Capítulo 44: Chapter 5: Allies or Adversaries
Accompanied by a highly commendable medical evaluation, Logan was discharged from the hospital and proceeded directly to General Püchler's headquarters in Saarlouis, along with Lieutenant Steinfelberg.
At the age of 48, General Püchler was meticulous yet enthusiastic. Upon Logan's return, he immediately entrusted him with the command of the newly arrived contingent of over 200 paratroopers and convened all battalion-level officers of the division in the main conference room.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let us warmly welcome the hero of Dunkirk, recipient of the Knight's Cross... Captain Hans Logan and his deputy, Lieutenant Brent Steinfelberg!"
The hero of Dunkirk? It sounded even more prestigious than "brave paratrooper assaulters," Logan thought to himself. Facing the applause and admiration of his colleagues, he delivered a Chinese-style gratitude speech:
"Thank you all for your concern, help, and support. To achieve any success in the past few days, I must first thank General Stüdent for his prompt recovery. Secondly, I want to express my special thanks to General Püchler. His outstanding command during the operations in attacking the Netherlands and Belgium allowed us to return with glory. Being received and praised by the Fuhrer, I am honored not only for my identity as a paratrooper but also for having outstanding comrades like you!"
Although Germans were not accustomed to such modesty, Logan still garnered another round of enthusiastic applause.
Next, General Püchler announced, "According to the Fuhrer's instructions, we will establish a new unit: the Model Paratrooper Battalion! In the component plan we have just submitted, Captain Hans Logan will serve as the commanding officer, with a lieutenant assigned by the 22nd Division as the deputy commander, and Lieutenant Brent Steinfelberg will be the first officer!"
From the reactions of the officers, it seemed they were already aware of the situation. Regarding Logan, their gazes varied: there was envy, admiration, and even some skeptical looks.
In today's German Air Force, it was not uncommon for a 27-year-old to hold the rank of captain, given a group of young pilots who had distinguished themselves in the Polish campaign were promoted. However, being appointed as the commanding officer of a special battalion at the age of 27 was still quite rare. Among the officers present, Captain Karl Schultz, the commanding officer of the 3rd Company of the 1st Paratrooper Regiment, was 33 years old, and Captain Walter, the commanding officer of the 1st Company, was 37. Among these relatively young officers compared to army officers, Logan's age was indeed quite remarkable.
Coincidentally, Logan and his deputy, Lieutenant Steinfelberg, were both 27 years old. However, Steinfelberg was born in the autumn, while Logan's records indicated he was born on November 14, 1913, in Königsberg, Germany. Considering the months, Logan was still the youngest among them. If one also considered his "psychological age" of only 23, this newly formed Model Paratrooper Battalion could be considered truly led by a "youngster"! (However, even though being a 23-year-old captain was not a record in the German army, there was a staff officer in the 7th Air Division named Fritz Grip, who became an Air Force Major at the age of 24. Unfortunately, he died of colon cancer at the end of 1940, truly an untimely death!)
"Based on General Stüdent's vision and the draft we submitted to the Supreme High Command, the officers and soldiers of the Model Paratrooper Battalion will mainly come from our division and the 22nd Airborne Division, as well as personnel from reserve units. If there are no objections, I suggest that we draw up personnel lists from each unit within two days and report them up the chain of command, with each person automatically promoted one rank upon joining the Model Paratrooper Battalion. For units that have suffered significant losses in the previous stage, special applications can be made to reduce the number of personnel drawn!"
After General Püchler finished speaking, the regimental and battalion commanders began to discuss. Currently, apart from the units under the division, the 7th Air Division consisted of 28 paratrooper companies, 6 machine gun companies, 5 mortar companies, and 5 heavy artillery companies. Following this ratio, more than 500 experienced paratrooper officers and soldiers would be drawn from the various units!
"Our regiment has a casualty rate of over thirty percent!"
Logan glanced at the first speaker, a middle-aged man with a strong physique and a fierce appearance, wearing a Knight's Iron Cross just like himself.
