Part 58, Chapter 808
Chapter Eight Hundred Eight
8th March 1950
Near Weed, Rural Northern California
The train was passing through the mountains that marked the border between Oregon and California, after months of working in the mills Alan Jensen had finally had enough. It was telling that even though he was living at his parent’s house essentially rent free he had still been unable to get ahead even after working for months. Then winter had arrived and the work at the pulp mill slowed down. After that he was still living at home and he was flat broke on top of it. Months earlier, his father had suggested that he had three options in Puyallup. Army, Navy or never getting out. Alan had decided that another option was needed.
Instead, Alan had bought a train ticket to San Francisco. He had read an article about jobs that were opening in new fields there and it seemed better than coming home smelling like industrial bleach, which smelled like cat piss only a thousand times worse. If his sister could get out and go on to her new job in Europe, then there to be more for him than joining the military. Having some jackass barking in his ear wasn’t his idea of a fun time. Waking up to see Mount Shasta gleaming in the predawn light had certainly made him feel like he was on the right track.
Wunsdorf-Zossen
“Carrying the bone saw is one of the most important jobs in the Squad” Jost Schultz said with a wicked grin, “Try not to fuck it up like you’ve done with everything else.”
Stefan knew why this had been done, Hans may have relented a little ahead of the scheduled Spring Maneuvers, but Spear Schultz was a different story. The entire Regiment needed to be preparing for that. Spear Schultz had forgotten nothing and was still looking to get even for past slights. He’d had Stefan assigned to be one of the Platoon’s gunners, a backbreaking job that in the event of war had arguably the shortest life expectancy. He could feel the weight of the MG42/48, all eleven kilograms of it on its sling plus the 2500 rounds of 8mm JS he was carrying that was threatening to cause him to sink into ground.
Jost stepped back and addressed the entire Platoon. “The Oberst has also decided that you all will go for a nice walk through the countryside this afternoon.” That was met with groans that were music to Spear Schultz’s ears.
Stefan knew better than to say it aloud but the thought that rolled through his head was “Just shoot me now.”
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Generaloberst Walter Horst was back, not as a Commander of an Army Corps but as the Inspector of the Panzer Corps. The High Command was looking to have him put his theories along with the lessons of the South African Campaign into practice.
“Still walking Oberstlieutenant?” Horst said to Hans from the passenger seat of his car, “It gives you an odd reputation.”
“Old habits die hard, Sir” Hans said.
“You’ve also managed to get yourself known as a bit of a hardass, always a good thing for an Officer’s reputation” Horst said, “Kicked you’re your own brother’s ass I hear.”
That was not what Hans had been aiming for. “It’s not quite like that, Sir” Hans said.
“Whatever, is the Fahnenjunker around? I’d like to meet him.”
“You mean the Soldat, Sir” Hans corrected.
Horst started laughing at that. “You made your kid brother start from the very bottom? You’re an even harder man then even I imagined.”
That was not what had happened at all and Hans was finding he wasn’t liking how this had worked out.
Essen
“Ilse called” Hilde said, “She wanted to let you know that she made it home safely.”
Kat sat there at the kitchen, they were waiting for Heinrich to get home and join them for dinner. Hilde had insisted that she not help. The girls could do everything, and Kat was still recuperating from a serious illness. She looked at the cup of tea in her hand and wished it were coffee. She had been feeling better, but the Doctors had warned her against complacency. She would start to feel better but if she fell right back into old habits then she would get sick again.
“She understands matters like this” Kat said, “I think she likes that she has someone to call when she gets home.”
“She made it sound like she has a full plate, a major project in Silesia.” Hilde saw Kat wince when she mentioned that.
“That project is going to be Ilse’s undoing” Kat said.
“Really?” Hilde said, “It didn’t sound that way to me, it sounds like an incredible opportunity for her.”
Kat sighed, how to make Hilde understand this.
“Ilse has her difficulties” Kat said, “That project puts her in social circles in Silesia that only accept her because of her personal connection to me and Helene. I fear she’s eventually going to get introduced to someone she’s going to fall in love with and it will all become unraveled because the family of the person she’s in love with will learn too much about her.”
“I don’t understand” Hilde said.
“You heard her talk about how she grew up, how she gets upset if people have a romantic view of her childhood” Kat said, “All around her were cases of abuse and neglect. She mentions terrible things that happened to others. Do you think those things never touched her?”
Kat saw the look on Hilde’s face as she struggled to understand.
“She said that she saw what happened and avoided it if she could. She strikes me as a sensible girl” Hilde said, “Right?”
Kat sighed, she wished with all her heart that that had even been possible. “Ilse was alone from the time she was born, she had no family, no one to protect her. Ilse pretends that a lot of things that happened to her, happened to other people and she embellishes a great deal to obscure the truth because it is incredibly painful.”
Hilde looked at Kat with a surprised expression on her face as she understood what Kat was saying.
