Steaks, corned beef and whiskey (Dieter)

[Werner von Maybach]

Country: a German camp in the Libyan desert
Current time. 12:00 o'clock
Weather conditions: sunny, dry, very hot

These last days had been some of the worst, Werner ever had to experience. Every day the sun was a never ending agony and the whole company had to suffer heavy losses in the fighting’s along the Gazala line. But the most terrible thing was the sand, these microscopic grains flying around everywhere, invading your mouth, your nose and your eyes. The dust mixed with sweat and abraded the skin, what could be a real pain when sitting in a truck for hours.

Several times in the last days, Werner’s platoon had to do counter attacks, after the British forces broke through the thin German lines here. Every time, the Brits could get pushed back again, but the days and weeks of combat had left their tracks in the faces of the German soldiers. Werner had deep, dark circles around his eyes. He hadn’t shaved for days and a thick crust of dust was covering his face. His soldiers where only able to recognise him because of his insignias. Now they finally got ordered back behind the front, to refresh the troops and to fill the ranks with new recruits. A lot of Werner’s old comrades had stayed behind in the sand

The breaks made a strange sound, when the Opel Blitz truck stopped in front of a big tent. The exertions of the last days abused the vehicles as much as the humans. A big red flag with a swastika was waving in a roundabout, in front of the tent. After Werner had left the truck, one of his Privates was walking towards him and said: ” Guten Tag, Herr Unteroffizier. Sieht so aus als wären wir endlich wieder zuhause. Viele haben es nicht geschafft.“ He stopped for some seconds, before he continued: ”Die erste Fuhre mit neuen Rekruten ist erst vor einer Stunde angekommen. Nach der langen Reise, habe Ich sie erstmal zum Verpflegung fassen geschickt. Obwohl sie noch etwas grün hinter den Ohren sind, glaube Ich, es sind gute Männer.“

Nodding his head, Werner replied: “Gut, Ich werde mir die neuen Rekruten gleich ansehen. Und bei der Gelegenheit, werde Ich auch gleich noch etwas essen.“ While Werner answered, the Private started to grin all over his face. “Dann genießen sie es. Gestern wurde ein Versorgungslager vom Tommy genommen, er hatte es wohl zu eilig um es noch zu sprengen. Die besten Sachen sind schon weg, aber für Sie bleibt bestimmt noch etwas übrig.“

When Werner understood, he started to grin too, thinking about the British provisions that were so much better than the German. After finding the tent, the cantina was situated in, he got a dish with a huge, beautiful steak and a big glass filled with British whiskey. It was unbelievable how good these Tommy’s used to live in the war. He sat down on a single table and emptied the glass in one turn. Several moments later, he realised a group of soldiers sitting in the back of the tent. They were very quiet and seemed to curiously observe their environment. These men had to be the new recruits. Werner decided to walk over and welcome them. He turned to the highest ranking soldier sitting at the table and said: ”So, Ihr seit also die Verstärkungen aus dem Vaterland? Wie war den die Reise?“

Translations:

” Guten Tag, Herr Unteroffizier. Sieht so aus als wären wir endlich wieder zuhause. Viele haben es nicht geschafft.“
”Good afternoon, sir. Looks like we have finally arrived back home. A lot of us haven’t.”

”Die erste Fuhre mit neuen Rekruten ist erst vor einer Stunde angekommen. Nach der langen Reise, habe Ich sie erstmal zum Verpflegung fassen geschickt. Obwohl sie noch etwas grün hinter den Ohren sind, glaube Ich, es sind gute Männer.“
“The first wave of fresh recruits just arrived an hour ago. After the long trip, I sent them to get some provision first. Although they are a bit green around their noses, I do believe that they are good men.”

“Gut, Ich werde mir die neuen Rekruten gleich ansehen. Und bei der Gelegenheit, werde Ich auch gleich noch etwas essen.“
“Well, I am going to have a look at them now. And at this instance, I’ll have something to eat too.”

“Dann genießen sie es. Gestern wurde ein Versorgungslager vom Tommy genommen, er hatte es wohl zu eilig um es noch zu sprengen. Die besten Sachen sind schon weg, aber für Sie bleibt bestimmt noch etwas übrig.“
“Then enjoy it. Yesterday we captured a British supply camp. It seems like they didn’t had time left to destroy it. The best things are already gone, but I am sure there’s still something left over for you.”

”So, Ihr seit also die Verstärkungen aus dem Vaterland? Wie war den die Reise?“
“So, you’re the reinforcements from the Fatherland? How was your trip?”

