The SS were less than pleased to see girls amidst what they considered elite aryan forces. They smeared at the idea of fighting side by side with a couple of schoolgirls.
One SS officer even mocked, "What do you expect from traitorous cowards that tried to kill our fuhrer."
Miho stood frozen with her crew behind her. Saori shrank under the sneers, clutching Hana's sleeve.
Yukari trembled, though she couldn't understand German, she could understand that person was talking about them and that it was not something positive.
Saori shrank, clutching Hana's sleeve like a lifeline. Miho shook her head trying to reassure them but her own nervousness betrayed her intentions.
Meanwhile Mako muttered something from her daze that everyone missed. Except of course for the SS officer.
He couldn't just ignore a girl literally sleeping on the Panzer IV on broad daylight which to him was a gross negligence of duty.
"Enough," before, the SS officer could say anything, Kruger interrupted. "Don't call the Army coward when you guys ran away during the fight near Murmansk."
The SS officer shifted his gaze. Almost confrontational. He clearly showed his hostility not only towards Krüger but also towards the Army.
"We are the loyal warriors of the Führer," he spat. "Unlike you who turned their backs as soon as things got bad. Traitors!"
The last word cracked through the camp like a whip, hurled like a gauntlet thrown at Krüger's boots.
"Enough," Barked Manteuffel. "I don't want to see any quarrels in my camp."
With this, the SS officer dispersed and Kruger was about to vanish as well, but he was stopped by Manteuffel.
"Those girls are your duty Kruger. Make sure, the SS don't get near them." He ordered.
Kruger's face showed a little discontent. He was not here to babysit but he dare not protest. He was also growing increasingly fond of those girls and thought about something.
Manteuffel turned, cloak snapping in the wind. "Tomorrow we will be going on an all-out assault to push the Bolsheviks out of Romania. I don't want anything happening to my best tank crew."
His words hung heavy in the spring air. A calculated statement: spoken as if he valued them only as military assets.
Many more troops, guns and tanks were pouring into the camp. Romanians, Germans both SS and Army. Everyone gave curious looks to the girls.
The tanks were all lined up, Stugs, Panzer IVs of all types, Panthers and even few Tigers. Also rested behind them were the Romanian 38ts that looked like children.
"Miporin, those looks just like Anzu's before conversion." Saori said pointing out at those little tanks besides the giants.
"Oh, those are actually TACAM T-38s not the 38t." Yukari enthusiastically pointed out. "After they became outdated, Germans provided some of their 38ts to Romania, which they kept using until 1945 under locally produced copy."
As Yukari explained in one breath, a German soldier nearby heard her. Though he couldn't understand Japanese, he stilled chuckled lightly at her words.
"Hey, madchen," he addressed Miho, "What is your friend saying so excitedly?" He asked casually.
"Nothing," Miho replied a bit startled, "She is just explaining those Romanian tanks." She added.
"Ah, I see." The soldier said, as if he got it. Well he actually did because after the amount of time these soldiers have seen the girl, they knew exactly what their quirks were and they liked it.
Hearing the mention of Romanian tanks, two Romanians also turned up. They pointed at Yukari, "The lady likes our vehicles?"
The German turned to them, "No, she is pitying them." He replied.
Saori chuckled and pushed Yukari lightly, "Look the German definitely likes you."
But the Romanians weren't letting go that easily.
"We don't believe you." One of them said. "Let, the girl say it herself."
Seeing where this was going, Miho tried to reign in, "S-she likes all types of tanks every one of them." She said faintly in her broken German.
"That, won't do madchen" The German soldier said as if liking tanks was wrong. "You cannot get close to others, you must only like German tanks."
"Not even other Axis ones and most importantly never allied ones."
Mako as if suddenly woke up, "Don't you people have anything better to do?" She said dozily before going to sleep again.
As things were getting playfully heated, Kruger appeared seemingly out of nowhere, as a mood killer. However, to everyone's surprise, he didn't kill the mood.
"Hey, since you people to stick around them so much, do me a favour and keep them out of SS sight. That's an order from the general himself."
"Jawohl, Herr Oberst." All of them replied without hesitation. Afterall in the few days these girls have proven their worth and became a sort of mascots for the troops both German and Romanian.
The Germans and Romanian soldiers called in more of their comrades and they immediately surrounded the girls.
Saori, Hana and Yukari were puzzled and looked at Miho with large eyes. So Miho reassured them, "Kruger wants them to protect us." She said clarifying their intentions.
"Good for us, if anything." Mako mumbled from her sleep.
"Hey, you Romanians don't need to stay here." Said a young German soldier.
"Ja, this is a German Army matter. So you people can go rest." Another soldier added, "We can take care of our people."
Before the Romanians could make any reply, came a call "Everyone assemble for briefing. Tanker commanders to tent no. 1, infantry squad commanders to tent no. 2."
Hana, flustered a bit hearing the announcement, she didn't know what they said, so she looked at Miho. The others did that too, except for Mako who was busy sleeping.
"They called for all tank commanders and squad leaders to report at tents for briefing." She explained.
They had experience with pre-battle or in their case pre-match briefs and plannings. Miho has attended one in after coming back in time as well.
However, this time there was the added problem of the SS smearing at them.
Though the presence of so many soldiers reassured Miho that nothing bad could happen she was still a bit hesitant.
She asked them stay here and not move around while she was gone.
Inside the tent many tankers had assembled. Most of them were unknown to Miho, though she knew her fellow tankers from the Grossdeutschland, she didn't know the SS and the Romanians.
As she was about to take a seat, an SS tank commander showed up in front of her, "You don't belong here madchen, get out of this place." He almost threatened Miho.
"Hey, shut up and go to your seat." An older tank commander from the army called him out.
The SS tanker hissed in anger. Just then a fiery voice swept through the tent.
"All quiet and return to your seats." Only then did Miho notice that some very high ranking officers from the German Army, SS and the Romanian Army were in the tent.
Kruger was also there along with the SS officer who had quarreled with him over the girls.
They were standing behind a table with a huge map hung in the canvas besides them.
Miho hesitantly took her seat and the whispers died out. She noticed a German probably SS officer whispering something to an Army officer which the Army officer shrugged off.
The officers started to explain the offensive plan. The Grossdeutschland division was to take the same path that the scout company took. While the SS Wiking would advance on their left flank.
The Romanian 1st Armoured Division was to be a rear guard following closely behind the main thrust. While the infantry would clear out the stragglers in the rear.
The time was set for very early morning followed by a sharp 10 minute artillery barrage and strikes from five Stuka bombers covered by two Bf-109s.
On the other side of the camp, a sleeping Mako snooze.
"What is it Mako?" Saori asked confused and worried about her, "Do you feel cold?"
"No, I feel like I won't be able to sleep tonight again." She replied and changed her sleeping pose.