Germany — October 1939
The return home was no celebration — it was routine. After the Polish campaign, the Leibstandarte was transferred westward. To spacious, silent, clean barracks. A place that didn't feel ready for war. At least, not yet.
The Panzers stood aligned in hangars as long as modern cathedrals. Civilian mechanics and Army technicians worked tirelessly — repairing, reinforcing, adapting. Falk watched his tank like someone looking again at a wound that hadn't healed properly.
"Will it be as good as new?" Lukas asked.
"No. But it'll work better," the tank commander replied.
Ernst was helping with the training munitions. Helmut updated the radio equipment. Konrad disassembled the main gun, cleaning it piece by piece. No one talked much. But they all understood — this wasn't peace. It was a pause.
On the international front, the tension was different. The newspapers spoke of a war without war. They called it the Drôle de Guerre. France and Britain were officially at war with Germany, but not a single shot was fired. In the West, everything was waiting. Watchfulness. Building fortifications. Speeches.
"They're waiting — and us?" Helmut asked one night while poring over maps.
"We're not waiting. We're preparing," Falk said.
Instructors arrived with new orders. There was talk of changes in the doctrine of advance. Of rapid operations. Of leaps through the Low Countries. Some names began to circulate: Liège, Rotterdam, Sedan.
In the fields near the Rhine, units rehearsed breakthrough maneuvers. The crews trained under simulated conditions of fortified towns. The next campaign would be different.
One morning, an officer arrived with a new list. Falk read it silently. His unit was assigned as part of the mobile shock wing for a future offensive.
"Where?" Lukas asked.
Falk showed the map. Pointed with his finger.
"Here. On the Belgian border."
The others looked at him. Not with fear — with recognition. They knew that gesture by now.
The engine of war was still running. And they, like their Panzer, were just waiting for the next order to roll forward again.