[Dieter "Iceman" Rentz]

Dieter was at a loss of words when he finally arrived in Africa. He had heard stories about what it was like in here, but it was a different thing all together to finally arrive here. Most of the things he had heard beforehand were mostly about the great hero of Africa, Erwin Rommel, but he had also heard about the blistering sun and the devilish sand that would get everywhere, breaking down machines and causing great discomfort to the soldiers. If he had expected something from those stories, he could already see that he had grossly underestimated what it was really like to be in here.

All of the new recruits, including Dieter, had been brought to a German camp and directed to go to the cantina for some food. Dieter's standard Wehrmacht uniform felt unbearably hot while he was walking towards the tent with the rest of the recruits. They had already been issued a different set of clothes for these extreme conditions, but had not had no time to change into them yet. Dieter stuffed his cap under his belt and wiped some sweat off his brow. He had kept hoping for even the slightest breeze of wind, but right now the air stood still, providing no relief to the soldiers. Dieter glanced up to the sky and narrowed his eyes at the relentless sun. If it was this bad already, how would it be after a few weeks in here?

It wasn't that much cooler in the tent where the cantina was, but after the men saw what they would have for dinner, nobody complained. Apparently the soldiers here had earlier captured a British supply camp and now the new recruits could enjoy the taste of some real food. Dieter sat in a table with the others and ate hungrily. It had been a long journey and the beef they had been offered tasted blissful. Everyone naturally knew this wasn't the regular standard of rations in Africa, but it still made everyone's mood a bit better. They even got the chance to wash it all down with some real whiskey and Dieter savored it's taste for a good while. Everyone in the table was quiet while they ate, but Dieter knew that each one of the recruits was also wondering about the coming days under this hellish sun.

Dieter was just finishing his food he almost missed noticing a rather ragged-looking Unteroffizier walking towards the table. ”So, Ihr seit also die Verstärkungen aus dem Vaterland? Wie war den die Reise?“, the man asked, stopping by the table.

Dieter quickly got on his feet to salute the man, although he had to blink a few times with pure disbelief after he had done so. It seemed as if the Unteroffizier had not gotten some rest for a while and his dusty, tired appearance was a stark contrast to that of the recruits. Dieter and the other men had been through a long journey, but they were fairly well rested and neat.. at least for the moment.

"Herr Unteroffizier..! Die Reise war ganz friedlich, danke, obwohl ich habe gehört einige Berichte, dass es so für jeden nicht gewesen ist", Dieter answered as he studied the other man, still a bit taken back by his appearance.

Dieter himself looked fairly young and his blue eyes and blonde hair might have been well appreciated by those who valued a true Aryan appearance. He had a strange habit of squinting his eyes most of the time, as if deep in thought. Small beads of sweat were running down his neck and inside the collar of his shirt and Dieter only barely prevented himself from shifting around in discomfort. He already felt ashamed of the fact that he had even thought he was feeling uncomfortable, when clearly the men here had been through a lot.

Dieter licked his lips. The taste of fine whiskey still lingered in his mouth. "Ich glaube dass wir erreichten zur rechten Zeit?", the man nodded towards the table, referring to the food they had been served.


Translations:

"Herr Unteroffizier..! Die Reise war ganz friedlich, danke, obwohl ich habe gehört einige Berichte, dass es so für jeden nicht gewesen ist"
"Herr Unteroffizier! Our trip here was quite peaceful, thank you, although I have heard some reports that it has not been so for everyone."

"Ich glaube dass wir erreichten zur rechten Zeit?"
"I guess we arrived at a good time?"

[Werner von Maybach]

In the moment, the young soldier realised Werner standing besides him, he quickly stood up and saluted. "Herr Unteroffizier..! Die Reise war ganz friedlich, danke, obwohl ich habe gehört einige Berichte, dass es so für jeden nicht gewesen ist"

Werner paused for a short moment, thinking about his own, horrible trip to Libya. It was just some weeks ago, when the transport ship, Werner was on, got attacked by a British submarine and sank. He could lively remember all the screams and this damned feeling of being absolutely helpless.

"Seien Sie froh. Diese verdammten Tommys machen uns jeden Tag mehr zu schaffen. Mittlerweile kommt kaum noch ein ganzer Konvoi nach Tripolis durch, ohne angegriffen zu werden," Werner replied after a while. When he had finished, Werner took his chair and his plate, placed himself at the table of the small group and looked at the men for a moment. The whole group looked very neat, like they had just left the training camp. All of the soldiers were quiet young and had clean uniforms and boots. Some of them where heavily sweating. Werner hadn’t realised yet, how hot it was in the cantina. He always wondered how quick someone could get used to the African sun, if he just had to.

