Chapter 6: Knowledge Talks, Experience Walks

24th April, 1945. 1315 Hours – Frontlines near Neukolln, Berlin

"So much for all in a days' work, Nonna!" Anastasiya shouted as the young female commander closed the commander's hatch with a loud clanging sound before peering through her sights and observing the carnage that was unfolding further up the road. Nonna saw several T-34-85s ahead of her suddenly explode into almighty balls of flame as shells smashed into each one within seconds of one another. One of the stricken T-34-85s turret propelled itself dozens of feet into the air before landing with a deafening crash onto the floor as its ammunition cooked off in a blinding flash of orange and yellow, whilst the others stood silently smouldering and burning, smoke billowing from each closed hatch and crevice.

"Alina, we need an armour piercing shell now!" Nonna exclaimed as a shell screamed past her IS-2, its high-pitched shriek catching her attention immediately. "That sounded like high velocity guns! There are at least three tanks! Ana, move us back slightly into cover, but make sure Klara can look for the German armour!"

"Fuck, on its way!" Alina shouted in reply as she quickly reached towards the loading tray and began to hoist the shell into the breech.

"Copy that!" Anastasiya replied as the IS-2s engine growled to life once more, the metal behemoth inching backwards several meters past the corner of the building it was peeking from before coming to a stop a few moments after.

"Do you see anything, Klara?" Nonna asked.

The turret began to traverse slowly as Klara quickly swept the area for potential targets. Through her sight, the blonde glanced past the burning tanks ahead, bits of debris and human bodies littered around the road though the smoke rising from them as well as the dust thrown up made it difficult to locate anything of note. She watched as silhouettes of the Soviet soldiers exchanged small arms fire with the Germans; the rapid chattering and cracks of rifles and submachineguns echoed up and down the road as well as frantic shouts in Russian and German as both sides attempted to gain the upper hand. "Negative, I can't see anything yet Leytenant." She replied quietly. However, she suddenly spotted an outline appear from a side street from within the smoked and haze-filled street.

"Wait, Panther spotted on the side street! Alina, I need the shell now!" Klara spoke quickly as she watched the Panther open fire, its muzzle flash blasting through the smoke as it obliterated a position where several Soviet soldiers were located, reducing the position to a cloud of dust and crumbled debris as several now lifeless and mangled bodies tumbled and collapsed onto the ground in a heap. One soldier seemingly survived, and clutched his abdomen as red spilt out from his wound, his coarse screams intertwining with the deafening sound of gunfire and explosions that encompassed the entirety of the area.

"A few more seconds!" Alina yelled back as she lifted the propellent charge from the loading tray and placed it onto the loading tray as quickly as she could as she began to shove it into the breech.

Nonna immediately glanced towards the side street to where the Panther was, and noticed it had began to back up into the street. "Alina, we need it now!" She stated urgently. "It's reversing into cover! Klara, fire on my command!"

The loader closed the breech with a loud thud. "Clear!" Alina shouted.

"Fire!"

The massive breech of the IS-2 flew backwards as the shell flew out of the barrel and screamed towards its target at supersonic speed. The Panther however managed to back off further into the side street in time as the shell smashed into wall of the building opposite, showering the area with bits of rock and dust. Klara swore under her breath at the sight. "He's pulled back into the street!" She spoke, her voice raised against the din that was unfolding outside.

Another artillery round exploded around them, throwing the inhabitants inside the tank around like ragdolls as Nonna spotted several muzzle flashes from further up the road in several locations, followed by explosions littering the positions that the soviet infantry had been holding just moments prior, engulfing them in flame and deadly shards of shrapnel as several more artillery shells blasted up and down the road. Her heart sank at the sight. "We've got more armour coming downrange!" She called out, watching the beleaguered soviet soldiers began to fall back from their positions, the shouts of "Panzer alert!" filling the air. "Alina, we need another shell as soon as possible! The Germans are tearing our men to shreds if we don't do anything!" Nonna ordered, before glancing down to her gunner.

"On it, Nonna!" Alina answered, sweat dripping down her forehead as she lifted another shell towards the gun breech in preparation.

"Klara, do you see anything appearing on the side streets?"

"I saw the muzzle flashes Nonna, but they keep on ducking back into the side streets once they've opened fire. I can't get a shot out at them." Came Klara's swift reply. "These Germans are definitely organised and prepared."

"Leytenant, should I move the tank further out for a clearer shot for Klara?" Anastasiya asked, almost shouting through the radio to hear her own voice.

"Negative, Ana. That's what they want us to do." Nonna responded promptly. "They want us to expose ourselves more and they'll hit us as soon as we do that. Especially if we're dealing with Panthers and potentially Tigers." She turned her head suddenly to her left as she heard Alexi's IS-2 open fire, the muzzle blast sending dust flying everywhere. "Alexi, what did you see?" She quickly asked into the radio.

"Panther tank at the nearest side street on the left-hand side! It just moved back in!" Alexi replied quickly. "I'm moving in to engage!" The IS-2s engine rumbled to life as it began to crawl forwards from its relative cover behind Nonna's IS-2 towards the side street in question, bullets pinging off its slanted hull and turret as it moved down the road.

All this Nonna took in from her commander's sights as her eyes widened in surprise and shock at the events unfolding in front of her. There were potentially German tanks further up the road, all with a clear shot downrange towards them. And now Alexi had decided to leave his relatively covered position behind her and expose his tank into the line of fire. "Alexi, stop!" She exclaimed simply, unable to articulate the sheer shock of what she had just seen occur in front of her, before swearing under her breath loudly. She glanced at her platoonmate's IS-2 in hopes that it would heed her words, but it simply just continued rolling forwards at a steady pace. "I can't believe this." She muttered aloud.

