The Crews Backstory and The Arrival At Dunkirk
"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing-grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!"
Winston Churchill
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John Paul POV:
As I continued reading the news paper to busy myself. I was wondering and thinking about the crew.
"System, Is there a way for me find out information about the crew? I wish to learn about their lives."
["Of course Host. Which crew member do you wish to learn about."]
"All of them if possible?"
[Very well. Please wait a moment"]
[However Host must be aware this is the past of the characters before you took over and is what would've happened in their original lives. So their old futures will be presented."
"It is alright. I only wish to know their personality."
As the system said that everything went black and suddenly words appeared saying
"Peter Muller"
(A.N- I warn you all massive info dump)
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"The Personality of Peter Muller"
A highly experienced and apparently loyal Wehrmacht officer, Müller is good friends with Kertz, Tiger 237's driver, having known and served with him for several years. The pair affectionately refer to their tank as "Stefan".
Müller is a conflicted character who sees it as his duty to continue the fight against all odds, but also shows some signs of disillusionment with the regime, such as his voicing of discontent over the hanging of their own soldiers and refusal to salute the officer carrying out the sentence. He is shown to be initially tolerant of Schröder, whom he mentors and is idolised by. Kertz criticises Müller for his "feeding [Schröder] the party line", and Müller eventually sees the result of his encouragement taken too far.
Despite declaring that he "tells no lies", much of his inspiring diatribe is increasingly meaningless to him as his resolve to continue fighting crumbles. Kertz, having known him for several years and being very cognisant of the current situation, sees through this facade and confronts him about it during the story finale. Müller is apparently aware of his own lies, but is still resistant to admitting that everything is over until the very end. His determination is finally broken by the fate of his crew.
Although confident in the field, Müller has doubts about his command abilities and hesitates in his decision making several times. When stressed, he has a habit of looking away from others and blinking rapidly, which may be a form of nervous tick. He assumes that there will be a point where he can examine his failures in retrospect and address them, but time for such reflection has seemingly run out. He also describes feeling anxious when outside the tank, as the world outside seems more immediate and harsh when he is exposed to the sights and smells of death. He also recognises that without the machine he is just another "flawed and vulnerable man".
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"The Lifer of Peter Muller"
Peter mentions that when he was a boy, he was among a group of boys who stole from a local shop. Despite not taking anything, his father still condemned him for being there.
Müller, along with Kertz, first appear in the prologue My Country Calling, during the siege of Tobruk in 1941. Müller's Tiger fights through a defending British force of Staghound T17E1s, Shermans, 6 Pounder guns and a Sherman Calliope, before artillery hits near the tank and cutting to black.
At the beginning of The Last Tiger, a flashback is shown of Müller ambushing a British mechanised convoy somewhere in North Africa. The tank destroys a Churchill Mk VII, with Müller watching through binoculars as the dismounting crew burn to death before commanding the tank to advance.
The story jumps forwards to the present of Spring 1945, where Müller is taking part in the defense of the Rhine-Ruhr region of Germany. The tank is in need of resupply and is missing its radio operator, consisting of veteran Kertz, young fanatic Schröder and similarly young nervous wreck Hartmann. Schröder idolizes Müller and follows him everywhere, a fact which is mocked by Kertz during the briefing. The Tiger moves out over a bridge across the Rhine, and while Kertz questions their orders amidst the deteriorating strategic situation, Müller flatly states that they are instead pushing forward. They pass a cathedral, where a line of German soldiers, labelled with signs around their necks as "deserters", are escorted at gunpoint. Schröder announces his disdain for the group, while Müller states that Germany is "stronger together".
The tank advances to the front and is attacked by US forces en route to Schimek Railyard. During the battle, he navigates for Kertz and prompts Hartmann to keep in contact with command via radio. After they enter the town square to destroy enemy artillery pieces, the Tiger is counter-attacked by American armor. Müller calmly directs the crew to fight their way out, and they continue to the rally point. On the way, Hartmann has a nervous breakdown and begs for the crew to return to the bridge, to which Schröder responds angrily - Müller asks the two of them to be quiet and do their jobs, remarking that they will be back at the bridge soon enough and reinforcing his belief in the superiority of the Tiger tank.
