Chương 169: Chapter 168 Owing a Favor to the East Wind
Having narrowly avoided the Soviet artillery bombardment, Lynn was unable to drive back to the Army Library as planned. About 500 meters from their destination, the car ran out of gas, leaving the empty tank unable to provide even a drop of fuel for the engine. Wolf Room and Noah had to get out and push the car, receiving spontaneous help from several soldiers of the "Nordic" Division along the way. They finally arrived at the Army Library building after a difficult and tortuous journey.
Upon seeing their comrades return, Tanz, Techimer, and Brule were overjoyed and relieved. Gathered together, they had no food for a reunion lunch, so they silently sat around, deeply mourning their brave fallen comrades and sincerely praying for their severely wounded companions.
In the gloomy afternoon, the Soviet artillery bombardment finally extended to the western end of the Bodhi Tree Avenue. Not only was the defense zone of the "Nordic" Division subjected to intense shelling, but many buildings around the Army Library were also hit by heavy shells. Lynn and his soldiers witnessed some ordinary houses collapsing in the explosions. However, in terms of their hiding place, they didn't need to worry too much because the Army Library, despite its lack of aesthetic appeal, was built entirely of reinforced concrete, with both the pillars and outer walls very sturdy. After removing the glass windows, sealing them with bricks, and reinforcing them accordingly, they became impregnable fortresses for urban warfare. Moreover, the modern fortifications built later, such as anti-aircraft gun turrets, were even more resilient against long-range or direct artillery attacks, reportedly only vulnerable to armor-piercing shells from battleships.
"Don't worry, guys. General Kessler of the City Defense Command personally promised me that food, ammunition, and fuel will be delivered!" Lynn first encouraged his soldiers, then confessed, "At that time, we will undertake a feat that will change our destinies. I hope you can cast aside any doubts and place your complete trust in me!"
After the harrowing and extraordinary battles they had endured together, the camaraderie among the comrades had reached the level Lynn had envisioned. Brule, Wolf Room, Tanz, Techimer, and Noah had entrusted their personal trust and fate to him to the fullest extent. As for Private Frederick, who joined the team later, Lynn temporarily assigned him to guard duty, planning to talk to him separately after the old comrades settled matters and decide his final affiliation based on the situation.
In the absence of outsiders, Lynn looked into the eyes and faces of these five soldiers and said in a slightly lowered voice, "Guys, even if Berlin falls, we will not surrender. The great German spirit will guide us to continue the fight. Therefore, we need to break out of the enemy's encirclement and go to the south where the main forces are gathering, waiting for the call to counterattack! It is said... that the Soviet deployment in the southwest direction of Berlin is relatively weak, and there may be a chance to break through from there."
The battle between reason and emotion was evident. Although the soldiers were somewhat surprised and puzzled, they all gave unwavering support to Lynn's decision.
With previous concerns now dispelled, Lynn further addressed the soldiers, "Some words may be disappointing and frustrating, but... if you remember what I said to Sergeant Jonas before he died, Germany will rise eventually - to defeat all enemies in the next war! To achieve this wish, I need every one of you, never give up your proud fighting spirit, and follow me to accomplish something that will make us proud for a lifetime! Can you promise me?"
"Yes, I promise, unconditionally follow you, like those warriors who relentlessly pursued truth after the failure of the last war, especially our great leader!" Brule quickly responded, his logical and emotional words almost bringing tears to the eyes of the young privates, Tanz and Techimer, who pledged to follow Lynn.
Finally, it was Wolf Room's turn to make a decision. His decisive and resolute attitude even exceeded Lynn's expectations. "Sir, you are so brave and wise, both on the battlefield and in life. I, Gordon Wolf Room, swear by the name of Germany to follow our eternal commander, Sergeant Lynn Gargo, forever. No matter what dangers we encounter, no matter what happens, I will stick with you till the end!"
Moved by his words, Lynn pondered this phrase that could be considered an oath. "In the name of Germany," meant that what he was doing must be in the interest of the country and the nation - for now, it was a reasonable reservation. As for Wolf Room's caution and sophistication, Lynn had to regard him in a new light.
Lastly, Noah patted his chest, "Whatever Commander Gargo says, I'll do without question. That's absolutely unquestionable!"
"Good!" Lynn said firmly, "Guys, I consider you all my brothers. Today, I swear to the heavens: our blood is united, our destinies intertwined. In times of hardship, I will never abandon any brother; in times of temptation, I will never abandon any brother!"
As if knowing Lynn wanted to display a sense of unwavering loyalty, the intense artillery fire outside seemed to cheer for him. In a moment, Frederick rushed over with his gun, "Sir, sir, a truck outside was hit by enemy shells. It seems to be from the City Defense Command!"
"What?" Lynn was surprised. He hurried to the side mentioned by Frederick and, through bullet holes in the window, indeed saw a military truck, dark gray in color, overturned on the street more than two hundred meters from the building. Some German soldiers had already arrived and rescued the wounded from the cab, busy unloading things from the cargo compartment.