Werner asked himself, what these young privates and corporals might think about him now. His own uniform was absolutely messed up, with dust and dirt all over his tropical tunic and a big, nasty speck on his trousers that looked like old machine oil. " Wenn Ich mich vorstellen darf, mein Name ist Unteroffizier von Maybach und Ich bin hier der Führer des 3. Zuges. Einige von euch werden wahrscheinlich auch unter mein Kommando versetzt werden. "

Now he waited for some seconds, refilled his glass with whiskey and took a small sip. "Und bitte tut mir einen großen Gefallen. Ihr habt doch bestimmt schon eine Menge über den Krieg in Afrika in der Wochenschau gesehen oder in der Zeitung gelesen? Diese ganzen Heldengeschichten? Vergesst diesen ganzen Mist so schnell wie möglich wieder. Ich hab bisher hier nur tote Helden getroffen."

Translations:

"Seien Sie froh. Diese verdammten Tommys machen uns jeden Tag mehr zu schaffen. Mittlerweile kommt kaum noch ein ganzer Konvoi nach Tripolis durch, ohne angegriffen zu werden."
"Consider yourselves lucky. These Tommy’s are a real pain in the ass. By now, there’s nearly not one complete convoy arriving at Tripoli without getting attacked."

" Wenn Ich mich vorstellen darf, mein Name ist Unteroffizier von Maybach und Ich bin hier der Führer des 3. Zuges. Einige von euch werden wahrscheinlich auch unter mein Kommando versetzt werden. "
"If I may introduce myself, my name is Unteroffizier von Maybach and I am in command of the 3rd platoon here. I am pretty sure, that at least some of you will get assigned directly to my platoon."

"Und bitte tut mir einen großen Gefallen. Ihr habt doch bestimmt schon eine Menge über den Krieg in Afrika in der Wochenschau gesehen oder in der Zeitung gelesen? Diese ganzen Heldengeschichten? Vergesst diesen ganzen Mist so schnell wie möglich wieder. Ich hab bisher hier nur tote Helden getroffen."
"And please do me one big favour. I guess you all have already seen a lot of things about the war in Africa in the Wochenschau or read them in a newspaper? All these heroic stories? Forget about that whole crap as soon as possible. I’ve only met dead heroes here by now."

[Dieter "Iceman" Rentz]

The somewhat worn-out Unteroffizier told the new recruits about the convoys that were constantly being attacked by the Tommies and his words made the men even more thoughtful. It seemed as if their arrival to Africa had been accompanied by a stroke of incredibly good luck; first with their convoy arriving safely to it's destination and now with the unexpected luxury of the captured food and whiskey at their disposal. One could only wonder if their luck would soon take an abrubt change and the mere thought almost made Dieter shiver despite the suffocating heat inside the tent. He wasn't a superstitious man, but after things went too well you could only expect everything to go steeply downhill soon after. That was just the way things were bound to happen.

Dieter waited until the Unteroffizier had moved his plate and chair to their table and taken a seat before finally sitting back down also. Dieter seemed to be more apprehensive now that a higher ranking soldier was around and he kept eyeing the other man carefully. He wondered how long this man had been here already. From the looks of him it seemed as if he had been here for several years, but that of course wasn't possible. Dieter pondered if he himself would look the same after a few weeks here and he unconsciously rubbed his chin with his other hand, making sure he didn't have a stubble.

"Wenn Ich mich vorstellen darf, mein Name ist Unteroffizier von Maybach und Ich bin hier der Führer des 3. Zuges. Einige von euch werden wahrscheinlich auch unter mein Kommando versetzt werden", the man introduced himself and Dieter nodded at him.
"Ich bin Stabsgefreiter Rentz. Ich denke dass Ich werden wahrscheinlich zukommen Ihrem Zug, Herr Unteroffizier", the young man said in a very polite and careful tone.

Dieter had had enough experiences with officers who loved nothing more than to snap at him for the smallest things, so he had learned to be careful around anyone who outranked him. It was better to be safe than sorry, anyway. He had yet to meet an officer who he might have really looked up to and Dieter's hope of ever meeting one was dwindling each day. It was still too early to say what kind of man this Unteroffizier von Maybach was. It looked like he had not rested for a good while and these conditions were enough to make even the kindest and calmest man irritable in matter of mere minutes.

