"Enemy tank!" a German soldier bellowed from his position. Across the river, a dozen Soviet tanks were making their way through the water, aiming to assault the German defenses. Two German soldiers, armed with Panzerfaust rocket launchers, crouched low as they moved swiftly through the trenches to reach a prearranged firing point. Before them, a formidable line of Soviet armor advanced; a dozen tanks had already reached the midpoint of the river. The river, littered with the bodies of fallen Soviet soldiers, was neither too deep nor too shallow, allowing most of the tanks to proceed with little hindrance. With the tanks providing cover, the Soviet infantry behind them suffered fewer casualties, emboldening them to press forward.
Suddenly, two T-26 tanks stalled in the deeper sections of the river, their engines cut off by the water. They became immobile like reefs, their turrets the only active parts, swiveling to fire across the river at the German lines. These stranded tanks provided crucial cover for the first wave of Soviet troops who managed to reach the opposite bank.
"Boom!" The silence was shattered by a German anti-tank gun concealed in the underbrush. Its shell struck a T-26 that had just crossed the river, piercing the tank's armor and causing it to halt abruptly, smoke billowing from its engine. A bloodied Soviet tank driver struggled to escape the hatch, only to slump lifelessly over the side of his tank.
The destruction of the tank threw the following Soviet infantry into disarray, making them easy targets for the German machine guns. However, the Soviet artillery soon retaliated, their shells landing sporadically among the German positions. Although not particularly dense, the bombardment had a clear psychological impact, forcing the German machine gunners to reposition.
Amidst the chaos, a stray bullet struck a German soldier peeking out from his cover. He collapsed back into the trench, lifeless. A comrade quickly checked on him, then, grabbing his rifle, retreated from the trench.
"Boom!" Another concealed German anti-tank gun fired, striking a second T-26 at the junction of its turret and body. The shell ignited the ammunition within, and the resulting explosion sent the turret flying, scattering shrapnel and knocking down nearby Soviet infantry.
A brave Soviet soldier, seeing the peril, climbed onto his tank, knocked on the hatch, and pointed towards the German anti-tank gun hiding in the bushes. The Soviet tank, lacking a communication system, had been unaware of its adversary's position. Now alerted, the tank rotated its turret and aimed its gun directly at the German anti-tank crew.
As the Soviet tanks continued their relentless advance, exploiting their numerical superiority, the German anti-tank gun that had first fired struck again, disabling a third T-26. By now, three Soviet tanks were ablaze, their destruction marking the battlefield. Yet, the remaining Soviet tanks pressed on, targeting the German anti-tank gun that had revealed its position.
Bullets and shells rained down on the German gun position. Some rounds deflected off the gun shield, sparking upon impact, while others penetrated, striking the crew behind. "Boom!" The 45mm main gun of a T-26 tank fired, hitting the German artillery directly and reducing it to wreckage. The German crew was scattered by the blast, the tank having effectively annihilated their position.
In a forward trench, a German soldier armed with a Panzerfaust saw the signal from a machine gunner behind him. Two seconds later, the machine gun roared to life, its bullets tearing through the advancing Soviet infantry, claiming lives with each burst. Seizing the moment provided by the covering fire, the anti-tank rocket launcher peeked out and aimed at an approaching T-26. "Boom!" The rocket launched with a subdued thump, striking the tank's undercarriage. The hit was critical; the tank's front armor and likely its gearbox were destroyed, immobilizing it instantly.
The German anti-tank soldier quickly ducked back into the safety of the trench, having successfully completed his mission. He needed to relocate quickly, as the Soviet infantry, now alert to his presence, began scouring the area for him.
Simultaneously, four massive explosions rocked the Soviet lines as German artillery found their mark, forcing the Soviet infantry into a desperate retreat. However, their resolve hardened by necessity, the Soviets regrouped and charged toward the German positions instead of retreating across the river.
Another German anti-tank soldier prepared his Panzerfaust, but the tank facing him was not the vulnerable T-26 but a formidable new model, a KV-1. This heavy tank, unlike any the Germans had encountered before, was a product of Soviet engineering designed to counter the German Panzer III tanks encountered in Spain. Its 76.2mm cannon was among the largest of tank guns at the time, capable of devastating the German armor. However, despite its powerful armament and thick armor, the KV-1 suffered from mechanical reliability issues and often lacked a radio, which hindered its operational effectiveness.
Undeterred by the new threat, the German soldier fired his Panzerfaust. The rocket struck the KV-1's turret but failed to penetrate; the armored steel merely sparked and emitted a puff of white smoke. The KV-1 continued its advance, its machine gun sweeping the area for German anti-tank crews.
