Into the Gates of Hell by Bob Carruthers

Author:Bob Carruthers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Military / World War II
ISBN: 9781473847835
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books
Published: 2013-11-06T00:00:00+00:00

- C H A P T E R 6 -

In den Mund der Hölle

THE SOVIET ammunition truck screamed along the minor road as fast as the straining engine would allow. On the ridge over to his left Wendorff could see the main Moscow highway which was crammed with German tanks, vehicles and horse-drawn transport, all heading east.

Although the skies buzzed with aircraft, unbeknown to Wendorff and his new colleagues, the focus of the battle had already shifted far to the east. The Soviet city of Minsk was the new target.

The city of Brest had been quickly seized, as expected, and Kobrin, the following objective, had also been seized by the Panzers, who were already approaching Minsk. The single vehicle barrelling along the secondary road therefore attracted no attention from the air, but on the ground matters took a turn for the worse. The truck suddenly found its route back to the fortress blocked by a German staff car heading in the same direction.

“What do you want me to do, Sergeant?” asked the driver.

“Clear him off the road!” replied the sergeant.

Wendorff braced himself as the driver hit the accelerator. The truck leapt forward and slammed into the back of the staff car which slewed round through ninety degrees and hit a tree. The passenger smashed into the dashboard and slumped motionless in his seat. The German driver didn’t wait and leapt from the car, running as fast as his legs would carry him. The Soviet driver didn’t so much as pause and, with a roar of triumph, the truck sped on.

From his hiding position next to the road, Dimitri Korsak could hardly believe his luck. As the truck roared off, he sprinted from his hiding place and quickly established that the car wasn’t too badly damaged and could still be driven. He dragged the unconscious figure of the airman and threw him aside. He ushered the shocked figure of the girl into the passenger seat. He could still see the dust cloud of the ammunition truck as it sped down the lane towards the fortress. “They must know something about the situation,” thought Korsak to himself and, revving the engine to its maximum, he resolved to follow the truck. He drove fast and was soon hard on the tail of the speeding truck.

The bizarre combination of the speeding ammunition truck with a German staff car close on its heels passing in a cloud of dust was something of an unexpected conundrum and caused such confusion in the few groups of German soldiers they passed that none sought to impede their rapid progress. Most of the scattered groups of German soldiers were focussed on their own missions and gave no consideration to the pair of vehicles which flashed by in a cloud of dust. As a result of the combination of misperception, indifference and surprise in the small groups they passed, they were able to reach the outskirts of Brest undetected and unchallenged.

The streets of the city were deserted. Rubble was strewn everywhere and fires raged unchecked.

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