Dieter finished his glass of whiskey and wiped the sweat off his brow, wondering if it would be too stupid to ask about the fighting in the desert. It was as if von Maybach had read his mind, because he told them to forget about the heroic stories they had seen in the newspaper or on the newsreels that were shown to people back in Germany. According to Unteroffizier von Maybach, the only heroes he had seen so far were dead heroes.

The men in the table frowned and looked at each other. The Unteroffizier's words certainly were not too encouraging to hear. Some of the men in the table didn't seem too surprised or taken back by von Maybach's words, however. Maybe they had already stopped being so naive when it came to media back in the Fatherland. For a moment Dieter was at a loss of words. Dieter himself had never considered even trying to be a real hero in this war, although he believed there were plenty of them out there. He preferred to let other people be the heroes while he just concentrated on fulfilling his duties to the best of his abilities.

Dieter looked thoughtfully at his empty glass and then back at the Unteroffizier, staying silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"Nun, es muss wichtiger Kampf sein dem hier in Afrika gekämpft wird, herr Unteroffizier. Ist nicht jeder Mann dass kämpfen für seine Vaterland und seine Führer ein Held aus eigenem Recht?", he noted, maybe trying to lift the spirits of the other men in the table.

He seemed very sincere when he spoke, but one couldn't be absolutely sure if the young man really blindly believed in everything he had been told or if he was just trying to keep up a brave front for the new recruits.


TRANSLATIONS:

"Ich bin Stabsgefreiter Rentz. Ich denke dass Ich werden wahrscheinlich zukommen Ihrem Zug, Herr Unteroffizier"
"I am Stabsgefreiter Rentz. I think at least I will be assigned to your platoon, Herr Unteroffizier"

"Es muss wichtiger Kampf sein dem hier in Afrika gekämpft wird, herr Unteroffizier. Ist nicht jeder Mann dass kämpfen für seine Vaterland und seine Führer ein Held aus eigenem Recht?"
"Well, it still must be an important battle that is being fought here in Africa, herr Unteroffizier. Is not every man who fights for the Fatherland and for our Führer a hero in one's own right?"

[Werner von Maybach]

After finishing his sentence, Werner noticed that his words had a big, unwanted effect on the soldiers. Most of the young men where looking quiet pale now and some even seemed to be a bit shocked. Only few of them didn’t show any reaction at all. Quickly Werner decided to change to a more positive tone, not wanting to completely destroy the courage of these new recruits.

”Aber bekanntlich trifft ja auch nicht jede Kugel. Haltet euch am besten an jemanden mit etwas Erfahrung und haltet immer schön eure Köpfe unten, dann sitzt Ihr auch nächstes Weihnachten wieder bei Muttern unterm Tannenbaum.“

Werner licked his lips and could taste the bitter, breathy note of the whiskey. How long did he have to wait for that moment? And how often did he wish for a drink like that in the long and lonely nights behind him? The German provisions contained only a very poor sort of gin, which was nearly undrinkable. Hard times for somebody, who appreciates having a good drink.

Within the short break, the highest ranking of the young men took the word: "Nun, es muss wichtiger Kampf sein dem hier in Afrika gekämpft wird, Herr Unteroffizier. Ist nicht jeder Mann dass kämpfen für seine Vaterland und seine Führer ein Held aus eigenem Recht?"

The young Stabsgefreiter now watched Werner, waiting for a reaction. But before Werner answered, he emptied his second glass of whiskey and immediately refilled it. Slowly turning to the man, he nodded and said: ”Sicher, aber Kugeln fragen nicht danach.“

Translations:

”Aber bekanntlich trifft ja auch nicht jede Kugel. Haltet euch am besten an jemanden mit etwas Erfahrung und haltet immer schön eure Köpfe unten, dann sitzt Ihr auch nächstes Weihnachten wieder bei Muttern unterm Tannenbaum.“
“But as you all know, not every round finds it target. It’s best to try and stick with somebody who already has some experiences. And if you always keep your heads down, you’ll all sit next to the tree at your mothers place for next Christmas.“

”Sicher, aber Kugeln fragen nicht danach.“
“Sure, but bullets do not ask for that.”

[Dieter "Iceman" Rentz]

Dieter and the other men listened to the Unteroffizier's words as he quickly assured them that things were not really that bad and it would be best to try and follow someone experienced. It was sound advice and the men sitting at the table seemed to relax slowly, although the strange surroundings really did not make them feel too comfortable.

