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A few moments earlier, in the gun emplacement, a similar situation was played out (literally). The soldiers had just been waking up when they
heard the rumbling. Then some darting movement in the woods ahead. Three greatcoat-clad Germans ran towards them. Two of them raised their hands to throw grenades but one fell, a split second before a shot rang out- The trusty sniper Volviov had placed a well aimed shot from the house into one German. The second lobbed a potato masher right into the emplacement, the explosion shattering the barrel of the AT gun and lightly wounding a gunner, but miraculously, doing nothing more. The soldiers quickly recovered, ears ringing,
rose and gunned down the remaining Germans.
By now, the whole roadblock was alive, everyone frantically getting into their positions. A Maxim HMG team got into place, on the other side of the road. Everyone waited tensely, all fingers on the triggers, ready for anything the Germans could throw at them. A monstrous Tiger I rounded the bend out of the woods. Okay, almost anything. The tank spewed out a shot from its giant 88mm cannon that landed near the HMG position, showering the soldiers with dirt and debris kicked up by the blast. Quick action had to be taken or the Tiger I would flatten everything. The Soviets noticed the tank was buttoned up completely, apparently fearing sniper fire. That meant it was less aware of movements on its flanks, which squad leader Nikolai was prepared to take advantage of. The Tiger reloaded and emptied another shell into the HMG nest, this time destroying the gun and killing one crewman, wounding another. Soviet soldiers were moving into position the flanks, although some feared getting too close and peeled back to cover. No matter, thought Nikolai- they would be shot later. Meanwhile, on the other side of the road, on of the AT gun's crewmen, Dimitri, had made his way to the side of the Tiger, kneeling in the thick undergrowth the heavy woods provided. Sweating and trembling in spite of the cold snow, he pulled out a grenade taken from one of the Germans, tossed it onto the tank, closed his eyes, covered his ears, and- nothing. Apparently he didn't know how to use German grenades. The Tiger was completely oblivious emptying another shell into the nest, destroying it. Dimitri tossed another grenade and- it hit the engine deck squarely, the explosion's concussion ripped through the decking causing some damage and smoke. The soldiers on the other side saw the smoke, got up from their cover, dashed to the tank, opened the hatch, tossed in some grenades and subsequently finished the tank. |