Part 120, Chapter 2012
Chapter Two Thousand Twelve
6th August 1970
Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport
It was the end of an era for the 18th Fast Attack Wing. For years they had used various versions of the Arado Pfeil and as of today, that was officially over. All remaining Pfeil aircraft in the inventory were to be decommissioned per language of Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty of 1968. They were a nuclear capable fighter-bomber that had, in theory, enough range to hit intercontinental targets even if it would have been a one-way trip. That had been what had doomed them as opposed to their growing obsolescence. Everyone in the Air Wing knew that it was a load of shit, their planes had been thrown into the treaty because they had become a fleet of aging aircraft that the Luftwaffe could afford to sacrifice without harming the rest of the Service Branch.
It was something of a disappointment for SKG 18 when that announcement had been made a couple months earlier. Then had come watching as ferry crews came and took the airplanes away a few at a time. Everyone knew that they had been taken to Kaiserslautern, then cut up and laid out for the whole world to see. For Ben and Wim, it had felt like they had let an old friend down when they had handed off Black Knight III to the ground crew for the last time.
Today, they were being briefed on the Arado Orkan, the fighter-bomber that would replace Pfeil in the coming days. Judging from the photographs it was much smaller and supposedly it had greater flexibility. It was another Transatlantic project by Avro and Arado. To Ben’s eye, it seemed to lack the greatest quality of the Pfeil. Which was that the Pfeil looked extremely fast while still parked on the tarmac, so they knew it was a hot ride from the instant the wheels left the runway. Or as Wim said, it felt like trading in a Porsche for a Volkswagen. It remained to be seen if this was the Föhn Sports Package or the almost comically underpowered Microbus.
As Ben listened to the representative from Arado drone on about engine thrust, radar, variable sweep, whatever that was, and he just kept tuning him out. All of this would be in the guidebook and he would need to do a check ride in a trainer before he flew the new plane for real. So, little of this briefing really mattered. His mind kept going back to how Kiki had looked the last time he had seen her. She had just gotten back from a Doctor’s appointment and there was a car sent by her Commanding Officer there to pick her up. They hardly had time to talk, she had only a few minutes to pack her things. Before she had left, she had kissed him and told him she would call when she got to Wunsdorf and knew more.
Sure, she had called him the next day, but she had told him that the 34th Medical Services Regiment would be deploying with the 4th Panzer Division to South America. The trouble was that Ben knew that he would not be seeing her for months. She had also told him about how they had basically not been using any contraception over the last few months by accident. They had gotten lucky, and nothing had happened. Ben did sort of question if that was truly a lucky outcome. If Kiki had gotten pregnant, she wouldn’t be deploying overseas, and he figured that she would be able to not feel she was letting anyone down because it would have been beyond her control.
Was he being selfish to even consider that?
All Ben knew was that Kiki’s sudden departure had almost been painful this time. Finding himself sitting on the couch with Rauchbier and it being a question of who missed Kiki more had really driven that home.
Rural Silesia
Nico took careful aim with his rifle as one had to do when hunting rabbits. They were widely regarded as pests by the farmers, and the phrase breeding like rabbits came into play. There was never a shortage of them. The trouble was that his rifle was chambered to the standard service cartridge of the Army and hitting a rabbit center-mass did ugly things to it. Which Opa had told him was extremely wasteful.
There was also the minor detail that a rabbit’s head was a much smaller target. Niko was starting to understand how Manfred the Younger had become as good as he was. He had needed to be in order to live up to Opa’s standards. Lining up the hooded front sight at the end of the sixty-six-centimeter barrel with the rear notch, Niko squeezed the trigger. As recoil pushed the stock into his shoulder, he remembered not to flinch in anticipation. It was a mistake that Bas often made. The bullet has left the rifle before you feel it, he had been told.
Niko waited for the rifle to stabilize and restore the sight picture before he worked the bolt. He could see that the rabbit was sprinting for the bushes on the far side of the clearing, because he had clearly missed.
“My turn now” Bas said delightedly as Niko handed the rifle to him. Niko hit the target occasionally. Bas almost never did, and he didn’t seem to mind. Manny though. He could have made that shot on a running rabbit, Niko had seen him do it. Opa said it was from natural talent that had taken years of practice to come to fruition. Niko could do the same thing if he applied himself and there were no shortcuts.
He knew that Opa would want to discuss this with him at length tonight. He would also need to do the messy work of dressing the rabbits he had managed to get. Those would go to the Kennel Master and be used to feed the dogs.