8th March 1950
Near Weed, Rural Northern California
The train was passing through the mountains that marked the border between Oregon and California, after months of working in the mills Alan Jensen had finally had enough. It was telling that even though he was living at his parent’s house essentially rent free he had still been unable to get ahead even after working for months. Then winter had arrived and the work at the pulp mill slowed down. After that he was still living at home and he was flat broke on top of it. Months earlier, his father had suggested that he had three options in Puyallup. Army, Navy or never getting out. Alan had decided that another option was needed.
Instead, Alan had bought a train ticket to San Francisco. He had read an article about jobs that were opening in new fields there and it seemed better than coming home smelling like industrial bleach, which smelled like cat piss only a thousand times worse. If his sister could get out and go on to her new job in Europe, then there to be more for him than joining the military. Having some jackass barking in his ear wasn’t his idea of a fun time. Waking up to see Mount Shasta gleaming in the predawn light had certainly made him feel like he was on the right track.
Wunsdorf-Zossen
“Carrying the bone saw is one of the most important jobs in the Squad” Jost Schultz said with a wicked grin, “Try not to fuck it up like you’ve done with everything else.”
Stefan knew why this had been done, Hans may have relented a little ahead of the scheduled Spring Maneuvers, but Spear Schultz was a different story. The entire Regiment needed to be preparing for that. Spear Schultz had forgotten nothing and was still looking to get even for past slights. He’d had Stefan assigned to be one of the Platoon’s gunners, a backbreaking job that in the event of war had arguably the shortest life expectancy. He could feel the weight of the MG42/48, all eleven kilograms of it on its sling plus the 2500 rounds of 8mm JS he was carrying that was threatening to cause him to sink into ground.
Jost stepped back and addressed the entire Platoon. “The Oberst has also decided that you all will go for a nice walk through the countryside this afternoon.” That was met with groans that were music to Spear Schultz’s ears.
Stefan knew better than to say it aloud but the thought that rolled through his head was “Just shoot me now.”
----------------------------------------------------------------
Generaloberst Walter Horst was back, not as a Commander of an Army Corps but as the Inspector of the Panzer Corps. The High Command was looking to have him put his theories along with the lessons of the South African Campaign into practice.
“Still walking Oberstlieutenant?” Horst said to Hans from the passenger seat of his car, “It gives you an odd reputation.”
“Old habits die hard, Sir” Hans said.
“You’ve also managed to get yourself known as a bit of a hardass, always a good thing for an Officer’s reputation” Horst said, “Kicked you’re your own brother’s ass I hear.”
That was not what Hans had been aiming for. “It’s not quite like that, Sir” Hans said.
“Whatever, is the Fahnenjunker around? I’d like to meet him.”
“You mean the Soldat, Sir” Hans corrected.
Horst started laughing at that. “You made your kid brother start from the very bottom? You’re an even harder man then even I imagined.”
That was not what had happened at all and Hans was finding he wasn’t liking how this had worked out.
Essen
“Ilse called” Hilde said, “She wanted to let you know that she made it home safely.”
Kat sat there at the kitchen, they were waiting for Heinrich to get home and join them for dinner. Hilde had insisted that she not help. The girls could do everything, and Kat was still recuperating from a serious illness. She looked at the cup of tea in her hand and wished it were coffee. She had been feeling better, but the Doctors had warned her against complacency. She would start to feel better but if she fell right back into old habits then she would get sick again.
“She understands matters like this” Kat said, “I think she likes that she has someone to call when she gets home.”
“She made it sound like she has a full plate, a major project in Silesia.” Hilde saw Kat wince when she mentioned that.
“That project is going to be Ilse’s undoing” Kat said.
“Really?” Hilde said, “It didn’t sound that way to me, it sounds like an incredible opportunity for her.”
Kat sighed, how to make Hilde understand this.
“Ilse has her difficulties” Kat said, “That project puts her in social circles in Silesia that only accept her because of her personal connection to me and Helene. I fear she’s eventually going to get introduced to someone she’s going to fall in love with and it will all become unraveled because the family of the person she’s in love with will learn too much about her.”
“I don’t understand” Hilde said.
“You heard her talk about how she grew up, how she gets upset if people have a romantic view of her childhood” Kat said, “All around her were cases of abuse and neglect. She mentions terrible things that happened to others. Do you think those things never touched her?”
Kat saw the look on Hilde’s face as she struggled to understand.
“She said that she saw what happened and avoided it if she could. She strikes me as a sensible girl” Hilde said, “Right?”
Kat sighed, she wished with all her heart that that had even been possible. “Ilse was alone from the time she was born, she had no family, no one to protect her. Ilse pretends that a lot of things that happened to her, happened to other people and she embellishes a great deal to obscure the truth because it is incredibly painful.”
Hilde looked at Kat with a surprised expression on her face as she understood what Kat was saying.