"What happened, Nonna?" Anastasiya asked, clearly concerned at the rare exasperated outburst that emanated from their commander.

"Alexi is going to chase the Panther down, with no infantry support, and in full view of the German tanks further up the road." The young female commander responded simply, quickly grabbing two smoke grenades as she spoke.

"He's doing what?!" Anastasiya spoke, the tone of her voice clearly as shocked as Nonna's.

"You heard me, Ana!" Nonna stated somewhat firmly, sighing as she spoke. "We need to cover him. Ana, move us further out for Klara to have a clearer shot downrange. Alina, anytime with the shell now!"

"Clear!" Alina replied as she closed the breech.

"Wait, but you said-" Klara protested.

"I know, but with Alexi doing what he's doing we don't have a choice! I'll give us some cover with smoke grenades. Klara, open fire on any German armour you see as we move across." Nonna responded, reaching up and opening the commander's hatch as she spoke.

Her gunner sighed quietly, before refocusing her gaze into the gunnery sights in front of her. "Copy that, Nonna." Came Klara's soft yet rather hesitant reply as the IS-2 began to slowly crawl forwards from its hiding spot and began to cross the road. "I hope the smoke provides enough cover for us to cross."

"Well, we'll find out soon enough." Nonna breathed as she pulled the pin on the smoke grenades and threw them outside as far as she could before quickly closing the hatch as several bullets whizzed overhead. "Hold position for now, Ana. We need to let the smoke develop; roll forwards on my command."

"Will do." Anastasiya answered quickly. "Honestly, we should just let him get shot up by the Germans." She muttered bluntly. "It's not worth giving up this position where we can sit and hold whilst taking pot shots at anybody brave enough to stick their head out."

Nonna sighed, her gaze fixed through her cupola sights as she waited for the smokescreen to start forming further ahead. "I would love to do just that, but Alexi has changed the plan a bit." She spoke calmly, though her voice was laced with annoyance and displeasure. "I can't just leave him to succumb to his own hubris. We're a team, we have to at least try and work together." She sighed, watching the fog of smoke grow into a somewhat substantial screen, obscuring most of the road ahead with its grey wisps. "Alright, lets move out and follow. Ana, I want you to put through as quickly as possible. The smoke won't last forever, so we need to move hard and fast."

"Gotcha, moving out now."

"Klara, focus downrange and engage any targets that try to open fire on us. Alina, we'll need a shell on the double if Klara engages a target."

"On it, Nonna."

"Copy that!"

The IS-2 steadily travelled down the street towards the side street, the smoke luckily wafting its tendrils further down the road, obscuring its movements for the most part. The sound of another tank gun firing and the subsequent scream of the shell sailing past made the commander flinch somewhat as she kept glancing out to the road ahead of them. "Alexi, what is your status? You're taking fire!"

"All good here, just a tank taking a shot at me as I turned into the side street, continuing pursuit. It came from further up ahead." Came his short yet simple reply. "Are you following?"

Nonna frowned at the sound of his somewhat snarky remark. "On my way. Hold position until I've arrived." She spoke, barely hiding her exasperation in her voice. "Klara, keep your eyes peeled for the tank that just opened fire on him." She muttered. "It might try and poke its head out again. Ana, keep her steady so Klara can aim effectively."

"I don't see anything downrange, Nonna." Her gunner replied quickly. "It's like they can anticipate our movements. These tankers we're facing are definitely experienced."

"They're only experienced until they catch a 122mm armour piercing shell to the face." Alina retorted. "No amount of experience can stop-"

The sudden sound of steel smashing into metal and the force of its impact caused Nonna to slam into the side of the turret, the rest of the inhabitants of the IS-2 being thrown around by the sudden collision of steel onto steel as Nonna dazedly shook her head in an attempt to clear out the high-pitched ringing in her ears which drowned out the noise of the hellfire that was occurring outside. She glanced down towards her crewmembers as they all attempted to make out what had just occurred.

"What the fuck was that?!"

"We took a hit!"

"Nonna, are you okay?!" Came Klara's concerned voice through Nonna's headset upon seeing her commander's rather dazed look on her face.

"… I'm fine, Klara." Nonna responded slowly as she blinked several times to clear the ringing still present in her ears. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yep, we're all good Leytenant. Just took a big ricochet!" Alina piped up as Anastasiya revved the engine of the IS-2, attempting to make it cross the street as quickly as possible.

Nonna glanced outside attempting to locate the German tank that had just opened fire. She spotted the tell-tale smoke of a gun that had fired emanating from the corner of a building at the end of the road, the silhouette of the tank barely hidden behind it. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight.

"Klara, traverse right! Tiger at the end of the road!" She ordered quickly. "It's backing away to reload, it'll be back in a few seconds!"

"I see it!" The gunner replied, attempting to traverse the turret with her usual controls.

Nothing happened.

"Traverse right!" Came Nonna's order through her headset once more, albeit a bit more urgently.

Klara tried again, before the dire realisation came to her. "We've lost electrical traverse!" She stated. "I'm switching to manual!"

Nonna cursed under her breath at the news. She deduced that the ricochet must have hit the turret and damaged the wiring. The situation she and her crew were in was not ideal at all. She knew that losing electrical traverse would put her crew in a significant disadvantage in an armoured engagement, as whoever managed to line up their gun first would usually come away the victor. "Alright. Klara, keep your gun fixed on where the Tiger will pop out. Fire on my command. Ana, slow down a touch so Klara can traverse the turret. Once she fires, speed up as much as we can into the cover of the side street where Alexi is."

"Copy that, slowing down a touch now."

The turret began to slowly traverse towards the position where the Tiger was last seen, as Klara hurriedly turned the wheel to manually turn the IS-2's massive turret to stay on target whilst on the move. As she did so, she saw the Tiger slowly pop out from behind the building once more though at a rather angled approach; its gun ominously turning towards there IS-2. "The Tiger's back!" She called out.

