>Where did it come from Lily’s large bandage is not only covering her eyes, but also ears to some degree, and she appears having issues judging from where the sound is coming from. “Over there somewhere, i guess” you say and point south-south-west” >I can’t see anything, remember? You reach over, grab her arm and point it in the general direction of the sound “There. Going to tell us what that actually was?” >... that sounded a little like a KwK 40 + Kaa vee kaa? Miranda has slept in the car, but is now out and has gotten rid of her glasses to rub her tired eyes ¤ Common German gun during the war. Mounted on Marder, Stug, Panzer IV among others >Know your enemy, huh? ¤ You are not my enemy >No “At any rate, we have to decide if we are going to check this out or not. There are still three dead guys stuffed in and underneath the IS-3 and that is going to cause a shitstorm if they are found” ¤ We hid them rather well i believe >Sure, but one guy left the inside of his head next to the tank “But you did that” >He was hurting Natalya ¤ I am grateful for your help, but there is a task at hand. We have to make a decision on what we should do “augh, how long time until we get home” ¤ Three hours. Two and a half if we push it “Well, they are going to be found in that time, regardless of how fast we drive, right?” ¤ Most likely, yes “Lily, so you actually know what that on the radio was?” >Not really, no You sigh heavily “alright, all in favor of going back for sleep and dealing with dead guys, get in the cars, all who wants to stay here and look for german radio noises, and then go back and deal with dead guys… stay here” The was much noises being made. Many of them suggested just a nice soft bed would have been the best thing now, and not wandering around looking for a radio that had some explosion next to it “Lily, whats the range on what of those radios?” >If that was a FuG 5, which it very well could be, 3-4 kilometers. Less in densely forested areas and cities but to things being in the way “You know what, let’s not do this right now. You are wounded, and can’t see until we fix you bandages. And because we’ve all spent the night in a firefight, none of has slept a wink. I don’t even have any ammo left. Besides, we have like half a million dollars worth of stolen ary hardware in the cars. Let’s just make sure we can find our way back here in a day or two, alright?” >B-but we can’t just leave them out here! “Do you have a better suggestion?” Lily thinks this over for a moment before taking a deep breath and not really looking towards you >how does the terrain around us look? “Wooded. Pretty heavy” >Could a tank that is not heavy enough to topple a large tree move around in it? ¤ No. Absolutely not + I agree with Natalya. Can’t go through these woods >In that case i suggest we drive back on the road up to five kilometers, and see if we’ve not missed a dirt road or something. Should be on our… right side? “Augh… alright, you two try work the radio together, i’ll stay in this car” Al four of them gets in the big Mercedes which turns around on the road at the first possible moment and heads the other way. You follow them, but you can feel you are starting to loose focus. Sleep deprivation is worse than drinking when in a car. Or it could be at least. The little clock underneath the speedo says 07:44. You wonder if they have found the bodies by now. They were relatively well hidden themselves, but there was a lot of blood left after the guy whose head Lily smashed in. Lily… You think about what she said. Many years of hard work, have to do it together, unbind from the Jagdtiger and so on. She had a lot of pride in that machine. But she really is willing to give all that up for you. You want to see her eyes again. Those beautiful haz- You are lost in thought, and have somehow missed that the car in front of youhas slowed down, forcing you to stand on th ebrakes not to hit it. You do manage, but with a way to small marigin of error. Sleep deprivation is starting to take its toll. ¤ Shitbox, i think i’ve found the road There is a dirt track just in front of you. Bit rough, and very much not suited to the lowered suspension of the Volvo, this being the R model and all “Not sure how far i want to drive the cars on this road. I’d suggest we go in a hundred feet or something, park them there and proceed on foot… Thats like 30 meters to you, Lily” You can almost feel her giggle from the other car, that is just turning of the big road and into the woods. After some preparation, checking on ammo, and some food, you poke and cut out two small holes in Lily’s bandage so she can actually see something ahead of her. She immediately looks at marks on the gravel road. >The