Sometimes, I wonder about by fate... It is quite complicated... On one hand, I wish to get back to Europe, rescue Jews from the ghettos and get them away from Hitler... But on the other hand, I still have loyalty to my men, and my regiment is committed to fighting to the death, and I wish to honor that as well... I will will not walk out on these men... Maybe we could get called back to Europe, where I could enact my plans... But until then, I will remain here, and fight to the death... If that is what they wish...
Being immersed in the scorching heat and surrounded by endless sand does get to be a bit tiring, especially when one is wearing wool clothing... But with a full amount of supplies from taking that camp and a fresh supply of water, that didn't stop us from driving forth towards Khirsijine, which was just a short distance away now... And we even had a bit of enthusiasm to take the town... It was rather odd to have this excitement. We had been very hardened by war, and after some time, we started to feel that the campaign in Africa wasn't winnable... Still, we just seemed to be eager to scrape at least one more victory for the division here before our operations ended... Yes, it was nice to have one last morale boost.
As I climbed aboard Reinifer's Panzer, the Captain himself stood out from the hatch of the tank and turned to me, "Schifler, British presence in the town is heavy. We need to clear away the perimeter defenses and eliminate resistance in the buildings, as well as in the streets and bazaars. Destroy any machine gun positions and secure supply caches as we make our way to the town center and hold it from any counterattacks... And be careful, Heinrich."
"I will, Captain," I replied, "Is that all?"
"Well... Not yet," Reinifer said, a bit wary now, which made me uncomfortable, "I received a message that I'll be meeting a contact there... Says there's something important there for him to get."
"...What contact?" a nearby Kiefel said with suspicion, "What do they want?"
"They didn't say," Reinifer replied, and that made me even more suspicious, "Just focus on your primary objectives... I'll handle that."
"Sure, Captain." Kiefel said, a bit annoyed by his own concern and suspicion of this contact.
"Everyone, move out," Reinifer ordered, and his Panzer started rolling forwards with me on board, and with Kiefel, two other Panzers and numerous German infantry, we ventured across the desert in the rather short distance to Khirsijine.
I rode on the tank as Kiefel and numerous other German soldiers moved on foot across the desert. There were only a few Panzers left since the fighting from the desert defensive lines, so we had to be more careful here. Once we neared the outskirts of Khirsijine, enemy machine gun fire started to rain down onto our movement, and Reinifer, who stood on the lead Panzer, shouted an order, "Get behind the tanks, use them for cover!"
Immediately, those on the ground followed his order following behind the tanks while Reinifer manned the Panzer's MG 42 and blazed some rounds at the enemy machine guns, ripping at them like a roaring buzz saw. Being on the back of the tank, I fired some Gewehr 43 rounds at the enemy machine guns while using the tank's turret as cover. Other MG 42s razed some covering fire from the Panzers as well as the infantry and myself moved even closer towards the edge of the town. The Panzers took out a couple of the machine guns in the buildings with shells, and once we got close enough, the tanks stopped, and after I jumped down from the tank and brandished my Thompson gun, we infantry men started to assault the town ourselves with the Panzers in support.
Once emerging from our cover of the tanks, one of the Panzers was hit and set ablaze by a rocket shell, forcing the remaining armor to stay put... And immediately, great amounts of British infantry emerged from the buildings and in the streets at the edge of the town, blazing hails of gunfire that gunned several Germans down.
"Shit," a German soldier said, "Limey infantry! Kill the bastards!"
Immediately, a vicious battle ensued, as after taking positions at the edge of town, the German soldiers were firing their rifles at British infantry in the streets and buildings, firing immense hails of rifle fire that shot numerous enemies in fierce fighting. I fired some intense Thompson fire and shot five British soldiers in the fierce skirmish as Kiefel gunned down a few others as well with MP 40 rounds. Gunfire raged all over the place and I felt the scorching heat from both the desert sun and the hot bullet rounds that pierced the different buildings and sand, ripping at flesh and spilling more blood to paint the sand... But I kept persisting, firing some SMG fire that shot a few more British down before aiming and blazing some rounds that shredded apart a machine gun nest in one of the buildings while Kiefel blazed some covering rounds in support. The Panzers blazed a few shells and some machine gun fire at the enemy nests in the buildings, and that helped as the rest of us battled the enemy infantry.
In the vicious fighting, the German soldiers fired more intense rifle fire and shot multiple British soldiers down in the streets and buildings. A few friendlies were gunned down by enemy bullets, but the Germans fired some shots back and struck several British soldiers down in return. While the Germans and British kept firing hails of gunfire at each other in the fierce skirmish from their positions in the desert town, Kiefel blazed some MP 40 shots that gunned a couple other enemies down, and as I struck two other soldiers with SMG rounds, I fired some more Thompson fire and shot six more British as well. The vicious battle kept on as the Germans kept firing their rifles and cutting numerous British soldiers down with intense rifle fire, though several more friendlies were gunned down in return, with a couple having their limbs torn off it a spray of blood by machine gun fire. Still, I shot several more enemies with immense SMG fire as Kiefel gunned a couple more down with his MP 40. The other Germans kept firing rifle fire that shot several enemies down in the intense skirmish, while still blazing gunfire that pinned enemies at their positions as well as I gunned two more down in the fierce fighting.
As the German soldiers kept firing their rifles and cutting British infantry down with immense rifle fire in vicious fighting, I fired some Thompson fire and shot five British soldiers down as Kiefel gunned a a few others down with MP 40 shots, then I aimed and raked two others with SMG rounds. The fierce battle continued on as we kept firing more gunfire at the enemy soldiers and positions and pinning them down. I shot two more enemy soldiers as Kiefel gunned a couple others down with covering fire, then I aimed and struck down another two enemies with SMG fire. As a few other friendlies were gunned down, the other Germans fired some immense rifle fire and shot multiple British soldiers down in return a midst the vicious fighting, and I fired some Thompson fire and shot a few more enemies down as well. The German soldiers kept fighting and firing hails of intense rifle fire at British infantry while Kiefel blazed some covering shots and I kept firing riled Thompson fire, raking British positions and soldiers.