The crew arrives at the rally point to find they are on their own, before coming under attack from rocket-firing Mosquitos. Kertz drives the tank through a destroyed building to escape danger, requiring someone to leave the tank to scout a path back through the debris. Schröder suggests Hartmann should go, and after much hesitation Müller ultimately agrees, despite Kertz' protests. Hartmann himself pleads not to go, but Müller coerces him by appealing to his sense of duty, and he reluctantly dismounts the Tiger. The crew watches him disappear from view, but with the sudden arrival of an American mechanized column, Müller commands Kertz to leave without Hartmann.
The tank is directed by radio to the German forward base, and is instructed to destroy sensitive documents there. While approaching the objective, the tank is once again attacked by Mosquitos and disabled. Müller orders Kertz to fix the tank while he proceeds on foot to capture an anti-aircraft gun to shoot down the circling attack aircraft. He successfully destroys the Mosquitos, and is reunited with the repaired Tiger after Kertz followed the sounds of gunfire. The tank's radio remains inoperable, severing their connection to command. Proceeding onward, Müller once again dismounts and takes back the intelligence files from the abandoned outpost despite resistance from American guards. Their orders complete, Müller directs the crew to return to the cathedral to take part in the final defense.
On the way, the tank passes through a ruined alley. A propaganda speaker announces that the battle has not been in vain and that Germany cares about is soldiers and citizens, which is hypocritically juxtaposed by Müller's witnessing of wrecked tanks, dead civilians, and the deserters seen earlier, now hanged from lampposts. Kertz stops the tank ahead of an iron gate, causing Müller to look up and see Hartmann, also labelled a deserter and hanged. Schröder reasserts his belief in Hartmann's treachery, causing Müller to snap back at him to shut up, stating that he did his duty. Schröder disagrees, and the tank continues on to the cathedral.
Night has fallen by the time Tiger 237 reaches their objective, which is completely devoid of friendly soldiers. A dismayed Schröder has a minor outburst, which is silenced by Müller, who exits the tank to find a working radio. A hurried transmission orders the crew to defend the bridgehead at all cost, while simultaneously a US tank formation surrounds the church, demanding the crew surrender. Müller appears to be contemplating the situation, before Schröder takes the situation into his own hands, opening fire on the Americans. Müller quickly reembarks, and the crew fights through waves of enemy tanks until heavy artillery begins to dial in on their position. With the situation becoming untenable, Müller directs the tank to withdraw towards the bridge and rejoin the main force. The tank is seconds away from reaching the bridge before an explosion tears through the structure, sending the Tiger careening down an embankment, coming to a rest immobilized in debris.
A disorientated Müller exits through the turret hatch, and gazes forlornly at the burning bridge. Movement behind him causes him to draw his pistol on Kertz who, injured and seemingly at his wits end, is preparing to desert. Müller implores his friend to return to the tank, but apparently has no plan beyond this, which is apparent to Kertz who cuts through his vague words of comfort. Through frustrated tears, Kertz laments about the things they saw and did in service of a regime that has callously abandoned them, while Müller stares on in silence, offering no further opposition as his friend limps away. Suddenly Kertz is cut down by gunfire, and Müller turns in shock to find Schröder having fired the shots. Schröder apologies for having shot his friend, but reasons he was a deserter and a traitor, justifying the action using Müller's earlier stated mottos that they are "stronger together". Müller however, completely ignores Schröder and runs over to comfort his dying comrade.
US soldiers, attracted by the bridge explosion and gunfire, descend on the scene. Schröder immediately opens fire and a gun battle erupts, with Schröder begging his commander to return to the tank. As Kertz dies in his arms, Müller finally decides to give up the fight, discarding his Iron Cross into the dirt beside Kertz' corpse and raising his hands in surrender. Perceiving this as the ultimate betrayal, Schröder screams in anguish and turns his MP40 on his former commander. Gunshots ring out as the screen cuts to black, leaving the fate of Müller and his last surviving crew member ambiguous.
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John Paul POV:
"System what does it mean "my country calling"."
["Originally The crew you are commanding are characters from stories and I have just ripped them out of their story and made them your crew. However there is no difference for them. Except there tank being a Tiger II- 001"]
"I see very well show me the next one."
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"The personality of Schroder"
Along with Hartmann, he is a young and relatively new addition to the crew, having not been present in My Country Calling. The two are anything but alike, with Schröder being fanatical in commitment and steadfast in terms of nerve. Almost all of his dialogue is laced with patriotic rhetoric and forced optimism, much to the annoyance of Kertz. He has no sympathy for fellow countrymen branded as traitors or deserters, and even calls out other members of the crew for defeatist comments. As such he despises Hartmann, seeing his reluctance to fight as a liability and expresses his contempt for him even after he is found dead. To him, surrender to the enemy is unthinkable and seems fully intent on fighting to the death. In spite of this, he considers himself a valuable member of the crew worthy of preservation over the "expendable" Hartmann.
