"Panzer, Vor!"
As Müller made the tank lurch forward Könrad said his orders through the tank's intercom system. As they went through the forest the trees varying in height, the sunlight shining through them. It was a beautiful morning, the snow crunching under the tracks and the peaceful hum of the Maybach motor. Tanks had improved since 1916. He recalls seeing them at the Somme. The big slow lumbering metal diamonds, during the interwar period he saw the British and Russians unveil the T-34s and Crusaders. He hadn't seen an allied tank in person yet, he was excited about destroying one. They were coming to an intersection, Könrad spread out one of his maps on the roof of the icy turret.
"Driver, Halt." He said through the intercom and the tank soon came to a soft halt. He looked at the map and the route he had planned to take. The path was blocked by a tree that had fallen over.
"Driver, take the road to the right." Könrad said to Müller.
"But there's a tree blocking it." Müller said hesitant
Könrad laughed, "We're in a tank go over the damn thing."
"Alright." Müller responded by pushing the throttle to the max and the Panzer IV abruptly jolting forward, as it opposed being suddenly pushed to its max.
As the tank gained speed it hit the tree climbing up it, then the tree snapped under the weight of the 22 ton tank. Then the tank continued forward as if the tree wasn't there.
"See Müller it can take it, easily I might add. Hell, even the British Mark 1's I saw back in 1916 could've handled it." Könrad teased.
"You we're in the first war?" Krupp said through the intercom
"I did, I even saw the A7Vs we had made, these are so much better than whatever those were. It took a crew of 18 for just one tank!" He laughed, "Man those were the days, except for the gas."
Everyone was silent for a second. Könrad looked back down at the map on the roof of the turret. They were near the rendezvous point just a few more kilometers. Along the way they encountered yet another tree that was thicker.
"Driver Halt, Wolff, Load HE."
The tank came to a rolling stop, followed by the sounds of a brass casing slamming into the steel breech.
"Driver, reverse a few feet."
Könrad moves down to the gunner's seat and aims the gun at the center of the tree and pulls the trigger, sending a 7.5cm shell out of the tank's short barrel exploding when it hits the tree, also catching it on fire. Könrad pokes his head back out of his cupola then orders Müller to continue going for the objective.
After an hour passes they come across a few half tracks and armored cars on the side of the road, Müller pulls to the front and pulls over. The crew jumps out and walks around hoping to find some source of food.
Könrad goes to the first soldier he sees and asks where the ranking officer is, the soldier points to a command car in the back. Könrad walks to the back and looks at the Major,
"Ah you're finally here Hauptmann!" The Major said getting out of the car.
"I am, ran into a few problems. Y'all got anything to eat? My crew hasn't had anything since last night. Only water from a little creek about a kilometer or two away."
"I Could spare something, Hans!" Screamed the Major. A little soldier runs up to the Major.
"Jawohl?" He responded,
"Get the tankers something to eat and drink. They deserve it."
"Jawohl, Herr Kommandant." The soldier said running and jumping into the back of a truck and grabbing a few boxes then running to the tank and setting them on the engine deck.
"Let me know when y'all are ready, we'll head out then. But don't take too long." The Major spoke.
"Thank you, Sir." Könrad said, walking back to his tank. When he got there the crew was already eating, he grabbed one of the rations and a piece of bread and poured some water into his canteen. And then about 45 minutes later the crew finished and threw the cans in the rest of the trash in the back of a truck. And kept the boxes for some extra ammunition storage.
Könrad jumps in the tank and says "We're ready, let's go." Through the radio. Müller jumping in, then all of a sudden a hymn of engines from the convoy.
"Well be going down this road for a while, it'll take us into the streets of Moscow, so be ready." Said the Major through the radio.
They moved loudly down a country road.
Then about 3 kilometers away from the Moscow city limits they pulled over because a half track had broken down. They could hear artillery and gunfire in the distance. Könrad jumped out and ordered his crew to stay, after he walked a few feet he heard a bang, followed by a loud whistle then the sound of something deflecting off of metal. A Russian gun had hit his tank, luckily it was a bounce. Könrad ran back into the tank as a small detachment of Russian soldiers ran at the convoy,
"MOVE IT MÜLLER!" Könrad yells at Müller, then jamming the throttle and going into the brush where the Russians had come out of.
Krupp finished loading the MG-34 Machine gun and started blasting the tree line.
"HE Wolff, Schultz start blasting the tree line." Könrad quickly said.
After a few rounds there was a large explosion followed by the screams of burning soliders. It seems they had hit the Anti-Tank gun. And the Russians here running back into the treeline. After a few minutes everyone was regrouped and ready to keep on moving. After they do, they begin to see larger buildings, More of them. Until they read a sign that says.
"Moscow"