From their positions in the town perimeter, the German soldiers kept firing rifle fire at British defenses in a fierce battle as Kiefel and I blazed some covering shots... And soon, after vicious fighting, the enemy defensive line at the perimeter had been broken... Allowing us to move further into the town.
"Drive into the town, men," Reinifer ordered, a little enthusiastically, "Schifler, lead them on! The Panzers will give support."
"Yes," Kiefel said with even greater enthusiasm, "Come on, you fucking Limey bastards!"
We all started moving forth down the main street into the village, escorting the two remaining Panzers. Still, as we entered we encountered more British infantry in the streets and buildings, blazing hails of gunfire and gunned a couple friendlies down. In response, the Germans fired some shots back and struck several British down, and as soon as the Germans took positions by buildings and objects in the street, the vicious battle continued, as German soldiers kept firing more intense rifle fire from their positions in the street and cutting down multiple British infantry. While the Germans kept firing hails of gunfire at British soldiers in the streets, buildings and marketplaces in vicious fighting, Kiefel blazed some cover rounds as I fired some Thompson shots and gunned several enemies down.
German and British soldiers kept firing intense gunfire at each other in the streets, with fiery bullets ripping apart the battlefield. As several more Germans were gunned down by enemy bullets, the Germans fired more intense gunfire back and shot numerous British soldiers down in the fierce skirmish. Kiefel gunned a few others down as well, and as German soldiers kept firing hails of fire at British position in the streets and buildings, I fired some more Thompson fire and shot several more enemies. The Germans kept fighting British infantry in the streets, gunning more soldiers down in the streets as British fire emitted from the buildings.
"Shit," a German said, "Limeys in the buildings! Let's get the bastards!"
"Schifler," Reinifer called out to me from his tank, "Scout report says the British are holed up in six different buildings! I need you to clear them out!"
"I'll send these Limey bastards to Hell!" Kiefel shouted as he fired more MP 40 rounds.
The Germans kept firing their rifles at British infantry in the streets, cutting numerous enemies down as I fired some some intense Thompson fire and shot six British soldiers in the streets as well a midst the fierce battle while Kiefel blazed some covering fire. As the Panzers destroyed a couple enemy positions in the buildings, the German infantry kept firing more gunfire at British soldiers. A few more friendlies were struck down by enemy return fire, but the Germans kept fighting and gunning down multiple British soldiers in response while I shot two other enemies as well. Several other British soldiers were gunned down by German rifle fire as the vicious fighting continued in the streets, and as Kiefel struck down another couple enemies with MP 40 rounds, I shot a few others with Thompson fire.
We kept struggling up the streets, firing immense gunfire at enemy soldiers in the street and building windows. Several other Germans were gunned down, just as Kiefel and I kept blazing rounds at enemy positions, pinning them down as German gunfire blazed back and struck some enemies in return, while raking the different buildings with bullets. Kiefel raked a few others with riddling bullet fire while I gunned two others down, just as a few other Germans were shot by enemy fire. However, amidst the fierce battle in the streets, the Germans kept firing their rifles and shot numerous more British soldiers down while I fired some Thompson fire and gunned five others as well.
After the intense skirmish in the streets, the British infantry defenses had been broken. I gunned two more enemies down as German rifle fire struck several others as well and then I moved along with Kiefel and the other Germans as we made our way down the street, eventually coming to the first target building.
"First building, Heinrich," Kiefel stated, "Clear it out!"
Several British soldiers appeared in the windows of the building, with a few others appearing one the street just outside the building, and they all blazed some gunfire that struck a couple Germans down. Kiefel blazed some rounds that suppressed some enemies in the top windows as I fired some Thompson fire from the street and shot a few enemies in the street down, then I aimed at the windows and shot a couple others down with gunfire. As I kept raking the enemy position with intense Thompson fire, the other Germans fired some shots that gunned a few more British down, mostly in the building.
Kiefel took aim and blazed a round that raked down two British soldiers, before he then primed a grenade and threw it at a British position, blasting them out... And tearing off the limbs of the two victims in a display of blood, leaving one missing both his legs and an arm while the other had one leg and half of his right arm torn off as well, with only bloody flesh and bone replacing what was there before as they screamed in pain, crawling away as blood seeped from their shredded limbs. Yes, it was rather disgusting... But I was a soldier, a battle hardened one who's had his fair share of combat... Such things didn't bother me, at least, not anymore.
Yes I was quite hardened by hard conflict already, so the this mutilation didn't stop me, as I kept firing more shots at British positions, and as I aimed, I fired some Thompson fire and gunned down a few more enemies in the windows. After some more fierce fighting, I went up to the house with Kiefel and, together, we blazed some rounds into the building, clearing away the remaining couple inside... The resistance in the building was finally cleared out and the building itself, taken.
"This one's clear," Kiefel said, "Move up to the next!"
"Move carefully," a German said, "They could have something else in the next one."
We moved further down the street towards our next target building, engaging some more British along the way. In a skirmish, Kiefel gunned down a couple enemies with MP 40 rounds as I shot a few other British with Thompson fire, and as other Germans cleared away other resistance in the streets, we came to the second building... Which was indeed answering truthfully to that German soldier's prediction, as a Bren machine gun opened up in one of the top windows, with several riflemen from other windows in support.
A few Germans were cut down by the Bren machine gun fire, with one getting his left arm torn off by the enemy bullets... But the rest of us took cover by positions in the street and fired some rounds back. I fired some Thompson shots and gunned a couple enemies down in the building as several other enemy soldiers rushed out, and we engaged them as well, with me firing more gunfire that shot a few down. Kiefel and I kept firing more SMG fire, riddling enemy positions in the building as a few more enemy soldiers appeared on the building roof. As the Germans fired some shots that gunned down a few enemies in the streets just outside the building, then they gunned down a couple more in the building windows, I fired some rounds that struck down two British on the roof as Kiefel gunned down a few more, then I aimed and shot a couple others on the right side of the roof.
