The older man’s eyes sparkled once more, his relief clear that he had secured the personnel required to fulfil the brusque orders issued to him only that morning. The young officer before him seemed to meet the brief description his two superiors had explained, the man clearly able to adapt to changing instructions and having previous experience of the task at hand, albeit mostly on the ground, ‘You will be responsible for the section to the north of Smolensk, covering as far as Demyansk...a range of about 200 kilometres. I need to know troop strengths, tank formations, Russian supply concentrations for our bombers when the weather clears. I wish you to add comments of routes of their troops, perhaps their logistical support if you are able to fly that far east...it will all be fully explained in your orders…and you may add your own thoughts as to their intentions. I understand you have had experience in France and the Balkans as well as this inhospitable cold country.’
Major Kruger swigged greedily from his metal mug once more, his eyes flashing excitedly in the light as he continued talking, the young officer staring back at him in rising uneasiness, ‘You will cover the area twice a day, once northwards then landing to refuel, then you will return. That is all the winter light will allow...another plane will work in the opposite direction whilst we prepare our defences before this city...that will provide me with four reports each day for the High Command. In short, an accurate depiction of events until the situation is stabilised.’ He folded his hands in enthusiasm, the cigarette smouldering between his fingers, ‘That is more than is expected of us…’
The older man drew once more on his cigarette, blue-grey smoke rising over the desk, ‘I have secured four aircraft and ground crews to assist you and the men with you, two Fieseler Storch’s and two HS126 planes in reserve...we will enclose their rear gunner position on the HS126s in the next day or so, although I think one of the craft has already had that done...’ He grinned mischievously, continuing unabated, ‘...otherwise I fear you will freeze to death on your first flight. Both sets of machines will retain their MG15 rear machine guns should you experience any problems. I will ensure they are all in excellent condition...the ground crews are working on one of your planes now and will be all night…every night. You will have some extra padded clothing issued to you and the aircraft will be fully fuelled. They both have more than adequate ranges, although the Henschel is my personal favourite...it is warmer and has forward guns too.’ He swallowed another mouthful of vodka, the major’s mind seeming to quicken with relieved stress, ‘I will see if we can get one of the Henschels released sooner for your comfort.’ The older man leant forward as if to scrutinise the young officer, pushing a beaker before him and reaching for the large ceramic flask, his hands shaking, ‘So, have you any questions Leutnant Hausser?’
The young officer stared at the older man in dumbfounded confusion, his hand reaching instinctively for the steel service mug that was thrust towards him, ‘Erm...no, Herr Major, it’s just a little sudden...not what I expected at all.’ He cleared his throat, shaking his head in brief despondency at the actions of his superior from the Crimea, then noticing that the senior officer stared intently at him, his eyes seeming to study the new addition to his unit closely as Hausser sipped from the mug, spluttering as he tasted the overpowering liquid, ‘I-I will endeavour to do my duty as ordered, Herr Major...’
Chapter Four: Block Houses and Partisans
The carriage suddenly jolted, loud screeching coming from the steel wheels, steam pouring from the wet tracks as the train braked heavily, the whistle sounding frantically. Leutnant Hausser was thrown forwards, his buttocks slipping from the wooden bench before smacking onto the floorboards, the young officer shaken awake abruptly. Struggling from his slumbered dream, he glanced around startled, Hase’s hands instinctively grabbing him roughly and wrenching him upwards, the Hiwi also struggling from deep sleep.
Looking to either side in confusion, Hausser struggled to shout in alarm, his pupils contracting in the glows from lanterns and candles, ‘Kill the lights…the Russkies will shoot at the windows!’
The soldiers scrambled around him, frantically reaching for the illuminations as the train braked further, their frames shuddering as the engine whistle sounded once more, hands grasping for the lanterns, loud swearing as stretching bare fingers were scorched on the open candles. Heavy kit bags fell from overhead racks, the swearing increasing as the soldiers were hit by their own equipment.
