PART 1: SRS. Tamm – POV
"Alarm!"
Following the alarm, soldiers poured out of the bunkers, rushing to their positions. As they ran, the steady rumble of engines and the clanking of tracks could be heard in the distance. The sound grew louder, while the men quieted down, trying to listen—trying to judge how many vehicles were coming, and how fast.
They had learned early on: if the tanks were moving slowly, they were following infantry. If they were moving fast, the infantry was mounted—and contact wasn't expected.
When the first vehicle reached the field, two flares shot into the air to help the anti-tank gunners take aim. As the flare rose, everyone held their breath, aiming through their sights, steadying their hands. With a sharp pop, the flare exploded overhead, casting the field in pale light.
Immediately, squad leaders barked out orders.
"Hold fire!"
Soon, everyone could see the black cross and flag of the Wehrmacht flying from the lead tank.
After ordering my squad to hold fire, I saw our platoon leader sprinting toward me.
Lt. Kose: "Tamm, take one of your men and guide the Germans through. Once that's done, bring their commander to me."
Srs. Tamm: "Song, with me. Veski, you're in charge."
Hearing the order, Song grabbed two grenades and his rifle, falling in beside me. We moved quickly, approaching the lead Tiger from a visible angle, making sure they could see us clearly. Once we were about 50 meters from the tank, we stopped and waited for their commander to emerge.
The Tiger's engine idled, its deep growl echoing off the treeline. For a moment, nothing moved. Then the hatch on top of the turret creaked open. A man in a black Panzer uniform climbed out slowly, hands clearly visible. His eyes scanned the treeline, then focused on us.
"Freund!" he called down to his crew, waving them to hold position. Then, turning back toward us, he climbed down from the tank, boots hitting the cold earth with a thud.
Song tensed beside me, gripping his rifle tighter. I gave a slight shake of my head.
The German officer—captain or maybe a major—walked toward us cautiously, his gloved hands raised. His face was pale and drawn, worn by weeks of fighting.
"You speak English?" I asked.
"Ein wenig. A little," he replied.
"That'll do. Follow me—I'll guide you through the minefield. Our commander wants to speak with you after that."
He turned and shouted something in German to his crew. The man in the turret nodded and dropped back down. Slowly, the column started to follow us.
Song took position at the start of the marked path, rifle in hand, watching closely. The German officer and I walked in silence along the edge of the minefield. The light from the flare was fading, replaced by the soft glow of dawn.
Once the last vehicle cleared the path, I told Song to make sure the tanks were hidden, then led the German officer toward Lt. Kose, who stood waiting with arms crossed.
The officer stepped forward and saluted crisply.
He said something in German. I didn't catch most of it, but the word "Panzergrenadier" stood out.
Kose didn't salute back. He looked him over, then spoke to him in German.
The German officer stood still, tense.
I translated what I could from his reply, "Ambush… infantry… Kingiseppa bridges blown… Russians delayed."
Kose's jaw tightened. He looked at me.
"Tamm, show them where the mess hall and fuel stations are. Then the sleeping area. You will stay with them and help them if there is any problems"
"Will do."
"Also—your squad gets rotated out at noon. You'll be sent back to Narva."
I nodded. "Understood."
PART 2: Hauptmann Reinhardt – POV
The Tiger's engine rumbled, low and steady. I stood half-exposed in the turret, eyes scanning the woods beyond the field. It was quiet—too quiet for safety.
A flare burst overhead with a sharp crack, bathing the landscape in a ghostly light. Shapes moved along the tree line—men, rifles, shadows. A bad place to make a mistake.
Then two figures stepped into the open, walking slowly with hands visible. I waved down to my crew.
"Freund! Halt Stellung!"
I climbed out of the hatch, hands raised just slightly to show I meant no harm, then dropped down to the ground and walked toward the two soldiers.
The older one, an sergent, watched me with a steady gaze. The younger was more jittery, his fingers hovering near his rifles triger.
"You speak English?" the sergeant asked.
"Ein wenig. A little," I replied.
He nodded. "Follow me—I'll guide you through the minefield. My commander wants to speak with you after that."
I turned back to the tank. "Langsam, nachfahren!" I shouted, signaling the column forward.
The three of us moved out. One of them stoped near the entrance to the minefield, weapon low but ready. I stayed beside the sergeant, walking along the edge. The engines hummed behind us, slow and heavy. The flarelight faded, and the first cold blush of dawn began to creep over the trees.
We reached the end of the marked zone. The younger soldier guided the vehicles deeper into the forest, presumably to guide my men somewhere where we could rest. The sergeant led me toward a stiff, unsmiling officer.
He stood with his arms crossed, not moving as we approached.
I stepped forward and saluted sharply.
"Hauptmann Reinhardt, Panzergrenadier Division. We were told this area was cleared by agreement. We seek confirmation."
The officer didn't return the salute. He spoke in broken German, "You're late. You were supposed to be here before sunrise. Orders were clear."
I replied," We were ambushes multible times, we blew up the briges in Kingiseppa, Russian main force should be delayed for few days."
After that he turned towards the sergent, they exchanged a few sentences. The sergeant nodded, then turned to me and spoke in English:
"Fuel and food first. Then rest. I am sergent Tamm I will be moving with you, undrestood?"
"Yes."
The officer added something else in the same foreign tongue. The sergeant replied with a sharp nod.
"We leave at noon," he said to me. "My unit will join us then. After that we move to Narva."
I didn't know what waited for us in Narva, or how much longer any of this would hold together. But at least for now—we were inside the line.