Bruised, Broken, Beaten [Erdmann, Werner]

[Dieter "Iceman" Rentz]

Country: Egypt, Africa
Place: An Afrika Korps camp in the desert
Time: 18:00
Weather conditions: The air is hot and dry, there is no wind at all.

A lone motorcycle with a sidecar kicked up sand as it slowly crept forwards in the rocky desert, the sun boring down on it's driver mercilessly. The rocks made the vehicle occasionally bump and veer off strangely to one side and it took some time for the driver to turn the motorcycle back on it's course. The light-haired man driving the vehicle was clinging to the handlebars of the motorcycle desperately and he kept blinking his eyes as if he was on the verge of losing consciousness. Blood had stained the upper arm of his sand-coloured jacket and the red stain had been growing alarmingly bigger with each passing minute. The pain, thirst and loss of blood had made Dieter light-headed and he tried to fight off the urge to give up and rest. He knew that if he stopped now, he would die in the desert and if he was lucky, a search party might find his corpse at some point. But the desert was vast and he was only one soldier, nobody important enough to specifically to search for. Actually, the BMW R75 motorcycle he was driving was most likely more important than him. The though made Dieter laugh aloud like a madman. Oh, wasn't he really starting to lose it now?

Laughing wasn't a very smart thing to do and it made a hot wave of pain shoot up his side. Dieter couldn't stifle his groan and for a moment he thought he would fall off his motorcycle. He got himself slowly steadied again and he blinked as he tried to make sense of the desert in front of him. The dust goggles were still hanging from his neck but he had not thought of using them. Dieter had started seeing things in double some time ago already, maybe a few minutes or an hour, time seemed to have lost it's meaning. The only things he could make sense of were the pain, thirst, the rumble of the motorcycle and the knowledge that he was headed in the right direction. At least he had been when he still had enough sense in his head to actually check the compass. The day had not been too good so far. First he had driven the motorcycle into some sharp rocks and gotten a flat tire in the process. He had just changed in the spare wheel when a small sandstorm had hit the area and he had found some shelter from it in a cave. After that he had gotten his ass kicked by a British soldier and finally barely gotten away with a bullet in his left upper arm. Now he was delirious, bleeding and trying to find the way back to his camp. If the day so far was any indication on how things would turn out, he would most likely first drive into a minefield, get his legs blown off and die a slow and painful death in the desert with a vulture pecking out his eyes while he was still alive.

Dieter thought about this and laughed again, it was the only way he could react to the situation. The familiar pain in his ribs was back again and Dieter used up all the cusswords in his vocabulary while he waited for the pain to lessen again. It didn't go away fully, it kept returning in crashing waves and seemed to now pulse in rhythm with his heartbeats. He had not had a drink for a long time and he was weak from thirst and loss of blood. Dieter knew he didn't have much time left to find the camp now.

The sweat left streaks on Dieter's dusty skin and his hair was ruffled and standing up. He had left his Mauser rifle in the cave and lost his cap while fighting with the Brit. That was too bad, he had loved that rifle. And his cap. Dieter sighed and suddenly realized that a new stage of his impending madness seemed to raise it's head now. He wasn't only seeing double anymore, he was also seeing mirages! This particular mirage consisted of a cluster of tents, some people walking around and vehicles in the desert camouflage of Afrika Korps. Well, it certainly was a nice mirage. Wouldn't it be comforting if it was actually true? Then again, it could have been, he was too dazed to make any sense of things anymore. Dieter knew he hadn't been thinking straight for some time now and he shook his head vigorously. This action made the vehicle veer sharply to the right and Dieter almost fell off the bike before he got it straightened up again.

The mirage was getting closer and Dieter smiled a drunken, overjoyed smile. He didn't care if it was the camp or not, but he could not go any further. No, he wanted to sleep and rest for a while and that was what he would do once he got to that mirage. The motorcycle coughed tiredly, it's supply of fuel almost used up and Dieter raised his brows at the vehicle. He should have guessed, that was one of the things that could go wrong and one that he had not thought of yet. He tried to focus his eyes on the camp and see if it would dissipate if he stared at it long enough, but it didn't. Of course, when you got close enough to one of those things, they were suddenly gone. Just like that, one minute it was there and then it was gone, poof!

The bike sputtered and gave up just as it reached the edge of the camp and Dieter slumped down on his vehicle, hardly noticing the pain from his cracked ribs. Blood was now flowing freely from his upper arm and making his nice, dusty field tunic a mess. Dieter wasn't sure if the bullet was still in there or if he had just been grazed by it. He had not stopped to check, he was sure the Allies would have caught up with him if he had. His head was throbbing from the mild concussion he had suffered after bumping his head into a rock. In fact, Dieter couldn't think of one place in his body that wasn't hurting and the man laughed his drunken, desperate laugh as he slowly slid off his bike and thumped into the sand next to it.

