Lieutenant James was a three-year veteran.
His father, worried that his son's playboy nature would tarnish the family name, eagerly sent him into the army as soon as he was of age. Unfortunately, James, known for his flirtatious ways, didn't settle down in the military either, often getting into trouble for his dalliances, earning several disciplinary marks. If not for his father's influence, he might have been kicked out as a disgrace long ago.
Thus, while his peers were promoted, he remained a pitiful private second class, not even selected for the prestigious Expeditionary Force.
Yes, "prestigious" - to fight shoulder to shoulder with their ally France against the despicable German invaders, soldiers eagerly signed up for the Expeditionary Force. James might have been a womanizer, but he was no coward; he wanted to prove himself like a real man through fire and blood. However, perhaps due to concerns that he would bring his bad habits to France and embarrass the British, his request was denied, leaving him in Britain.
As everyone knows, the proud and confident Expeditionary Force that crossed the sea to land in France was easily encircled by the Germans and sent en masse to prisoner-of-war camps.
With the sudden loss of nearly 300,000 elite troops, the British high command fell into a state of panic, fearing an imminent German cross-channel invasion. They frantically expanded the army and bolstered defenses. This made veterans like James highly valued. He thought he'd be a private forever, but he was suddenly promoted to corporal, then acting platoon leader, and before long, acting company commander. Now, he was officially a company commander, though his troops were all rookies, barely knowing how to fire a gun.
A few days ago, his regiment was sent to Norwich to reinforce the coastal defenses. Their defensive positions weren't even finished when the Germans attacked. No one expected the Germans to choose such a spot far from any port for their assault.
From the morning's regimental meeting, he learned that German paratroopers had landed behind them, destroying roads, capturing bridges, and even massacring their wives and children. But as a coastal defense unit, they could do nothing. They hoped the Germans would suffer heavy casualties during the landing, giving up and allowing them to turn and deal with the paratroopers.
Unfortunately, the German combat effectiveness once again exceeded all expectations. The German landing forces effortlessly broke through the first line of defense and advanced aggressively towards their unfinished line.
"Bang!" Raising his Lee-Enfield rifle, James shot a German soldier who was continuously firing. After three years in the service, he was confident in his marksmanship.
As expected, the German soldier fell, but the one beside him noticed James and opened fire.
"..." James suddenly felt as if his chest had been struck by a sledgehammer several times, and he fell powerlessly. His last thought was about the legendary rifle that could keep firing.
With minimal casualties, German soldiers, under the cover of intense machine gun fire, approached the British trenches. They threw grenades in a barrage before charging and jumping into the trenches. Some barely alive British soldiers tried to resist but were quickly turned into sieves by German assault rifles and submachine guns.
The main German force pursued the fleeing British soldiers, leaving some to clean up the battlefield.
A young German face appeared before James's eyes. He thought the soldier would give him a quick death with a bayonet or a bullet, but instead, the German stared at him for a while before smiling. "Never seen someone play dead with their eyes wide open." He kicked away James's rifle and shouted, "Medic, we've got a faker here."
A medic carrying a first aid kit ran over to check the injuries. Seeing that the clothes over James's left chest were pierced but no blood was flowing, the medic curiously felt around James's chest, touching something hard. "What's this?"
Curious, the medic unbuttoned James's shirt, pulling out the hard object. When he saw what it was, he chuckled. "Ah ha, come look, this guy's a lucky one; His Highness Wilhelm saved his life."
The surrounding soldiers gathered around. "What's going on?"
The medic waved the book in his hand. "This guy had one of His Highness Wilhelm's books in his pocket; it blocked two bullets." The book had shielded James from what would have been fatal shots to the heart; although the impact broke some ribs, it saved his life.
"Whoa!"
"This guy's luck is unbelievable!"
Watching the German soldiers marvel and pass around the book with two bullet heads embedded in it, James didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He had been courting a girl with a strong literary flair who was interested in the works of the German Crown Prince. He bought the book to impress her with some famous quotes during their conversations.
Before the battle, he had stuffed the book into his chest pocket, not expecting it to become his lifesaver.
After examination, the medic found that James's wounds weren't severe; once his broken ribs and shoulder wound healed, he'd be lively again.
A few days later, James and other prisoners of war, along with German wounded, were loaded onto a Liberty ship headed back to Germany.
Hearing the long whistle of the ship, James sighed deeply. He hadn't been captured at Dunkirk with the Expeditionary Force, only to become a prisoner on British soil; it seemed he was fated to be a POW. He wondered if he would be housed with his old squad mates in the camp.
The thought of spending years in a POW camp without pretty girls around was truly chilling.
"Captain, they won't kill us all, will they?" As James was lost in thought, a timid voice came from beside him.
Without looking, James knew it was one of the new recruits from his company, whom he had even doubted was of age - just a timid, weak child. He was somewhat worried about how the kid would handle life in a POW camp. "Don't worry, if they wanted to kill you, they would have shot you on the battlefield. Why bother taking you to a POW camp?"