Schröder greatly admires Müller, and aside from following him around "like a lost dog" when outside the tank, he imitates his philosophy and phrases, while frequently looking to Müller for praise. Müller takes his advice on several occasions, but eventually has a change of heart and rejects Schröder, who in turn slowly begins to oppose Müller. His loyalty to his commander and his loyalty to his commander's former ideals comes to a head in the final scene of the story.
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John Paul POV:
"System wait a second if he changed personality and started hating Muller in his original story wont he hate Muller later in this life as well?"
["That has been thought of. The characters will not turn as they think of each other like brothers despite the age gap and they would do anything to protect each other and the Tiger II"]
"I see, continue with his life please."
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"Life Of Schroder"
Schröder is first seen shadowing Müller as he returns to the Tiger with new orders. He is seen saluting an officer marching German soldiers, condemned as traitors and deserters, away at gunpoint, while expressing no sympathy for the fate that awaits them. During the battle, Schröder is mainly heard shouting jingoistic mottos and asserting their superiority and assured victory over the enemy, while consistently rebuking Hartmann's pessimistic remarks.
After the rocket attack by Mosquitos when the Tiger is hiding in a ruined building, Schröder suggests Hartmann should leave the tank to scout a way out. Kertz protests, but Schröder's cold pragmatism that Hartmann is "expendable" due to his neurosis and non-essential role in the crew eventually wins over the commander. Hartmann leaves and disappears for sight. When he does not return, Schröder immediately declares him a deserter, and soon after a US Army tank column threatens their encirclement, forcing the tank to leave before Hartmann could return.
On their way back to cathedral defense, the crew encounters the disgraced Germans again, now all hanged from streetlights. Amongst them, they spot Hartmann, himself labeled as a deserter. Schröder reaffirms his contempt for him but is told to shut up by Müller. For the first time, Schröder goes against his commander by continuing to slander their former crew member.
The crew continues onto the headquarters, which is completely deserted. Schröder, expecting an epic united defense, is dismayed to find they are all alone. Müller dismounts the tank to find out what is happening before the cathedral is surrounded by Americans demanding their surrender. While Müller contemplates the situation, an enraged Schröder opens fire in defiance, and the commander hastily reembarks. Despite holding the line, artillery zeroes in across the Tiger, which begins to retreat towards the bridge. Moments before crossing, an explosion tears the bridge to pieces and sends the tank careening down a slope where it becomes immobilized.
Outside the tank, an injured and defeated Kertz intends to desert, and despite a half-hearted appeal from Müller he is left to go. Seeing this, Schröder shoots him in the back with an MP 40, fatally wounding him. Schröder insists he was a traitor and was justified in shooting him, fruitlessly parroting Müller's ideology at him, but Müller himself abandons the tank to comfort his dying friend. US troops arrive and Schröder opens fire. In the chaos, he sees Müller discard his Iron Cross and attempt to surrender. As the last crew member and his own mentor prepare to betray him, he screams in anguish and turns the gun on Müller. Gunshots are heard, but both soldiers' fates are not shown.
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John Paul's POV:
"So he's a cold and ruthless bastard but what do you expect from a kid brainwashed by Nazi Ideology. However from what the system says previously he should be a alright and decent kid."
"System show me this Kertz. he's been mentioned in both of their lives quite a few times."
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"Personality Of Kertz"
He and Müller have a close friendship, having been together as far back as Tobruk in 1941. Although trusting in his competencies as a commander, having known him for so long he can see through Müller's artificial enthusiasm conjured from his patriotic adages. Unlike the rest of the crew he sees from the very beginning of the story that the war is lost. As such he has a strong dislike of the blindly zealous Schröder, however despite this cynicism, he cares for traumatised defeatist Hartmann and fights wholeheartedly to get the crew out alive. It is also clear he has some affection towards the tank, whom he and Müller refer to as "Stefan".
Calm and knowledgeable both in battle and when performing repairs, Kertz' bravery comes from years of experience and confidence in Müller, although he too eventually realises further fighting is fruitless after the crew is sacrificed to prolong the war. Kertz has a picture of a woman at his crew station, suggesting a wife or partner.
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"A married man ey. Good on the man."
