approvingly.

"We will inform the regimental headquarters: Kiritz.

The Meldres crew thwarted the superior U.S. forces at the sawmill this morning. You and your crew will be awarded the Iron Cross, sir. ”

After the battle, Kiritz and his brothers got out of the car tiredly, and a non-commissioned officer from the regimental headquarters came up to salute Kiritz and said respectfully.

"I'm sorry for you, second lieutenant." Kiritz saluted him back. Kiritz knew that when people read about the battle in the future, their battle this morning will appear in the record. Kiritz inadvertently looked at Marina's flesh-stained tracks, the pig iron had turned red.

"But no one cares about such brutal details." Kiritz casually put his arm around Hoffman, who was smoking a cigarette as the young man playfully smoked.

"Hoffman, listen to Daddy." Kiritz plucked the cigarette from his mouth and put it in his mouth: "It's better to be alive than anything else...... Forget the cruelty, it's our job. Kiritz pointed to the bones that were stuck to the tracks with flesh stuck to the mud: "All right, son, you should be happy about it." Kiritz shoved the cigarette back into his mouth: "We're all so proud of you, Hoffman...... We: your brothers, Kiritz, and your mother. Look at it all...... You were born to fight. ”

Kiritz looked affectionately, like a true father comforting his aggrieved son. (To be continued......)