links marks… This could be from a 160 chassis “A what?” >We all had designations, Sonderkraftfahrzeug numbers She looks at you, and manages to look displeased without even moving the parts of her face that you can see. Despite her being very thorough, you butcher the pronunciation another 2 times before she gives up. >Just stick with SdKfz, okay? “Sure” >Yeah, as i was saying, all German vehicles from this period had a number like this. The Tigers all has numbers on 180, the Jagdtiger being 186 and so on. The 160 numbers are given to vehicles on the Pz IV chassis, and i think the track marks in the ground is from such a vehicle” ¤ And that vehicle could have made the boom we hear earlier? >See, at least one of you have their heads turned on! She suddenly shuffles a little close to you, grabs hold of your hand and states that she meant no harm with that. Her hand was soft and warm, jus like all of her. You kept walking in scilence for around 15 minutes before Miranda starts speaking. She has lifted up her small glasses to her forhead, and is now staring down the road with a pair of binolculars. + I think i see something. Do all German tanks look like big boxes? >Well, not all of them, but most. Can i see? The small girl hands over the binoculars to Lily. She picks them up looks at the object you still haven't identified for almost a minute before sighing heavily and uttering a single word >Fuck “What, we’re out of luck?” >No, that is just as i predicted a Pz IV “So, you’re not alone then?” >That remains to be seen. Problem here is that it's painted as if it belonged to a certain SS division You’re not really sure as to what the SS actually was, the knowledge that was given to you when schools were a thing was pretty much limited to “extra bad guys” and you certainly had no idea they used tanks “I’m afraid i’m not that read up on the subject. Is that going to be a problem?” >Well, that tank might not have broken down in the woods, let’s just leave it at that for now? “You’re not suggesting we head back, do you?” >Not yet, but be ready for anything No one makes a sound until Miranda has managed to get a round chambered in the CX4. She still isn’t used to small arms, so she still has some issues with handling the weapon. But she is thorough, and checks the safety after the procedure. She has been explained the importance of firearm safety, and is very keen on not hurting any of new new found friends ‘Ich bin hieeeeer!’ A woman's voice. Her waist and up is poking out of the commander hatch, dressed in black, and waving her arms >yep, that’s an SS uniform “You look a little uncomfortable” >more surprised, really. I thought they were all dead by now "yeah, and?" >She is most likely a Nibelung as well, the factory was in what is now Austria, even if it was all Germany during the war. Not that that changed the way people spoke. I sounded a lot like that back in the war as well Lily takes a deep breath and turn away from you, towards Natalya and Miranda >I'm not sure you guys want to come along for this, She could be very... old fashioned in her way of thinking ¤ Don't you have a hierarchy system in the Wehrmacht? In 1945 i was the queen if the red army, and i was treated like it, the silly 85s... Point being, can you just make her listen to her because... Jagdtiger? >I could, but that is a all from a system i’m really happy to leave behind. True, if nothing else works, that will. But really, you might want to stay here. ¤ We will follow you You approach the tank after a little bit of walking. There is a little big of chatter between Lily and the woman. She has turned cold again, and while you don’t know what she actually says, you can understand the outlines from just the way she is speaking. Polite, professional, and on point. It sounded like that at least. Lily sighs heavily after a minute. >I think she’s been drugged, and parked out here. Her legs are… chained to the turret basket, so she can’t move and the tank has had it’s idler wheels removed, so it’s going no where “Mind asking her why she is… chained to a non working tank” More German chatter ensues >She wants to highlight that the entire tank is in… original condition, and working, but missing the idler wheels… never mind. lets try this instead Little utters a single line ‘Yes, i speak a little American’ “It appears you’re in a bit of a pickle here” ‘No, there are no pickles here. Don’t worry! it was only a joke!’ You now understand why the term “A german joke”” was a contradiction “...okay. So, i understand you are missing the idler wheels, right?” ‘Yes’ “Well, i never heard anyone just loosing them before, are they hidden away somewhere or broken?” ‘I… don’t know that. When i woke up, i was chained to the turret… bottom?” “turret basket?” ‘Yes, that’ “And the tank had no idler wheels?” ‘Yes, that’ “Well… this is a situation i’ve never ran into before. I can’t fix you any new idlers, but i could see about the...chain. You said chain, right?” You climb up on the tank. It has been painted in a sand yellow base paint, with large sections of dark green and brown. There is usually some numbers painted on the turret side on german tanks, but this tank lacks any sort of identification, apart from the Y-shaped unit insignia. ‘You have to come in, the chain is attached to my feet’ The hatch works in pretty much the same way as the one on the Jagdtiger does, and you could figure out how to open it by just looking at it for a little while. The chain itself was just a handcuff attached to some metal railing on the turret floor, and didn't look like it was going to be that much of an issue “Well, this is going to be easy to just get rid of with a box cutter or something, thing is, i don’t have one. The only tool i know we could get this done with is a pistol, but i’m not to happy about firing it inside a tank. Ricochets and all that” ‘If the gun is loaded with hollow points, they shouldn’t ricochet or anything, especially if it hits the steel at an angle’ “Honestly, i could lend you the gun, but i’d rather be outside if you do that. And as you understand, we can’t bring the tank with us. You could come along to the base a day or two if you wan’t but if i know you guys, you’ll want to stay with the tank” Her tone suddenly changes a little ‘Yes. Like that. You said you wanted to be outside if i shot, right?’ You get your pistol out, and show the woman how the safety works. You carefully hand it over, making sure it’s pointed on a safe direction. Just as you are halfway out, she asks you to open up the remaining hatches, likely to help the sound get out. You stand in the engine cover, and hear not one, but two shots ring out. You are tired, and not very keen on loud noises, so you turn your head away. Your eyes falls on Lily.It takes a few seconds, but you catch yourself smiling. You want to call her out, saying she’s pretty or something, but she is not in a playing mood right now, but is rather her cold, focused and calculating Lily right now. She does however smile back when she notices your gaze. Not enough to attract any attention from the others, to keep her professional look up, but just enough for you to know your feelings are returned. And while her smile is sincere, the bandages now covered in dried blood gives a somewhat eerie look to her‘Thank you, i’ll look for the idler wheels now’ “Sure you want to stay here?” ‘Yes, i will take care of the tank’ “Well, it’s not going anywhere without the idlers, but i cant force you to anything. See you in a few days in that case” ‘I hade food, so there is no worries here. What are your names before you leave?” A short row of introductions and a somewhat awkward silence later, and you turn back towards the cars and set off >She made no sense at all “What do you mean?” >First of, i couldn’t feel her at all. Like she wasn’t even there. And then, she didn’t care for our names at all, didn’t as much as flinch when Natalya introduced herself. Just the name of Chelyabisk should cause anger to anyone riding a tank with a black cross, or a damn twitch at least. She didn’t even flinch. “Honestly, right now i’m too tired to consider that further. I don't even know what to do with all this situation. Why would anyone just abandon a tank in the woods?” >We need some sleep, both of us You get back at around mid day, not nearly bothered enough to care about the missiles, and to hide them. the cars are at the back of the vehicle hall, out of sight, and no one cares about a 20 year old Volvo anyway. You are too tired to notice much around you, who you met en route to your room, what route you took. You don’t remember much from the infirmary either, where Lily's bandage got replaced by something significantly smaller After something like 30 hours awake, you are now in your underwear, lying on your back in your bed. A heavy sigh is let out, and you do nothing but stare at the cieling for a few minutes as Lily undresses. How she can be bothered to properly fold her clothes and all that right now is beyond you. Suddenly, she gets up on the bed and straddles you. The way she sits, and her clothes (or rather, lack of them) makes it a little tricky to maintain eye contact. She bends a little, and grabs a water bottle to her side >Drink this She does sound a little commanding, despite her big warm smile. But she means well, because this isn’t the type of smile one can fake. Lily is smiling with her entire face, her entire