As soon as the voice fell, a BMW motorcycle with a sidecar raced down the highway in a cloud of smoke and came to a screeching halt in front of Tank 217.
The officer in the sidecar climbed out, ran excitedly up to Tank 217, and patted its hull: "Thank you so much, really, thank you! You saved my troops!"
Judging by the rank and insignia, Karl figured that this was the battalion commander of the Assault Gun Battalion that had been trapped between the enemy and the marshland.
Lieutenant Karl felt it was impolite to converse while standing atop the vehicle's hull, so he jumped down, but before he could steady himself, the excited Assault Gun Battalion commander gave him a bear hug.