"Open fire!" Nonna ordered quickly whilst peering through her cupola. "They're about to line up on us!"

"I'm not on target yet!" Came Klara's somewhat pressured reply as she turned the traverse wheel as quickly as she could.

"Come on, Klara! Hurry!" Anastasiya shouted.

"Shoot them already Klara! Or we won't be as lucky this time!" Alina yelled, nervousness piercing through her voice as she did so.

The gunner peered through her sight as it felt like an eternity had past till she finally lay her gun sights on the Tiger. "On target!" Klara called out.

"Hit it!" Nonna commanded.

A blinding orangey yellow flash followed by the massive pressure wave sent a cloud of dust flying up into the air as the shell screamed out of the barrel and towards the Tiger. Klara watched as it smashed into the frontal hull of the Tiger as sparks flew in every direction; the round ricocheting off the frontal plate. The gunner audibly cursed aloud as she saw what had happened. "Ricochet! Alina, I need another armour piercing round!"

"What?!" Came Anastasiya's shocked response as Alina swore loudly before instantly reaching to load another armour piercing shell into the breech as quickly as possible.

"Shit! Coming!"

Nonna peered through her cupola and saw the Tiger slowly begin to reverse back into the side street. "It's getting away! Alina, we need it now!" She ordered quickly. However, she noticed a large, noticeable dent sheared onto the Tigers' frontal hull. Although they didn't penetrate, she knew the impact most likely had damaged the Tiger in some form or another.

"Come on, Alina!" Klara stated urgently as she traversed the turret to keep her sights on the rapidly disappearing Tiger.

"Trying my best here, Klara!" She shouted in reply as she shoved the shell into the breech before reaching down to lift the heavy propellent charge onto the loading tray.

"I'm gonna lose sight of it!" Came the gunners' now concerned voice through the headset. "Now or never!"

"You fucking try lifting these shells everyday for a living Klara and you'll know how hard it is do it quickly!" Alina retorted sharply, as she slammed the breech shut. "Clear!"

Klara primed to open fire, but the Tiger had just disappeared from sight as it backed away fully into the side street. She sighed and looked down. "Target lost. It backed into the street." She spoke slowly.

Nonna sighed quietly and nodded in acknowledgement. "Okay. Ana, let's catch up to Alexi and regroup with him." She spoke as she weighed up the situation in her head. They had to take out the roaming Panther and Tiger tank before they could wreak more havoc to the troops back on the main route of advance. But she knew they were walking into the unknown. There potentially could be more enemy heavy armour that they hadn't accounted for; she recalled there was at least three shots fired almost simultaneously in the opening enemy salvo.

"Alexi, we engaged a Tiger that was near the end of the main road, but our shell ricocheted and it managed to escape. Keep an eye out for it." Nonna spoke into the radio.

"Noted. But we will keep hunting the Panther and any armour we come across. Follow my lead." Came Alexi's prompt reply.

The young female commander rolled her eyes in response to his subordinates' statement as she watched Alexis' IS-2 begin to roll forwards slowly down the street, its main gun covering the left side of the street as it did so. "Ana, follow Alexi's lead, nice and slowly. Klara, cover our right side as he's covering our left."

"Copy that, Leytenant."

The two IS-2s travelled down the narrow street, Nonna scanned the road ahead through her cupola, making note of side streets where the German armour may suddenly appear at. She could feel the tense thumping of her heart beating in her chest as they slowly crawled forwards a metre at a time.

"I don't like this, Nonna." Klara muttered quietly as she peered through her sight, the turret of the IS-2 traversing ever so slightly as she checked her surroundings for any kind of movement. "We're going to have a disadvantage in getting our first shot off on target without electrical traverse."

Nonna rubbed her eyes with her sleeve gingerly, blinking several times in an attempt to remained focused. "Well, even with that disadvantage, I trust you well enough to make the important shots count." She replied gently, flashing a small smile at her gunner as she did so. Her gaze returned to focus on the road ahead. Through the slight dusty haze, she noticed a silhouette of a tank move out from the corner of a side street on the left side. "Alexi, enemy tank left side street! It's a Panther!" She called out into the radio. "Ana, halt!"

"Copy that, engaging!" Came Alexi's prompt reply. Nonna watched the turret of the IS-2 ahead of her quickly snap towards where the Panther was and open fire, the muzzle flash and pressure wave blasting smoke and dust into the air around them.

The round however impacted the building just behind the Panther as it sent bits of glass, brick and debris flying. The Panther quickly reversed back into the side street, popping its smoke launcher as it retreated, engulfing the street corner with wispy grey tendrils of smoke that slowly spread into the main street.

Nonna via her commander's sight saw all the action that was occurring a few dozen meters ahead of her. However, something didn't sit right with her; the Panther had an opportunity to engage Alexi, but deliberately chose not to. "Klara, keep an eye on the road ahead on the right side." She muttered slowly. "Open fire on anything you think that looks like a tank."

"Will do, Nonna."

"What's on your mind, Nonna?" Came Anastasiya's voice through the headset. "I know that tone, something isn't right."

The young female commander nodded briskly as she continued peering at the now rather smoke obscured road ahead. "The Panther didn't engage when it had the chance to. Something doesn't feel right." Nonna answered, a waver of uneasiness bubbling just beneath the surface as she spoke. "Alexi, hold your position." She spoke into the radio. "I think that Panther is trying to bait you to turn into the street and expose your side for another tank to shoot you."

"Do you spot any German armour up further ahead?" Came his prompt reply.

"Not yet, but-" Nonna began.

"I'm going to pursuit the Panther, keep the road ahead covered as I move."