Leading the Soviet charge, the KV-1 and several T-26s, along with another pair of KV-1s, aimed to break through at this point and dismantle the German defensive line.
The German Leopard tank screeched to a halt, its muzzle emitting a puff of white smoke before unleashing a shell that tore through the Soviet T-26 tank opposite it. The impact was immediate and devastating, resulting in a violent explosion. "Boom!" Behind the 113 tank, the 112 tank also fired, its shell striking the front armor of another T-26, which then became disoriented, as if its crew had suddenly fallen into a deep slumber.
With these two tanks joining the fray, the already taut German defense line instantly solidified. The rhythmic chattering of machine guns resumed, slicing through the air like the sound of sawing wood, while G43 rifles crackled in response, their operators unleashing their fury as if to vent their pent-up rage.
A Soviet KV-1 tank stalled during its retreat, immobilized and vulnerable. Bullets pelted its armor, clanging metallically. After a tense moment, several crew members burst out of the hatch, only to be met with a hail of gunfire. One pilot was immediately downed by machine gun fire, and another met a grim fate under a sniper's bullet. The gunner, however, was luckier; he managed to escape the doomed vehicle and retreat with the infantry.
"I heard the SS 3rd Armored Division is a bunch of madmen, and today they certainly lived up to that reputation," remarked the German commander from his observation post, lowering his binoculars with a heavy exhale. "Had they not arrived when they did, our defenses would have surely collapsed."
"I didn't expect the Eastern Front's first tank ace to come to our aid," added a staff officer, relief evident in his tone as he resumed his seat and took a sip of water. "With them here, the Soviets won't stand a chance."
Though the command post buzzed with a lighter atmosphere, the battlefield remained a frenzied tableau of life and death. Tank 113 began to reverse as two T-26s closed in at full speed. However, tank 112 held its ground, firing and striking a T-26 that was attempting a maneuver nearby.
"Hey! I hit him! Three cars! Rennes! Three cars!" Marcus's voice boomed in the headphones, his excitement palpable.
Rennes, focused and unyielding, responded not with words but with action, firing his tank's cannon. The shell, however, merely exploded against the thick armor of a KV-1 tank without penetrating, the angle of impact leaving only a deep crater.
Meanwhile, the KV-1, though mechanically shaken, tried to retaliate. Its turret slowly turned, targeting its aggressor. Nearby, a group of Soviet infantrymen, demoralized by the relentless assault, began to retreat, suffering further casualties under the unyielding barrage.
"Bruce! Reload! Andre! Shoot!" Renn commanded urgently. His tank fired once more, the shell smashing against the turret of the opposing tank but again failing to breach the robust artillery shield. The Leopard's front machine gun continued to spit fire, cutting down the Soviet soldiers before it.
"My God! There are too many of them! But your tank wasn't hit! It wasn't penetrated!" Clark exclaimed over the commotion, his voice a mix of awe and relief.
"Bruce! Load! Andre! Fire!" Renn's commands echoed again. As he directed, a 45mm shell from a T-26 struck tank 113's turret but ricocheted off—the armor there was simply too thick for such a small caliber to penetrate.
The Leopard tank, undeterred, fired again. This time, a 75mm armor-piercing shell soared through the air and struck the immobilized KV-1 squarely on its turret. The shell ricocheted down onto the weaker hatch above the driver, finally penetrating and neutralizing the formidable Soviet tank.
The Soviet forces, demoralized and outgunned, began to collapse. Many soldiers surrendered, while others fled towards the river, only to be cut down by sniper fire or obliterated by shells. The arrival of two German planes, strafing and bombing, hastened the Soviet retreat, pushing them back a full kilometer from the riverbank.
Amidst the chaos, the drivers of two T-26 tanks abandoned their vehicles and fled with the infantry, viewing the German tanks as monstrous chariots from hell.
Renn emerged from his tank, surveying the field strewn with kneeling Soviet soldiers and the wounded crying out in agony. His gaze fixed on the distant Soviet positions across the river, where the red flag still fluttered—an ugly reminder of the brutal conflict.
Images of earlier carnage flashed through his mind: a young mother and child among the bodies, a man gasping beside a corpse with a pistol in hand. Nearby, German soldiers rallied around, chanting the names of their armored heroes, celebrating a hard-won victory.
The morning's assault had cost the Germans 71 lives, but the toll on the Soviet side was far steeper—nearly a thousand dead, the battlefield littered with corpses and the wreckage of over a dozen tanks.
General Zhukov, overseeing the Soviet operation, peered through his binoculars, his expression grim. "Don't launch another attack," he instructed his officers. "It's clear we are outmatched."