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"Life Of Kertz"
Although not seen, he is present alongside Müller during the Libyan section of the prologue in 1941. The pair survive many battles before Spring 1945, the setting of The Last Tiger. He appears relaxing on the roof of the tank watching swarms of Allied aircraft overhead while waiting for resupply and a replacement radio operator, neither of which they receive. Instead, Müller and Schröder arrive with new orders to advance over the bridge and attack the Twelfth Army Group's armored spearhead in the city. He criticises Müller for indulging and encouraging the fanatical Schröder, whom he compares to a lost dog. Kertz questions why the Germans do not just blow the bridge to keep the Americans at bay, but obeys Müller's orders.
Later on, the tank comes under rocket attack from Mosquitos, and Kertz takes the Tiger through a ruined building to hide. When the question is raised as to who will leave the tank to scout for a safe exit route, Schröder suggests Hartmann. Kertz protests, declaring him "in no fit state" for such a mission, and even volunteers in his place, but is considered essential to the crew by Müller who subsequently sends Hartmann. After he leaves and fails to return, Schröder asserts he has deserted, while Kertz continues to defend him. Suddenly, the crew is threatened with encirclement by an approaching US tank unit, and the Tiger flees the position without Hartmann aboard.
As night falls, the crew come across the hanged body of Hartmann who has been labeled as a traitor. Kertz stops the tank in front of him, forcing Müller to look up at the corpse. Schröder dismisses Hartmann as a traitor - Kertz asserts that "he was one of us" before driving on.
The crew arrives at the cathedral, the rally point for the "big defense" and find themselves alone there. As Müller searches on the radio for traffic, Kertz laughs in disbelief declaring that things have finally fallen apart. He asks Müller what they should do now but receives no reply. The tank is soon surrounded by American forces requesting their surrender, but Schröder opens fire on them. Holding the line against waves of enemy tanks, they are finally forced into retreat by artillery fire, and Kertz makes for the bridge. As they approach the crossing, an explosion rips through the structure, and the Tiger is sent skidding down an embankment as the road beneath them collapses. The vehicle throws a track, rendering it immobile, and Kertz is injured.
With the crew having been lied to fight on, presumably buying time for the demolitions to be prepared, this event serves as the last straw for Kertz' resolve. He dismounts and limps away from the wrecked tank. Müller intervenes, but his vague words of reassurance ring hollow for the both of them as Kertz becomes inconsolable over the things they had believed in and the things they had done in service of those beliefs. He declares that "it's over" before turning to leave. Immediately after, he is shot in the back by Schröder, who brands him a traitor. A devastated Müller leaps from the tank to cradle his dying friend while Schröder begs his commander to return to the tank. Amidst a gunbattle with arriving US troops, Müller discards his Iron Cross in the dirt next to Kertz' corpse.
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"A man that knew the war was coming to an end and accepted it."
This crew sure has some issues with them but I'll make sure they are well and friendly
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"Personality of Hartmann"
Despite being referred to as a man by the rest of the crew, Hartmann has a very young appearance. Both he and Schröder were not mentioned during My Country Calling, and so are presumed to be relatively recent additions to the crew. Hartmann is a nervous wreck, wracked by tremors even when out of combat. In battle, he frequently panics at the sight of the enemy or when the Tiger takes damage. He also prone to outbursts, such as when he suddenly begs Müller to abandon their mission and return to the bridgehead. His fragile temperament is noted by Müller and rest of the crew with Hartmann being called "damaged" by Schröder. Kertz is more sympathetic and comes to his defense, and while initially agreeing with Schröder, Müller is hit especially hard by his fate.
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"Life Of Hartmann"
Hartmann is first seen anxiously awaiting news while clearing Tiger 237 of empty shell casings, one of which he drops due to intense hand tremors. As they move out, he questions the fate of a group of Germans being led away at gunpoint, with signs denoting them as traitors and deserters around their necks.
During the battle towards Schimek railway, Hartmann frequently voices his anxiety about the enemy being too numerous and is either browbeaten by Schröder or reassured by Müller. Each time he receives an order from command over the radio, he must be prompted by Müller to respond affirmatively. At one point, he breaks down and begs Kertz to return to the bridge. Despite his protests, the crew continues their mission.
