Chapter 2: Back to the Front.

22nd June 1943.

Maho suddenly awoke from her slumber, panting heavily and sweating. She froze; momentarily unaware whether she was alive or dead, until she felt the warmth of her blanket. She gave a massive sigh of relief.

'Only dreams… thank God. I thought I wasn't dreaming…'

She suddenly sat up, trying to calm herself down.

She shrugged, standing up but wincing slightly. She slowly pulled up her shirt. There were still bandages from her previous injury… But that didn't matter now. She'd been recalled to the eastern front. The telegram stating that rested on the desk. Maho was one of the few lucky ones, whose injuries were bad enough that she had to be treated in Germany, therefore getting a few days leave as she recovered from the operation. She was relatively tall for her age, and had short, brown hair that went down to her neck.

"Maho! We're going to be late! Let's go!"

A small voice emanated from downstairs. It was her younger sister, Miho. She had similar traits to Maho; both had brown eyes, and neck long hair. However, Miho had light brown hair, whilst Maho had hair that was a darker shade of brown. Maho smiled; she loved hearing her little sisters' voice. Although she was 15, Maho always remembered when she was still a little girl.

"I'm coming!" She shouted down, before quickly getting dressed into her panzerwaffe uniform.

Running downstairs, she'd smile slightly at Miho and take her by the hand. "You ready to meet mother at the railway station?" She asked.

Miho nodded enthusiastically.

The railway station in Munich was crowded with civilians and soldiers alike, with infantry troop trains and replacement troop trains lining the railway tracks. Maho was walking slowly, in her field grey tunic shirt and black tie. On top of that she wore her black double-breasted hip length jacket (or Panzerjacke), with the totenkophf on the collars. She was also wearing the black trousers, black service boots and black officers' sidecap, which was slanted a little to the right.

"Maho!" Miho tugged at her older sister's sleeves, trying to get her attention.

'She maybe seventeen, but she still has childish instincts sometimes…'

"Yes?"

Maho, a little impatient at the time, looked down at her little sister with a cold, stern face.

"Do you have to go back Maho?" Miho asked her quietly.

Maho sighed, taking her sister by the hand.

"I'm afraid I have to go back Miho…" She whispered, her face falling a little bit.

They walked towards the troop train, when they both saw a familiar figure. Their mother was waiting for them both. She was very similar to Maho in appearance, just a little taller and had longer brown hair, extending down to her shoulders. Seeing them both, she walked calmly to Maho, and hugged her tightly.

"Stay safe for me Maho…promise you come back?"

Maho hugged her mother tightly. She could feel her mother's tears drip onto her jacket. Her mother let go, then before she could do anything, Miho hugged her tightly as well.

"Please don't go!" She begged. "I don't want you to die! Please! Come back for me!" She sobbed into her arm.

Maho sighed, and looked down to Miho's eye level, wiping the tears away gently with her thumb.

"Miho. I promise I'll come back for you. Stay strong whilst I'm away, okay?"

Miho nodded slowly, sniffing a little. "I promise I'll join up when I'm older to be with you, I promise."

Maho smiled, holding back her own tears, she kissed her gently on her forehead, and let go of her hand, and walked towards the Sonderzüge. It had 6 large carriages, and on each of them, perched a Tiger Tank. There were also many smaller carriages for soldiers to be transported in. She stopped in front of an officer, who was ticking the names off his list.

"Name?" He asked, looking at Maho sternly.

"Maho Ketler." She replied smoothly.

"Rank?"

"Leutnant."

"Leutnant Ketler…Ketler…" The officer mumbled, searching through the seemingly endless amount of names printed onto the paper.

"Ah. Leutnant Maho Ketler. You're on carriage No.23. With the other people from the 505th." The officer smirked, gesturing to the open carriage behind him.

She forced a smile, as she climbed up into the carriage. Once inside, there were several men on board, all donned with the same uniform Maho wore. One of the men, who had short, blond hair, and navy blue eyes, stared at Maho, his face smirking.

