El Alamein Desert — December 18, 1941
Dawn arrived without warning. There was no birdsong, no morning mist. Only a sky that turned white too soon, and a heavy silence that felt like a warning.
The advancing column, made up of Leibstandarte tanks and Italian motorized units, moved through the dunes toward an observation point. They expected no combat. Not that day.
—Are we sure we shouldn't be in Moscow? —Helmut asked, eyes still on the radio.
—Or frozen near the Volga, yeah —Ernst said, sipping warm water.
—Instead, it's sun, sand, and Brits who hide better than rats —Konrad added.
Falk said nothing. He was watching the horizon from the hatch.Something didn't feel right.
**
When they reached a natural depression between two dune ridges, the first Italian jeeps rolled in without incident. But then, in the midst of that calm—hell opened up.
—Fire from the ridges! —Helmut shouted.
Two British anti-tank guns, hidden behind dry scrub, opened up from both flanks. A half-track exploded. A motorcycle with sidecar flipped in a fireball.
—Ambush! They've cut the exit! —cried an Italian NCO over the radio.
**
While the rest of the vehicles tried to pull back, Falk didn't turn. He accelerated.
—What are you doing? —Lukas exclaimed.
—If you retreat, you're a sitting duck. If you charge… you might break the trap.
The Panzer IV surged forward toward the center of the ambush. Falk veered sharply toward the first gun nest. Konrad fired without needing an order. A flash. A direct hit. Screams on the other side.
To the right, a machine gun sprayed lines into the sand. Ernst reloaded without hesitation. Helmut called out targets.
—Second gun, two hundred meters! Hidden in the dune cut!
Falk angled the tank, using the slope as cover, then flanked hard. Second shot. The British armored vehicle cracked open like an insect under a boot.
**
In five minutes, the ambush was broken. The remaining defenders retreated down a ravine. No one pursued. Falk didn't think it necessary.
—If they come back, let them think twice —he muttered.
**
In the aftermath, with dust still hanging in the air, the crew dismounted to check the area. An English helmet rolled beside a scorched rifle. There was blood. But also respect.
—Is it just me, or did these guys know exactly what they were doing? —Konrad asked.
—They weren't amateurs —Falk said—. But they counted on us freezing. They miscalculated.
Lukas knelt, picked up a British insignia from the ground. He stared at it for a moment. Then quietly put it in his pocket.
—And still, here we are, in Africa —Ernst said.
—Because someone in Berlin decided Moscow could wait —Helmut added.
Falk said nothing. He climbed back into the tank. And from the hatch, as he looked out over the horizon, he knew:this battle wasn't over. It had only begun.