Dieter came up with a few words concerning the proud defenders of the Fatherland and how they all were heroes in their own way. The haggard Unteroffizier did not comment Dieter's words immediately and instead drank some more whiskey, making the Stabsgefreiter wonder how much whiskey the man felt it was safe to drink. This man evidently enjoyed his alcohol. ”Sicher, aber Kugeln fragen nicht danach“, the unteroffizier finally answered after filling up his glass again.

The young Stabsgefreiter could only nod in agreement. He knew well war wasn't as heroic and seemingly effortless as the newspapers and newsreels in Germany made it seem. Of course they wouldn't tell you about all the horrible things that the soldiers saw on the battlefield each day. Dieter had already seen his share of action and the naive thoughts of war had been quickly forgotten. He still believed in the other things that had been firmly implanted in his mind, though. He believed that the Führer would lead his people to victory and that his decisions were always made with the best of the German people's interest in mind. He knew that not everyone thought about things in the same way as him and it made him feel very frustrated. If they did not want to serve the Führer and the glorious Reich, what was the point of fighting then? He couldn't understand how someone could even start questioning such self-evident truths.

Still, right now politics were not the first and foremost thing in Dieter's mind. The torrid heat didn't only make him sweat profusely, it also made him feel as if by each minute it was more difficult to form a clear thought. He wished he could take a good long swim and change to more practical clothes soon. Of course he knew he wasn't going to take a swim here, but at least he could change into the uniform that he had been issued on his arrival. It looked different than what he had seen earlier but Dieter could already understand the perks of the new uniform. He could feel sweat running down his back and it made his shirt stick to his skin in an uncomfortable way.

Dieter turned the empty glass around between his fingers and stayed silent for a moment. Then he glanced at the Unteroffizier again as more pressing questions entered his mind. "Du hast Recht, herr Unteroffizier. Wie Sie schon sagten, Nachrichten in Deutschland erzählen uns alles nicht. Ich nehme an dass Sie sind hier für eine Zeit lang gewesen? Vielleicht herr Unteroffizier konnten uns Rat darüber geben, wie man am besten hier durchstehen. Ist es etwas besser während der Nachtstunden?", Dieter asked, obviously referring to the temperature in his last sentence.

Translation:

"Du hast Recht, Herr Unteroffizier. Wie Sie schon sagten, Nachrichten in Deutschland erzählen uns alles nicht. Ich nehme an dass Sie sind hier für eine Zeit lang gewesen? Vielleicht Herr Unteroffizier konnten uns Rat darüber geben, wie man am besten hier durchstehen."
"You are correct about what you said earlier, Herr Unteroffizier. The news in Germany don't tell us everything. I guess that you have been here for a while now? Maybe Herr Unteroffizier could give us some advice on how to best survive in here. Is it any better during night?"

[Werner von Maybach]

Slowly, the whiskey now started to have an effect on Werner. The tiredness took completely over him and he could feel every single bone in his body. His legs became heavy like they where made from iron and his mind got emptier every second. Werner really found it hard now, to listen to the young private’s questions. When the men finished, Werner couldn’t fight it any longer and yawned loudly.

”Ich bin wahrscheinlich noch nicht so lange hier, wie es vielleicht aussieht. Seit einem Monat vielleicht. Aber man gewöhnt sich schneller an das Klima hier, als man denkt.“ And again, Werner was making a short break to organise his thoughts. Thinking itself could get a very hard task after several days with nearly no time to sleep. ”Ob es nachts besser wird? Kommt darauf an, was du unter besser verstehst. Hier wird es nachts wirklich frostig kalt und nach der Hitze am Tag fühlen sich 10° an wie sonst -10°. Also wirklich besser ist das auch nicht.“

Werner just wanted to take another sip from his glass, when their little peace got disturbed by some very loud and quick bangs. Instantly he jumped up and ran for the entrance of the tent. The tiredness was completely blown away now. In the corner of his eyes, he could see some off the younger soldiers following him to the outside. Before Werner reached the door, a very loud siren was giving alert. ”Das ist ein Fliegeralarm, volle Deckung,“ Werner yelled at his soldiers and dived into a small artillery crate directly next to the small tent. And it wasn’t a single second too early. Clearly he could recognise the streamlined silhouette of a British fighter. His wings were glistering in the sun. When the first mg rounds hit the dirt next to him, Werner tried to press his head even deeper into the small hole.

