A Promise To Fulfill

Baptism of Fire

August 23, 1941
Kyiv, Ukraine

The offensive of Kyiv had started. We planned to encircle the Soviet forces around the city of Kyiv. It was also the first time my crew would see action. So it was going to be quite the experience for them. There was a lot of resistance to deal with, but the advance had to push through, no matter the cost. As our commanding officer once said, "If the tank succeeds, then victory follows."

We were sweeping through some of the towns near Kyiv. "Enemy tank at two o'clock! Five hundred meters." I ordered as a Russian tank was spotted. 

"Fire when ready!" I ordered Schröder. 

He fires the shell at the Russian tank. Hitting its ammo rack, causing its turret to explode. My crew cheered on as they finally got their first kill. But it wasn't over yet. The battle had only begun and there was more to face.

As we continued to push through the town, there were three tanks and two anti-tank guns in front of us. Schröder aimed at the anti-tank guns first since they were the biggest threat. Nicolaus loaded the shells as fast as he could. 

"Fire when ready!" I ordered. 

Eventually, Schröder fired the shells towards the anti-tank guns. Both of them were taken out and the Russian tanks started to pull back a bit. We used this to our advantage and pushed through. Some of our friendly tanks pushed ahead of us to scout for any danger. Fortunately, there was little resistance and we continued.

As we pushed further into the town. An Anti-tank gun was aimed directly at my tank. One of the troops noticed and warned me about it. "Panzer 756! Anti-tank at nine o'clock!" A tank commander shouted. And as I looked in that direction, I saw the weapon with dread. At that moment, I had another flashback of Smolensk. I froze for a few seconds as the weapon fired its shell. It narrowly missed the back of my tank's turret. Schröder finished lining up his sights towards the weapon and fired. It blew up to bits. 

"Kommandantin!" Schröder shouted at me.

I suddenly snapped out of the memory and looked at him.

"Get inside the panzer! It's too dangerous!" He told me.

I got inside the tank again, trembling once more. History almost repeated itself. But when I looked at my crew, I just told them to keep pushing forward. And when they asked me if I was okay, all I said was not to worry about me. We pushed on our advance and we kept fighting the Soviet soldiers.

A few more hours into the battle, my crew has been able to take out seven enemy tanks and five anti-tank guns. And soon, nighttime fell. The first day of fighting was over. Our tank was parked near some buildings as everyone was sitting around campfires, watching the night sky. My crew was eating some of their rations. 

"How was your first battle today?" I asked my crew. 

Schröder started laughing hard as Nicolaus tried to hold his back. Gabriel just smiled at the both of them as Finn kept quiet, blushing hard as if he was embarrassed. 

"Finn peed his pants the first time we fired the cannon," Gabriel told me in a serious tone.

Schröder and Nicolaus laughed loudly at what Gabriel said. Some of our soldiers chuckled as well as they heard what happened. Finn felt even more embarrassed.

"Don't worry Finn. You'll get used to it," I said while trying to hold back my laugh.

Schröder could not stop laughing and kept repeatedly saying, "You should have seen the look on his face!". 

While my crew was chatting, I left the area and walked towards my tank. I sat on top of the turret and laid there, gazing upon the night sky. It was... peaceful. Despite all the conflict happening around us. My commanding officer spotted me on top of my tank and walked up to it and knocked. I quickly got up and recognized him. I jumped down the tank and saluted him.

"At ease, soldier." He told me.

I followed his orders and told him, "Good evening, sir."

"To you as well," He said in return as he shook my hand. "You're Master Sergeant Emily Jäger, correct?" He added.

"Yes Sir," I answered.

"May I have a word with you? In private." He asked me in a deeper tone.

This made me uncomfortable since his tone changed. "U-Uhm, yes s-sir..." I hesitantly replied.

He guided me to a nearby forest where we spoke. We were also strolling along the woods while we talked. It turns out, he wanted to know my condition, and if I was still capable of fighting. There were multiple reports from other tank commanders regarding my health. I told him that I was having a bit of trouble, trying to keep my head straight. He asked me if I needed to take a break. I told him that I could shrug it off.

As we continued to walk, he brought up the topic about my previous crew. This made me tremble from the thought of it, which he figured out that this was the cause of my trembling. He told me that I had one of the best crews in Germany, both the previous and the current one. We talked more about my previous experiences, especially Smolensk. But I was surprised to know that talking about it actually helped me worry less. And when we finished, I felt more comfortable than ever. As if a burden was lifted off my chest. We walked back to our company after we finished talking.

"How are you feeling now?" He asked me.

"Like a burden lifted off of my chest, sir," I replied softly.

He smiled at me and chuckled at what I said. Then held my shoulder. "Remember Emily, new weapons require new tactics. Don't put new wine into old bottles." He told me as he patted my shoulder. "This Baptism of Fire is not only for your crew but also for you." He added.

"Sir yes sir," I answered softly, as I smiled at him. "Thank you, sir. For everything." I added.

He saluted me and walked back to his supervisors. I saluted him back and watch him walk far into the distance. I walked back to my crew, smiling. As I sat down, I saw Finn smiling as well, which was a good thing. 

"What are you smiling about Finn?" I asked him.

"Funny stories of Gabriel's childhood, Kommandantin." He happily replied. 

It was good to see Finn smiling again, even after being teased by Schröder and Nicolaus. My crew noticed that I was smiling happily, unlike before. I used to make this frown whenever I'm around them. 

"Wow, your smiling. Like, you're really smiling." Schröder said in shock.

"Is it a problem?" I asked him. 

"Nein, it's just that we've never seen you smile like this before, Kommandantin," Gabriel said.

"Did something happen?" He asked as well.

"Ja. Something happened. Something... good." I cheerfully replied.

Nicolaus then approached me and asked jokingly, "Did you have sex with our commanding officer?" 

I blushed hard and tackled him to the ground. The other soldiers and tankers around were laughing at what Nicolaus said. I pinned him down as he struggled to get free. "What the fuck is wrong with you Nicolaus?!" I angrily asked him. 

"It was a joke, Kommandantin! I'm sorry!" He begged. 

"Oh, I'll show you sorry, alright!" I said as I started to tickle him. 

He was laughing so hard and tried even harder to set himself free. But eventually, he begged for "mercy" and wanted me to get off of him. I told him that I won't get off of him until he says "Schröder and I won't mess with Finn anymore. And I will be punished if I do." He did not want to say it and continued to punish him. He eventually said it and I got off of him. 

"That's a promise both of you have to keep. Or else." I jokingly told him.

The rest of the night was peaceful as many of us tried to sleep to get ready for another day of fighting. But for once, I finally felt that burden of losing my previous crew off of my chest. I felt renewed once more. He was right. This was a Baptism of Fire for my crew. And for me.

The fighting in Kyiv continued until the 26th of September. It was known to be one of our largest encirclements during Operation Barbarossa. But that battle had helped me and my crew become ready for the true nightmare that was to come.