Nonna's eyes widened in as she heard the exact words ring through her ears, before hearing engine of Alexi's IS-2 rumble into life once more. She let out an audibly loud gasp in disbelief as she watched the IS-2 crawl forwards and begin to slowly turn into the side street at a snail's pace.

"What is that idiot doing?!" Came Anastasiya's exasperated voice loudly through the headset as Nonna, seemingly frozen in astonishment at the blatant disregard of her order could only watch on silently.


"Tank spotted, Engaging!"

Klara's sudden callout, the turret suddenly traversing and the sound of the 122mm gun firing brought Nonna back to her senses as breech flew back, ejecting the spent casing clattering onto the floor with a loud hollow clang. Nonna watched as a fireball erupted further down the street on the right-hand side; flames clearly illuminating the now stricken Panzer IV through the dust and smoke as flames exploded out of every hatch, a rather large glowing hole in the turret earmarking Klara's handiwork.

"Nice shot, Klara!" Alina chirped, as she instinctively began to reach over and lift another armour piercing shell towards the loading tray.

"Alexi fall back!" Nonna ordered, her voice raised to almost a shout. "You're exposing yourself to enemy fire! That is an order! We just saved your skin!"

As she spoke, a shell screamed past Alexi's IS-2 and smashed into one of the buildings that lined the main road in an explosion of broken debris, falling roof tiles and glass that scattered everywhere. Thankfully, he listened and began to reverse back towards the main street.

"Anybody got eyes on where that came from?!" Alexi shouted through the radio. "I thought you were covering me!"

"We're looking for it! That sounded like an eighty-eight!" Nonna replied, though her voice barely hid the bubbling contempt at his attitude towards her as she desperately scanned the road for any telltale signs of where then enemy Tiger was. "Klara, you see it?" She asked urgently.

Klara quickly searched the road ahead, glancing at any and all places she thought a tank might conceal or appear from. She suddenly saw movement at the very end of the road where it split into another two roads in a Y-junction. A Tiger slowly emerged from the left-hand road, mostly concealed by the buildings next to the junction. "Tiger spotted! Left side at the end of the road! About 800 metres away! It's aiming at Alexi!"

Nonna quickly glanced over to where Klara stated and saw the Tiger's turret slowly traverse to face Alexi's IS-2 which had now reversed back into the main street and was facing the road ahead where the Tiger was. She noticed the large dent on its front plate, and recognised it was the same Tiger from earlier.

The same one that had very nearly taken out her crew and herself, but was saved by the IS-2s armour.

"Alina, we need the shell now!" She ordered immediately; her voice raised somewhat in desperation.

"I'm trying my best Nonna!" Alina snapped back as she lifted the propellent charge and put it onto the loading tray. "Give me a few more seconds!"

"Hurry up Alina and load it already before they shoot!" Anastasiya shouted as she glanced backwards towards the turret in apprehension.

"Fuck off Ana! I don't tell you how to do your job so don't tell me how to do mine!" The loader yelled back as she picked up the propellent charge and placed it onto the loading tray.

The Tiger opened fire, the muzzle flash and smoke obscuring its silhouette as the round sailed down the road at supersonic speeds before smashing into the turret cheek of Alexi's IS-2 in a shower of sparks and a deafening screech of steel on steel before ricocheting off into the air. Nonna watched the entire sight unfold as she quickly called out through the radio. "Alexi, are you okay?!"

"Our turret is jammed! It also took out some of our electronics! We need to pull back!" He replied briskly. "Give me some cover!"

"Will do, get out of here!" Nonna answered, wiping the sweat that was now dripping down her forehead and back of her neck quickly. "Klara, open fire when ready!"

"Alina, I need it now!" Klara stated urgently. "The Tiger is popping smoke and reversing back!"

"It's coming!" The brunette quickly shouted in response as she rammed the charge into the breech and closed it was a forceful clank. "Clear!"

Klara quickly took aim at where the Tiger was, but only saw the smoke that was now eerily wafting across the intersection. "Target lost." She sighed quietly.

Nonna nodded in response as she reached and grabbed two smoke grenades, before popping the commander's hatch open and throwing them outside. As the smoke slowly spread and engulfed their position and the street behind them. "Alexi, I've thrown some smoke to cover your withdrawal. Let me know once you've reached friendly lines." She spoke, albeit firmly and coldly.

"Copy." Alexi replied simply.

The former turned behind her and watched as Alexi's IS-2 slowly reversed down back where they came from and then out of sight as he disappeared into another side street. "Ana, pull us back a few metres into cover. We need to think what our next move-"

She was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a tank gun firing, followed by a loud explosion. Seconds later, she heard telltale sound of an IS-2s 122mm gun opening fire, followed by another loud crack of a high velocity tank gun. Nonna quickly turned to the source of the sound on her left side and saw a plume of black smoke rise up into the air only a few streets away as the radio crackled to life as a desperate sounding voice called out.

"Aurora 11, Nonna, do you copy?"

She immediately recognised the voice coming through the radio. "Yuri, what's the matter? What's happening?!"

"We've run into a Tiger and Panther! They've ambushed us at sector 77! Alyosha is hit! We managed to drive the Panther off but the Tiger-"

The radio suddenly cut off as another loud explosion sounded in the near distance, followed by a second column of thick, oily black smoke rising into the sky. Nonna swore under her breath as stared the growing trail of smoke momentarily before closing the commander's hatch once more. Looking around the interior of the IS-2, saw a look of shock and despair etched on their faces that presumably matched the same expression on her face.

The interior of the IS-2 stayed silent for a few moments, before Alina spoke up. "What should we do?" She asked simply.

Nonna glanced over to her left once more, looking through her cupola before sighing. "We have a Tiger on the loose that's hunting our tanks. We need to put a stop to that." She spoke calmly, though a sense and desire of retribution wavered in her voice. "They were at sector 77 when they got ambushed. That is only a few streets away. It's a large section with several buildings scattered around."

