Bob Carruthers - Tiger Command!

Korsak pressed the dagger a little closer to the Major’s throat. The drops of blood became a definite trickle.

“In the forward firing points are the fascist light and heavy machine guns. Some of these are protected by a single row of barbed wire. In the rear firing points are mortars and light artillery. All firing points are assigned regular and supplementary sectors of fire. The sectors are overlapping and, in the case of machine guns, final protective lines are also interlocking. The fascists have burned all villages on the east bank of the river, thus materially improving their observation and field of fire.

“As a commander, you must understand that it is necessary to utilise every means of reconnaissance to discover, as nearly as possible, the exact positions of the enemy’s forward firing points and his main line of resistance. You were too drunk and too lazy to do this. As a result, I have had to do things myself, and I don’t like to be put to unnecessary trouble. However, after careful study of the terrain and the enemy defences, which has taken four nights of reconnaissance and cost the lives of eight brave comrades, I have decided to strike by night at the enemy centre of resistance. You will support me to the end… understand?”

“Yes, Comrade Korsak!” came the rapid reply.

“Good. On the night of the attack, your infantry is to be deployed along the east bank of the river. A plan for coordinated infantry-artillery action must then be drawn up and, by God, I want some punch in that bombardment!”

Major Jurgen Rondorf strode into the early morning light of the lecture room. His demeanour suggested that he was a less than happy man.

“A mixed bag, I’m afraid. SS-Panzeroberschütze Wendorff. Excellent! 95%. Not only do you seem like an expert in your field, but it also seems that you continue to apply yourself in that field, something many experts would do well to remember. Well done!

“Haupsturmführer von Schroif, 91%. At what distance does a T-34 7.62 cm long barrel penetrate my armour? The answer at three o’clock is under 1,500 metres, not 1,200 metres, with a T-34 at 800 metres the answer is 300 not 250, and the answer to the question you didn’t answer: if an enemy turns from ‘side’ to his own ‘45 degrees’ then his target will be increased by… 10%. Highly commendable though. I’m sure that you will be up to speed soon enough.

“SS-Hauptscharführer Knispel, 85%. I understand where you are going wrong. The magnification of 2.5 and the 26 degree first field of view on the TZF 9b are not what you are used to. I have attached some notes to help you with the new optics. Apart from that, well done.

“SS-Panzerschütze Junge. Again, it is going to take some time to get used to this particular Maybach version, but, like Herr Knispel, this should not be something which is beyond your capabilities. 81%.

“Now, Herr Wohl. It seems that you enjoy your free time. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with that, there is a place for relaxation, especially in hard times such as these, but not if it interferes with your duty as a soldier of the Reich. If you have mastered your subject, then yes, by all means, while away the odd hour…”

“I tried my best, Herr Major.”

The Major’s cordial attitude changed instantly.

“Do not insult me or the uniform you wear! Idling your time down at the river reading Die Wundertüte, when you should have been studying hard, does not constitute trying your best. Believe me, SS-Panzerschütze Otto Wohl, in light of your results you are marked in my eyes, a man who has not mastered his subject and is now in need of revision. It appears that you are either stupid or vain, and there is no place for either of these inflictions on this course.”

“How the hell does he know what I was reading?” thought Wohl.

“I am not going to embarrass you in front of your fellows by revealing how poorly you did on this test, but I will say this: any man who thinks that he can step inside this new Panzer VI without having prepared himself to the highest of standards is not only a danger to himself and the machine, but to the other members of his crew. If you do not want the blood of these men on your hands, I suggest you shed this false faith you have in your own abilities and start preparing for your second paper tomorrow… otherwise, you can say your farewells to your former crewmates.”

The words landed on Otto Wohl like hammer blows and he hung his head in shame, knowing he had only himself to blame. Soon, however, he lifted his head as a sign of his stern determination to master his task and redeem himself in front of his fellows the following morning. However, his newly emboldened heart again sank to his boots when he heard of the next day’s task.

“The central ethos of what we are trying to instil in you here,” continued Major Jurgen Rondorf, “is teamwork. A tank crew is not a collection of individuals, but a unit. Each expert in his own sphere must also be an expert in the sphere of not just one other, but of all others. You are a totality and this is total war. Hence, I want SS-Haupsturmführer Hans von Schroif to sit an exam on gunnery tomorrow. You, SS-Panzerschütze Junge, to study the role of the loader. SS-Scharführer Knispel to know, inside out, the duties of a commander, and SS-Panzeroberschütze Wendorff to immerse himself in the vital task of driving and mechanics. Wohl, you are to come in here tomorrow an expert in radio operations and the operation of the bow machine gun.”

Otto Wohl appeared so utterly broken by the announcement that even the hard-bitten Major Rondorf, who now felt himself under observation by the RSHA, was moved by a small measure of pity.

“I am a fair man, and there are clearly forces out there who do not want you to be part of this crew. You are obviously unused to the world of examinations, so I will accept a 51% mark in the Funkmeister’s exam. However, you are also to re-sit and achieve an 80% pass in the exam on the gun loader’s duties or, for you, the course ends here! Dismissed.”

Walter Lehmann poured a glass of schnapps and thought angrily to himself, “So why the hell has it all gone so wrong?”

He had sent that damn von Schroif and Knispel into the perfect ambush at Rostov, but even the White Devil had been foiled. What was he supposed to do now?

Thanks to Borgmann’s influence, he had been present at Rastenburg on Hitler’s birthday. Lehmann recalled bitterly the shock as von Schroif had appeared. Moscow had demanded that he sabotage the Mark VI project, and his discrete interference had almost killed off the whole project◦– until that damn von Schroif took things into his own hands.

Not unusual for a man who led a double life, Lehmann now had a number of courses of action open to him. If he could deliver a Tiger into Soviet hands, he might be allowed to interrogate the crew… and if one of those men just happened to be Hans von Schroif, life would be complete. It was all too obvious from the Wochenschau film report now playing in cinemas across Germany that one of the reasons for von Schroif’s success was his tight-knit and exceptionally talented crew. So, before the new tank was shipped to the front, one obvious option was to weaken the crew…

His first thought was of Knispel, but he was too much of a public hero, known for his boxing prowess, and his record was too clean…

But this Bavarian oaf, Otto Wohl… he seemed to be the easiest target. Nothing in particular, but there were certain anomalies in his records and a bit of hearsay about defeatist talk. Lehmann decided to send Bremer out in the field◦– Bremer, his shiny little Nazi◦– to pull him in for questioning. Hardly an end to the Tiger project, but it might disrupt the cohesion of von Schroif’s crew, and a weakened crew might just make a vital mistake at the front…