The first half of the night was still illuminated by starlight, and Lynn carefully followed the footsteps of his comrades. The first thirty or so meters were on flat ground, followed by a rather sudden slope. Seeing the soldiers ahead rapidly lowering their heads, he prepared himself mentally. Lowering his center of gravity, he cautiously and as quickly as possible descended the slope. The softness underfoot became more pronounced, and the gentle sound of flowing water was now close by.
Would they cross the river directly?
Compared to the vast plains of the Soviet hinterland, winter in eastern Germany was relatively mild, and the river had begun to thaw, signaling the approach of spring. However, the nighttime temperatures were still several degrees below zero. Even though the river was not wide and could be crossed in two or three minutes, having boots and pants soaked in water would test one's willpower and resistance to cold for a long time to come.
Oh well, oh well, watching his companions forge ahead without hesitation, Lynn comforted himself: since he was still dry, getting completely wet would just be a quick ordeal. Compared to German soldiers who had frozen their limbs in the Soviet Union, what did it matter if he developed rheumatism in middle age?
Listening to the splashing sounds made by his companions as they waded through the water ahead, Lynn couldn't help but grip his submachine gun tighter, clench his teeth, and take deep breaths through his nose. Soon, he felt an additional resistance underfoot, and a distinct coldness penetrated his boots and reached his feet. With military-grade boots, if it was just shallow water, they wouldn't leak, but as the resistance increased, the icy river water finally seeped in from the laces and boot openings. Lynn could distinctly feel the cold spreading down his calves, ankles, the soles of his feet, and in a blink of an eye, both his feet, which had been somewhat warm before, were completely cold.
The sensation of soaking in icy water was unbearable, but whether it was the well-equipped "night warriors" or the ordinary "grunts," not a word was uttered. They moved one after another, trying to maintain their balance without making too much noise. The water reached their knees and then continued upward to their thighs. Just as Lynn began to worry that even "little brothers" might not make it, the water began to shallow, and the resistance to their legs decreased. Although crossing the river was such a process, Lynn, as a rookie on the battlefield, felt relieved as the water level dropped. But the good times didn't last long. When the cool night wind blew, the legs soaked in water suddenly felt frozen, and it seemed to "suck" away the heat from the rest of his body. By the time they reached the riverbank, Lynn was trembling uncontrollably, muttering to himself, "My God, how am I going to endure this!"
The slope on the opposite bank was roughly equivalent. In the absence of enemy interference, several German soldiers slipped when they reached the shore, and Lynn was no exception. Objectively, this could be attributed to their boots being soaked in water, but Lynn noticed that none of the "night warriors" carrying the large boxes slipped. Could this be the difference between elite troops and regular soldiers?
After reaching the shore, they entered the woods after walking about thirty to forty meters. Lynn was curious why the Soviets hadn't chosen to cross the river here. Although it would take a longer route, it would surely be less costly than directly assaulting German defensive positions!
The complexity of the battlefield exceeded the understanding of most armchair strategists. The length of the river not only increased the difficulty of defending against enemy attacks but also required careful consideration and weighing of factors when choosing a breakthrough point for the attackers. Those seemingly easy-to-break areas could be traps left by the enemy. Once caught, the crossing forces might face a three-sided encirclement by the enemy, and the follow-up forces would be unable to reinforce from other sections held by the enemy.
There are no takebacks in war, one wrong step, and there's no turning back.
Starting from entering the woods, the "night warriors" intentionally slowed their pace. Although they were not yet in combat mode, the two at the forefront still frequently raised their rifles. Thinking about scenes from movies and television, Lynn understood: they were using the infrared night vision devices mounted on their assault rifles to observe and alert. Although this relatively primitive night vision equipment couldn't detect terrain features, it could identify human bodies and vehicles with distinct heat differences from the surroundings within an effective range. Mounted on firearms, it could also be used for precise aiming in night combat. This scene undoubtedly subverted Lynn's original impression of World War II, but like every new weapon developed by Germany at the end of the war, even though it broke through the limitations of its time, it was still restricted by technology, manpower, material resources, and command skills that remained at a traditional level. As a result, they failed to change the course of the war as their creators intended, leaving endless regrets and imaginations for future military enthusiasts.
Carrying a traditional manually operated rifle, Lynn followed the other grunts in a scattered formation behind the "night warriors." This area had been controlled by their own forces not long ago, so the possibility of enemy mines was relatively low. However, the silence in the forest made everyone move their feet cautiously. Everyone was clear in their minds: with every step forward, they were getting closer to the enemy.
Infrared night vision, automatic weapons, river crossing, and entering the woods. At this point, Lynn's curiosity about the purpose of this mission grew. This combat team of more than fifty people undoubtedly exceeded the firepower output of ordinary German infantry units, especially advantageous in night battles. However, they were not equipped with any anti-tank weapons or common light machine guns. Once encountering Soviet armored units, retreat would be the only option, which also meant they must try to avoid the main Soviet forces as much as possible and withdraw back to their own positions through the woods as quickly as possible after completing their mission.
Supply convoys, field fuel and ammunition depots, artillery positions, field hospitals, and field command posts—Lynn speculated which of these targets this combat team would prioritize. If he were the commander, the field hospital would definitely be ruled out first, as it would only enrage the Russians. Raiding the artillery positions seemed valuable, but destroying cannons was not a simple task. Considering the number of Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns, even if one Soviet artillery position was successfully destroyed, it would probably not have much significance. In comparison, disrupting or even destroying Soviet supply convoys, field fuel and ammunition depots, or field command posts would be the ideal targets under the current circumstances. Even if they could only slightly delay the Soviet attack plan, it would still play a positive role in consolidating the German defenses and gathering remaining troops.
The woods on the south bank seemed like an endless expanse, with half an hour passing, followed by another half an hour. Their legs gradually became numb and sluggish without them realizing it, yet they still couldn't see any open space at the end of the woods. This reminded Lynn of the daytime battle. If it was still the same forest, it would probably take another two or three hours to get out at the current pace. However, concealed nighttime movement couldn't simply pursue speed. In case they unwittingly bumped into Soviet forces, this mere fifty-person combat team wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps in the enemy's teeth.
Squinting to search for the figure of that officer, but from behind, the several "night warriors" carrying large boxes seemed to have been cut from the same mold. The large boxes they carried were presumably the batteries for the infrared night vision goggles. Suddenly, Lynn, who used to often worry about the standby time of his phone, thought: How long could these large batteries sustain the normal operation of the night vision goggles?
In fact, even in the era of having access to the internet, Lynn couldn't find the answer to this question. In China, information about World War II was not complete, and much of it was even contradictory. Considering that the high-level directive of the Third Reich before its collapse instructed the technology department to destroy a large amount of data and samples, coupled with the secrecy maintained by Allied forces such as the United States and the Soviet Union after capturing data and technical personnel, the information about the late war period was even more elusive.
Formerly, Lynn didn't have the ability or the inclination to engage in research and improvement in this area. However, the Creator gave him this unexpected opportunity. If he still survived after accompanying this legendary military empire to the end of its journey, he felt that he might try to be a military historian, standing from a unique perspective to study the various mysterious equipment related to the empire's doomsday. In the past three days or so, Lynn had only regarded surviving this hellish empire doomsday as his top priority, but when these "ultra-modern warriors" equipped with infrared night vision goggles appeared, he suddenly felt that since God had given him this unimaginable opportunity, he should do something for the dreams buried deep in his heart.