"So, we go kill those fascists pigs then?" Alina muttered quietly.

The young commander nodded. "We'll be on our own though. I want everybody on full alert. We'll be fighting in close quarters, so we'll get no second chances. Klara, this time follow my lead, and open fire when I tell you."

"Copy that, Leytenant."

"Alright, let's get moving Ana. Nice and slowly. I'll give you directions." Nonna spoke gently.

"Moving off now, Nonna."

As the IS-2 rumbled down towards the source of the smoke from the two wrecked IS-2s, an uneasy sense of fear began to fill Nonna's beating heart. She was well aware of the capabilities of her tank, and she had full trust and confidence in her crew, but she knew that she was at a disadvantage.

Firstly, without electronic traverse, they would have a harder chance of acquiring their target.

Secondly, she also knew that a Tiger could easily put out two or three rounds downrange in the time it took Alina to load a new round, which meant their first shot had to count.

And most importantly, at such close distances, all that mattered was who got the first shot off and hit their target.

Nonna sighed quietly to herself as she weighed up the situation in her head. With the circumstances that laid in front of her, they were at a distinct disadvantage.

And all of this, in her mind, could have been avoided if someone had listened to her. Nonna's eyes narrowed slightly at the thought.

If he had listened, it would be the two of them facing a Tiger.

Not just herself and her crew.

Alexi was putting them in unnecessary danger.


24th April, 1945. 1400 hours

The IS-2 slowed to a crawl as they approached the building complex as Nonna glanced around, taking in the surroundings as quickly as possible. Several ruined apartment buildings littered the area, forming a rather tight maze-like path that led towards another ruined group of dilapidated and crumbling buildings.

Nonna swallowed a nervous lump rising in her throat as her eyes darted around the multiple openings the ruined buildings created, scanning for any possible signs of enemy armour. Each small sound caused her to jump slightly as she wrestled to keep herself composed. "Keep your eyes peeled, they could be anywhere." She whispered as the metal behemoth approached the two burning IS-2s.

A pang of sorrow rose within Nonna as she turned her gaze towards the wrecks that now housed two comrades that she had known for a good while. One had a smoking hole in its turret which pointed perpendicular to where it was facing, whilst the other had a large hole in its side, its barrel pointed near the group of buildings further ahead. The flames emanating from both wrecks still producing thick heavy smoke, further obscuring her vision ahead which was already limited thanks to the haze that seemingly surrounded the city now.

"I don't see anything Nonna." Klara replied softly, a sense of calmness emanating from her voice, though the rapid tapping of her foot betrayed any façade of serenity she portrayed.

"Just keep an eye on places where you would hide in. That's where they could be." Nonna answered, peering through her cupola as she continued to gaze for any signs or sounds that would give the enemy's position away.

"What if they aren't here? They could have just left the area." Alina piped up, although her voice was also rather subdued and hinted a touch of nervousness.

Nonna shrugged slowly, though her posture remained unchanged as she continued looking outside via her cupola sights. "Well, there's only one way to find out." She muttered. "But best be prepared. Alina, do we have a shell loaded?

"We still have the one we haven't fired yet."

"Noted."

The young commander suddenly turned her head to the right as she gazed to a group of buildings further ahead and slightly to their right that was heavily obscured by the haze and smoke. "Ana, stop the tank close to Yuri's tank for cover." She abruptly ordered.

The IS-2 screeched to a sudden halt just behind the wreck of the IS-2 pointing its barrel ahead as Nonna tilted her head in concentration, her eyebrows furrowing somewhat as she pondered silently. "Klara, you see that group of buildings at our 1 o'clock?"

"Just barely, yes."

"Traverse to line up the gun there." Nonna ordered simply.

Klara turned around to face her commander. "Are you sure?" She asked, a somewhat confused expression etched on her face.

"What is it Nonna?" Anastasiya asked.

"Ana, idle the engine." Came Nonna's prompt reply. As the rumbling of the IS-2 quietened to a degree, she craned her head forwards as close to the cupola's sights as she could, apparently trying to search for something through the smoke.

"Did you spot something?" Alina questioned.

"I thought I heard an engine rev up briefly in that direction." Nonna whispered, almost silently. "Klara, traverse right to your 1 o'clock."

Klara obliged, and the turret of the IS-2 gently traversed until its gun barrel was facing the heavily smoke-hidden group of buildings. "I can't see anything through the smoke, and I don't hear anything." She simply stated.

"Neither can I." Came Anastasiya's voice through the headset. "Are you really sure there is a tank there, Leytenant? Wouldn't they have spotted us by now?"

Nonna smiled faintly. "If they have spotted us, we wouldn't be having this conversation." She spoke softly. "And whether I am sure, I'm not. But I have a feeling." She glanced outside once more; the smoke was still obscuring her vision heavily.

But it was also an advantage. It also meant that her adversary was on the other side, their vision would be restricted by the smoke and haze as well, and wouldn't be able to see her IS-2.

Klara peered as close to the sight as she could, making attempted small adjustments towards a target she couldn't even see. "Are you really sure there is a tank there, Nonna?" She asked once more, glancing away momentarily towards her commander, her voice barely audible as a bead of sweat trickled down her cheek and onto her neck.

"I guess we are about to find out." Nonna replied slowly, her gaze fixed to the spot outside where she assumed the target was. "If they're there, they are doing the same as us. Just waiting for visual confirmation. They would've heard us moving into the area, but not seen us. Just be ready to open fire, Klara."

"Will do."

As what seemed like minutes ticked by, a sickening, deathly silence and unease slowly filled the interior of the IS-2 like a thick, nauseating sludge, engulfing each crew member.