Besides the tent with the cantina, there was a German 2 cm AA- gun with 4 barrels, firing at the British planes. The sweat was running down the faces of the gunners, who where trying to reload the gun as quick as possible. Only seconds later, a giant explosion was filling the air. On the horizon, the German soldiers could see a big cloud of smoke rising into the air. ” Eine Bombe muss eines der Munitionslager getroffen haben. Verdammt, bei dem Knall ist bestimmt nichts heile geblieben.“

Translations:

”Ich bin wahrscheinlich noch nicht so lange hier, wie es vielleicht aussieht. Seit einem Monat vielleicht. Aber man gewöhnt sich schneller an das Klima hier, als man denkt.“
“I’m probably not here for as long as it might look like. Since one month, maybe. You’ll get used to the climate here quicker than you can imagine.”

”Ob es nachts besser wird? Kommt darauf an, was du unter besser verstehst. Hier wird es nachts wirklich frostig kalt und nach der Hitze am Tag fühlen sich 10° an wie sonst -10°. Also wirklich besser ist das auch nicht.“
“If things get better by the night? That depends on what you think is better. In the night, it can get freezing cold and after the heat of the day, 10° do easily feel like -10°. So it’s not really better.”

”Das ist ein Fliegeralarm, volle Deckung,“
“This is an air raid warning. Get full cover.”

” Eine Bombe muss eines der Munitionslager getroffen haben. Verdammt, bei dem Knall ist bestimmt nichts heile geblieben.“
“A bomb must have hit one of the ammunition depots. Damned, this explosion didn’t leave anything unharmed.”

[Dieter "Iceman" Rentz]

To Dieter it seemed as if the apparent lack of sleep was finally getting the better of Unteroffizier von Maybach. The other man yawned before answering his questions about the desert environment. Hearing that the nights were not really any better only made Dieter frown. Apparently during the days they would be sweating like horses and during the night everyone would be freezing their ass off. What a great place to be, Dieter thought. Just add some Tommies who would really love to see your head shot off your shoulders and you were in for some fun times.

Dieter studied the tired Unteroffizier and hoped that with the arrival of the new recruits the men here might finally have a chance of getting some rest. The new enviroment seemed a bit overwhelming, but at least all the recruits were well-rested and more than ready to join in the fighting. He hoped he could have asked about it from the Unteroffizier, but he didn't want to sound patronizing or to make too much note out of the other man's worn-out appearance. He had already been asking enough questions anyway.

Sudden loud bangs from outside the tent made Dieter jump in his seat and he lost grip of his empty glass. The glass landed on the table with a plonk and was still rolling around on the table when the previously tired Unteroffizier had already gotten to his feet. Dieter scrambled up from his seat as fast as he could and hurried after von Maybach. He could see that other recruits were also following the Unteroffizier outside, some of them looking clearly frightened. The men could hear the air alert sirens blaring before they were even out of the tent - a British fighter was headed for the camp. Dieter could hear the Unteroffizier yelling for everyone to find cover and every second seemed to last forever.

Some of the men seemed to hesitate on whether it was better to stay in the tent or to run outside. A few of them stopped dead in their tracks at the entrance. Some scrambled under the tables in an attempt to find at least some shelter from the bullets. Hiding places were scarce in the desert and the tent itself would do nothing to stop a bullet.

Dieter decided that it was better to at least see where the danger was coming from, so he continued his rush outside, coming to a sudden halt right in front of the tent. The Unteroffizier had hastily found some shelter and Dieter saw a few privates running past him. They were trying to find somewhere to hide from the British fighter that was approaching the camp fast. Dieter could see a truck that was parked not too far from the tent, but it was too far away, he wouldn't have enough time to run there now. The plane roared closer and opened fire. Dieter jumped back and knocked down a stunned private with him, both of them hitting the dusty ground with a loud thump. Dieter tried to shrink away from the bullets that hit the ground all too near him.

He covered his head with his hands in a futile manner to protect himself and held his breath as the plane passed over them. He could hear the bangs of the anti-aircraft gun piercing the air as it fired at the British fighter. It was an almost soothing sound, reminding them that they did have at least some protection on their side. Soon after the plane had passed, a loud explosion thundered in the air, making Dieter wince.

After that it was strangely quiet for a moment and Dieter rose up slowly, glancing around him. People were getting up and dusting off their clothes, some of them pointing at the cloud of smoke billowing in the horizon. Dieter sat up also, looking quite bewildered. His light hair was now a mess and the dust had effectively stuck to his sweaty skin and clothes, making his previously neat appearance almost comically more fitting to his current surroundings. The young man clambered up and squinted his eyes as he tried to scan the skies for possible other fighters. "Eine Bombe muss eines der Munitionslager getroffen haben. Verdammt, bei dem Knall ist bestimmt nichts heile geblieben", the Unteroffizier noted when Dieter was still trying to regain his composure.

