Chương 131: Chapter 131: Dreams Shattered for a Millennium
Even in defensive battles, the German Panzer IV tanks and Sturmgeschütz III assault guns found themselves struggling against an equivalent number of Soviet T-34s. However, in such a hastily organized ambush, the Germans managed to annihilate a Soviet tank platoon with twelve T-34s at the cost of only two Panzer IV tanks. Adding the previously destroyed two, the casualty ratio reached 2 to 14. This remarkable achievement was primarily attributed to the direct commander, Lieutenant Fütagen.
After the battle, the young lieutenant, who appeared to be in his early twenties, decisively ordered the destruction of two immobilized Panzer IV tanks and the repairable Soviet T-34s that couldn't be towed. He then regrouped his troops and withdrew towards the defense zone of the 5th Mountain Division. Walking along the road, Lynn couldn't help but feel a sense of envy when he looked at Fütagen standing in the armored command vehicle. If he were in such a position, achieving various plans would probably be much easier than it is now!
People can choose their way of effort, but they cannot choose their background.
As dawn broke, the marching speed should have been much faster than walking in the dark at night. However, as Lynn feared, the silhouette of Soviet aircraft soon appeared in the airspace. Fortunately, their communication system was far less developed than that of the Americans, and the news of a ground armored unit being ambushed and completely wiped out hadn't yet reached the aviation units. Soviet pilots only observed the battlefield wreckage with their naked eyes, making it difficult to determine the direction of the ambushers. Nevertheless, they meticulously surveyed the surrounding area and occasionally flew low. At this point, the camouflage effect carried out by the German tank crews became evident. As long as they stopped near the roadside bushes or shrubs without actively advancing, they could still avoid attacks from the Soviet aircraft flying overhead most of the time.
Although this maneuvering was full of dangers but ultimately harmless, it slowed down the retreat of the troops. By the time this enlarged unit reached the defense zone of the 5th Mountain Division, the last batch of guarding troops had just received the retreat order from the headquarters. It was already 11 a.m., which means the troops had held their positions for four to five hours longer than expected. In Lynn's view, this should be credited to those German soldiers who were defending Oranienburg. Even at this moment, there were still sporadic sounds of gunfire coming from the city. The tragic and hopeless battle was about to unfold in Berlin soon!
Due to her special status, Eva had been dispatched back to Berlin by the 5th Mountain Division in a special car. However, Lynn did not lose the reason to go to Berlin. As a night combatant who had lost his direct superiors, he decided to lead his troops to report to the headquarters of the "Vampire" Night Raid Detachment and await new orders. Fütagen's tank destroyer platoon and the rear guard unit of the 5th Mountain Division stopped north of Berlin, and after bidding farewell to these comrades who fought side by side and went through life and death together, Lynn led his men to walk towards the city center of Berlin. Although the Allied and Soviet forces had indisputable air superiority on the Eastern and Western Fronts, in the airspace near Berlin, the German Luftwaffe was still struggling. The "Swallows" (Me262A-1 single-seat fighter aircraft) operated in pairs, occasionally driving away or even shooting down American "Mustangs" they encountered. However, most of the time, they couldn't compete with the numerous enemy aircraft formations. They simply disrupted the enemy formations with their speed advantage and flew away after a few shots.
Where are those miraculous UFOs?
Lynn still hoped for a miracle to happen. He would rather the timeline change or it was simply a different world with a similar main storyline. However, these were just wishful thoughts. In the afternoon, a large formation of Allied bombers once again covered the sky, and Lynn could see them dropping countless bombs, sending up terrifying smoke.
How could a city withstand such sustained bombing on such a scale and still stand defiant?
By evening, the group finally saw the Spree River in the distance, and across the bridge was the Berlin urban area!
In front of a sturdy defensive line running east to west, Lynn presented his credentials and the reason for reporting back. However, this time, the duty officer refused to let them pass and sternly said, "Any combat unit entering the Berlin urban area must hold a command order issued by the Supreme Command. Otherwise, they will be treated as enemy infiltrators!"