Nonna kept staring at the perceived position of the Tiger, her posture unmoving as she attempted to peer through the smoke for any sort of visual confirmation.

Klara incessantly tapped her foot, her fingers trembling slightly as she gripped the firing mechanism tightly.

Alina kept glancing towards Nonna.

Then Klara.

Then to the next available shell that was within her closest reach.

Anastasiya repeatedly glimpsed outside her viewport, her hands and feet braced on their respective pedals to move the IS-2 at a moments notice.

All that they could hear was the crackling of the flames from the burning IS-2 wrecks next to and behind them.

The near distant and distant sound of gunfire echoing down the ruined filled streets and buildings.

The pounding of their hearts beating rapidly in each of their chests.


24th April, 1945. 1415 hours

A sudden gust of wind caused the black oil-filled smoke to unexpectedly blow sideways, depriving Nonna of the cover she had just moments ago.

As the buildings ahead of her swiftly came into view, she spotted the silhouette of the Tiger that had situated itself expertly behind a partially collapsed wall; its hull mostly covered with its gun pointed in their general direction but not directly at them. To her dismay, they had aimed too far to the left to where the Tiger was. It had a large dent on its frontal plate. Her eyes widened.

It was the same Tiger. Yet again.

"Traverse right and open fire!" Nonna called out, her voice raised in desperation as she watched the barrel of the Tiger swing towards her IS-2.

"On it!" Klara replied quickly as she as she turned the traverse wheel as quickly as she could.

"Hurry Klara!" Came Nonna's frantic plea as the Tiger's gun barrel swung ever closer.

"I'm trying!"

The sudden flash followed by the shriek of a shell flying inches from the IS-2 caused Nonna to duck instinctively for a split second. "They missed! Now's our chance!" She exclaimed, as she watched the Tiger pop smoke and begin to reverse away. "Hit them before they get away! Open fire!"

"Shoot the fucker!" Yelled Alina.

Klara hastily turned the turret as quickly as she could to attempt to line her sights on the Tiger before opening fire as quickly as she could. She however audibly cursed as she watched the round sail just ahead of the now retreating Tiger and smash into the wall behind it, sending shards of brick and stone careening everywhere. The smoke now obscuring the Tiger as it retreated out of view. "Target lost."

"Should we pursue?" Anastasiya asked quickly.

Nonna shook her head, before exhaling slowly. "Negative. Get us out of here. They don't want to hang around, and neither should we." She spoke clearly, before reaching for the last two smoke grenades within her grasp, opening the commander's hatch and throwing them out in front of the IS-2.

"Copy that Leytenant."

As the IS-2 began to reverse out of the area, Nonna kept her eyes locked at that group of buildings as the smoke grenades formed a thin, wispy veil of smoke, almost expecting the Tiger to reappear as the smoke it had deployed slowly cleared.

However, all she saw was the ruins of the building and the collapsed wall behind it of their making.

No Tiger in sight.

The young female commander breathed an audible sigh of relief, just as a voice over the radio crackled through her headset.

"Leytenant Komarov. This is Alexi Petyrovich."

Nonna sighed slightly at the sound of Alexi's voice blaring in her ear. "What is it?"

"We've reached friendly lines. Also, the German counterattack has been repulsed and they've taken heavy casualties and are pulling back. We have authorisation to head back to headquarters to re-arm and resupply." He stated. "I'll see you back at base."

The radio cut off before Nonna had a chance to reply. She sighed quietly before taking off her helmet. "You heard him." She spoke simply. "Ana, take us back to headquarters."

"Gladly." Her driver replied as the engine growled into full power once more as they began to travel back the path they had taken and back to their headquarters.

Nonna gingerly sat down on her seat before letting out a distinct sigh of relief. Seeing the sweat-drenched looks of her fellow crewmembers, she stood up once more and opened the commander's hatch, allowing the outdoor smoky, but definitely cooler-than-the-interior air to circulate inside the interior of the IS-2. As they passed the main road where it had all began, she noticed the burnt-out wrecks of half a dozen of T-34-85s, some still aflame and smoking, several with their turrets blown a good twenty or thirty feet away. Trails and pools of blood splattered everywhere as medics and nurses carried the dead and wounded away on stretchers and onto trucks. Eviscerated corpses with their insides trailing out or body parts splayed on the ground lay scattered all around. The screams and wails of the wounded and maimed ringing in her ears as they travelled back onto the bridge they had crossed just hours ago. The German dead still littering the road and surrounding pavements alongside fellow Soviet comrades.

"That was a close encounter, wasn't it?" Alina quietly chimed, breaking the silence inside the IS-2 that had lingered for a good while.

Anastasiya let out a small chuckle. "Too close for my liking." She simply stated, though a waver of unease still remained in her voice.

Klara gently clicked her neck as she leaned back into her seat, her face a little paler than usual as she rubbed her eyes gingerly. "We're gonna need to repair the electrical drive when we get back." She muttered. "But I agree. That was a mess and a half."

"And whose fault was that, huh?" Came Alina joking retort. "I thought you were the best shot in the regiment!"

Klara smiled faintly as she reached over and gently punched the loader's arm. "Hey, I'm allowed to have off days, okay!" She exclaimed. "No one is perfect!"

Nonna could not help but flash a small smile as she listened to the two of them teasingly bicker and retort. It was one of their ways to relieve the stress of the dire, almost deadly situation they had experienced earlier. But a part of her mind remained uneasy, as the events of the past several hours endlessly repeated inside her head.

Her platoonmates' foolish and arrogant decisions had nearly caused the death of herself and her crew members.

If Alexi had only listened, the situation would've played out very differently.

Nonna quietly sighed to herself.

The situation they had just experienced, although trained for, was way too close for her liking.

And in her mind, it was solely the fault of one man.


