Blood and Ice Read Free Page B

it, Schulze. We will be a symbol of hope and renewed courage for the Fatherland – a symbol for the whole Western World. A regiment of European volunteers sacrificing their blood to save one of Europe’s oldest cities from the Bolshevik horde. The Western World will acclaim our success. We start in two days’ time. At twenty-two hundred hours on the first of January, 1945.’
    ‘ Happy shitting New Year ,’ Schulze thought with a helpless sinking feeling.
    Note
    1.   An attack formation used in conjunction with a tank.

FOUR
    ‘ As the New Year begins, my dear Folk Comrades, I should like to thank all of you, men, women and the children of the Hitler Youth for what you have suffered, tolerated, done, achieved. Don’t despair! I want you to continue fighting with the utmost fanaticism in this moment of crisis for our nation... ’
    Sergeant-Major Schulze let the words of the Führer’s New Year message to the nation drone on. ‘The Hawk’ 1 had insisted that everyone in the Regiment should listen despite the fact that most of the European troops could not understand a word of it.
    Moodily Schulze lounged in the lice-infested straw next to Chink and surveyed the young soldiers of his new company, dressed in full battle-kit minus their helmets. The men were pale and tense. They smoked a lot and went often to the evil-smelling thunderboxes at the end of the long barn to urinate. They were scared; after all they were going into action for the first time.
    Outside it had been snowing heavily all day long. Schulze could imagine what the roads up in the mountains were going to be like.
    ‘ I devote every hour to building up the will to resist of my armies, introducing new weapons, forming new divisions. And I assure you, Folk Comrades, our enemies will soon learn that I have not been sleeping... ’
    ‘You shouldn’t have bothered to wake up, bastard,’ Schulze mumbled under his breath.
    ‘ I cannot close this message without thanking the Lord God on high for the aid he has always given to me and my Folk, which has made us stronger than our enemies... ’
    ‘Bloody hypocrite!’ Schulze snorted and pushed aside the black-out curtain.
    Half an hour later, Obersturmbannführer Habicht stamped through the snow to where Schulze and the Chink were working their way down the long line of waiting vehicles, checking tracks and suspension. In spite of the weather, he was beaming ‘You heard the Führer’s speech?’
    ‘Sir.’
    ‘Wasn’t it magnificent?’
    ‘Sir!’ Both of them replied woodenly again.
    The Hawk smiled fanatically. ‘It would be an honour to die for a man like that.’
    Inwardly Schulze groaned, and said: ‘We have checked the vehicles’ tracks. They’re too tight for deep snow. Once we get up there in the mountains –’
    The Hawk waved aside his objection. He was in a tremendous mood, almost as if he had been drinking. ‘A mere bagatelle, my dear Schulze. We shall get through. Now order of march. I shall give myself the honour of leading in the command halftrack. You will follow in the VW jeep, leading the rest of the halftracks with the grenadiers. Convoy distance between my vehicle and yours will be two hundred metres. Understood?’
    Schulze gave a little sigh of relief. At least he was not going to be at point. If the Hawk bought it, he’d be two hundred metres away; that would give him and the Chink a chance of making dust. ‘Sir.’
    ‘We’ll be in constant radio communication, of course. Therefore if I run into trouble – which I don’t anticipate – you will bring up the grenadiers. The Royal Tigers will bring up the rear. I don’t want one of those monsters getting into trouble in the snow and blocking the road. When we are through and down on the plain again on the other side, they can then take the lead.’
    ‘If,’ Schulz thought grimly.
    ‘All right, Schulze. We have the cover of darkness now almost. It will take us three hours to get to the start line. I suggest you