"Look here lads… We've got ourselves a gal. What's your name sunshine? Never heard of a female tank commander before… have we lads?" He smirked, and the other men smirked as well. He then caught attention of her shoulder strap, which displayed her rank. His face fell.

"I'm so sorry… Leutnant. I didn't know you were an officer." He muttered, his gaze falling on the floor in front on him.

She looked at him coldly.

"Next time, don't just flirt with any women you see in a panzer uniform. And, since I'm a female officer, you address me as ma'am. Clear?" She explained emotionlessly.

"Yes ma'am." They all mumbled.

She adjusted her sidecap, and sat in the corner of the carriage. A few minutes later, a few more girls stepped into the carriage, smiling and saluting her as they went to sit down. Maho smiled, and returned the salute.

An hour later, when all the soldiers were on board, the doors were locked and bolted shut, door by door. They all lurched a little when the train started moving. Maho looked out of the window, and saw Miho looking at her. She was crying, waving goodbye to her. Maho blinked, hiding her own tears, as she waved goodbye to her little sister, smiling.

'I'll come back Miho. I promise you.'

As the train picked up speed, the platform quickly disappeared from view. Maho sat down with the other female panzer officers. They were all newly promoted, all five of them bearing the rank of Oberfeldwebel. She talked to them for some time, and got to know them. She knew this as she could see the insignia displayed on their shoulder straps. They were all from Berlin, and had just graduated from the officer training academy in Panzertruppenschule II; an academy that trains German armour officers to operate Panzers. They were all happy and optimistic; and the way they spoke and acted showed this.

"Hey! Don't steal my cap!" One of the girls giggled, as the other pinched her sidecap away from her head and waved it around playfully. Maho looked on, and forced a smile. They were so young, so…innocent.

"Most haven't even seen the horrors of war yet. They haven't stumbled across a dead body, or a burned out skeleton of your friend lying next to a burnt out tank. They haven't seen, or smelt death before. Something like that will change you forever; and some of the changes can never be reversed. When they come back, they'll never be the same ag-"

"Leutnant?"

A small voice stopped her trail of thought. For now. One of the young female officers was sitting opposite her, away from the other group of girls, who were messing around with each other's side caps. She had blonde hair that extended down to her shoulders, and bright, blue eyes. She was different to the other girls, however. She wasn't eager or excited. She looked worried, her eyes reflected fear within her. She was one who had seen the hardship of war. Something Maho herself could relate to. She looked to the girl who just addressed her.

"Yes?" She asked; her voice gentle and soothing.

The girl shivered a little, staring into the floor. "I-I'm scared Leutnant…" She whispered her voice barely audible to her."…I don't know w-whether I will come b-back."

Maho sighed, her gaze sliding to the floor. She couldn't do much to comfort her, as she knew, as most of the soldiers returning to the Eastern front did, many will not return.

"Hey…Look." She stretched out her hand and lifted the girls' chin up, so she was looking at her.

"I know… it may be hard for you to think about that right now. But, just keep your head down, and remember all the tips you've learnt, alright?" She smiled at the girl softly, holding her tears back. She pitied her.

'So young and they have to join and fight this pointless war… At this rate, she won't last a month. She must've had a future ahead of her; but that's now gone because she's joined the Panzerwaffe…or was persuaded by propaganda of a smooth and decisive German victory…'

The girl smiled, a single tear sliding down her pale face. "Thank you… ma'am." She whispered, blinking and looking down onto the wooden flooring of the carriage. She looked up at Maho, and saluted.

Maho blinked; slightly surprised she would do that, returned the salute slightly slower. Her mind was preoccupied; thinking about her own life. Will she return after the war? Will she be able to make it through the war? She shuffled to a corner, and rested her back and the back of her head against the dark, rough wooden structure of the carriage.

'Just relax Maho… You'll be fine. You will see Miho again.'