A quiet moan nearby caught Dieter's attention and he noticed that one of the privates outside the tent had been caught by bullets from the fighter. Dieter hurried next to the young man and could already see the pool of blood forming on the sand beneath the wounded soldier. Dieter wasn't big on making friends, but he remembered this particular young private; he had talked with him earlier while they were on route to Africa. Dieter didn't remember his name anymore, but he had seemed like a nice and happy fellow and now here he was, bleeding on the sand even before getting to the frontlines.

The young Stabsgefreiter quickly kneeled beside the man and looked around. "Sanitäter!", he yelled and then tried to see what he could do. A bullet had hit the young private somewhere in his lower thigh. Dieter was no medic, but it didn't take a expert to see that all this blood couldn't be a good thing. Dieter didn't know how to effectively help, so he just moved his hand to the wound to stop the worst bleeding. The wounded man called for help faintly, clearly in a state of shock. Dieter tried to say something comforting to him, but the man didn't seem to hear his words. Dieter had never been any good with the wounded, he just didn't know what to say. To his relief, there was already someone running towards the fallen man. The medic kneeled down and Dieter kept holding his hand tightly over the wound until the medic ushered him away and asked for some room to work on the wounded man.

Dieter rose back up to his feet and looked at his hands. Blood covered them and already grains of sand were sticking to the warm blood, he didn't know how that was even possible. "Ich habe es vorhergesehen..", he muttered to himself. Things had started out too good! They had started out good and then, like he had suspected, everything had gone to hell fast. Dieter glanced at the Unteroffizier he had just met and stared at him with a grim expression, as if wondering if this was what Africa was all about.

Translations:

"Sanitäter!"
"Medic!"

"Ich habe es vorhergesehen.."
"I knew this would happen.."

[Werner von Maybach]

After it attacked, the plane disappeared as soon as it had shown up. All of a sudden, the whole camp was quite again. Only some wounded soldiers were screaming for help. Also the soldiers at the AA- gun had stopped firing. One of the gunners was that exhausted, he just tumbled down next to the Flakvierling 38 and didn’t move any further. Someone shouted:"Sie sind weg. Das war verdammt knapp. Hoffentlich kommen diese Bastarde so schnell nicht wieder."

Slowly, Werner stood up and tried to tap the dust off his tropical tunic, what of course was absolutely senseless. After the first shock passed away, he looked around, searching for the other soldiers that were in the tent with him. Luckily, the Brits hadn’t dropped any bombs in the direct surroundings of the small camp. Only a few soldiers got seriously wounded by mg- fire. But wasn’t every wounded man one too much? Nevertheless, things could have come out a lot worse.

Suddenly Werner recognised the one private, he just talked to, kneeing over a wounded soldier and caring about him until a medic arrived and gently pushed him aside. Now the young private slowly walked towards Werner with a strange, grim expression in his face. He was completely covered with sand, the blood from the wounded man was dripping from his hands and his eyes glanced wildly. He seemed to be really shocked. Werner put his hand on the shoulder of the soldier, deeply looked into his eyes and shook him carefully, trying to bring him back to reality.

"Ist alles in Ordnung mit dir?" In that moment, Werner realised, how odd this question was. Of course, nothing was all right. "Reiß dich besser zusammen, Junge. Das war sicher nicht das letzte mal, dass du so etwas zu sehen bekommst."

The Medic couldn’t help here any more. Slowly, the man with the Red Cross on his sleeves closed the eyes of the dead soldier and sat down next to him, staring into space. After a short moment, which felt like eternity to Werner, he said: "Ich komme zu spät. Die Kugeln haben eine Arterie getroffen, wir konnten nichts mehr für ihn tun."

All of the men stayed silent for a while, everybody lost in his own thoughts. Clearly Werner could see some tears in the eyes of the medic. He looked very young, even too young to be a medic in the army at all. Without trying to clean his hands from the blood, the medic now pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his tunic and lit one without saying anything. Werner decided to leave this man alone with his dark thoughts and headed back towards the cantina. On his way, he nodded his head to the private, signalling him to follow. "Ich denke, noch ein Whiskey ist jetzt genau das richtige für uns."

