Chapter 591: Iron Unyielding
In the early morning outside Kassel, Central Germany; Henschel Proving Grounds.
The fog had not yet lifted. Dew glistened on razor wire while concrete bunkers lined the far perimeter like watchful sentinels.
Hidden among the foliage, SAM sites and flak turrets slept beneath camouflage nets.
Somewhere beyond them, the clatter of tank treads echoed; war drums muffled by mud.
Bruno stood beneath the skeletal gantry of a maintenance rig, arms folded behind his back, the fur-lined collar of his officer’s coat catching the chill.
Around him bustled engineers, mechanics, and officers; silent unless spoken to. The only voice that mattered today was his.
The tank before him squatted like a waiting predator—angular, brutal, and unmistakably modern.
It was the prototype designation Panzer III Ausf. A, and today it would speak.
"105mm rifled main gun," said Erwin Aders, who smoked a cigarette while gesturing to the formidable barrel. "Standardized for APDS and HESH compatibility. The bore evacuator has been retooled for high-pressure gas retention. Accuracy rated to 2,200 meters in wind."
Bruno didn’t respond. He ran a gloved hand along the armor instead. The plating was not the usual rolled homogeneous steel. It was layered; slightly matte, with visible seams.
"Composite?"
Aders flicked the cigarette aside and exhaled a thick plume of smoke, as if christening the beast.