[Erdmann Hoesslein]

The desert was completely silent with no push of wind coming from any direction which raised the horrible heat that would so commonly affect human bodies and produce Heat Stroke that could be as fatal as someone suffering from Cardiac Arrest. The sand dunes were kicking up small little balls of sand as the animals of the desert that traveled beneath its vast labyrinth were reappearing to the surface for their own reasons beyond any humans understanding. There was a small Aid station that was frolicking with activity since there were wounded and casualties coming in fast, the soldiers all came from different parts of Africa where the fighting was taking place and where men of the Homeland were risking there lives to show the American fools that the Germans were a Super Race that were a formidable force.

"Bring in the NEXT ONE!" the Medics would shout once they were finished treating one of the injured soldiers who would soon be sent back to the homeland because of their inability to continue the fight. If the injuries of the wounded was not severe and would allow the soldier to continue kicking ass, they would be rested for a day or two and then sent to the Frontlines just to be sent right back to the various aid stations around Africa. It was a horrible time on the battlefield for some of the Medics that would faint at the sight of blood or get shot from one of the stupid Americans who were overconfident and cocky. For both sides, the war was tearing everyone apart into little pieces that would soon fade away into the distance as the wind picked them up.

Erdmann was currently in charge of the Aid Station that was near a location where there was a small skirmish and there had been word that a squad or so of Germans had escaped and was heading in a random direction to hopefully find a Aid Station nearby that could possibly treat any wounds he had or if he had any. Erdmann put scouts around the Aid Station so that they could spot the suspected German to treat him quickly. After about 30 minutes of the scouts initial deployment near the outskirts of the Aid Station, one of them shouted, "Motorbike near the Horizon!"

"1 Medic from each of the five stations assemble to the operation tent immediately for a special assignment! You! Private, Go help the poor bastard and make sure he gets here in one piece!" ordered Erdmann as he headed off to the tent to make preparations for the young German's arrival. He had all of the skills needed for such a small operation that would only require a small amount of help and item. Experience was key in this kind of situation because a simple greenhorn Medic would probably be nervous with sweat trickling down their face and forehead and probably already peeing their pants by the time they reached the patient, seeing all of the blood that would make any regular Civillian vomit right on the spot.


The German Medics were one of a kind men that could decide your fate on the Battlefield. Whether you survive a bullet wound or you leave home with a missing cheekbone, it was the Medics that decided that. If saving you from death was within their power, then they will use that power to save your family from eternal suffering and allowing you to live a little bit longer to go date the girl of your dreams. They were hardened men who would risk their own lives to save yours. They would use their own knowledge and pass it on to regular soldiers so when there ain't no medic around, you can be a trainee Medic and start saving some lives.

The Private made his way towards the motorbike when it stopped, making the man topple over to the right side of the vehicle. Once the Private saw that, he picked up the pace and now was at full sprint. Once he reached his destination, he said, "Can you still breath? Come on, Get up we need to move quickly!" before putting his shoulder and body under the mans arm (Dieter) and started walking as fast as his injured buddy could.

[Dieter "Iceman" Rentz]

The world was spinning and for a moment Dieter had no idea where the horizon actually was. He could faintly understand that someone was running towards him and what felt like a good while, he wondered if mirages were supposed to make sounds and come closer to you or was it just his mind playing tricks on him.

A man was asking him something and in his dazed condition Dieter could not find it in himself to answer. He tried to say something, but his mouth was so dry, it felt like he had just eaten a good amount of desert sand. The man, who Dieter now could see better, was a private and a medic by the looks of it. Dieter blinked and stared dumbfounded at the man who was asking him something and looking quite pale as he did so.

With his good hand, Dieter grabbed the collar of the medic and almost brought the man down with him. The young corporal stared at the medic as if he was just about to say something very important, but then suddenly seemed to forget what it was. The medic stared at the dazed and delirious corporal for a moment, starting only then to lift him up to help him to the Aid Station. Dieter groaned with pain as he tried to stand up, but got up with the help of the young medic.

Wobbling and nearly dragging the wounded corporal towards the medical station, the private had a hard time trying to keep Dieter up on his feet. Everything was spinning and Dieter felt like he just wanted to sleep. It was quite a lot like the feeling when you had drunk too much alcohol very fast and the sweetest thing you could think of was just to lie down and sleep to stop the world from spinning, even if it meant falling asleep on the street.

Dieter forced the private to stop in the middle of their way back to the aid station and Dieter finally could force out at least some kind of words. "Wait.. Wait.. I need to throw up," Dieter warned, his voice hoarse and just barely audible. The medic seemed alarmed by it, he of course could not let go of the wounded corporal who was really looking like he would barf any second now. Wobbling around for a moment, Dieter held his head down, waiting for something to happen inside his guts, but nothing would come up. "Oh.. never mind.. False alarm."