body even. The movements she is doing, the tone of her voice and those glimmering hazel eyes >if you go to sleep dehydrated, you’ll wake up with a headache, and then you will be no good as a tank commander She unscrews the cap and hands the bottle to you. About half a liter, and it goes down rather quickly. Cold water can be really amazing sometimes. Another heavy sigh “Yeah mid day or not, i’m giving in now” >after just one more thing… She is now standing on all four, on top of you. slowly lowering her head. Her mouth is closed, and her smile is gone, not that this bothers you much. You carefully put your right hand over her left temple, placing you right thumb in front of her ear. The distance between you decreases slowly, until you feel her warm, moist breath against your face. Your eyes close, maybe because of Lily, maybe because you are tired, but they close. Her nose brushes against yours ever so slightly a few times and a few seconds later your lips meet. Warm, soft and with a hint of moisture. Just shallow contacts against her lips at first, until she slowly pushed herself a little further down and very gently bites your upper lip. A few seconds later her tongue splits open your lips by brushing against them and slowly and gently forcing them to open. The saliva reduces all friction, causer her tongue to easily glide on your lower lip, opening just a little bit more. Taking advantage of your tiredness, your obvious attraction to her, and gravity, Lily manages to discretely slip down a little pill in your mouth. You open your eyes to inquire about what just happened, but she is having none of it, and keeps exploring the inside of your mouth with her tongue, eyes still closed. You give in to her movements and follow her until you are hit by a wave of darkness a few moments later. Lily climbs off, and snuggles up next to you, firmly placing her head on your shoulder. The last thing you do before entering the mists in wrap the arm she is resting on around her and bring her a little closer There is a deep pulsating pain in your head. It follows the rythm of your heart. Eyes closed, you try figure out where you can feel… anything. Temples, two of your fingers on each hand, stomach “Augh…” >Good morning sunshine! Just stay right there, i’ll take care for you “Hey Lily… hang on, what did you give me? How long have i been out? What time is it? >It’s 06:22. You’ve been out for about 16 hours “...okay. All good. But what did you give me last night? You slipped something in my mouth” >You accepted it, didn’t you? “It’s because i trust you. And because... >Because you liked it? Because you didn’t want to say no? But don’t worry, i Just wanted you to sleep well, that’s all “I have slept well, don't you worry about that, even if my head feels like a beehive” >Sorry about that. You’ll need some water. I was going to give you some fried eggs too, but that didn’t work, so i’ve done this instead In her hand Lily has a large glass containing some cream white… something. Not quite a liquid, and not a dough either "Uhm, i'm gonna have to ask what that is" >This stuff is great, i learned to do this before i got into the Panzerwaffe Lily takes a spoonful and shoves into her mouth to prove her point >And you are going to get a glass all on your own... She takes the glass in one hand, and the spoon in the other and stretch them out to you >...as soon as you have fed me! As you grab the objects handed to you Lily settles down in your lap. She explains that it is simply two eggs mixed with sugar, and stirred around with a spoon until the sugar stops making noise when it's pushed against the glass. An when you eventually get you glass, you reluctantly admit that it is pretty good. After another 30 minutes or so, you have gone back to just lying in bed. None of you really want to start the day before the sun is up anyway, so just lie still and... rest >Hey Anon? "Uh huh?" >Let's go check on the Jagdtiger. And we still have to deal with the dead guys "fuck..." You consider what you have to do. See how bad that mess is, get the dead guys somewhere, bure them, or just get them somewhere else, say you were busy doing other shit for two days.. There are some options, but you have to speak with Natalya first, see what she thinks. And the IS-3 has to be cleaned, and you feel letting that over to her would be a bad thing to do. Lily just fired 2 shots, so they must have been to the head. And a 9 mm hollow point to the back of the head will make a mess. And then there is the problem with Ms. SS in the woods, and then unloading the missiles, and then you really have to do some checking up and taking care of the Jagdtiger. All of this is going to take a lot of time and