Synopsis:

After the brutal Ukrainian campaign and the battles that culminated in Kyiv, the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler is no longer the same. Battered but not broken, its armored core regroups in France just as the push toward Moscow grinds to a halt beneath the weight of winter—and of strategic doubt. No one knows exactly where the war is heading… except for a few.

As Falk Ritter and his crew receive a new long-barreled Panzer IV, still bearing the scars of the Eastern Front, a new destination looms: Africa.

In a sudden redeployment, part of the division is sent to reinforce the Axis campaign in the desert, where the forces of Rommel, Italy… and Spain—under the command of General Yagüe—are advancing toward Cairo, Palestine, and beyond.

But under the scorching sun, there is no shelter for the conscience. Among ancient ruins, dust storms, and enemy fire, Falk and his men must adapt to a different war—without snow, without trenches, but with the same shadow of death… and even more questions left unanswered.

History marches on. The Reich expands. But war, as always, moves faster.

Ukraine — Bila Tserkva Sector, July 1941, 04:37


Light didn't arrive as a promise.It came as a threat.


The sky shifted from black to gray without joy. No sunrise—just a thick, wet brightness that turned every shadow into a suspicion. Falk stood at the hatch. The engine hummed on idle. The radio buzzed, alive with unease.


—"Nothing clear," Helmut replied. "But something's out there. Interference. Incomplete codes. We're not the only ones listening."


Konrad slowly rotated the turret, as if he already knew where to aim. Lukas kept the clutch half-pressed, tense. Ernst held a shell in his lap but hadn't loaded it yet.


—"This light… it's not morning," he said. "It's hell waking up."


It came from far off, sharp, and didn't sound like a shot… until it hit. A light Wehrmacht vehicle, parked 200 meters east, exploded without warning. Shrapnel flew. A body too.


—"Enemy fire! Left sector!" someone shouted over the radio.


—"Falk!" Helmut said. "Anti-tank gun hidden. No visual yet."


The Panzer veered toward a low ridge, shielded only by brush and uncertainty. Another shot. This one passed close. Too close. The hull rang with the shock.


—"Konrad!" Falk called. "Priority is silencing it."


—"I'm trying," the gunner growled. "But I don't see it."


Ernst had the shell ready. Lukas was sweating. Falk pulled the hatch closed. Inside, it was all steel and held breaths.


—"Contact!" Helmut shouted. "Between two trees. Rough coordinates."


Falk nodded. Konrad aimed. Not with rage—with surgical focus.


The Panzer fired. The cabin shook. Silence. Then, a muffled explosion.


—"Hit," Ernst said. "It's not moving anymore."


—"Good," Falk replied. "But stay sharp."


Around them, the other tanks moved—but without order.The chaos had taken shape.The front was no longer a rumor.It was fire.


Chapter 23 - Chapter 22: The Grey Hour