The carriage jolted again, intense screeching from the steel wheels as the driver applied the brakes harder, his fear filled eyes on the track ahead, initially a seemingly lone German soldier waving a lantern frantically in the distance, his body crouched as two others knelt beside him, their rifles raised into the darkness on either side. Steam poured from the engine, the brakes applied further as the driver drew breath, gun flashes in the far distance as the stoker reached for a rifle, his jaw tensing, ‘Damn Russkies again!’
Then the carriage was plunged into darkness, Leutnant Hausser struggling to stand as Hase swayed with the train’s jolting, his hands still grasping his officer’s lapels, the young commander’s voice rising shrilly, ‘Grab your weapons…make ready. Open the windows once we stop…keep your heads down.’ He drew breath heavily, reconsidering, ‘Helmets on…’
The train shuddered to a halt, the doors at the far end of the carriage crashing open, a frantic deep shout, ‘Partisans…get in full kit and be ready…no packs!’ The door slammed shut once more, boots resounding off the wooden floorboards as grunts and gasps filled the stale air, the officer progressing forward past the struggling soldiers towards the rear carriages, Hausser stiffening as a hand torch beam swept through the darkness near him.
The figure stopped next to their benches as the light shone directly at the junior officer, then up and down his padded jacket, the voice stern as the light swept away, focussing on the senior officer’s face and collar for recognition, Hausser saluting as the younger man spoke, ‘Herr Leutnant, take command of this carriage and its men…it is silent at the moment, but there is something ahead…get them ready, brief them, we may have to attack in the darkness.’
Hausser nodded warily, the torchlight beam spanning back to him, his eyes blinking against the glare as the hand held torch swept round to point at Hase, the captain speaking further, ‘Is this one of your squad?’
Leutnant Hausser stiffened to attention, ‘Jawohl, Herr Hauptmann…he is one of my men, the rest are other soldiers probably returning from leave.’
The young captain turned away, then hesitated, drawing breath nervously, several muffled gunshots ringing out towards the front of the train, ‘Make your men ready Leutnant…the Russkie rebels seem to be close…’ He stepped away, then turned, ‘…now there is shooting you may wish to go to the locomotive…find out what is happening. I will send some of your men forward on my return if you are not here?’ He nodded as the junior officer seemed to agree, the torch beam spanning across the last couple of benches in the carriage before reaching the dividing door, his voice stern and loud, ‘You soldiers will follow the Leutnant…stay down until we understand what is happening…’ Then he pulled the door open, gritting his teeth before disappearing out between the carriages.
Hausser stiffened as several rifle bolts were pulled back, taking his own MP40 from the outstretched hands of Hase, a dim candle lit between the benches to offer poor but limited illumination, ‘Make sure you have additional ammunition and your jackets to hand, we may have to leave the train...’ Muffled explosions erupted outside and further forward, the soldiers thrusting towards the windows, the wooden frames pushed upwards with some creaking, cold air sweeping through the railway carriage. A burst of machine gun fire and then another from further forward, Hase recalling the front sandbagged position before the armoured locomotive.
Ducking down, Leutnant Hausser stared out into the darkness, glimpsing only his own reflection across the dirt smeared black glass, his hand slapping Hase’s shoulder, voice a determined whisper, ‘Com
e on my friend...let’s get to the front of the train, find out what is going on and see what we can do...’ He straightened, raising his voice to the other soldiers, ‘Keep low and fire if you see any movement...we will go and find out what is going on...’ He nodded to an obersoldat (senior soldier) as the man in his thirties rose, seeing the black marked circle on the soldier’s arm, ‘...you are in charge, I want no heroics...all the men stay in the carriage unless I shout from outside...understand?’