With new determination, Dieter was dragged by the medic to the aid station although the corporal himself was feeling like he could not take another step anymore. Dieter slumped on a makeshift examination table and observed the people around with him, blinking slowly. "Is this real...?" he asked and extended a finger to poke the young medic who had helped him into the tent, just to see if he was really there. Unfortunately, due to being in such a sorry state, the corporal's aim was quite off and he was left poking at empty air. Obviously this could not be real, then. What a shame, Dieter thought, just when he had been getting hopeful about surviving this whole thing.

[Erdmann Hoesslein]

The sun was blazing as ever as the sands of time were going deeper into the ground with every step the Private made, having sweat that tasted disgusting trickle down his forehead and then evaporate in a few moments due to the heat that could make a egg burn itself outside on a pan. He was trying to run as fast as he could but he knew he was endangering himself with every passing second, and if he went any slower, he would be endangering the soldier who had fell off the motor bike and now was traveling with him back to the aid station. The soldier was limping along the way and felt very heavy along the way.

"You might vomit? OK, lets stop and see," said the Private as she stopped for a moment and waited for Dieter to vomit. He was still only private and possibly just a new draftee, so having to look at vomit might make himself vomit. He felt queasy just by having the thought of having to look at vomit but he tried to shake it off. Once Dieter said it was just a false alarm, he was relieved and continued on his way towards the aid station for Erdmann to check on him.

Erdmann went to the special tent and called towards one of his runners to go to Erdmann's sleeping quarters and get his Medical Bag to work out what was needed. The Private understood and ran quickly towards the sleeping quarters. He opened the door by grabbing the knob and turning it. The private had his face dirty and blood on his hands from a previous soldier who he was treating. The soldier had been blown apart from grenade shrapnel, so it was a very hardy operation that needed great skill. He took the bag and ran as fast as he could towards Erdmann so he could make the preparations needed.

The private who was with Dieter had made to the Aid Station and placed him on a stretcher so that the other medics to treat minor things like cuts and bruises and possibly dizziness. The soldier (Dieter) poked at the air and then something about not surviving. At this point, everyone knew he was suffering from numerous illusions. They took a canteen of water, and poured it all over his face. They knew it was possibly going to work, so they got more water and started making Dieter drink it so that he could get Hydrated.

"Sir Erdmann, I have the file of Dieter Rentz. He is a Corporal and his Superior is Werner von Maybach. Should I contact him?" said one of the radioman.

"Of course. Hurry up and get it done, he won't stay here forever. We got more casualties building as we speak!" barked Erdmann and with that, the radioman was sent away to go get contact with Werner von Maybach so he could come and watch the operations take place.

OOC: Werner, Assume you have already been contacted by the Radioman.

[Werner von Maybach]

The heat in the big tent was unbearable. Werner sat on a wooden stool at his small desk and completed some organisational paper work. He hated to do that but even at the frontline, things like these just had to get accomplished. Sweat was dripping into his eyes and he tried to brush it aside with his hand. But the pain in his eyes only got worse. In a heat like today, it was even more of an agony to stay concentrated at all.

From one corner of the tent, a transistor radio was gently playing the marsh from the “lonely Edelweiß”. After the song ended, a well known voice started to read the actual news out. On the eastern front, the big German summer offensive of 1942 had brought spectacular victories and the newsreader was assumed that the war in the east would be finished within the next weeks. Werner slowly stood up and tried to find a radio program that was playing some music instead, although the choice of programs wasn’t that big at all. Surprisingly he really found something, leant back into his chair and closed his eyes, enjoying the foreign melody and thinking about his home.

After some minutes a young courier hastily entered and said:"Herr Unteroffizier. Wir haben soeben einen Funkspruch erhalten. Worum es genau geht, konnte Ich nicht verstehen, aber Sie sollen sofort zum Lazarettlager kommen. Es liegt zurzeit etwa 5 Kilometer südlich von hier."

Werner was very surprised. Why should they need him at the field hospital? He knew as much about medicine as a jigger flea knew about modern infantry tactics. But surely they would have a good reason to call for him. A part of his platoon got sent on a small recon mission this morning, hopefully nothing went wrong with them. After a short moment, Werner nodded his head and replied:"Gut. Bereiten Sie einen Kübelwagen vor, Ich komme sofort nach. Wir sollten am besten sofort aufbrechen." The courier saluted and left the tent as fast as he had entered it.

Only minutes later, Werner was walking towards the big vehicle park of the desert camp. There were standing all kinds of military vehicles, one next to each other. Heavy tractor trucks, smaller Opel Blitz trucks and even some light armoured recon cars with a big red swastika flag bonded on the cowl, to avoid getting attacked by friendly aircrafts. Engineers where walking around and although everything was kept in line by a strong military order, it seemed to be absolute chaos. At the entrance to the vehicle park, the young courier was already waiting next to a VW Kübelwagen and sat behind the steering wheel when he recognised Werner approaching. Werner also entered the car, the VW started its engine and drove into the desert, leaving a big cloud of dust behind.