6th August 1970
Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport
It was the end of an era for the 18th Fast Attack Wing. For years they had used various versions of the Arado Pfeil and as of today, that was officially over. All remaining Pfeil aircraft in the inventory were to be decommissioned per language of Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty of 1968. They were a nuclear capable fighter-bomber that had, in theory, enough range to hit intercontinental targets even if it would have been a one-way trip. That had been what had doomed them as opposed to their growing obsolescence. Everyone in the Air Wing knew that it was a load of shit, their planes had been thrown into the treaty because they had become a fleet of aging aircraft that the Luftwaffe could afford to sacrifice without harming the rest of the Service Branch.
It was something of a disappointment for SKG 18 when that announcement had been made a couple months earlier. Then had come watching as ferry crews came and took the airplanes away a few at a time. Everyone knew that they had been taken to Kaiserslautern, then cut up and laid out for the whole world to see. For Ben and Wim, it had felt like they had let an old friend down when they had handed off Black Knight III to the ground crew for the last time.
Today, they were being briefed on the Arado Orkan, the fighter-bomber that would replace Pfeil in the coming days. Judging from the photographs it was much smaller and supposedly it had greater flexibility. It was another Transatlantic project by Avro and Arado. To Ben’s eye, it seemed to lack the greatest quality of the Pfeil. Which was that the Pfeil looked extremely fast while still parked on the tarmac, so they knew it was a hot ride from the instant the wheels left the runway. Or as Wim said, it felt like trading in a Porsche for a Volkswagen. It remained to be seen if this was the Föhn Sports Package or the almost comically underpowered Microbus.
As Ben listened to the representative from Arado drone on about engine thrust, radar, variable sweep, whatever that was, and he just kept tuning him out. All of this would be in the guidebook and he would need to do a check ride in a trainer before he flew the new plane for real. So, little of this briefing really mattered. His mind kept going back to how Kiki had looked the last time he had seen her. She had just gotten back from a Doctor’s appointment and there was a car sent by her Commanding Officer there to pick her up. They hardly had time to talk, she had only a few minutes to pack her things. Before she had left, she had kissed him and told him she would call when she got to Wunsdorf and knew more.
Sure, she had called him the next day, but she had told him that the 34th Medical Services Regiment would be deploying with the 4th Panzer Division to South America. The trouble was that Ben knew that he would not be seeing her for months. She had also told him about how they had basically not been using any contraception over the last few months by accident. They had gotten lucky, and nothing had happened. Ben did sort of question if that was truly a lucky outcome. If Kiki had gotten pregnant, she wouldn’t be deploying overseas, and he figured that she would be able to not feel she was letting anyone down because it would have been beyond her control.
Was he being selfish to even consider that?
All Ben knew was that Kiki’s sudden departure had almost been painful this time. Finding himself sitting on the couch with Rauchbier and it being a question of who missed Kiki more had really driven that home.
Rural Silesia
Nico took careful aim with his rifle as one had to do when hunting rabbits. They were widely regarded as pests by the farmers, and the phrase breeding like rabbits came into play. There was never a shortage of them. The trouble was that his rifle was chambered to the standard service cartridge of the Army and hitting a rabbit center-mass did ugly things to it. Which Opa had told him was extremely wasteful.
There was also the minor detail that a rabbit’s head was a much smaller target. Niko was starting to understand how Manfred the Younger had become as good as he was. He had needed to be in order to live up to Opa’s standards. Lining up the hooded front sight at the end of the sixty-six-centimeter barrel with the rear notch, Niko squeezed the trigger. As recoil pushed the stock into his shoulder, he remembered not to flinch in anticipation. It was a mistake that Bas often made. The bullet has left the rifle before you feel it, he had been told.
Niko waited for the rifle to stabilize and restore the sight picture before he worked the bolt. He could see that the rabbit was sprinting for the bushes on the far side of the clearing, because he had clearly missed.
“My turn now” Bas said delightedly as Niko handed the rifle to him. Niko hit the target occasionally. Bas almost never did, and he didn’t seem to mind. Manny though. He could have made that shot on a running rabbit, Niko had seen him do it. Opa said it was from natural talent that had taken years of practice to come to fruition. Niko could do the same thing if he applied himself and there were no shortcuts.
He knew that Opa would want to discuss this with him at length tonight. He would also need to do the messy work of dressing the rabbits he had managed to get. Those would go to the Kennel Master and be used to feed the dogs.