As they travelled throughout the night, the girls and boys rested, sleeping against the wooden side of the carriage. Maho however, was restless. However many times she tried to sleep; haunting images of her at the front came back to plague her. Images of dead men, torn apart by the vicious weapons made by mankind. Corpses with their heads ripped off. Men missing their lower torso. Empty, blank eyes staring into space. Charred remains of men burnt to nothing but black bones and unburned fat. Her nose filled with the familiar, yet repulsive scent of death; half decayed bodies left on the ground to rot away.

'You know you're going to die Maho… You can feel it yourself. Somehow, you think that you won't return to Miho, or your family. Why? Because you know you won't survive this… your luck is going run out sooner or later…'

"Shut up. Shut UP!" Maho whispered to herself, shaking her head violently, holding back her tears as her body shook slightly. However, she knew her thoughts were partially, if not mostly, true. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and huddled up, hugging herself to stay warm. She looked round the carriage slowly. Everyone else was asleep… apart from the girl she comforted earlier. She was still awake. She was pale, and shaky. Maho looked up at the girl, and gave her a comforting nod. She then shuffled over, looking at her. "What's your name comrade?" She asked quietly. The carriage rattled and rocked slightly as it went over a small bump on the train tracks.

"Karla Brun… ma'am." She whispered. "O-Oberfeldwebel Karla Brun…"

Maho smiled lightly. She was surprised to find another female Tank commander. Although many females often joined the war effort; she didn't know many females who were willing to fight on the front, least of all be in command of a tank. "Unterfeldwebel? So you're a Tank commander, hm? Have you been to the front before?"

Karla smiled, nodding slowly. "Yes ma'am, I have. I've just been back from the few days of leave I could get. I had a few more days left, but I've been recalled to the front. Apparently, there is a new offensive being planned…" Suddenly, her face fell, and she looked directly at Maho. "Leutnant? Can I ask you something?" She shuffled forwards a little. "But promise me you answer truthfully." She whispered quietly. Maho didn't notice until now, but Karla had a very beautiful, quiet, yet clear voice.

She rubbed her eyes, before tucking a small loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Okay." She nodded. "What do you want to ask…? Oberfeldwebel Brun?"

Karla's eyes slowly slid to look at the floor. "Will I… die?" She whispered her voice so quiet that it was barely audible.

Maho looked down slightly, choosing the right words to answer her question. She then slowly looked up to Karla. "Honestly, I don't know." She whispered quietly. "It's something that no one will know… Let me tell you this though." She blinked; brushing some hair from her fringe. "People die all the time. Whether of old age or being killed in battle… But people will die in due time. It's just how they die and when they die. But think about this." She shuffled closer and smiled slightly. "You won't die… I can tell the ones that can make it through all this."

Karla's eyes lit up slightly. "How can you tell?"

Maho smiled, blinking several times. "I'm not sure, honestly. But mark my words; they more or less turn out to be true. So you're the lucky one." She gave her a smile, and then shuffled closer. "Tell me Karla, where are you from?" She asked; trying to get to know the young girl.

"Me? I'm from Berlin… My family have lived there for years." She replied. "You?"

"I'm from Frankfurt…" Maho whispered, smiling gently. "So, why did you join the Panzerwaffe? Conscription? Or did you feel like joining?"

Karla shook her head. "I joined, because I wanted to become a tank crewwoman. I joined with my…other half. I thought it would be all fun and games, and that we'd have an easy time. She thought that too. We thought that the war would be over shortly. Until… All this bullshit happened." She shook her head again. "I've seen… too much. I can never forget those things I've seen." She began to tear up again. "I-I…I…" She violently shook her head, before sobbing quietly.

Maho shuffled closer; putting an arm round her shoulder. She hadn't known Karla for more than a few hours, but she felt that she was like a little sister for her. "Hey. It's okay." She whispered, trying her best to comfort her. "Tell me what happened… It's best for you to let it all out."

Karla nodded, and shuffled closer so that they were only a few inches apart.

Notes:

UPDATE: Chapter 3 is now written.

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