After a very short ride, the first tents of the field hospital appeared on the horizon and Werner could recognise some trucks with the big Red Cross on their sides. He got more and more nervous with every metre they approached to the hospital. Finally, the breaks made a loud and strange noise when the driver stopped the small car in front of the biggest tent.

Translations:

"Herr Unteroffizier. Wir haben soeben einen Funkspruch erhalten. Worum es genau geht, konnte Ich nicht verstehen, aber Sie sollen sofort zum Lazarettlager kommen. Es liegt zurzeit etwa 5 Kilometer südlich von hier."
"Herr Unteroffizier. We have just received a radio message. I couldn’t understand what it really was about, but they asked for you to instantly come to the field hospital. At the moment, it’s situated circa five kilometres south of our camp."

"Gut, Gefreiter. Bereiten Sie einen Kübelwagen vor, Ich komme sofort nach. Wir sollten am besten sofort aufbrechen."
"Ok private. Please ready one of the Kübelwagen, I’ll be with you in an instant. It would be best to start as soon as possible."

[Dieter "Iceman" Rentz]

All the motion around Dieter had become a wild blur and each time the wounded corporal was able to fix his gaze on something, the target had already moved to another spot, all too fast for him. It was like he was in one of those films he had seen, the newsreels about the war, only speeded up ten times over. It was a funny thought, since all the sound seemed muffled and almost slowed down to him, so that the images and sounds did not quite match each other.

He jumped when he felt water splash on his face, as if he had just been attacked by a torrential rain. But that could not be, he was obviously inside a tent. Very slowly, Dieter raised his head up, water dripping down his head and snaking it's way inside his tunic. The water was cool and it felt like a blessing in the heat of the desert. He closed his eyes as he enjoyed the sensation of the cool water dripping down his face, when suddenly someone raised a canteen to his lips.

Slow to react, Dieter tasted the water and suddenly remembered just how thirsty he was. He grabbed the canteen with his good hand and tried to drink as much as he could, breathing in the water a few times a process. The coughing fit that ensued was enough to remind Dieter of the horrible pain on his ribs and the thought amused him so much, that eventually he was coughing, laughing and groaning in pain at the same time.

The young medic next to Dieter regarded the man with a raise of his eyebrow and once Dieter found it in himself to try and drink more water again, the medic made sure he did not get too much to drink. It was important to try and control the amount of water the corporal was drinking, as consuming too much water in a short time could have ended badly.

For a moment Dieter just felt relieved for having something to drink, but as his mind got slightly clearer, he also noticed the pain in his arm and in his ribs all too well again. The corporal's face twisted in pain and for a moment he wondered if he had already lost too much blood. Maybe it was just a cruel joke, getting into safety and then dying there on the spot? With Dieter's luck, that would have not actually been too much of an surprise.

Opening his eyes again, Dieter tried to regard the medic in front of him the best he could, words forming themselves on his lips after Dieter finally could force himself into some clear thought. "Bleeding here," he noted with a raise of his eyebrows. The pain on his arm had again started pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeats and he could only guess that it wasn't really a good thing. Blood, your own blood at least, was supposed to be inside you and not seep out like this. For a moment Dieter felt really smart for forming such an undeniable and wise thought as this and he snorted as if to laugh, immediately cringing in pain again after.

[Erdmann Hoesslein]

The Medics were glad to see that they were making some progress with their patient. Once they poured the water all over his face, he came out of his trance-like state and began coming to his own senses and drinking more of the water. It looked like the soldier was so tired and confused by mirages that he didn't notice his own thirst. If he went any longer like that, he would of died from dehydration and he would of been buzzard bait.

Now the real work was about to begin. Now that they had the patient out of the crazed state, they now attempted to figure out if there was any damage caused to him or if it was just the sun beating down on his head and making sweat trickle down his forehead and then evaporate without him even noticing which would cause a high rate of dehydration. You can lose half of your body fluids in one hour if precautions are not taken.

"OK men, lets do some real work. Our first priority will be to prevent any infections from happening by using this Sulfa Powder," Erdmann took out three little packs that had some white powder inside them and then continued, "Then, We will have to check and stop any bleeding. Use your dressers and use Morphine to ease some of the pain. Now move!" ordered Erdmann once he was finished talking.

Everyone started doing their job. Two of the soldiers that were there incase they were sent to do something took off Dieter's shirt so they could see the upper body more easily. Dieter made a slow motion with his mouth that meant he was bleeding somewhere. Everyone was focused on his arm, noticing the blood seeping out. Erdmann ripped off the top of the Sulfa Powder pouch and then spread it evenly across the wound so infection wouldn't happen. Then he took a sterilized dresser and pushed hard against the wound and then wrapped the dresser as tight as possible around the wound to prevent anymore bleeding.

A private that was waiting for the arrival of Werner Von Maybach noticed a car, and went to greet the man.

