Wheels of Terror by Sven Hassel

Author:Sven Hassel [Hassel, Sven]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Orion
Published: 2010-12-21T00:00:00+00:00

15

They had crushed all that was human in us. We knew only retaliation with the murderous weapons they had pressed into our hands.

Our knowledge of anatomy was worthy of a doctor. Blinded, we knew where a shot or a knife would cause the maximum pain.

Satan sat behind a stone and laughed.

The Sneaking Death

Our wounded had been flown out. Lieutenant Harder and all the others were now lying in hospital miles away from the white Russian hell.

Again we were made a fighting-group. Lieutenant Harder was replaced by a Lieutenant Weber. He led No. 5 Company and Captain von Barring commanded the fighting-group.

It was self-evident that the fighting-group led in any attack. Weighed down by weapons and ammunition we were now edging along to the attacking point.

‘Ascension – to – heaven – detail as usual,’ Pluto growled.

‘You mean hell-travel-detail,’ mocked Porta. ‘Not one of you clots will go to heaven!’

The Little Legionnaire asked:

‘Will you, then?’

‘Yes, any objections, you unhappy desert nomad?’ Porta said, and crossing himself he merged into the darkness: ‘Amen, in my name!’

Tiny guffawed.

Lieutenant Weber came running along the column and whispered exasperatedly:

‘Shut up laughing. You’d think you wanted the Russians on top of you.’

‘Oh dear, no, we’re afraid of them,’ came from the darkness.

Lieutenant Weber cried hoarsely:

‘Who was that?’

‘Saint Peter and the Holy Trinity,’ came the answer.

Several of the men started laughing, everybody except Lieutenant Weber who had not recognized Porta’s voice.

The Lieutenant became angry and forgot to be quiet:

‘Step forward, you smart Alec,’ he cried. His voice shook with rage.

‘No, I daren’t, I’ll be spanked,’ Porta’s voice came from the dark.

‘Stop!’ raged Lieutenant Weber.

‘Yes, I agree with you too,’ conceded Porta.

The lieutenant rushed into the column and grabbed the first man he could lay his hands on as he hissed:

‘Who dares to make fun of an officer? I order you to give me his name or the whole company will suffer. I know how to tame you, you swine!’

A growl was the only answer. From the darkness threats were issued:

‘Have you heard, lads, that somebody here wants a grenade on his head?’

‘You’ll have to use another tone here, sabre-swallower. We’re not used to your kind!’ (that was Tiny’s voice).

‘Swinish slum-droppings!’ Weber shouted and ran forward to Captain von Barring. We heard him complaining and shouting about mutiny and courts-martial.

Von Barring received him coldly.

‘Stop this nonsense. We’ve other things to consider here than depot “bull”.’

Snow crunched under our boots. Frost was the herald of the dark velvet night. When one brushed against a tree-branch the disturbed snow fell like a shower of needles.

Our orders were to penetrate the Russian positions in a silent attack. No firing except in extreme emergency for self-defence.

Porta pulled out his combat-knife, kissed it, and grinning said:

‘You’ll soon be back at work, my pet. You’ll be licking Russian stomachs and picking out Adam’s apples just as the girls at the factory meant you to do when they made you.’

The Little Legionnaire and Tiny preferred spades, which they weighed testingly in their fists. In such ways each one prepared for what he was picked to do.

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