The Bren gun cut down two more friendlies, bullets tearing off the head of one as blood spurted out like a fountain from the severed neck, I blazed some rounds at the gunner's position, pinning him down, and allowing Kiefel to move up, and get himself right next to the building's wall, under the gunner. As I shot down two more soldiers in the windows and kept firing on the machine gun, Kiefel primed a Stielhandgranate and threw it into the gunner's window, blasting the British soldier out as he flew out the window to the ground. A couple of Germans then went up to the building entrance and fired their guns into it, clearing remaining soldiers away.
"Second building's taken," Kiefel said, "Let's get the next one!"
We moved further up the street, engaging several more British soldiers. However, some fighting cleared them away as we then made our way into a local Bazaar, filled with stands presenting food, trivial supplies, other goods... And the marketplace was filled with British soldiers.
"There's Limey bastards in the Bazaar," a German soldier said, "Capture it!"
"Clear it all out, Heinrich!" Kiefel shouted.
Moving into the marketplace meant we had to continue on without Reinifer's two Panzers, which continued down the road... But still, the Germans kept fighting in the fierce battle in the market place, firing immense rifle fire at British positions as Kiefel and I were fighting with them... We kept our hopes up for victory... And hopefully, we'd reunited with Reinifer.
As the British soldiers in the marketplace blazed some gunfire, Kiefel, myself and the other Germans took positions by the different vending stands in the marketplace... Then the Germans were firing their rifles at British infantry in the marketplace, causing a vicious battle. As a few friendlies were struck down by enemy rounds, the Germans fired some shots and gunned down several enemies in the marketplace as Kiefel blazed some MP 40 rounds and struck a couple others down as well. I fired some Thompson fire and shot five enemies in vicious fighting as the German soldiers kept firing immense hails of rifle fire that cut multiple British soldiers down in the fierce skirmish. As Kiefel blazed some covering fire, a couple more Germans were gunned down, but we kept fighting, and I kept firing Thompson fire which raked the different vending stands and enemy positions with bullets.
The vicious skirmish continued in the marketplace as Kiefel gunned down a few more enemy soldiers, while Germans kept firing more rounds into the vending stands, riddling them with bullets into splintering wood. As I fired more intense Thompson fire and shot six more enemies in fierce fighting, the other Germans fired their rifles and shot numerous more enemies with immense rifle fire. A couple other Germans were gunned down, but Kiefel and I fired some more shots at the different stands and pinned enemy soldiers down... And eventually, after much vicious fighting, the Germans fired some gunfire that cut several more enemies down, forcing the diminishing enemy defenses collapse, and the fierce skirmish ended in a victory for us... The marketplace was ours, and we could now move on.
"Get to the third building, Heinrich!" Kiefel ordered.
Exiting the bazaar, Kiefel and I moved down the street with some German soldiers, coming up onto a street where we engaged some more British. A couple friendlies were gunned down by enemy fire during the engagement, but as several other Germans blazed some covering fire, Kiefel and I fired intense SMG fire that shot nine British down, decimating the whole squad. Some more British soldiers came out to challenge our advance, and we kept fighting. A midst the hail of gunfire, a few more Germans were gunned down, but Kiefel and I kept firing immense covering shots at enemy soldiers as other Germans fired some shots that gunned down several more enemies.
After some fierce fighting, I shot a few others down with Thompson shots as the other Germans blazed some gunfire that struck several more down, clearing away enemy soldiers on the street and allowing us to move forwards to the third target. Moving on down, we shot several more enemy soldiers down on a different street and corners, just before we got the third building in our view.
"There it is!" I said as I saw the third building, "Capture it!"
We rushed down the street, taking cover behind a couple buildings as several enemy soldiers appeared and we engaged them. Two Germans were struck down by bullets, but I shot down a few enemies as other Germans gunned down several other on the different street, allowing us to confront the third building. Some enemies appeared in the windows and on the roof, blazing hails of shots down on our positions, but we took cover behind some nearby buildings.
Dodging some bullets and taking aim, I fired some shots and gunned a couple enemies in the building windows down. A few other Germans were razed by gunfire, but other friendlies held their cover behind other buildings and blazed some covering shots, suppressing some of the enemy soldiers. I fired some more Thompson fire and shot a few others down in the windows and the roof, then Kiefel struck down another British soldier with MP 40 rounds... But some return fire forced him back into position, bullets striking the wall near him, and this got a furious reaction from him as well.
"Shit... Rrrraaghh, you fucking dirty British pigs," Kiefel shouted in reaction, firing his gun back, "Die already!"
Kiefel fired his MP 40 rather wildly at the enemies in the windows until his magazine ran empty... And as he was changing it out, a grenade landed near him... I saw it, but I don't think he did, so I grabbed him by his arms and pulled him away as we ran over behind a wall, taking cover as the grenade went off. After this ordeal, we both rushed back to our original positions, firing some more SMG fire that pinned several remaining enemies in the building. After some more fighting, Kiefel gunned down another soldier on a balcony, causing him to fall over towards the ground as other Germans fired some gunfire that stuck a few other British down... Soon I shot a couple more down before a few other Germans rushed over to the building and threw a couple grenades inside... And after the blast went off, they fired their guns into the building, finally clearing it out.
"Third building's taken," Kiefel said, "Move on to the next!"
"Clear any Limey resistance away," a German soldier said, "Get moving down the streets!"
Moving past the building, we came to a street that looked rather torn, littered with different crates and barrels with buildings lining each side... And there was numerous British infantry on the other side for us to confront. Most of us took cover behind the buildings and street objects while others stood and fought out in the open.
