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

Erich and Manfred had met asfriends, but their parting was colder. Both sensed a shadow lay between them.This saddened Manfred but not as much as he thought it might. He knew that theyhad been growing apart for some time. Manfred had no problem with the SS. Butit seemed to him that Erich had chosen the easy option. Was Erich trying toavoid the front line? He doubted if even the SS could avoid fighting, but itdid offer the possibility for his friend to operate closer to home. This wouldpotentially keep him near Anja and away from the fighting to come.

Manfred walked back towards hishouse. A light breeze blew in his face. He barely acknowledged the peoplesaluting him. He couldn’t wait to be back behind closed doors. And then hethought of his mother. Just one night, he thought. I can manage that. He pulledthe coat up around his face and strode forward as if heading in to battleunarmed.

 8

Munster, Lower Saxony, April1941

Thetrain broke through a clump of trees and crossed over a bridge. The RiverOertze roared below the bridge. Gerhardt and Manfred looked with excitementthrough the window at the small town of Munster coming into view. The town hadone of the largest army garrisons in the country. This one was primarilydedicated to the Panzertruppenschule I, the tank training school. Itwould be their home for the next dozen weeks as the army educated them aboutthe workings of a Panzer, and how to command tanks in the field.

Tanks were dotted around the field in front of the large whitebuildings. Manfred and Gerhardt’s eyes were glued to these fearsome machines drivingat speed across the countryside. They were dark in colour, which made them seemalmost demonic. Soon they would receive their camouflage colours.

‘My God imagine facingthose monsters,’ exclaimed Manfred.

‘I’mglad we’re German,’ replied Gerhardt laughing. ‘I have never seen anything likethem.’

Thetrain pulled into the station and the two friends, along with other Fahnenjunkers,were met at the entrance by an elderly man wearing a uniform. Manfred glancedat Gerhardt and raised his eyebrows. The two friends smiled, and they followed theelderly man. Soon the group of twenty were on the back of the army truck and enroute to the training camp.

-

SergeantKrauss looked at the recruits. There was a faint smile on his lips. He turnedto the tank beside him and patted the armour at the front.

‘Tellme,’ he asked, ‘what do you feel when you look at this vehicle?’

Afew of the recruits called out various thoughts: pride, awe, excitement.Manfred listened to them and then he said quietly, ‘Fear.’

Krausslooked at the group and said, ‘Who said that?’ Manfred held his hand up. ‘Stepforward so I can see you.’ Manfred did as he wasordered. Krauss walked up to him. ‘Brehme, Sergeant Krauss.’ He was standing toattention, eyes directly ahead.

‘Atease,’ said Krauss. He looked away from Manfred and to the rest of the group.Without saying anything else he walked along the line and back.

‘Fear,he said, and he’s right; the killing power of a tank is immense. Ours andtheirs. Look at this Panzer Mark III. Not even our latest model. You’re lucky. We’vehad a few arrive in Munster. This supersedes Panzers One and Two. Some of ourboys are using Czech tanks. These aren’t much better than machine guns onwheels. This will be your tank until the Mark IV is ready. You will get to knowthis tank. It will become your brother, your sister, your lover. It will becomepart of you.’

Hehit the armour again with his stick. It made the sound of a dull clang ratherthan the light tinny sound of thin metal.

‘Youare lucky. This tank is the best. It’s better than any other tank you willface. This is twenty tonnes of beauty and death. It can hit tanks from a longerrange.’ He pointed to the gun. ’This is a fifty-millimetre gun. We will beshipping these out to North Africa soon. The tanks against you only have athirty-seven-millimetre gun. Along with the thirty-millimetre thick armour, itmeans they have to be beside you before they can do any damage. Trust me, ifthe enemy gets that close to you then you deserve to die.’

Thisbrought a few nervous laughs from the recruits.

‘Youwill have stopped them by this point, or our eighty eight’s will have done thejob for you,’ continued Krauss amidst the laughter. ‘If not, you’ll almostcertainly be dead.’

Thiswas said almost as an after-thought, but it worked in quietening down therecruits.

‘Yes,these machines are deadly, and you should be scared. But, think about this: theBritish know this too. They know in a straight fight, we win. So, they won’twant a straight fight. They’ll run, they’ll hide, they’ll do anything to avoida firefight. This is our advantage. They will fear us. They will fear whatthese monsters can do. My friends, I am afraid of what these things can do. Myjob is to make you and these machines one. They must become an extension of youlike your arm or your leg or, most importantly of all, your brain. Do youunderstand?’

‘Yes,sir,’ shouted the group as one.

Krausslooked at them and nodded slowly. Then after a few moments, when the onlysounds Manfred could hear were the songs of birds, the beat of his heart andthe breeze echoing in their ears, he added, ‘Good. Because if you don’tunderstand what I’m saying, then this monster, this death machine, this tankwill become your coffin.’

Chapter 7: Britain 1941

 1

Thursley,Surrey: April 1941

Thesun rose, apparently. Then it disappeared behind a cloud and refused to comeout for the next few hours. Danny looked up disgustedly.

‘Britishweather. What I’d give for a bit of sunshine.’

Thetime was coming when he would miss the grey-cold climate of his home. But thatwas the future.

‘What’llwe do today?’ he asked no one in particular.

Arthurhad been giving the matter some serious thought and proposed a solution. Dannygrinned and suggested they should run it by Corporal Lawrence.

‘Alreadyhave,’ came the reply.

‘And?’

-

Thetank trundled slowly over the common. A head popped out from the turret. Thereward for this foolhardy action was to feel the rain batter its face. Seconds later,the head disappeared