After the Tiger is attacked by rocket-firing Mosquitos and forced to hide beneath a ruined building, Hartmann is instructed to inspect the tank for damage while the rest of the crew decide who should be sent outside the tank to scout out an exit. Schröder argues that Hartmann, being unhinged and the only non-essential member of the crew, should be it, while Kertz objects believing him to be "in no fit state" to carry out such a dangerous mission. Following a moment of hesitation, Müller orders Hartmann to leave the tank. He strongly refuses, pleading with his commander using his first name and simply offering the excuse that "he can't". Müller appeals to his sense of duty, and Hartmann gingerly ventures out watched by his fellow crew until they lose sight of him. The crew waits for him to reappear, with Schröder branding him a deserter until the sudden arrival of a US Army tank column forces them to escape their hiding spot, leaving Hartmann behind.
Later as the crew rally at the final defensive line around the cathedral, they come across the group of German deserts, now hanged from lampposts. Amongst the dozens of bodies, Hartmann hangs from an arched street sign over a road; who is himself labelled as a deserter. While Schröder reaffirms his belief in Hartmann's cowardice, Müller snaps at him to shut up, stating that Hartmann did his duty.
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As I watched through his life. He was just a nervous kid that didn't want to die and is betrayed by his crew and country resulting in his hanging. I saw him hanging unmoving except swaying in the wind. The boy was to young to die.
As everything returned to normal I felt the tank stop and when I looked around they were stopped by what seem about 24 Wehrmacht troops.
It just seems the troops were admiring the tank and of course a few were talking to Muller and how they are to advance in a few days .
["It is recommended host looks at the map. To do this just imagine a map on your table and it will appear. The blue dots are friendly troops and red dots are enemy troops with squares being tanks and arrows being planes."]
As I heard the system speak I did just that and as I looked down I saw hundreds of thousands of red dots on the beaches and a few 100 surrounding it and the blue dots getting having encircled the positions.
"System I have a question to ask."
[" Go ahead."]
"Is my previous body here. my French self."
["Why of course and you would get a reward if you kill yourself"]
"What is the reward?"
["10,000 RP and over 500,000 Silver Lions with a new body. A German Body so you can meet your crew and have a chat with them and we will make it so its the same as the person speaking from the radio and the background goes well. 2nd in command just before Hitler himself."]
"Well those rewards sure are good and the house is not to far away only a 10 minute drive."
Hearing this I was happy with the rewards but now I had to take command of Kertz and justify why he's driving somewhere random.
"System how do I take control of my crew"
["It is simple, however you don't need to do that. Just think of the house and the roads you need to drive down and it will be done automatically"]
Hearing this I thought of the road that need to be driven down and then a right on the first dirt path to which there will be a house.
Suddenly the tank was put in gear and started turning.
"We've been given commands to move to another position we'll see you later. Heil Hitler." Peter Muller said while raising his arm for the salute and to which the soldiers returned before walking off.
As the tank continued of the road. I was having a conversation with the System about this new body of mine which is going to be called Klaus Jager. The man was quite good looking however he had quite a scar on his cheek. Which I didn't mind as it shows I had been in battle.
"So system do you know my new body. You say I'll be second in command with Hitler. Doesn't that mean I have to be with him constantly?"
["No your human body will have its own quarters which it will stay in unless you want it to be in a different location and or if someone wants a meeting with you to which I shall alert you of there presence."]
"I see that would be very useful. Maybe I could influence some of Hitlers thoughts and opinions on the Jewish Population."
As I continued to brainstorm the tank came to a halt. To which I saw the house and movement inside it.
"System How do I take control of someone"
["Say "Control and then the persons name"]
"Control Schroder"
Suddenly I was getting sucked into the body of Schroder and now I saw everything through his eyes.
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Schroder(John Paul) POV:
"Hartmann Load anti personnel Shells. Quickly!"
Suddenly a clattering of ammunition was heard and then a shout from Hartmann came
"Ammo is loaded!"
Hearing this I aimed at the room I was originally in and fired causing a ding from the system:
["Host has kill 4 men including yourself. Rewards to be handed out after battle"]
Seeing this I stopped controlling Schroder and let the crew do what their best at.
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John Paul's POV:
As I watched the battle that was taking a few minutes. I heard a sudden ding
["All enemy troops are dead. Rewards being given out"]
[ Reward Sheet ]
[12,000 RP ]
[500,126 Silver Lions ]
[Body For Host Unlocked]
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Seeing this I was extremely happy and just like that I was able to unlock about 4 tanks which I didn't care much about and just like that we decided to head back to our original positions and group up with the German forces.
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Chapter completed. 4500 words baby. Lets goooooo.
All those words from the massive info dump however I believe it will be useful as it provides information and background for the characters however if you play Battlefield 5 "The last Tiger" you would've know already