"Sir Werner Von Maybach I presume? Please follow me," suggested the Private before walking towards the middle of the Aid Station and waited for Erdmann to come out and meet Werner himself.

[Werner von Maybach]

After the car had completely stopped, Werner jumped out and tried to tap the dust from his uniform, what of course was absolutely senseless. The merciless sun burned hot into his face while he looked around the camp and tried to orient himself. The camp contained of several wooden barracks and some larger tents. In front of the biggest tent there was waving a big, white flag showing the Red Cross. There were wooden boxes and metal tons standing around everywhere. Some medics were running around and dispersed the typical, busy atmosphere of a place like that. Even before he actually exited the Kübelwagen, Werner already got the feeling of standing in the way.

In the corner of his eyes, he recognised a small group of women, all wearing white blouses with small Red Crosses on the front. They were sitting in the shadow in front of one of the barracks. Most of them were eating or drinking and a lively conversation took place. After a short moment, Werner recognised them to be speaking Italian. One of the nurses especially caught his eye. She was not older than twenty, very thin and had a breathtaking beautiful face. Her skin was coloured in a lovely light brown tone and she had very long, black curls. When she realised Werner looking at her, she smiled friendly at him and flustered something to one of their friends, what made both of them giggling. Werner actualized that he had stared at the girl for quite a long moment now and he knew that he had probably looked like a fool. So he shyly smiled back, turned around and signalled the courier to follow him into the biggest tent.

Just before Werner entered the tent, another private was running towards the two men and said: "Sir Werner Von Maybach I presume? Please follow me." The private was quiet young, but made a very muscular and fit impression. This man absolutely didn’t look like one of these typical medics and would surely also make a good figure in the uniform of the Panzergrenadiers. But who knows, why he had chosen this way instead.

"Ja, das ist richtig. Aber bevor ich ihnen folge, wären Sie so freundlich mir doch erst einmal zu erzählen, worum dieser ganze Trubel hier überhaupt geht, Soldat?", Werner answered to the young soldier.

Translations:

"Ja, das ist richtig. Aber bevor ich ihnen folge, wären Sie so freundlich mir doch erst einmal zu erzählen, worum dieser ganze Trubel hier überhaupt geht, Soldat?"
"Yes, that’s right. But before I will follow you, would you be so kind to tell me what this whole confusion here is all about, soldier?"

[Dieter "Iceman" Rentz]

Sounds where attacking Dieter from all around him, making his head hurt and causing the corporal to cringe in pain. The water had cleared his head enough to make him understand what was happening now. He now was certain that this was actually the reality and not just a crazy mirage, but he still was not quite clear-headed enough to keep tabs on everything that was happening.

Dieter groaned in pain as his tunic and shirt were removed so that the medics could look at his arm. His left side and stomach were already purple with bruises that would only become more colorful over time, clearly the man had been in some kind of a strange fight in addition to being shot. The wound had been bleeding for some time now and it was not hard to figure that out, since the entire left sleeve of his tunic and shirt had been left colored bright crimson.

Dieter now actually wished that he could have remained in his dazed condition. At least the unreal feeling had sheltered him from the brunt of the pain, but now all the horrible sensations were flooding back in waves. The pain made it hard for him to form a clear thought and the man just held his breath for a good while until the worse of it seemed to pass, at least for the moment. He did not want to cry out from the pain, not with all these people around him.

Someone was taking care of Dieter's arm now and the corporal regarded the medic a bit slowly, although he could clearly understand what was going on. It was as if the sun, the loss of blood and the pain had made his reactions very slow and no matter how hard he tried, he could not make his mind work any faster. Only now did he find the time to wonder how badly he had been injured and if this would affect him so much that he would maybe be sent back to Germany. He did not want to be sent back, he didn't want to leave all the men he had gotten to know over his time in Africa, to fight the enemy without him. To Dieter it would have felt like he was betraying good friends, fleeing from the battle. Besides, there was nothing at all waiting for him back in Meissen. The Afrika Korps were the only thing he had left these days.

Regarding the medic who was treating him, Dieter tried to focus his gaze on the man. "You can fix me, right...?" he asked in a hoarse voice, although the meaning of his words might have been lost to the man who of course could not know what Dieter had just been thinking about. There was desperation and worry in the corporals eyes as he already went through the possible options of being sent back home or being left in a condition where he could not fight alongside his fellow soldiers anymore.

[Erdmann Hoesslein]

The blood from Dieter Rentz was already drying up on Erdmann's hands and the sweat continued to trickle down his face until one of his assistants helped to wipe it off with a handkerchief that was already dirty. He was relieved there was no bullet inside the wound, it only grazed the arm but the shot was so god damn accurate it caused this much bleeding. Although, Erdmann was not surprised that the Americans were capable of such feats. He never underestimates his enemies and that is why, he is mostly ahead of the enemy by 2 steps. Not one step, but two steps which is a feat by itself.