Engaging in a vicious battle, the German soldiers were firing immense rifle fire at British infantry on the street, gunning numerous British down in fierce fighting. Kiefel blazed some rounds and pinned some enemies down as a few Germans were struck by bullets. However, as the fierce skirmish kept up, I fired some intense Thompson fire and shot five enemies as the Germans kept firing their rifles from their positions in the streets in the fierce battle, gunning multiple more British down with immense rifle fire. As Kiefel gunned a few more others down, the other Germans raked British positions with gunfire. However, some return enemy rounds struck several friendlies down in return... But even so, the Germans kept fighting on ever intensely, still firing more gunfire from their positions of cover that gunned more British down and pinned others behind their cover, raking the different crates with hails of bullets, while I kept firing more intense Thompson fire that shot six British.
The vicious skirmish in the streets kept up as Kiefel and I fired some more shots at British positions, raking them with gunfire. As I blazed some covering rounds, Kiefel struck down a couple others with MP 40 rounds. The other Germans fired some shots that struck several enemy soldiers down as Kiefel razed some gunfire at two large crates serving as enemy cover, splintering them apart with bullets. While Kiefel and I shot a couple other enemies down, British fire struck a few other friendlies, but we kept firing more covering shots, and the other Germans fired some gunfire that struck a few enemies down. As I fired some Thompson shots that gunned five more British soldiers down in the skirmish, Kiefel gunned another couple down and pinned a few others as the other Germans shot down several more British in the street, raking the different crates with intense gunfire.
Soon, after a fierce firefight in the crate littered street, the Germans kept fighting and gunned down any remaining British resistance, and we moved up the street to head towards the fourth building. We came onto another street that had several enemies on the ground, with a few more in the buildings lining the sides.
"Eliminate any resistance, Heinrich!" Kiefel shouted.
Taking cover behind different positions in the street, I fired my Thompson and gunned two enemies down in the buildings as Kiefel struck a couple others down with MP 40 rounds. German soldiers fired some rifle fire and gunned several enemies down in the street while also blazing some shots that struck a few others in the buildings lining the streets. As the fierce skirmish in the streets went on, a few friendlies were gunned down while I fired some Thompson fire and shot five enemies in the street and Kiefel blazed some covering rounds. As the Germans gunned down several more enemies, I shot two more in the buildings and we pressed on down the street.
We then turn right around the corner to come down on another street, where we faced more British soldiers. A skirmish ensued as I fired some Thompson shots and gunned a couple enemies down. As Kiefel and a few other Germans emitted covering shots that raked British positions, other German soldiers gunned down several other enemies with gunfire that tore apart weak building walls. I shot a few more with Thompson fire and then we continued on our way, right to the fourth target building.
"There's the next building," Kiefel said, "Get to it and clear those bastards out!"
Moving down the street to the next building, suddenly, a British machine gun opened up on the building roof, forcing us into cover as several enemy soldiers appeared in the windows, blazing fire down on our positions.
"Shit," a German soldier shouted, "Limey machine gun in the building!"
"Fucking damn it, Reinifer, where are you?!" Kiefel said, frustrated at the lack of the tanks' presence since we diverted into the marketplace.
A couple Germans were struck down by enemy machine gun fire, as I fired some shots at enemies in the building, gunning two soldiers. Kiefel shot a couple others as the German soldiers kept firing gunfire at British positions in the building. A few other Germans were raked by British bullets, but after a tense firefight, the Germans fired some shots that gunned several enemies in the building windows in return. I fired some Thompson fire that gunned a few other enemies down in the windows and the roof, as Kiefel blazed some rounds that pinned a couple others down. Soon, I shot a couple others in the windows and then blazed some covering fire at the Bren gun, which still kept up its defense.
Kiefel and I kept firing covering shots as German soldiers fired some gunfire at British positions in the building in the firefight... That's when I started hearing a sound behind me, a deep rolling sound that was crushing the ground as it moved. It sounded like it would be terrifying, but as I saw the source of it behind me, I only felt relief... It was Reinifer's two Panzers, coming down the street towards the fourth building to help us. Once it came in range, the lead Panzer aimed right at the Bren gun position and fired a shell, blasting it to pieces, then it reloaded and fired again, destroying some British positions in the windows. As several other Germans gunned down a few other British soldiers, Kiefel and I went up to the building and each threw a Stielhandgranate into it, and after the blast resounded, we both fired our guns into the building and cleared the couple remaining enemies out.
With the fourth building taken, other Germans started moving up and securing positions on the streets, and as the lead Panzer kept mopping up any resistance, Kiefel and I went over towards the other Panzer that had Reinifer.
"Schifler, Kiefel," Reinifer said, popping his head out from the hatch to greet us, "How have you been doing here, run into much trouble?"
"No, but the Tommies sure did," Kiefel responded rather mischievously, "Where have you been, Captain?"
"We got caught up by some defensive positions in the towers to the North side of this town," Reinifer replied with, "As well as some Crusader tanks."
"They have tanks here in the city?" I asked.
"Yes, but we should have cleared them out already," Reinifer said, "...Should just be infantry and positions in the buildings from now on."
"Anything important from these buildings, sir?"
"Just two more buildings left, eh. The next one is... Well, where we'll meet our contact... He'll help us take the sixth building, the largest and toughest one situated on the edge of the city... There's something important there for him... So important that there may be commandos of the S.A.S. guarding it."
"...Shit," Kiefel exclaimed, "...Well, no reason to keep him or them waiting. Let's move it."
Immediately, we moved on down the street alongside the other German infantry, with the two Panzers rolling on from behind. We entered onto a long street, where numerous British soldiers appeared for us to confront... And indeed, a tense engagement would follow.
Taking positions in the streets, German soldiers fired their rifles at British positions gunning multiple enemies down as I shot two others with my SMG. An enemy machine gun position opened up and fired on several positions, but this was quickly silence when the lead tank aimed its barrel and destroyed that position with a shell. Kiefel gunned down another couple soldiers while I fired some Thompson fire and shot five British as well as Reinifer raked enemy positions with his MG 42 from the tank. The Germans gunned several more British down with intense gunfire as the lead Panzer destroyed another Bren gun emplacement with a shell... However, as the lead Panzer moved forward down the street, suddenly, two British soldiers armed with a bazooka aimed right at the lead Panzer... Just before firing a rocket that hit the Panzer in the back and bursting it into flames. The Panzer just lay there, motionless on the street as fire roared from its back.