effort, and lying and… “nooo-” You want to spend the entire day here. With Lily. You tell her about all of the things that needs attention. She is quiet for a moment afterwards. >Well, the Jagdtiger is fine, i’ll tell you that much. It’s not been driven that much. And if it does need a bit of work, we can’t do much here anyway. Maybe some field maintainance, but that’s about it. Besides, you just make sure to take care of me and it will be alright Lily looks up to you and smirks a little. You gently brush over her wounded eyebrow with your thumb a few times and look back into her eyes “I’ll take care of you” Your other hand shift slightly, to the small of her back and you pull her a little further up “I’ll take care of you” >You have. More than anyone has done to me, more than most people have done to anyone. I mean the Jagdpanzer is holding up better than some Shermans “What about the IS-3 then? how is that not breaking down?” >Honestly, i have no idea “Well, we have to help her as best we can” >We do. And as much as i would like to spend all day in bed with you, we cant help anyone or do anything here. Not anything productive at least “You’re cruel sometimes…” >I’ll make it up to you. But now, we have to get up. Think you could help me get into my clothes? Lily smirks again “That, i can do” After pulling on your own clothes, and helping Lily into hers, you head out to the dining hall, grab your food and manage to eat all of it before you even reach the vehicles. This makes Lily happy, and she explains that that is very efficient. Old habits really do die hard… Sadly, there is way too much people up here for you to be comfortable. And they are all around the IS-3. Which most likely means the dead guys have been found. “This is bad. We have to find Natalya and see what we should say. Anyway, do we deal with this or check on the Jagdtiger first?” >I think we should… This is as far as Lily gets before being interrupted. A large man, maybe in his early 40s with a large mustache approaches you. ‘You are Anon, from base…’ He starts burbling up a series of coordinates that you have no idea what you mean “Uhm, i have no idea what those coordinates say i’m afraid” The man stares back at you, having just a hint of “annoyed” in his expression ‘You own the big Nazi box tank?’ “Uhm, yeah, i do” That would be the IS-3. Is it in this situation wise to feign ignorance, try with some responsibility, or just make up some lies? All these questions spin around in your head for a second “Ohhh, the IS-3, with red stars on the turret? Yeah, that thing is from our base as well. Why are you wondering by the way? You are very confident with acting and lying since you have much experience on that topic ‘Well, three of the crew has been found dead inside the vehicle this night, two with gunshot wounds to the back of their heads and one with what appears to be injuries from blunt head trauma’ Your shocked/ “oh no” face is very good, even if Lily is a bit stiff about it. You persuade the man to let you have a word with the poor remaining soul of the tank. The man leads you to Natalya who is talking to a man in more civilian looking clothes. She is holding a cigarette, not in the usual way in two fingers, but rather with three, almost like one would hold a pencil. She spots you and Lily in the crowd and shoves the other man away. ¤ Hey guys! “Hey Natalya, i heard about what happened…” You have to play along just a little bit for the sake of appearing trustworthy ¤ You know, i am supposed to look sad. It is harder when you are here “Nice to hear, but one of these guys implied you said i owned the IS-3? What is that about?” She suddenly looks down in the ground and goes quiet ¤ I thought… Natalya forces her eyes shut, and swallows ¤ It will give me a better chance to remain here and get a crew assembled Her eyes have gone awfully cold, and that combined with the deep blue color makes for a very intimidating expression Just as you are halfway in moving the second idler, a group of people approach the vehicle. Judging by their clothes, they were tankers or mechanics ‘Are we interrupting anything here?’ A somewhat young man, scrawny facial hair and tired eyes speaks up. Then again, you’re no old man either. >A bit of track tensioning if anything, but that’s no problem, anything on your mind? ‘Yeah, there was a smaller skirmish some hours ago, and two of the tanks are bogged down in mud, and we figured… Well, this thing has the biggest engine here” >I think it sounds like you need a tow truck and not a Jagdpanzer ‘We tried that, Miss, but no tow truck here has 1800 horsepower’ >Okay, you have me intrigued, how do you know about the engine specs? ‘Well, i just assumed you are running the baddest version of the LAMES you could get your hands on’ LAMES is an abbreviation for “LArge Modular Engine System”. It was developed by contract of the army, so they can have one piston engine to use for most vehicles , and simply logistics. It is modular, so some parts can be shared differently configured engines. It can be configured in several different ways with different blocks, ranging from inline 2 cylinder units powering generators and such to the twin turbocharged flagship V12 mounted in the Jagdtiger. >Well, yeah. We do ‘Never seen a vehicle with the Turbo V-12 before, but i kinda guessed you have it by the sound it made. So i figured, if someone can pull those tanks free, you could’ >Well, we are running very low on ammunition, so if this is gonna happen, i count on being protected ‘We can do that. When are you ready to go?’ >Ten minutes, don’t make us wait Lily hops into the vehicle, and calls the crew from the radio, telling them to get ready with haste. After that, she down from the superstructure, and then down to ground level and gives you a hand with the large tool, and moving the idler wheel. >Exiting, huh? “As you said, our ammunition is Limited to two rounds of AP for the main guns” >That is why we have a 20 mm rifle and heavy MG on the roof. And i’m sure there is someone here that knows how a KPV works... ¤ I do! “well, alright then” Eight minutes later, the crew is assembled and in the vehicle. You sit with Natalya on top, and while she is inspecting the large gun you are helping the driver navigating the heavy vehicle out of the base. Three vehicles are waiting for you there, all M4 variants. Two with welded hulls, one with the early VVSS suspension and one with the later HVSS variant. There was also one early variant with a cast hull, easily recognizable by its rounded shape. All armed with 3 inch guns and a large MG on top. Some quick words on the radio, and the radio operator in the front of the vehicle relays orders to the other tanks. One M4 to take the lead, followed by the Jagdtiger, with two trailing after. The radioman informs you that there is going to be an 15 mile drive, meaning 45 minutes at 20 mph. You sit with Natalya on the roof and relax a little as your diver just follows the M4 up front ¤ How bad is the ammunition supply? “You heard? Well, we are down to two rounds, AP both of them” ¤ maybe it is not a great idea to ride into battle with two rounds “Well, they are only really needed for the Class 4s. The 76mm guns on those tanks will make mincemeat out of any class 3s, hell, even this rifle might hurt them if it gets close. You pat the Lathi a few times. ¤ And if there are several large ones? “Well, this isn’t a combat mission anyway. We are just a glorified tow truck now anyway” ¤ The fools care little for how you plan your day “I don’t think we should worry. We have four tanks, and an additional two when we get there” ¤ I hope i will have your optimism one day “Well, war is going to be over at some point, and i’ll try to keep everyone alive. And if not, i’ve heard Valhalla is pretty great” A hatch pop opens to your left side >You mention Valhalla again and i will tie you to a chair “You have been listening?” >...A little “Good, then you know what we were talking about. See, Nat, we have some plans for when all of this is over. Do you?” Natalya stares towards the horizon. She isn’t really looking at it, but it just happened to be the thing her eyes pointed at. She sighs heavily ¤ No. Now, there is only the war, This is our world. They came here with force. And we must show them force. It is the only thing i have knows. Unlike you Lily, i am serving a purpose for the first time in my life now. I am useful. And i have to keep my head clear >Natalya. If you still think like that when the war ends, what comes after will be much worse than all of this is. I care for you. But you must find something to long for. When we get back, i'll help you with that ¤ maybe.... >Maybe what? ¤ Maybe you are right. You have seen a war before this. Did you have something you wanted to do after that war? >No. That is why i know it’s important. Just a dream, really, or a plan. Anything. Because if there is nothing but war in you, you will tear yourself apart. We will get working on it as soon as we get home Natalya lights another cigarette, but remains silent. Nothing is said for a while. She smokes it slowly, savoring it. She waits minutes between putting it between her lips, and taking a breath. ‘Dozer here, we have some hostiles sighted, 2 o'clock, 400 metres. What do we do?’ Dozer was the name of the lead tank, an M4A2. By the advice of its commander, you get your binoculars up and try see what he saw. And it was not a major threat, Four class 2s. And while they were completely unable to harm even the sherman with a point blank shot to the rear, they would alert some bigger foes. “Stop and engage or drive on?” >Has this ever looked like a peaceful vehicle to you? “Alright, we stop and fire” You inform Dozer on your call, and hop over to the Lathi. The gun doesn’t have a charging handle, but rather a crank. Two revolutions, and a round is chambered. The Jagdtiger slows to a halt, and you take aim. But, before you or any of the tanks have fired, one of the four creatures are already dead. You get one shot of from the large rifle, and the powerful round brutalizes the unfortunate thing that happen to be in it’s sights. All four are dead, three of them has fallen to an SVT-40. Natalya slings the rifle back over her shoulder and return to staring at the horizon >That was impressive. three of them at 400 meters in five seconds ¤ As i said, i’m useful now The radio buzzes to life ‘You guys sure are fast’ “We do what we can. How far out are we?” ‘15 minutes tops’ You eventually arrive at the two stranded tanks, one M4 and one M60. And it didn’t take long for Lily’s initial scepticism regarding actually using the Jagdtiger as a tow truck to disappear. The vehicles were bogged down in very deep mud. Most likely the result of a flooded ditch. The crew of the stranded vehicles seems very happy to see a rescue. Because a tank that can’t move isn’t worth much. The M60 is in fact so deep in mud that the tow hooks themselves are underneath it. The M60 is the more important vehicle to get unstuck so it is decided that that is what you begin with. The crew of that vehicle are handed some extra shovels to clear of as much of the mud possible, while Lily attaches a tow cable to the Jagdtiger. This vehicle does not have rear tow hook as such, but rather a feet-long hollowed out extension of the 80mm side armor, so it will easily take the vehicles weight. The Jagdtiger will be the main pulling force here, so it attached to the left front hook of the M60, and the doubled back the Jagdtiger, forming a “V”. One of the M4s, being powered V8 version of the LAMES attaches itself to the right hook of the M60. Lily is giving instructions on how the pull will be executed. Start with a slack line, first gear in, and keep the revs at 3250 and the inertia of over 100 tons in motion will pull the helpless tank out of the mud. The driver revs up the engine a few times, touching the 4000 rpm rev limiter a few times. If the tank would have been animals, the larger Jagdtiger would have done this to assert its dominance over the smaller tanks, making sure they know it has the biggest and most powerful engine. Soon, the engine of the M60 wakes to life, and the final preparation from the pull, including making sure no one is in direct line of sight of the cable, because if it snaps, it will split a man in half. As the Jagdtiger and the medium tank next to it moves away from the stranded MBT, lowest gear in, engines screaming, the cables tying the vehicles together slowly raises themselves off the ground from the tension. As the cable is completely stretched out, both vehicles jerk down on the suspension, as if they were tied to a wall. But the inertia, combined with over 2000 horsepower from the engines slowly pulls the M60 out from its muddy hole. The vehicle is pulled until it reaches the road and stands on solid ground, now carrying several hundred pounds of mud with it, something the crew is going to have a great time getting rid off. Some of the mud can be removed by just using shovels and driving along, but the rest has to be washed away with water under high pressure. The Jagdtiger is backed up towards the other stuck tank, an M4 with its nose deep into the mud. The problem here is that the front of the tank acts like a giant wedge, and would only pull it deeper into the mud if it was pulled out. Only solutions are to either drag it up backwards, and risk getting the 75 ton Jagdtiger stuck in the mud, or get the shovels out and start digging in front of the vehicle >Anon, we don’t have shovels for everyone, and since you are stronger than i am… “Yeah yeah, alright, i’ll dig. Wouldn’t want to get bruises and blisters on your little hands, do we?” >Thanks Anon. I’ll keep a lookout from up here meanwhile. A-and i’ll make it up to you later, okay? You smile and nod before jumping down from the superstructure and grabbing a large shovel from just over the mudguards and heading into the mud for some fun exercise. There was a total of eight shovels among the tanks, and after 30 minutes of shoveling, you start to see some results. But then, Lily shouts >Guys, i see something moving in the treeline!