"We are done here, get him more comfortable on that stretcher and then take him to the building to the south west where all the patched up patients are. Make sure to give this poor fool lots of water, he already has lost a big amount of body fluids as it is."

The Privates went to work and started making the arrangements for Dieter Rentz movement towards the building. He was patched up pretty good, they put bandages around areas where they thought there was some minor damage. Better be safe than sorry they thought. Once the two privates were done making Dieter comfortable, they used their strength and raised the stretcher off the ground and went slowly towards the building. They were in the line of sight of Werner and they subconsciously knew that Werner was looking at them. It was probably very uncomfortable to watch one of your own soldiers being carried on a stretcher and not even knowing if they were dying or were about to make it through the war with a ticket home.

Erdmann walked out the tent while drying up his hands with a towel. The dried up blood had been erased off his hands with the help of a few good substances that were excellent for your skin. Erdmann noticed Werner Von Maybach, a man that was a man of great caliber and physical physique. He had noticeable features, he had very good muscles that would probably make an American shake in their boots, he had a clean uniform that was a sign that he was probably a well organized person who likes things nice and neat. He had eyes that showed some bewilderment, but Erdmann was sure to clear any confusions that might had have occured during the time.

"Hello, I suspect you are the superior of Corporal Dieter Rentz? I am Erdmann Hoesslein, the one in charge of this Aid Station. I just patched up Dieter Rentz, he has a few symptoms that indicate dehydration. It seems he has lost maybe about 1/3 of his body fluids before we got him, he was a little bit delusional and thought everything was a mirage. No fatal injuries at the moment," said Erdmann to Werner Von Maybach who seemed to have a Corporal Rank, but Erdmann never underestimates anyone so he kept his mouth shut about most things.

[Werner von Maybach]

Before Werner’s question got answered, there were some medics coming out of the big aid station. In their middle they carried a stretcher with a wounded soldier lying on. Werner couldn’t recognise the wounded man but he clearly saw the leaf green shoulder insignias that belonged to the German Panzergrenadiers. And the only Panzergrenadiers in this area were those from the 21. Panzer Division. Hopefully nothing bad had happened.

The medics went by and carried the stretch towards one of the big stone buildings. Werner’s view followed the men until they disappeared behind some tents. Silently Werner prayed for the life of this soldier. But he had learned that war was nothing more than a game of luck with only the option of raising your chances through carefulness and thought out behaviour. One could survive hours of bombardment at the direct front line or otherwise a ricochet could kill you while sitting on a toilette in safe cover.

While Werner was still following his thoughts, another man left the aid tent. He directly came towards Werner while rubbing his hands with a dusty towel. The man wore a German medic’s uniform with the insignias of a Sanitätsunterfeldwebel. He was probably a bit older than Werner and it seemed as if he had not slept for days. His skin was quiet pale, especially for a man who served under the African sun. His eyes looked shrunken and had deep dark circles. Obviously this all were tracks of the hard work, these men had to accomplish here every day.

The medic looked as if he had awaited the two men and smiled friendly. He spoke some words to greet the two soldiers and introduced himself as Erdmann Hösslein, the commander of the field hospital. That surprised Werner a bit. This man was the commander of a hospital camp as big as this one, but hadn’t an officer rank? Probably the medical department of the Wehrmacht had the same problems as the fighting parts. There were way too less experienced officers and a lot of inadequate trained recruits filling up the ranks.

Without loosing any time, the medic explained the reason why they had called for Werner. It was very relieving to hear, that nothing serious had happened and that Stabsgefreiter Rentz hadn’t suffered any major injuries. Werner remembered the man. He arrived in Africa just some weeks before with the replacements. By now, Werner didn’t have the time to get to know him all too close and although he seemed to be a bit inexperienced, he had left an overall good impression on von Maybach.

After the medic had finished, Werner took the word. "Guten Tag, Herr Sanitätsunterfeldwebel Das sind schlechte Neuigkeiten, aber ich habe noch schlechtere erwartet. Das Wichtigste ist jetzt erst einmal, dass Stabsgefreiter Rentz die ganze Sache überlebt hat. Ich habe da allerdings noch ein paar Fragen. Wo und wie wurde er gefunden? War er allein, als er gefunden wurde? Was denken Sie, wann wird er in der Lage sein, mir ein paar Fragen persönlich zu beantworten?" And after a short break he added: "Und natürlich vielen Dank für Ihre schnelle Hilfe, wer weiss wie das alles ohne Ihnen ausgegangen wäre."