"Shit," a German said, "The bastards destroyed our tank!"
"Where in the fuck?!" Kiefel said, a bit angry, "Heinrich, burn those fuckers!"
I gunned down two more enemies as Kiefel shot a few in in his fury, and as other Germans shot several more British down, we kept moving up the street to move towards the building. I also saw the British soldier with the bazooka and I aimed at him, striking him down with a precise shot.
We took another turn around a corner to enter onto another street, with Reinifer and his Panzer following after us with infantry moving alongside him. That Panzer was our only support, and our primary field commander, so we had to be extra careful now.
"Captain, be careful now," Kiefel said, "I suggest supporting us from the side, so we don't lose our last armor."
"I'll consider it, Kiefel." Reinifer replied.
We kept fighting in fierce skirmishes down the different streets, gunning more enemies down as several friendlies were struck by bullets in return. As the Germans shot more British in the streets and buildings with intense gunfire as we moved down through the city, we finally came onto a street heading right for the fifth target building.
"Shit, there it is," I said as I readied my Thompson, "The fifth Limey held building!"
Taking cover behind a building wall, I reloaded my gun as I saw some British infantry approaching. In response, aiming my gun, I fired some intense Thompson fire and shot seven enemies down in a fierce skirmish. One of the enemy soldiers threw a grenade, but with sharp speed, I grabbed it and threw it back, taking out a couple in a blast. Kiefel and I kept firing more SMG fire at British soldiers, clearing away the several remaining enemies before we then pressed forward.
A few other friendlies were struck by bullets, but the Germans kept fighting and gunning several more enemies down with rifle shots as we approached the fifth building, but as Kiefel and I shot a few others down and fired some covering shots at enemy positions to cover the German advance, Bren machine guns opened up and fired, one mounted on sandbags at the building's door while the other was placed in one of the windows... And they were both blazing tense rounds as several other British soldiers appeared in the windows to give supporting fire with small arms. Several Germans were struck down by bullets, mostly by Bren machine gun fire, which tore off the limbs of a couple of them in a bloody mess. In response, Kiefel and I blazed some suppressing rounds at the machine guns, pinning them down as we took cover behind a building wall. Reinifer was still maneuvering his Panzer around the wreckage of the other destroyed tank that was blazing in the street... We had some time until he could get here.
The Germans fired some intense gunfire and shot a few British down in the building, while Kiefel gunned down a couple others. I shot a few more with Thompson fire, and as Kiefel and I emitted more SMG fire at the machine gun positions, Reinifer made his way around the wreckage and started rolling forward. As German gunfire tore several more enemies down in the windows, Kiefel blazed some suppressing fire at the lower SMG as I shot two more with my Thompson. I then took cover behind the wall to take out my scoped Gewehr 43 and then aimed it around the corner at the lower machine gunner. With concentration and precise aim, I fired a round that penetrated the gunner right through his skull. I then fired some other rounds at the couple others in the nest as Kiefel threw a grenade at it as well, taking out the position in a fierce blast, that also bloodily ripped the legs off of the two British soldiers in a gory display.
The last machine gun in the windows still kept up the defense, but as I shot a couple more enemies with Thompson fire, Reinifer's tank came in, aimed its barrel and blazed a shell that destroyed the remaining machine gun nest. After a few more friendlies were struck down by bullets, Kiefel and I gunned a couple enemies in return as other Germans shot several remaining British as well. Going up to the building, Kiefel and I fired some shots that raked the couple remaining enemies inside with SMG fire, then we proceeded to enter.
Entering inside the structure, we took position at at the backside of the fifth building, with some other Germans and myself aiming our guns out the back windows while Kiefel manned a Bren gun at one of the windows, ready to take any counter attacks.
"Limey infantry and supporting tanks," a German soldier said, "Closing on our positions!"
"Hold them off," another German said, "There shouldn't be much opposition here!"
Very soon after, we found British infantry appearing out the windows, coming towards us. It was a rather weak attack, but an attack nonetheless, so we opened fire on the attackers. The Germans fired their rifles and gunned multiple soldiers down in the vicious skirmish as I fired my Thompson and shot five others. In support, Kiefel blazed a hail of machine rounds with his Bren gun, tearing several British soldiers to bloody, gory pieces, ripping off limbs with powerful rounds the Germans kept firing immense rifle fire that shot numerous other British as well. As the fierce fighting kept up, I fired some intense Thompson fire that shot six British down while the Germans kept firing hails of gunfire. Kiefel gunned a few others down in support with his Bren gun... But as we were mowing down the infantry, suddenly, a Crusader tank appeared, coming towards us.
The tank came in and fired a shell, taking out a portion off the top of the building. "Fuck!" Kiefel shouted in alarm, "That tank gets closer, we're done for!" But, just as soon as he said it, we saw Reinifer's Panzer come in off the side of our building and fire a shell that destroyed the enemy tank, reducing it to a smouldering ruin. Kiefel and I shot down the several remaining infantry, which implied that we had fended off the assault.
"That should be it," Reinifer said as he climbed out of his tank, "We need to get moving."
"Hey, weren't we supposed to meet that contact here?" Kiefel asked.
But right when he said that, suddenly, an enemy shell struck the side of the building, and the perpetrators rolled into view, revealing themselves to be two more Crusader tanks, supported by several British soldiers.
"Shit!" I shouted, "There's more Limey bastards coming here! Kill them!"
As the firefight continued with other Germans blazing covering shots, I fired some Thompson fire and shot a few enemies as Kiefel blazed some suppressing Bren rounds and struck a couple others down. As he took cover behind the tank, Reinifer aimed and gunned down a couple other enemies with his MP 40, but the Crusader tanks still came closer, firing a couple more shells at friendly positions. Luckily, our Panzer was speedy enough to aim and fire a shell that destroyed one of the Crusaders, decimating its steel into flames.
