1300
The air is freezing and the snow is starting to fall more frequently now. The beasts have left us alone for a while now. We all now have formed a thirty yard circular defensive position with the tanks behind the infantry. I brief my crew of the grisly events that just occured. "So these things took out two krauts and a tank?" asks Sammy. "Yes." I reply half out of my hatch scanning the tree line. "And Fritz wants to team up against them?" asks Sammy. "Yes." I reply as I keep scanning. "What where those things Boss?" asks Lucky. I reply, " I dont know." "Sounds like the works of the Devil, Sah." says Daunte.
Capitan Davis and the German Major dismount their tanks and meet in the middle of our defensive parameter. After a while of talking, the two shake hands. Suddenly Captain Davis shouts, "Smith get over here." I climb out of the hatch and jump down the side of the tank. My boots crunch in the fresh powdery snow. I trek through the cold wind as it dusts me with the icy substances. I look to the germans in their white SS uniforms, their ranks appear to be made up of teenagers and old men. I join the small committee and ask "Yes sir?" He states, "Smith, this is Major Hans von Krieger. He is with the 49th SS Panzer Grenadiers and is now our unofficial ally." I look to the aged Major, wrinkles and tired blue eyes make up his features. You can see where his gray hair use to be blond. I extend my hand and he reciprocates and we both give a firm hand shake.
Just then the Stug tank commander joins us and looks to us with disgust. He is a young man could be in his twenties, blond hair and piercing blue eyes. His uniform is black and swastika medallions adorn him. He poses the pink tabs of a German tanker. He speaks to the Major slyly in german. The Major glares at him. "What's he saying?" asks Captain Davis.The Major reluctantly replies, " He is wondering why your nation has stooped to using an inferior race to fight this war." Captain Davis replies to the Stug commander astonished," Inferior race? At least we are not using old men and boys." The Major intercedes," You must forgive him Captain, he is young and he has not yet seen through the lies." Suddenly the Stug commander hurls a foreign insult and spits in front of the Captain. The Major snaps at him in german. The Stug commander cockily dismiss the Major and walks off. The major looks to us with sincerity, "My apologies Captain."
Just then we are interrupted by yelling, " What did you call me, you kraut bastard? I'll blow your nazi brains out!" There is equivalent threats in german. Now there is more shouting. We turn around and I am terrified for several men of both nationalities have rifles raised to one another. Oh God, they are going to kill each other! The Major, the Captain and I sprint over to the showdown. The shouting grows louder now as more men join the standoff. Some men kneel to the ground and now two adjacent firing lines have formed.
Men yell and curse back and forth to one another. The tension is so high you could cut it. I am almost to afraid to move for I feel that one wrong slip and a slaughter will occur. I hear bolts and the sounds of guns cocking and loading. The Major starts to bark orders in german and Captain Davis shouts, " Enough of this!" One of our coloured soldiers asks, his rifle sights lined on a German soldier, "Do we have to work with these kraut assholes Captain?" The Captain and Major try to subdue the tensions on both sides. Slowly rifles begin to be lowered. " Look I know you don't like it but right now we have to work with them. Now get back on the line." say Captain Davis. Low grumbling can be heard as the men disperse. The German Major convinces his troops the same and they too disperse with gripes in their language.
Captain Davis heads toward the Major and says," Well Major, I believe we should get going." Major Von Krieger turns sharply and utters worriedly, " No you cannot leave American, the creatures are not finished with us. We need every available man to ward them off." Captain Davis responds, " Major, I am sure they are gone by now. And we have a war to win and we can't do that by staying here." The Major returns," You are making a mistake Captain." Captain Davis's reply is," Don't worry, we should have enough firepower to kill the bastards." The Major shakes his head in disapproval. "Sargent Rainstaff." says Captain Davis,"Take a few men and scout us a way out of these woods." Sargent Rainstaff looks to the Captian, eyes wide with fear, and shakes his head in a pleading no. Captain Davis rolls his eyes and says," Sargent Comack, take some men and scout the woods." A flush of relief flashes on Sargent Rainstaffs face. "Yes sir. Tolls, Pickman, Harris, you're with me." is Sargent Comack's response. The soldiers, in their olive green combat fatigues, rise and gather their weapons.
They begin their march across the white snowy plain. I hear the crunching of their boots fade. Soon they disappear into the brush. A silence so quiet as to where one can hear the collective breathing of our congregation falls over us as we anxiously await their return. After fifteen minutes or so of silence, The Captain flashes a confident grin. Suddenly distant screams from deep in the woods sound out followed by gunfire. The Captain's grin disappears into a face of shock. Out burst from the tree line comes one of our coloured soldiers, uniform torn and bloody, sprinting across the snowy landscape. He sprints as fast as his legs will allow him to, kicking up a trail of snow behind him.
He runs up to the Captain and, out of breath, says," Cap'n.... there are.... dozens of them.... They got the....rest of my squad." The Captain appears shocked, and then we see a figure emerge from the brush. Another one of the lost patrol! He walks slowly dragging his feet in the snow. He looks to be horribly mauled but what catches my eye the most is his severed left arm. A bloody stump is all that remains, blood trails in the white snow behind him. He suddenly stops and drops to his knees. His face is pale and covered in lacerations. Suddenly one of the furry monsters emerge from the tree line behind the man. The creature, in a flash, races over to the kneeling soldier and hovers over him. The beast is massive with dark black fur, a wolfs snout and piercing red eyes. In a sudden motion the creature lounges and bites down on his victim. In another flash of movement, it picks up the disabled soldier and quickly carries him off back into the woods.
We just stay shocked for this feels unreal. I look to Captain Davis, his mouth agape with shock. He shakes off his emotions and turns to Major Von Krieger and speaks, " Major, I believe that I see your point." The Major just nods and shouts something in his language. The German soldiers rise and bring out their entrenching tools, they begin digging fox holes at the parameter. Capitan Davis turns and announces, " Alright men, we are going to be here a while. Dig in." Soon our men begin to aquire their shovels and begin to dig themselves fighting holes.