The young soldier nodded, his frame stiffening abruptly as his eyes widened, glimpsing the black metal cross beneath Hausser’s open upper tunic as the commander moved past him, ‘Jawohl, Herr Leutnant!’ Hase concealed a grin as he slipped past the corporal, his head shaking as he thought to himself, ‘these Germans are obsessed with medals and decorations...’
The cold moist air enveloped them as they stepped through the forward door of the carriage, reaching for the next door handle, their bodies jumping as the turret guns on the rear armoured carriage belched flame, a flash extending across the carriage roofs as the loud blast filled their ears. A brief burst and rattle of nervous machine guns resounded around them once more as Hausser pushed Hase through into the next car, following on after him.
The carriage was mostly in darkness, a lone candle burning beneath one of the benches. German infantrymen knelt by the windows, their very young faces strained with stress, several rifles resting on the lower window sills, the candle flickering from a through breeze. A young gefreiter (lance-corporal) jumped to his feet between the benches further along the carriage, Hausser approaching as he stepped gingerly over fallen kit bags and knapsacks. The gefreiter was not much more than twenty three, his young features complimented by short black hair as he saluted formally, the black triangle with singular white ‘V’ line on his arm clearly visible in the poor light.
Leutnant Hausser raised his hand to his brow, nodding towards the kneeling soldiers, ‘They seem very young... all from the same unit?’
The gefreiter stiffened further, shaking his head, ‘Nein, Herr Leutnant...replacement soldiers for the front, newly completed basic training...I am to escort them to Kiev and the muster station...then I go back to Krakow...’ He swallowed hard, ‘…are the partisans in the woods on either side of us? They have done that before…stopped the train then shot up the passenger compartments…’
Leutnant Hausser pursed his lips, shrugging as he slapped the young man’s shoulder, his nervousness rising at the inexperience around him, ‘Keep these youngsters on the train…get two men from our carriage to support them. A captain will be back soon…we are going further forward…’ He nodded to the gefreiter as the young man smiled in slight relief, glancing past the young man to Hase as he saw his friend near the next door, the rifle rising in both hands as the Hiwi looked round with concern, the young commander’s voice lowering, ‘Get two other men from the car behind to follow us to the locomotive...’
Stumbling forward over a kitbag, Hausser’s hand reached for the MP40 across his back, moving the submachine gun into both hands, his heart rate rising as he approached the door, Hase hissing in excitement, ‘One of the flatcars...the soldiers are ducked behind the sandbags...then it is the coal car.’
The blast of cold air swept across their features, Hausser peering out over his friend’s shoulder, the infantry on the flatcar glancing nervously over their cover, two jerking the MG34’s to either side nervously, the butts pushed into their shoulders tightly with helmets leaning over the tops of their weapons, the muzzles smouldering. The young officer pushed past his friend and through the opening, jumping onto the flat car and ducking down, Hase’s eyes widening as he followed, his ears straining in dread for the sound of a shot through the darkness.
Distant gunfire from before the train, Hausser ducking further instinctively as one of the MG34s before the locomotive fired a burst, the flash of light briefly illuminating the darkened cut back trees on either side of the double track. Some shouting ahead and the crack of nearby rifles, the two men progressing to the end of the flatcar between the sandbagged barricades, the gun crews glancing round nervously as one youngster called out after them, ‘We need to move Herr Leutnant...they could pick us off here!’
Leutnant Hausser stole a glance out, biting his lower lip in rising trepidation as he gripped his MP40 tightly, the pitch darkness seeming foreboding ahead. Flames flickered in the distance, one of the block houses burning fiercely on the left to the north of the tracks. Glimpsing silhouettes against the flames, his head turned to Hase, ‘We will move along the side of the track...keep low...’ He looked beyond his friend, shouting back to the young soldier on the flatcar, ‘...stay alert and keep down...the train has stopped for a reason.’