But the other Crusader still lingered, and it blazed another shell at our building before starting to aim its barrel at Reinifer's Panzer. I was very worried now, as it came very close to destroying our last armor, and if that happened, we would be done for as well... But that's right when our luck showed up in the form of a mysterious ally. Two German soldiers came out from a distant alleyway in the distance, aimed a Panzerschreck at the Crusader's back and fired a rocket, striking the Crusader hard and eliminating it from the battlefield, sparing us and our remaining Panzer.
Once the fighting was over, as the Panzer moved its barrel to inspect the area, Kiefel, myself and the other Germans went outside with Reinifer, where more of those Germans from that alleyway started coming over towards us... But as they got closer and I got a better view of them, my relief changed to despair... Like us, they wore tan uniforms and Stahlhelm helmets, with a few wearing soft tropical caps, but these men were very different, their helmets were black, while our helmets were mostly tan. They also wore tan button up smocks with the sleeves rolled up and the top few buttons undone as well as balaclavas covering their faces, save for the eyes. They also mostly wielded FG 42 battle rifles... But there were more significant differences about them... Instead of MP 40s, they carried MP 35 Bergmann sub machine guns, and what really caught my attention, was that their tan uniforms consisted of black collars with two white runes, and those few wearing soft caps had death heads imprinted on the front while those with helmets had runes painted on the sides... These men weren't Afrika Korps at all, they were Schutzstaffel.
"Oh shit, Heinrich." Kiefel said as he also noticed the affiliation of the men.
"What's the SS doing here?!" I said to him in aggravated curiosity.
Kiefel and I kept our short but firm distance away from the SS soldiers. Despite us all being Germans, my fellow Afrika Korps Germans and the SS soldiers kept a distance from each other, looking very stern and suspicious of the other... My regiment seemed to share my exact feelings. I saw the SS officer, a Colonel, step out and walk over, looking very stoic and tense at everything. I saw Reinifer begin to walk up to the officer, and he too, looked very wary about their presence here.
"Herr Standartenfuhrer," Reinifer greeted halfheartedly, "...You have any trouble getting here?" The SS officer didn't answer, and instead, he just brushed past him and looked over to inspect our remaining Panzer, and that's when I took the time to walk up to Reinifer and place my firm hand on his shoulder.
"You knew about this?" I said with obvious frustration, "What the Hell is the SS doing here, Reinifer... They're not supposed to be in Africa. They're your contact?"
"...They're here for something in that last building," Reinifer replied, "...They're a specialist division."
"I'm sure they'd like to leave a name for themselves," I said stubbornly with tense wariness, "They'll be cruel here, just like anywhere else."
"I'll keep them under control, Heinrich, but these men are tough and the British guarding that last building have a hard defense... You'll be glad these guys are here right now." Reinifer responded to calm me with reassurance, "They're only here for that building, then they'll be on their way out of Africa."
Just then, the SS officer walked over towards the two of us, and Reinifer spoke, "Sir, I'm Captain Reinifer, 21st Panzer Division... I'm in command here."
"Well, now I am," the SS officer spoke, almost interrupting Reinifer, "Captain, this Panzer had better be suited to take that next building... I want to get that objective now, so I can get out of this heat."
"...Schifler," Reinifer said to me as he spoke of the stern looking SS officer, "...This is Colonel Karl von Hershing... He'll be assisting us in our next objective... Colonel, this is Corporal Heinrich Schifler and Private Hans Kiefel, two of my best men."
"They had better be." Hershing replied. I looked over the SS officer named Hershing, having a striking resemblance to Hitler's 'ideal Aryan.' He stood at six foot and had blond hair with strikingly deep blue eyes. He was a rather youthful, even handsome looking 35 year old who had a rather strong, athletic, yet still slim looking build adorned in a tan SS officer's uniform for his current situation, complete with SS markings and a peaked cap with a death head. He had a stern yet calm aura about him that seemed to be masking something even more sinister.
"I'm wondering how Rommel allowed you here, Karl." I spoke with suspicion.
"Heinrich!" Reinifer spoke with firm sternness.
"Rommel doesn't need to know," Hershing replied as he walked over towards his men, "He does not control me, I only take orders from the Fuhrer... And under my command, Corporal, you will refer to me as Colonel or Sir, is that clear?!" I paused and looked at him with aggravation as he had his back to me, but he was not patient for a response, "Corporal Schifler!" Hershing said indignantly, demanding a response to his question.
"...Yes, sir." I said stubbornly through my teeth.
Hershing then walked back over and stood rather menacingly in front of me, speaking, "I am the one who is now in control here... There is something of ours in that building in the possession of the British, and I want it back... You will escort me there, Corporal, and you will do it efficiently and explicitly as I command... Is that clear?""
"What's in that building that's so interesting?" I said, "...If I can ask, Sir?"
"...That's none of your concern," Hershing replied, "You will just help me get it back... Then later, we'll have a talk about your attitude, Corporal." Hershing then walked back over towards his men as two German half tracks, .251s, with SS markings and armed with machine guns, and possibly even flame projectors, rolled up and Hershing's SS soldiers started loading onto them.
Hershing himself boarded one of the half tracks and mounted the machine gun at the front. I watched with disdain as this Colonel Hershing and his SS soldiers ride off in their half tracks, right when Kiefel and Reinifer walked up to me, "We need to keep moving," Reinifer said as he put a hand on my shoulder, trying to reassure me, "The sooner they get their objective, the sooner they'll leave."
Immediately, I strongly doubted that, but I decided to stay silent this time and take his word for it, then Kiefel, Reinifer and I moved down the street with the rest of the Afrika Korps infantry and our single Panzer following from behind, as we traveled down the street alongside the two half tracks carrying the SS soldiers... However, my wariness of the SS presence was interrupted as we encountered more British infantry down the road. In the ensuing fierce skirmish in the streets to the sixth building, several friendlies were struck down by bullets, but I fired my Thompson and shot five enemies as Kiefel and Reinifer gunned down a few others with MP 40 shots. The other German soldiers kept firing more intense gunfire that shot multiple British soldiers, clearing enemies away from street positions and building windows as we moved on while I shot two more British.