Translations:

"Guten Tag, Herr Sanitätsunterfeldwebel Das sind schlechte Neuigkeiten, aber ich habe noch schlechtere erwartet. Das Wichtigste ist jetzt erst einmal, dass Stabsgefreiter Rentz die ganze Sache überlebt hat. Ich habe da allerdings noch ein paar Fragen. Wo und wie wurde er gefunden? War er allein, als er gefunden wurde? Was denken Sie, wann wird er in der Lage sein, mir ein paar Fragen persönlich zu beantworten?"
"Good morning, Herr Sanitätsunterfeldwebel. This is bad news but I awaited to hear even worse ones. The most important thing for now is that Stabsgefreiter Rentz survived the whole thing. But I would have some additional questions for you. Where and how did he get found? Was he alone when he got found? And what do you think, when will he be able to answer some questions to me personally?"

"Und natürlich vielen Dank für Ihre schnelle Hilfe, wer weiß wie das alles ohne Ihnen ausgegangen wäre."
"And thanks of course for your fast help. Who knows how everything would have ended without you."

[Erdmann Hoesslein]

Erdmann stood with Corporal Werner Von Maybach under a little rest place that was covered by a cloth that blocked out the sun effectively. The two men were both experienced in the ways of war, they were both veterans that were a force to be reckoned with. They were both men who respected each other and who were respected. But, they was only one of the men who could save his comrades life if death was closing in on them. It was a profession that took a steady hand and a calm mind that wasn't clouded with thoughts and doubts. It was instead filled with ideas and hope, determination and confidence, things that would and could make a difference in things.

Erdmann is one of these men, a man who had extreme talent in what he did. What he did, he did it well and professionally. He did it with the utmost care, and with confidence that kept him going. What kept him going you may ask? It was knowing that he was preventing sorrow that could happen to one family. Then from one family it would go to many more friends with many more family members. It would be like a never-ending cycle of sorrow because of this selfish war and the master mind behind it all, Adolf Hitler.

Erdmann saw the concern in Werner Von Maybach eyes, and listened to his words that seemed like a few questions. Erdmann cleared his throat a bit, took out his canteen and drink a bit of water. After three gulps, he closed the canteen with a twist of the cap and then looked at Werner and said, "He was alone when we got him. He was on a silver Moterbike and by the time one of our men got to his position, he was on the floor. He has a bullet wound, but luckily the bullet only grazed the skin." said Erdmann before getting another sip of his water, wiping his mouth, and then continuing, "The Bullet may have grazed the skin, but he was bleeding as if the bullet went all the way through which indicates he must have had some close range firing. But, its no worry Sir Von Maybach."

Erdmann looked over his shoulder as the door shut from where Dieter Rentz was located. After remembering the other question from Werner Von Maybach, Erdmann looked back at Werner with a friendly smirk, "You may speak with Dieter Rentz in about 3 days tops. He has no serious injuries," said Erdmann with a reassuring voice.

"And also, Its no problem. I am just helping a fellow soldier. Now you get some rest, anything else you need, you just send a runner to contact me." said Erdmann as he walked towards his working tent before turning back around saying, "Oh and one more thing. This is something they don't teach you in school. Don't get personal with your soldiers. Keep it professional, or else I will assure you, you will be dead before the war ends."

[Dieter "Iceman" Rentz]

People were busy around Dieter and he could now regard them slightly better, the water having cleared his head some. He could now even feel some sense of peace and relief in knowing that he was taken care of and that he wouldn't be bleeding to death anymore. The only thing he really wanted to do now was to rest and forget about the desert, even if just for a moment. Only now he begun to realize how close to death he had been and even though in the war your life was constantly threatened, Dieter usually just blocked away any thoughts of dying.

He realized that his head was hurting badly, as if he had been drinking heavily for a whole week. He knew it was the aftereffect of being in the sun for such a long time and the sick feeling in his stomach would not most likely go away anytime soon. He made an effort to grab his field tunic with him as he was helped up on the stretcher. His case of cigarettes along with few other things were in the pocket of his jacket and he did not want to lose them. This sudden action effectively reminded him of the fact that each movement would make his body ache terribly. The young corporal winced and hoped that he would not have to move around too much for the next few days at least.

As he was carried outside, seeing the sun again almost filled him with horror for a moment. The feeling of being alone in the desert with no hope in sight was fresh in his mind again and it took a good few seconds for the man to calm down again. He was at the camp, surrounded by good men of the Afrika Korps. Everything was fine, at least for the moment.

As if on cue, Dieter's eyes fell on a familiar figure and the corporal made a face as he recognized Unteroffizier von Maybach. He was sure that he would be given a good shouting when Unteroffizier von Maybach spotted him and for a moment Dieter contemplated if he should have made it appear as if he was still delusional or better yet, even unconscious. But then again, that would be the coward's way and it would most likely just delay something that was inevitable.

At this moment he was too damn tired to care and the thought of just sleeping for a few hours seemed like an welcome option. He needed only a few days of rest and then he would be good to go again. He would prove Unteroffizier von Maybach that he did not certainly lack fighting spirit and maybe... just maybe von Maybach would be ready to yell at him just slightly less. Right now it seemed as he would certainly have some time to sleep and he had shade and water, simple but welcome things after the latest ordeal. The only things missing were the pretty nurses to whisper sweet things into the ear of a brave German soldier. Wouldn't that be a grand sight?