Translations:

"Sie sind weg. Das war verdammt knapp. Hoffentlich kommen diese Bastarde so schnell nicht wieder."
"They are gone. That was a damned close thing. Hopefully these bastards won’t return that fast."

"Ist alles in Ordnung mit dir?"
"Are you all right?"

"Reiß dich besser zusammen, Junge. Das war sicher nicht das letzte mal, dass du so etwas zu sehen bekommst."
"You better get yourself together, boy. It won’t be the last time for you to see something like this."

"Ich komme zu spät. Die Kugeln haben eine Arterie getroffen, wir konnten nichts mehr für ihn tun."
"I’m coming too late. The bullets must have hit an artery, there was nothing we could do for him."

"Ich denke, noch ein Whiskey ist jetzt genau das richtige für uns."
"I guess, another whiskey is just the right thing for us now."

[Dieter "Iceman" Rentz]

The sand stung Dieter's eyes, but he still kept staring straight ahead of him. He hardly noticed the burning sun anymore and in stunned silence he glanced at his hands, wondering how to clean the blood off them. The man felt a touch on his shoulder as someone shook Dieter gently, returning him back to the present moment. The young man blinked and saw Unteroffizier von Maybach standing there, asking if he was all right.

"Huh? Ja, ja, Alles ist in Ordnung, ich wurde nicht verletzt", Dieter nodded a few times and realized how dazed he must have been looking while standing there. He tried to sharpen up hastily, he didn't want to seem like a rookie although he wasn't really used to air raids like this. Still, an attack like that could have shaken up anyone and Dieter remembered how close to him the bullets had hit the ground. At least they had still missed him, though not everyone had been that lucky.

Dieter glanced back at the medic and the injured private. He felt weak when he saw that the young medic who had rushed to the aid of the injured soldier had already given up and closed the eyes of the dead man. There was nothing the young medic could do, the man had gone fast after the bullet had severed an artery. All that blood on the sand, it had been the young man's life pulsing out of him, Dieter thought and glanced back at his own blood-stained hands.

The thought of the this young private's death filled Dieter momentarily with burning anger. He clenched his other hand into a fist and his blue eyes flared with fury. He felt hatred towards this waste of human life, the war, the enemy and the chances that ruled the battlefield. Out of all the bullets that pierced the air one could spell doom on you, an artillery shell could hit the ground right where you stood or a sniper might have you in his crosshairs and you wouldn't even know it until it was already too late. All of it was down to pure luck and it felt unfair. You either got killed or you didn't, it didn't matter what rank you were or how experienced you might have been, death could still come swiftly.

The rage burned and bubbled inside him until he just wanted to hit someone, he didn't care who. When Dieter's eyes scanned over the body of the dead man again, the rage subsided as quickly as it had appeared and the only feeling that was left was the feeling of numbness. He didn't know why the death of this particular soldier had gotten him so riled up, he had seen his share of death already. Still, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction for these stirred emotions, at least they would give him fuel for the fighting in the days to come.

"Er war ein netter Mann", Dieter said and glanced at the dust in his feet. He had felt the urge to say something about the dead soldier, even though he hadn't known him for very long. For all he knew, there might be no eulogy for him apart from Dieter's words and it felt like the right thing to do.

"Ich denke, noch ein Whiskey ist jetzt genau das richtige für uns", the Unteroffizier said and started back towards the cantina, nodding at Dieter.

Dieter made a low sound of acknowledgement in his throat, glancing back at the medic and the dead private. "Ja, das ist eine gute Idee, Herr Unteroffizier", Dieter said in a low voice and followed von Maybach back to the cantina.

Dieter had been careful when it came to alcohol these days as somewhere deep inside he was worried he might break out drinking too much. It had been an ugly habit that had ruled his life many years ago and he didn't want to return to it. Still, right now he didn't care if he did. At this moment he would have wholeheartedly welcomed the soothing haze of intoxication, the sensation of it numbing his feelings and the sweet relief of forget that accompanied it. Anything that might take his mind off the dust, blood and despair that was the Libyan desert was welcome right now.


Translations:

"Huh? Ja, ja, Alles ist in Ordnung, ich wurde nicht verletzt."
"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine, I wasn't injured."

"Er war ein netter Mann."
"He was a decent man."

"Ja, das ist eine gute Idee, Herr Unteroffizier."
"Yeah, I think that's a good idea, herr Unteroffizier."

[Daniel Brennan]

Mod Post

Those are some nice, long posts, Dieter.

CP:
Dieter: 11CP

Werner: 9CP


~Dan