As us Afrika Korps infantry kept fighting in the streets, the SS soldiers aimed and fired their guns from the top of their half tracks, gunning down any opponents with icy conviction and smashing through any objects in their way. The half tracks blazed hails of machine gun fire that struck several enemies down, with Hershing emitting some roaring MG 42 rounds that decimated enemy positions and tore a few soldiers to bloody bits.
I shot several more enemies with Thompson fire as Kiefel and Reinifer gunned down a few more, and after some vicious fighting down the different streets, we found ourselves staring at the back of the sixth target building, right at the edge of the town of Khirsijine. Some more enemy infantry came in, and though a few more friendlies were gunned down, the other Germans fired some gunfire and shot several British in return as SS soldiers from the half tracks fired their guns and struck a few more down, diminishing the last resistance defending the building.
The Panzer aimed and fired a shell that destroyed two positions at the base of the building, when suddenly, Hershing's half track enhanced its speed and drove right at a remaining enemy position. The defenders attempted to run away... But it was too late, for the few British soldiers were run over by the German half track, and they screamed as they were roughly crushed by the SS vehicle's wheels and treads.
But Hershing didn't care about that. He only wanted what was in the sixth building, as he exited the half track with some of his soldiers. I shot two remaining soldiers with my Thompson and then I walked over towards the sixth target building to inspect.
"The filthy Limey pigs are entrenched in there," a nearby SS soldier said, "Burn those cowards!"
Immediately, I felt heat and light originating behind me, and I turned to see two SS soldiers blazing fire from flame projectors on their half tracks at British positions on the sixth building, setting the back of the building ablaze. Two burning British soldiers jumped out of the building and landed on the ground, and they writhed in pain from the blaze that engulfed them... Until it finished them up. Some more British soldiers appeared in the large hole in the building made by the Panzer shell, attempting a last defense, but the SS soldiers all fired their rifles and fiercely gunned them down before soundly finishing them off with a couple of grenades.
"Now..." Hershing said with a relishing smile, "Move in and burn the rest of them!"
I watched Hershing move into the sixth building, followed by a few of his SS soldiers. I watched them suspiciously, but as if he could sense my feelings right away, Reinifer quickly walked up and said, "Keep moving, Heinrich... We're almost done here."
I went into the building with Kiefel and Reinifer as Hershing moved in down a hall with some of his SS, coldly gunning down a couple opposing British soldiers down as if they were performing an execution. Then, a British S.A.S. commando appeared, blazing some Sten rounds that took out an SS soldier, but another SS soldier struck the commando down with MP 35 fire just before Hershing brandished his personal Luger P08 pistol and finished him off with a firm shot to the head.
"Commandos," Reinifer said, "So they are here... Be careful." Another British commando appeared, but I took aim quickly and gunned him down as another came out and shot an SS soldier... Only for himself to be shot up by another an SS storm trooper. We all moved down the hall just before coming right up to a door, and the SS soldiers looked over to inspect and possibly breach it.
"Standartenfuhrer," an SS soldier said, "This door should lead to it."
"Break it down," Hershing ordered, then turned to Reinifer, "Captain, take your men and eliminate any resistance in the building, then hold it off from any counterattacks... My men and I will secure our objective... I know it's here somewhere."
The SS soldiers then broke down the door and tossed a grenade inside the room. Once the blast went off, Hershing and his soldiers entered the room and disappeared from my sight, which gave me some satisfaction that I didn't have to be around them anymore, at least, not for the remainder of the battle.
"Come on," I said, "Let's finish up here."
"Schifler, Kiefel, you're with me," Reinifer said, then turned to several other Afrika Korps soldiers behind them in the building, "The rest of you, clear these rooms and take positions. We'll be expecting a counterattack soon."
Following the orders, the other Germans went through the different halls and rooms, engaging any resistance while Kiefel, Reinifer and I went down a hall and entered a room, seeing a couple commandos. We took cover by some objects in the room as they blazed some Sten rounds, but Kiefel and I fired some SMG fire back and gunned a commando down. These commandos were tougher than the regular British soldiers, but we held our ground as Reinifer struck down the other one, then we moved out of the room to the hallway, where we encountered two more enemy soldiers. After dodging their Sten bullets, I fired my gun and struck one of the commandos down as Kiefel gunned down the other, just before heading down the hall to another room.
Entering this room, we found three commandos, and we took cover behind tables and crates as they rained some Sten rounds on our positions. We fired some SMG fire back, and in the firefight, Reinifer struck down one of them, but the other two still put up a defense. But as the fighting went on, Kiefel and I fired some SMG shots and gunned the remaining two down, just before going through a doorway to come across some stairs, where I found a commando on a balcony above... And after dodging his Sten rounds, I fired some shots back and riddled him, causing the commando to fall from the balcony to the ground.
We all rushed up the stairs and entered the second floor. Once entering the second floor, a British soldier was found right near the entrance, but as he raised his rifle, I brandished my knife and charged to make a slash at him, stabbing the enemy before moving forward down the hall. As they came up onto a door, Reinifer kicked it down as Kiefel threw a Stielhandgranate inside, and after the blast went off, Kiefel and I fired some SMG fire into the room and gunned a couple of the enemies down. We then entered the room, where we engaged another, and as I blazed some cover shots, Reinifer aimed and shot the enemy down as well, clearing the room. After this ordeal, we went back into the hallway, where we found two more doors remaining.
"Schifler, take that door on the right," Reinifer ordered, "Kiefel, with me. Let's take the one straight down."
"Right," Kiefel said, "I'm on it."