Dieter snorted and let out a small laugh as he was finally set down somewhere to get his rest, making the medics near him regard the young corporal with strange looks. Still delusional, definitely.

[Werner von Maybach]

Stunned Werner looked at the medic. He couldn’t really believe what he just heard. These last words were something like a direct affront against him and he just couldn’t let that pass. He threw an angry view at the medic and took a deep breath, trying to calm down himself.

Finally Werner started to speak in a very strict tone. "Herr Sanitätsunterfeldwebel Hoesslein, bitte verzichten Sie darauf, mir Lektionen über mein Verhalten gegenüber meinen Soldaten zu erteilen. Ich weiß selbst sehr gut mit Ihnen umzugehen und kann gut auf Ihre Hilfe dabei verzichten." Werner made a short break to ease down his words. He realised, that he had even clenched his fists and slowly relieved his hands again now. But before the medic had any chance to reply something, he added:"Danke nochmal für die schnelle Hilfe. Ich habe natürlich keine Zeit um mir hier im Camp noch etwas Ruhe zu gönnen. Falls es Ihnen entfallen ist, es gibt dort draußen noch einen Krieg zu gewinnen. Bitte lassen Sie mich rufen, sobald Stabsgefreiter Rentz wieder ansprechbar ist."

Finishing his sentence Werner turned around to the Gefreiter who was accompanying him and ordered him to ready the Kübelwagen. Throwing one last view at the medic, Werner got an idea, how to make things maybe a bit more bearable for Rentz. While entering the car, he smilingly said: "Und Herr Hoesslein, sorgen Sie doch bitte dafür, dass sich ein paar dieser atemberaubenden Italienischen Schwestern um Stabsgefreiten Rentz kümmern. Ich bin sicher, dass hat er sich mehr als verdient."

Translations:

"Herr Sanitätsunterfeldwebel Hoesslein, bitte verzichten Sie darauf, mir Lektionen über mein Verhalten gegenüber meinen Soldaten zu erteilen. Ich weiß selbst sehr gut mit Ihnen umzugehen und kann auf Ihre Hilfe dabei verzichten."
"Herr Sanitätsunterfeldwebel Hoesslein, please abdicate giving me lessons about my behaviour against my soldiers. I know well how to interact with them all by myself and I can do so without your advices."

"Danke nochmal für die schnelle Hilfe. Ich habe natürlich keine Zeit um mir hier im Camp noch etwas Ruhe zu gönnen. Falls es Ihnen entfallen ist, es gibt dort draußen noch einen Krieg zu gewinnen. Bitte lassen Sie mich rufen, sobald Stabsgefreiter Rentz wieder ansprechbar ist."
"Thanks again for your fast help. Of course I don’t have any time at the moment to grant myself some rest here at the camp. Although you seem to have not noticed by now, there’s a war going on outside that needs to be won. Please call for me when Stabsgefreiter Rentz is responsive again."

"Und Herr Hoesslein, sorgen Sie doch bitte dafür, dass sich ein paar dieser atemberaubenden Italienischen Schwestern um Ihn kümmern. Ich bin sicher, dass hat er sich mehr als verdient."
"And Herr Hoesslein, if you could please arrange for Stabsgefreiter Rentz to get serviced by some of these breathtaking, Italian nurses? I’m pretty sure he does more than deserve it."

[Erdmann Hoesslein]

Hearing Werner going on and on about him not needing his advice and that he had lessons about some fake crap and then finally he topped it off by saying it all in a strict tone. Erdmann just listened and played along, just not actually caring for what he had to say. Erdmann only gave the advice just incase he didn't know, but apparently the Corporal was still inexperienced and went haywire like a fool. So, he played along like so,

"Yes, Yes, I am sorry for giving you advice that you might not have had heard in your years of the army. You don't have to get mad," said Erdmann immediately after he heard Werner finish and take a small breath.

The corporal thanked Erdmann once again, and so he had to nod a bit. But, then Werner Von Maybach took the wrong turn and started talking to Erdmann as if he was stupid and didn't know crap. He didn't notice there was a war going? That must have been the stupidest mistake anyone has ever made. After Werner had finished talking, Erdmann started recollecting his thoughts and then replied saying, "Look, I was just being friendly. If you want me to be hostile, I will be hostile. I know there is a war out there that needs to be won, so respect me as so."

After he had replied to Werner's statement, he listened to the request he had wanted to be fulfilled. He seemed that he wanted to have Dieter more comfortable by having some nurses attend to him.

"Very Well, I get the nurses there ASAP."

Erdmann stuck out his hand to shake Werner's, and then he waved his hand as a final goodbye before going to a bunker. It looked like he was saying something from far away, then two Italian nurses with huge busts went to the bunker where Dieter resided and had some fun with him.