24th April, 1945. 1500 hours – 8th Guards Army Headquarters, Berlin

The IS-2 growled to a stop as arrived back at the courtyard of the headquarters for their battalion. Several other IS-2s from other companies and regiments were parked neatly in rows. Nonna slowly opened the hatch and climbed out, giving a hand to Alina and Klara as they both gently hopped down onto the ground.

After doing the same for Anastasiya, Nonna quickly went to the opposite side of the IS-2 and removed her overalls before rejoining the rest of her crew. They were all leaning against the hull of the tank, as Klara and Anastasiya removed their helmets whilst Alina quickly took out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. "We deserve one of these after what we just went through." She muttered as she lit one and took a long drag.

"Agreed." Anastasiya responded simply, doing the same as she passed a lit cigarette to Klara and then Nonna in turn, before lastly lighting one for herself.

Klara took a short drag before sighing quietly. "Let's hope we can sort out the electrical traverse ourselves and that any damage isn't too serious." She spoke softly, exhaling slowly as the wispy grey smoke escaped from her nose and lips. Seeing Nonna simply nod in agreement, she simply smiled once more and took another long drag.

The four of them remained quiet for a moment, enjoying the silent company and camaraderie of one another and to physically and mentally settle down from what they had just gone through.

Anastasiya slowly exhaled, before gently leaning over and resting her head on Alina's shoulder. "I'm sorry for shouting at you earlier." She suddenly spoke gently, her grey eyes kindly looking up towards Alina. "I know I do it sometimes to keep you focused, but I admit that one wasn't necessary. It was the heat of the moment."

The loader smiled and put her arm round Anastasiya. "Don't worry about it, Ana. I know you didn't mean it." She chuckled softly. "In fact, I'm sorry for yelling at you to fuck off."

"It's okay." Anastasiya tentatively smiled as she felt Alina gently hug her. "Are we good then?"

"Of course, Ana. We're good." Alina softly replied.

The driver smirked, before gently prodding Alina's ribs playfully in reply. "You know, you've got some nerve to tell your superior to fuck off, don't you? I might just report you to our superior officer for that."

"Oh, and what is she gonna do?" Alina retorted, casting a cheeky wink at Nonna as she took another drag.

Nonna glanced over and smirked softly. "Maybe your superior officer will tell you that you'll have to help Ana resupply our ammunition and give our viewing ports a clean as they're quite dirty." She stated, the cigarette in the corner of her mouth moving slightly as she spoke.

"Ah, seriously, Leytenant?!" Came Alina's somewhat begrudging reply.

"Yep, they need a clean. I could barely see out of mine earlier." Nonna replied simply with a small wink of her own back to Alina. "Anyways ladies, get some rest for the time being. However, as I said. Ana, Alina; I want you to resupply our ammunition and give the sights a clean. Klara, see if you can sort out the electrical traverse. If not, let me know and I will inform the repair teams." She glanced over in the distance as she spotted a somewhat familiar figure walking towards his IS-2. "Excuse me ladies, I have someone I need to talk to." She muttered, her demeanour changing abruptly and she took one last drag before dropping the cigarette onto the floor and extinguishing it with the heel of her boot before walking off.

Klara smirked as she watched Nonna slowly approach the commander in question, and discreetly gestured to Alina and Anastasiya. "Look, Leytenant 'Know-It-All' is gonna get an earful." She muttered wryly, a small grin growing on her features as the three of them slowly turned to look at the potential fallout that was about to happen.

"Oh, this is gonna be good." Alina piped up cheerfully. "Wonder what she will say?"

Anastasiya smiled, an expression of amusement etched on her face. "Shame we won't be able to hear it, but she's gonna go off on him." She whispered. "I can just tell."

Nonna quickly walked towards Alexi, who was walking back towards his IS-2 when he looked across and saw the latter approaching. "Leytenant." He greeted subtly.

"Alexi Petyrovich. A word." Nonna spoke coldly.

"Of course."

Nonna gestured him to follow her, and she led him to the side the building that was their headquarters.

Upon reaching there, Alexi took a cigarette from its packet, and slowly lit it in front of Nonna's face before taking a long drag. "What do you want to talk about?" He spoke simply.

Nonna frowned. "I want to ask you a question."

"About what?"

"Firstly, why do you disobey my direct orders, when I am your platoon leader?" She asked intensely, glaring at Alexi as she spoke. "I gave you a specific order to hold your position. You blatantly disregarded and ignored my order, leading you to expose your side to the enemy who would have killed you if it wasn't, and you can thank your lucky stars for, my gunner who was able to spot and destroy the Panther that would have killed you!" Nonna's voice raised slightly as she took a step towards Alexi.

"Secondly, if you are an instructor who trained tankers, why are you so careless in combat?!" Nonna exclaimed, exasperation laced in her voice. "You exposed the side armour of your IS-2 in full view of multiple enemy tanks, to chase an enemy tank into hostile territory without infantry support! As someone who has gone through a tank school, that is one of the first things they teach us to never do! And yet," she paused to take a breath. "As someone who is supposedly experienced in teaching what to do and not to do, you are doing everything that you're not supposed to do and putting not just your own crew in danger, but mine as well!"

Alexi remained silent momentarily, before exhaling the cigarette smoke inches from Nonna's face. "First of all. You were covering me, so I could do that. I had you, adequate covering fire, to chase those fascists and kill them." He smirked. "You as a tank commander should know that. I know what I was doing, and it was reasonable."

Nonna stared in somewhat disbelief at the words that were just spoken to her face. "If you think your actions are adequate, why is your IS-2 needing major repairs on your first ever combat mission?" She muttered, her light blue eyes scowling at the man opposite her.

