The Shadow of War by Jack Murray (latest ebook reader txt) 📗

accompanied by Erwin Rommel. He walked pastManfred. Rommel’s Visor Cap Schirmmütze was below the eyeline of the two youngmen. Sadly, Rommel didn’t stop but walked on. However, further up he stoppedand spoke to Matthias.

‘Where do you hope to serve,young man?’ asked Rommel, looking up at the tall, bespectacled young man.

‘Panzerdivision, Herr General.’

Rommel nodded and walked onwith the other officers. The parade ended and the new members of the Germanarmy retired to their quarters to await instruction on where they would beposted.

Manfred was joined by Gerhardt,Lothar, Matthias, Willi and Fred in the barracks. Each sat on a bed and theychatted for the hundredth time about the future.

‘I can’t believe you pitchedfor the Panzers, Matthias,’ said Gerhardt throwing his cap at his friend.

‘They’ll never find a tank big enoughto fit you,’ added Manfred.

Matthias looked serious andsaid straight-faced, ‘I think he recognised in me someone with theintelligence, the calmness under fire and the natural authority to command atank.’

The group burst out laughing atthis, as did Matthias, who clearly did not believe it himself.

‘I’ll be pissed off if I’m notin the Panzerdivision, said Lothar.’

‘Will you go home?’ asked Fredarchly.

‘Damn right I will,’ saidLothar glumly.

‘Maybe you’ll get Luftwaffe,Lothar, although I can’t imagine any plane getting off the ground with you onit,’ said Gerhardt laughing. Lothar leapt on his friend and started pummelling himin the stomach. This only made Gerhardt imitate the sound of an aeroplanecrashing. The sound of the laughter suddenly stopped but the two boys continuedwrestling. Lothar finally felt someone tapping his back with a stick.

‘What the h...?’ said Lotharturning sharply.

Above him stood Haag. His facewas twisted into a snarl. He glared at the two young men with an undisguisedmalevolence. Gerhardt and Lothar leapt up from the bed and stood to attention.The others had already done so.

Haag pointed his stick underthe chin of Gerhardt and said, ‘You.’ He then turned around and tapped Manfredon the chest, ‘And you. Come this way.’

Manfred and Gerhardt looked atone another. Memories of their earlier misdemeanours returned, and theyfollowed Haag to the office of the colonel. It felt like déjà vu. Haagknocked on the door and then entered.

The surprise for both could nothave been greater. Sitting in the place of the colonel was Rommel. Both menimmediately saluted him. Rommel made a half-hearted salute back and thenushered them forward.

‘Names?’

Brehme, Herr General.’

‘Kroos, Herr General.’

Rommel studied them for a fewmoments. Then he spoke, ‘Have you any thoughts on where you would like to beposted?

‘Panzerdivision,’ said the twoin unison. They glanced at one another and tried hard not to smile.

‘Popular today,’ said Rommelsardonically. ‘We’ll see about that. For the moment I have been advised by twomen, whose views I trust, that your behaviour over the last sixteen weeksmerits another direction.’

Manfred felt his heart sinklike a rock thrown into a pool. It was unfathomable to him how the sins of the lastfew weeks followed him around. Surely, he’d proved his worth by now.

‘You’ve both been recommendedby these men to become Fahnenjunker. You know what this means?’

It took a moment for the newsto sink in. The colonel and Drexler had just endorsed their advancement toofficer training.

‘Yes, Herr General,’ repliedthe two men, barely able to suppress their desire to let out a cheer.

‘Very good. You can return toyour quarters. Thank you and congratulations,’ said Rommel.

Manfred and Gerhardt turned andleft the office followed by a very unhappy looking Haag. This was not helped bythe wink to him, unseen by the senior officers, from Gerhardt as they left.

The three men inside the roomlooked at one another. A few moments later they heard a wild cheer from the twomen, who thought they were out of range.

‘They seem happy,’ commentedRommel with a raised eyebrow.

‘They should be, Erwin,’replied the colonel.

‘How old are they, Klaus?’

‘Both nineteen, I believe,’replied the Colonel.

Rommel shook his head and said,almost to himself, ‘So young. Are you sure they’re ready, Klaus?’

‘You weren’t much older, Erwin,when you were leading a platoon.’

‘I didn’t know what I wasdoing,’ replied Rommel.

‘Yes, you did, sir.’

This was Drexler. ‘I’m stillalive because of this.’

 7

Ladenburg (nr.Heidelberg): April 1941

Peter Brehme looked at his son.The emotions he had held in check before could barely be contained now. Hisson. A junior officer, a Fahnenjunker. He stared at him in the doorwayfor a few moments and, tears brimming in his eyes he said, ‘Herr Fahnenjunker.’

‘Father,’ said Manfred,grinning. Moments later his father hugged him tightly and pulled him insidelest his emotional display be observed.

‘Let me look at you,’ saidBrehme. What he saw overcame him. His son. Tall, strong and now a man. Thegrey-green uniform clung to wide shoulders and made him seem like a young god. There was something abouthim now: a hardness that was not there before,  steeliness in his blue eyes. Hewas no longer a boy and Peter Brehme could not have felt prouder.

‘Why didn’t you tell me youwere coming? I would have come for you.’

Manfred laughed and then hisface became more sombre. ‘Mama?’ said Manfred.  It was a neither a statementnor a question. It was an utterance of hope in expectation of an answer he did not want to hear. Hisfather body seemed to sag in an instant. He looked crestfallen. Beaten.

They walked through to thedrawing room. The wireless was playing Parsifal. The song of the flower maidens.His mother was sitting by the fireside staring at the flames. She didn’t stir.

‘Renata,’ said Brehme softly.

She looked up. Her eyes wereempty. There was no recognition, no welcome, no happiness at seeing her son.

‘Manfred is back. He’s stayingwith us tonight. He’s an officer now.’

‘I’m training, Father,’corrected Manfred trying to smile but desperately sad. He wanted to leave.There was nothing for him here. He felt the spirit and the happiness at beinghome slowly creep from his skin and dissolve into the void.

His mother smiled and saidabsently, ‘Well done.’ She could have been congratulating a friend’s child.

Manfred glanced at his fatherand saw the sadness in his eyes. Renata Brehme returned her gaze to thefireplace and the two men left her alone.

‘She just sits there all day.We barely speak now.’

‘The doctors?’

‘What do they know? It’s whathappened to your grandmother.’

‘But so early?’ repliedManfred, unable