It was an silent winters day in Stalingrad, almost too silent. There was a thick blanket of snow covering the ground for as far as the eye could see. The sky was almost completely clear, with barely any cloud. On an airfield nearby the town of Baketovka. German pilots, soldiers and ground crew relaxed, taking to their colleagues, impatiently waiting for their next battle, puffing up some due to the extreme cold. The Soviet forces were to the east on the opposite side of the largest river in Europe, the Volga river. The river formed a divide between the two armies. It was Axel's first day, in combat and he was eager to get in the air. 20 kilometres out a large assembly of aircraft headed towards the base. This assembly was not friendly.