"Because we are supposed to take the fight to the enemy, to give them no quarter and to keep pressing the advantage until they are defeated." Alexi stated clearly. "That is what I teach at the academy. Something you don't seem to have. Initiative to fight the enemy head on." He took a step closer towards Nonna. "I am here to kill those German fascists and show that I am not just a capable instructor, but tanker as well."

The young female commander looked down to stifle a laugh before locking her gaze once more towards Alexi. Nonna had to put her foot down. "Becoming a capable tank commander comes with time. With time comes experience. Something you don't have." She whispered forcefully. "By working together, we gain experience and learn how to work effectively together. This something we must do in order to stay alive."

She smirked slightly as she saw the smugness quickly disappear from Alexi's face following her remarks. "You will learn quickly that running headlong into every engagement is the quickest way to get you killed and sent back in a coffin, regardless of whatever you teach. You want to know why Kapitan Vostrov has me leading the platoon, and not you even though we are the same rank?"

Nonna took another step towards Alexi. "I'm leading the platoon because I have the experience of actual front-line combat, something you don't have. And won't have until you stay here for an extended amount of time."

"I know how to lead!" Alexi retorted, a small frown now forming on his features as he attempted to speak against the tirade that was launched against him. "You don't think I know how to lead a platoon and fight? I was an instructor! I taught-"

"Just because you taught and have the mental knowledge on what to do does not equate to what you should do in the field." Nonna sharply cut him off. "That is combat experience. Something I have, and have gained for multiple years now. And that experience is something you lack. I am going to say this once, and only once." She stared coldly at Alexi.

"I am your platoon leader. You will respect me as such and you will follow my orders. I'm not a leader who expects blind following of orders, though. If you have an idea, voice it first and we will decide on the best course of action. But you will respect my orders and my authority. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you take your grievance to our commanding officer. Otherwise, if you ever treat me in such a disgraceful manner and attitude like you have done today, I will report you to our commanding officer." Nonna declared. "Are we clear, Alexi Petyrovich?"

Alexi remained silent, scowling at Nonna for a few moments, before nodding slowly. "Clear, Leytenant." He muttered darkly.

Nonna smiled faintly. "Good. As you were then."

She watched as Alexi quickly walked away from her, clearly somewhat embarrassed at what had just occurred between them. The young commander couldn't help but smirk slightly as she reached for a cigarette and lit it, taking a long and satisfying drag before making her way back towards her crew, who were still resting and chatting amongst one another.

Anastasiya was the first one to notice Nonna's arrival and looking at the somewhat satisfied but still exasperated look on her commander's face, she grinned. "How was it, Nonna?" She asked simply.

"Yeah, what did you say to Leytenant 'I-Was-A-Teacher-Who-Doesn't-Know-Shit?'" Chimed Alina who was now resting her head on Anastasiya's shoulder instead.

Nonna chuckled at the remark Alina made, and sighed softly. "I just gave him a piece of my mind really." She spoke gently. "Told him what I thought of him, and that he has to respect my authority as platoon leader, otherwise Kapitan Vostrov will hear about this."

"We could see you just dressing him down from head to toe." Klara stated, a soft grin etched on her face. "He didn't seem to like it."

"Nope, not one bit." Nonna replied, leaning back against the hull of the IS-2 and exhaling slowly. "But I said what I had to say. Let's hope he listens and takes it on board." Her expression darkened slightly. "For our sakes."

Anastasiya nodded in agreement. "He seems to be bad news bears; I'm going to admit." She muttered quietly, taking a soft drag from her cigarette as she spoke. "I wouldn't follow him into combat, let alone for him to be a tank commander."

"Yeah, he wouldn't be able to command us, Ana." Alina responded. "You probably would've punched him within five minutes!"

"Make that two." Klara promptly added.

Anastasiya chuckled. "I would've smacked that smirk off his face, that's for sure."

Nonna smiled softly as she listened to her crew joke and talk about the inevitably of Alexi eating a knuckle sandwich in a very short timeframe, but inside, she did not feel like smiling.

In her mind, Anastasiya was right.

He felt like bad news bears.

His careless actions.

His tendency to disregard her orders and advice.

All these things increased the chances of him getting killed.

Or causing a situation that would lead to her and her crewmembers getting killed.

She sighed quietly to herself as a quiet, but pertinent thought crossed her mind as she took a long drag from her cigarette.

'Will Alexi be our demise?'


Notes:

Well, I never expected this chapter to take such a long time, but sometimes life gets in the way, and stops you from writing. A certain lack of motivation and clarity on the direction the chapter should take didn't help either. But here we are, a new chapter is out!

So Nonna and Alexi get off to a rough start, and an even rougher first engagement working together as platoonmates. When somebody who has a lot more practical experience tells you to not do something, its best to put your own ego aside and listen? Perhaps.

Let's hope that was a harsh lesson learnt for a certain commander... And hopefully they can redeem themselves in the eyes of Nonna and co. as the battle for Berlin rages on.

On a more personal note, I want thank all those who are still around and sticking with my (very) inconsistent upload schedule. Every follow, favourite, and feedback is much appreciated and valued!

In terms of uploads, hopefully the next chapter won't take as long, but as I am starting a new full time job it will most likely mean even less free time to write than before. So I can't guarentee that the next update will be in the same timeframe (whether shorter or longer). But, I will strive and keep on writing as much as I can, and update whenever I can.

So for those who are still around (again, thank you so much :D), buckle up; its gonna be a long but (hopefully enjoyable) ride!

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and are enjoying the story so far; as usual, any feedback is welcome, just leave a review :)

Stay safe all of you,

Deathvoltz
LisaEichwald21

As always, any reviews with constructive critism would be welcome.

If you've enjoyed what you've read, and want to know what happens next, or if you're just interested in my writing, don't hesitate to favourite and follow! It also helps me know what I'm writing you find enjoyable.