Who is he? Bruno Brouwer, Alfred Stürm, or von Scholz? It shouldn't be von Scholz; he's an army colonel, and this man is clearly an Air Force colonel. The "real" Logan wouldn't have such doubts, but even though our "counterfeit Logan" did some homework through Steinfelberg before coming here, it was still not enough to accurately match these officers.
The first officer who spoke did not express any opinion, nor did the second officer.
"Our regiment has fewer casualties, but the 1st and 2nd battalions were supposed to draw personnel to form the new 3rd battalion!" said a middle-aged Air Force colonel. Judging by his features, he must have been quite a charming young man in his youth, but his weathered face was now wrinkled, and his eye bags could almost be used as a purse.
The third speaker was a nondescript middle-aged officer wearing an army uniform different from most of the others, with the shoulder boards and collar tabs of an army colonel.
He must be Dietrich von Scholz! Logan speculated. The 7th Parachute Division currently only had two paratrooper regiments, and this third regiment was borrowed from the 16th Infantry Regiment of the 22nd Division, still under the army's command. Its commander, Dietrich von Scholz, was still relatively unknown, but if history followed its original trajectory, he would save Paris from being burned down four years later—a fate that the Little Moustache considered him a traitor for, but in the eyes of the Allies, he was a fair and upright German officer.
"Our regiment has the fewest casualties. If the General and the Captain don't mind that most of my soldiers are inexperienced rookies, then of course, I fully support it!"
It was somewhat strange to describe his soldiers as "rookies," but as the colonel finished speaking, Logan's anxiety was alleviated by half. All three battalion commanders needed to support this, or else it would be troublesome!
"Our machine gun company and heavy company need officers and soldiers with extensive ground combat experience!"
Logan seized the opportunity to speak, but when he looked at von Scholz with a grateful gaze, he met a pair of deep and melancholic blue eyes, along with an expressionless face.
Do traditional aristocrats like to play the profound card?
Since each battalion commander had expressed their views, the company commanders began to speak. Especially the two battalions, which currently only had two battalions and were preparing to establish the third, were obviously reluctant to draw their elite personnel at this critical juncture—although they would have no objections if the Supreme Command and the Air Force Command officially ordered it. However, at present, it was merely General Püchler's personal intention.
"General, I have a suggestion."
The authoritative voice swept away the noise in the meeting room. Logan looked over and was surprised to see that it came from a young captain wearing the Knight's Cross Iron Cross, just like himself. Initially, he had thought that this decoration, which was even higher than the Iron Cross First Class (the highest military decoration in the German military at the time), was quite rare. Yet, to his surprise, there were several individuals in the meeting room adorned with it!
"Considering that each battalion is currently short-handed, the soldiers are manageable, but the non-commissioned officers are particularly lacking! Could we temporarily lend them to the Model Parachute Battalion, and then return them to their respective battalions once Captain Logan's unit has completed its combat integration? Or perhaps, wait for further plans after the official orders are issued?"
Püchler turned to look at Logan. "Captain, what do you think?"
In the world of professional football, loan transfers and permanent transfers are not inherently superior or inferior. Although Logan hoped to receive a large number of experienced officers and soldiers, he also understood that there was no such thing as a free lunch. Regarding the proposal from the Air Force captain, he keenly grasped a detail: there was no specific deadline for completing combat integration.
"Considering the actual situation of each unit, I think this suggestion is excellent! If everyone agrees, it would be best to arrange the personnel as soon as possible!" Logan surveyed the room, noticing that the officers' resistance seemed to have weakened considerably compared to before.
"Does anyone have any objections?" No one spoke out of turn as General Püchler raised his voice.
"Alright, let's go with this decision for now! Each company should draft their personnel lists within two days and report them step by step. All personnel should be in place by June 11th! Meeting adjourned!" Püchler settled the matter decisively, much like a gust of wind sweeping away fallen leaves.
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