It seemed impossible to bluff through this time. Lynn had to ask the officer to contact the headquarters of the "Vampire" Night Raid Detachment on his behalf. However, even this request was rejected outright by the SS lieutenant wearing a long gray coat. Just as Lynn was at a loss, a Mercedes convertible approached from outside the city, with a young officer in black leather sitting beside the driver—but it wasn't Laurenz Bach.
The duty officer hurriedly signaled the sentry to let the car pass. The young officer in the car glanced at Lynn and his group, lazily asking, "What's going on?"
The SS lieutenant on duty promptly answered respectfully, "Sir, these people belong to the Night Raid Detachment. Their combat group was disbanded in Oranienburg, and they want to report to the Night Raid Detachment headquarters!"
"Any combat unit entering the Berlin urban area must hold a command order issued by the Supreme Command!" The young officer also adopted an official tone. He could have just left, but he still looked at Lynn curiously—carrying a full set of night vision equipment, and two Mauser M1932 submachine guns slung over his shoulder, this appearance was indeed strange!
Thinking that this meddlesome fellow might have some status, Lynn replied with a confident tone, "Our higher command has been eliminated in battle. With the consent of the field commander, Major Zigler, our unit is directly returning to report to the Night Raid Detachment headquarters. Shouldn't that be correct? Since we are direct personnel of the Night Raid Detachment headquarters, we should be entitled to enter the Berlin urban area, right?"
The officer took off his sunglasses, closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, saying, "If everything in the world could develop logically, then tell me, Private, why do the dirty and base Slavic nations still survive and fiercely counterattack?"
With the hindsight of decades later, the answer to this question was obvious, but Lynn couldn't explain it straightforwardly to a racial fanatic in 1945. After thinking for a moment, he cleverly replied, "Pigs, despite being stupid and filthy, have been alive for thousands of years, haven't they?"
The officer furrowed his brows slightly, as if finding similarities but not equating them. Opening his eyes, he looked at Lynn again, and after a moment, said to the duty officer, "Let them pass!"
The duty officer didn't dare to question at all and immediately stood at attention, saying, "Yes, sir!"
The officer put his sunglasses back on, neither saying nor doing anything, while the driver understood and drove the car forward.
"Who is he?" Lynn asked the duty officer, who looked annoyed.
The duty officer turned his head and glanced at Lynn disdainfully, saying, "Hans Andrie, Chief of the Gestapo everywhere, a trusted aide of the national leader of the SS, and you don't even know!"
Another young man wielding great power, Lynn couldn't help but sigh in his heart: at the end of the war, there were young people with distinguished status or outstanding abilities everywhere. Why was he so ordinary and mediocre?
Except for Graf and Weirig, who were sent to the field hospital of the 5th Mountain Division and couldn't be contacted for the time being, the other five subordinates were still with him. Lynn led them through the densely lined defense fortifications, only to find rows of gun barrels behind the defense line. These large-caliber anti-aircraft guns were each hidden in circular bunkers, covered with dull camouflage nets. It was quite spectacular to look at, and it was probably difficult for ordinary aircraft to pass through from low altitude!
After walking for about a kilometer, they arrived at a relatively open area by the riverbank. Standing here and looking at the Berlin urban area, even after the prolonged bombing by the Allies, many tall buildings could still be seen in the city. Even the tower-like anti-aircraft gun turrets were not outstanding compared to these old and new buildings. However, more areas of the city had turned into ruins, and the entire city appeared colorless, along with the gloomy clouds, everything in front of them was in a gray-white heavy tone.
Berlin!
Once again, Lynn arrived at the center of Germany, the millennium-old capital where the dreams of the empire were shattered. Lynn was still filled with complex emotions, and he always had a feeling deep down: this was the end point of a dream, but also the beginning of another dream. In this ending dream, he was just an insignificant soldier, powerless to influence the overall situation. But in the dream about to begin, everything would be different from before!
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