If it was supplies from the City Defense Command, there was still room for coordination if friendly forces took them, but going back and forth would inevitably delay time, and once the food entered the soldiers' stomachs, the situation would be somewhat troublesome. With these selfish thoughts in mind, Lynn quickly called everyone, "Let's go downstairs quickly!"
As they reached the ground floor, Lynn realized that the Soviet artillery fire was still fierce, and the German soldiers who went to help were really risking their lives. At this point, Lynn didn't want to lose any more subordinates temporarily under the threat of the Soviet artillery, so he let the rest wait here and rushed over with Frederick. At this moment, the injured driver had been carried to a shelter by the roadside. When Lynn asked, it turned out that the supplies delivered by the City Defense Command were two baskets of 200 pounds of bread, 200 liters of gasoline in four portable oil drums, four boxes of ammunition, and six assault rifles. Considering that he didn't specify the exact quantity to General Kessler, he might have allocated according to the size of the Night Commando unit. Except for gasoline, there were still sufficient bread and ammunition for Lynn's team's current number. When Lynn was ready to go to the overturned truck to see the situation, there was a muffled bang. A large fireball rose from the rear of the truck, quickly spreading forward, igniting the fuel tank and cab. With the wind, the entire truck was soon engulfed by the blaze. Under the intimidation of the Soviet artillery fire, the nearby German soldiers had no way to extinguish the fire.
"My God..." The German driver, whose forehead wound was still bleeding, couldn't help but sigh. After a while, medics came to bandage his wound, and a Waffen-SS lieutenant with a short beard followed closely and said to the driver, "My soldiers have rescued bread and ammunition, as for the rest, we can't do anything!"
In a hurry, Lynn asked, "Huh? Don't you guys have any common sense? Shouldn't you remove the gasoline first in this situation?"
"Gasoline?" The lieutenant looked at Lynn with surprise and a hint of displeasure. Then he scrutinized Lynn and asked, "Who are you? Why are you talking like this?"
As soon as the words were spoken, Lynn realized his recklessness. He saw that the SS lieutenant wore the insignia of the "Nordic" Division on his cuff, so he quickly changed to a more friendly tone and said, "Sir, I'm Commander Lynn Gargo of the Berlin 11th Night Raid Commando, and before that, I served in the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Company of the 'Nordic' Division's 24th 'Danish' Armored Grenadier Regiment!"
"Oh, that's how it is!" The lieutenant's expression softened, "I'm Lieutenant Herbert Letz of the 1st Company, 3rd Platoon of the 'Nordic' Division's 11th Sniper Regiment. I heard... the supplies on this truck are for your special forces?"
"Yes!" Lynn turned to look at the driver sitting next to him to indicate that he was not talking nonsense.
The lieutenant signaled Lynn to walk aside with him and then said in a low voice, "So... Sergeant Gargo, since you have served in the 'Nordic' Division, we can consider ourselves comrades and discuss it with you!"
As soon as he spoke, Lynn knew it was about food and ammunition. He didn't rush to veto but wanted to see what conditions the other party had.
The lieutenant then spoke with a deep and helpless tone, "The reason why our soldiers risked their lives to rescue these supplies from the truck on the verge of exploding is that we are desperately short of food and ammunition! In the past two days, each of our soldiers could only get 50 grams of bread, mind you, not per day, but every two days! Many people, let alone building fortifications, don't even have the strength to hold a gun anymore. Moreover, the ammunition obtained from the arsenal is concentrated on supplying two armored grenadier regiments. They had a major operation last night, and the consumption was indeed considerable. Our soldiers now only have the most basic ammunition, and once the fighting starts, they won't be able to sustain it for long!"
Lynn considered for a moment, then looked at the lieutenant's soldiers, "I also roughly understand the situation, and it is indeed not optimistic. But since we still have some important tasks to accomplish, at least... leave us 100 pounds of bread, 2 MP44s, and a third of the ammunition, right?"
The lieutenant did not express agreement or disagreement directly but stated his opinion, "If it weren't for our soldiers risking their lives to transport these supplies from the truck about to explode, those supplies would have been destroyed along with the truck!"
Lynn couldn't help but look at the burning truck. Stepping back, he said, "50 pounds of bread is absolutely essential. Two MP44s don't mean much to you. As for ammunition, give us at least 1000 rounds of bullets and 20 hand grenades. Also... can you find a way to get us a barrel of gasoline?"
"Gasoline?" The lieutenant repeated the same words with the same expression for the second time. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "How many people and how many cars do you have?"
"This belongs to operational confidentiality... 15 people, 2 cars!" Lynn deliberately doubled the number.
"All right!" The lieutenant laid out his final conditions, "30 pounds of bread, 2 MP44s, 600 rounds of bullets, 15 hand grenades, and we'll provide 20 liters of gasoline!"
Although Lynn didn't like bargaining, he knew that since he had chosen an unusual path, bargaining in the future was inevitable. Therefore, he insisted on 50 liters of gasoline, but the lieutenant said he couldn't provide that much. Finally, Lynn compromised again and had the lieutenant's subordinates provide three 88mm anti-tank rockets as compensation.
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