(1979) Court Martial by Sven Hassel

Author:Sven Hassel
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780297857334
Publisher: Cassell
Published: 1979-01-01T13:00:00+00:00

The feeling amongst many officers is that they have quite definitely said good-bye to life and now wish to sell it as dearly as possible.

Political officer to Hider, April 1944,

Through the dirty windows of Heino's Bar, Porta sees a Finnish corporal rush from the bank with a pistol in one hand and a grey box in the other. Close on his heels two other soldiers emerge from the revolving doors. They run down the street as fast as they can.

'Rubber cheque, d'you think?' asks Tiny, interestedly.

'Something like that,' says Porta, thoughtfully. 'It's not the usual way of leaving a bank, with a pistol in your hand!'

'Jesus, a bank-robbery,' cries Gregor, happily, putting his head out of the door to see where the three soldiers with the pistol and the grey box have got to.

'I know where they are,' says Tiny, with a sly grin. 'Come on, let's go down and ask 'em what they made out of it.'

They find them in the illegal speakeasy.

'What did we get out of it?' asks Porta, in a fatherly tone, touching the nearest man lightly on the forehead with his P-38.

The corporal, a huge man with a wicked cast of countenance, spits on the floor and asks Porta if he is tired of life.

'I said how much?' repeats Porta contemptuously, releasing his safety catch.

'We haven't counted 'em yet,' answers a sergeant who closely resembles a fieldmouse.

'Then let's do that,' grins Tiny, pleased, reaching for the box. 'It ain't no fun 'avin' coppers if you don't know 'ow many of 'em you've got!'

The lid flies open with a crash.

Now I've seen it all,' shouts Gregor, hoarsely, tossing a bundle of papers with a Finnish lion decorating them, into the air.

The sergeant who resembles a fieldmouse throws himself across the table, racked with sobs. For lack of anything better the big corporal smashes three chairs to kindling.

'What a super bunch of crooks,' says Porta, with a grating laugh. 'Pinching War Bonds that haven't even been issued yet! And the paper that stiff you couldn't even use it to wipe your arse on!'

The following day all three of them are shot as a warning to all and sundry. The execution takes place on the parade ground of the Artillery Barracks. They line them up against the wall of the bath-house. A squad from the Sissi Jagers takes care of the execution. They arrive on bicycles which they lean against the fence outside the old car repair shop.

Since Tiny has always wanted a bicycle he steals two of them whilst their owners are shooting the bank-robbers.

We enjoyed the use of those bicycles for a long time.

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