Pushing himself abruptly out into the darkness, the young commander dropped onto the gravel below, between the flatbed and high sided coal car, grunting as he stumbled forwards, the stones crunching under his boots. Hase followed suit, his landing more controlled as they lunged out from between the carriages, weapons rising. Running alongside the high steel sides, warm steam engulfed and billowed around their lower bodies, the locomotive steps rising sharply upwards ahead, the elderly smoke coated driver glancing out nervously.
Hausser reached the steps, dropping to one knee on the gravel, the overexcited older driver staring down at him nervously, ‘There has been firing up ahead, the Russkies look as though they have attacked one of the blockhouses...there are a couple of soldiers on the track before us with a lantern. I stopped as I am not sure of the rails before us...if the enemy have planted explosives...’
The driver indicated into the darkness as a muffled deep voice came from within his cab, ‘...Leutnant, one is coming to us on the other side. I think there is another soldier wounded further down the track, one of the forward machine gunners is running towards him.’
Leutnant Hausser strained in rising, attempting to glance round the front of the armoured locomotive as he edged forward. Hase moved next to him nervously, the Kar 98 rifle raised to his shoulder and jerking round, the darkened trees some twenty metres to their left. He glimpsed the stumps and roots through the gloom, illumination from the forward spot light casting shadows across the earth, steam from the locomotive rising across his vision as he strained his eyes across the cleared area.
Shadows danced through the undergrowth, his teeth clenched as they cautiously moved forward, then the cracking of a branch, his senses heightening in fear as he whispered, ‘Hausser...there is something moving out there.’
The young officer glanced round warily, gritting his teeth, ‘Let’s hope they are not mad enough to attack an armoured train...’
Crunching on the gravel behind, Hausser glanced round, the Hauptmann and several soldiers approaching, more dropping from the flatbed carriage behind, the captain raising his voice, ‘Leutnant...take a squad forward to the next two blockhouses...I will get men to check the tracks carefully before us, move the train up behind as support.’
Leutnant Hausser nodded, his tone official, ‘Jawohl, Herr Hauptmann...one of the garrison soldiers is approaching, I will get an update from him...’
The captain nodded, grimacing as he glimpsed the burning building in the distance, sporadic rifle shots ringing out from that location, a burst of muffled MP40 submachine gun fire, ‘Very well, be quick and careful...the Russkies may be trying to draw us in…ambush us.’ He hesitated, the group of sombre faced soldiers gathering behind him as he turned, his voice rising in concern, ‘Spread out across the track...stay apart and have your rifles ready. Two of you follow the Leutnant...’
Hausser lunged forward at a crouch, Hase following instinctively, his heart racing as they ran at a half crouch around the first small flatbed carriage, the sandbagged positions above them, the black muzzles of two MG34s stretching out from firing positions set in the defensive wall. Muffled German voices above, the gunners straining their eyes through gaps in the bags, one with binoculars glimpsing distant silhouettes running before the flames, his
low voice and full of contempt, ‘Damn communists!’
Hase hissed as they rounded the side of the carriage, ‘Hausser, we need to get forward and help the defenders of the guardhouse...’
The young commander spun round as he glimpsed two Wehrmacht soldiers by the locomotive steps ahead, ‘It may be a trap Hase...we need to be careful, find out what these soldiers know...’ The officer’s eyes widened as he saw the two figures on the track ahead of the train over Hase’s shoulder, one supporting the other and carrying the lantern as they limped towards them.
Stopping abruptly, he gestured to two soldiers following them around the flatbed carriage, ‘Go and help those men!’
Then he turned back towards the soldiers by the locomotive, his boots crunching on the wet gravel as he stepped towards them. Both young men were clearly out of breath, their grimy faces wide eyed and shocked as they stiffened, the young officer nodding as he glimpsed their creased uniforms, ‘So, what happened? We will be moving up shortly...’
The nearest infantryman, a moustached soldier of about thirty saluted formally, his voice shaking, ‘First the telephone cables were cut, so we sent out two men towards the next building with cabling...we presumed an animal had run through the wire...’
Bloody Citadel Page 7