Immediately, I went towards the door on the right as Kiefel and Reinifer went straight down the hall towards the other one. Once I saw them go through the door, I faced my target and kicked it down to enter the room... And that's right when I saw a British commando with a beard and wearing a ghutrah kept in place by an agal. He immediately noticed me and tried to take aim with his Enfield rifle.
"Shit!" I shouted as I rushed at the commando before he could take proper aim, and we engaged in a brawl. I pushed my Thompson against his Enfield rifle, but then it was swiped from my hands, so I seized hold of the commando's Enfield rifle, and as we both held firmly onto the rifle, the commando and I wrestled fiercely in an intense battle.
In much vicious wrestling, I held my grip firmly on the rifle as I struggled to get it out of the hands of the British commando, but after much more struggling, the commando managed to get it out of my hands instead, but I got back up and swiped at the gun with one hand, then I swiped at the rifle again with my left, grabbing hold of it, and as I kept hold of the rifle, I hit the commando with my fist hard before I then punched him with my left in his stomach. I then seized hold of the Enfield rifle with both my hands and we struggled much more. The commando and I wrestled fiercely over the rifle, keeping our firm hold on it, but after some more fighting, I punched him hard with my right fist and forced him back, just before brandishing my knife and rushing at him with it. The commando seized hold of my wrists as I grabbed one of his arms with my free hand and then we struggled with one another over my knife. It was a long struggle, but I kept wrestling intensely with the commando with my knife until he managed to swipe it out of my hand, only for me to swipe at him back and then thrust a kick at his chest, sending him careening out a nearby window to fall to his death.
I picked my Thompson back up and went over towards the room next to this one, opening up to see a group of British, and where I primed a stielhandgranate and threw it in, the blast taking out two of the four enemies inside. Before the other two could regain focus, I aimed my Thompson and shot a British soldier down, but my ammo drum finished up before I could take the other one... So I took out my knife and, as he aimed his Enfield, I charged at the British soldier and slashed at him, stabbing him down and eliminating the last of the resistance in the room.
Reloading my Thompson, I went out the room to the hall, where I regrouped with Kiefel and Reinifer. "You look pretty worn, Heinrich," Kiefel stated, "...You holding up?"
"I'm fine, Hans." I replied.
Suddenly, several Afrika Korps soldiers came towards us in the halls, with one speaking, "Rest of the building's clear, Captain."
"Good," Reinifer said, "Everyone, take positions at the windows. Prepare for any counterattacks."
"Yes, sir." we all replied, and then me, Kiefel, Reinifer and multiple German soldiers entered into the right side room that I was in, which was a long room lined with windows. The German soldiers in the building all lined at the windows along the room, aiming their guns out towards the desert at the edge of town. I readied my Thompson gun and also kept my Gewehr rifle prepared as I looked out the window, seeing desert outside. Below me, I saw a firm line of German infantry aiming their rifles at the desert before us as they were positioned in trenches and in crate and sand bag protected cover lining the edge of the town, while some others were positioned in buildings at the edge as well.
"Their attack should come at us from across the desert," Reinifer stated, "Be ready for anything."
"Yeah," Kiefel shouted enthusiastically, "Come get some, you Limey bastards!"
"Captain Reinifer," I said with a hint of worry, "Did you see Hershing anywhere?"
"...No... I haven't." Reinifer replied.
This made me a bit suspicious, but I just decided to focus on the upcoming battle. I kept my Thompson aimed out the window of the building at the desert before me as the lines of German infantry aimed their guns at the desert from the defensive lines at the edge of the town. It was only a momentary wait, for several Crusader tank shells rained down just in front of the German positions, causing very minor damage... And soon, a large amount of British infantry swarmed across the desert, with Crusader tanks following in from behind.
"Shit!" Kiefel shouted, "Here they come!"
"Kill those dirty Limey bastards!" a German soldier shouted.
Immediately, a vicious battle ensued as the lines of German infantry were all firing their rifles in intensely fierce fighting, emitting immense gunfire that was cutting numerous British soldiers down while I gunned two others down with Thompson shots. As Germans were emitting intense gunfire from the trenches and buildings at the British force, I fired my Thompson and shot five British soldiers, while Kiefel aimed and struck a few others with MP 40 rounds as I aimed and gunned another two down. In the vicious fighting, the German soldiers were all firing more hails rifle fire that shot multiple British infantry, with the lines of German infantry firing immense rifle fire from the trenches at the enemy forces while MG 42s and captured Bren machine guns blazed some supporting fire. Reinifer blazed some SMG rounds and struck a few down while I fired some covering shots, gunning multiple enemies down with intense Thompson fire.
The Germans kept firing more intense gunfire from the trenches and buildings, cutting more enemies down in fierce fighting as Kiefel and I fired some covering shots. Friendly machine guns blazed powerful rounds that ripped off enemy limbs and shot enemies to bloody gory pieces as our remaining Panzer tank kept firing shells that demolished several Crusader tanks into flaming ruins. In the vicious fighting, I fired more intense Thompson fire and shot six enemies as the Germans kept fighting fiercely in the ferocious battle to hold off the enemy counterattack. However, as the fighting kept up, and the immense German rifle fire gunned numerous British down, the enemy forces started returning fire, striking a few friendlies down with bullets. However, the Germans kept fighting and firing their rifles, gunning more enemies down as Kiefel blazed some shots that raked a couple others with MP 40 fire and then he blazed some covering rounds so Reinifer could aim and shoot a couple others down as well... Then I shot numerous more enemies with more Thompson fire
While several more Germans were struck down by enemy bullets, friendly soldiers kept engaging in a hard defense, holding back the enemy assault with even greater determination. I shot two more enemy soldiers as Kiefel gunned down a few others, then we fired more covering SMG fire in supporting friendlies in the trenches below, while the line of Germans there were still fighting fiercely and firing their rifles immensely, cutting numerous enemies down. Supporting machine gun fire ripped several more enemies to bloody bits in a gory display as the last Panzer destroyed a few more Crusaders with tank shells, which allowed us regular infantry to keep fighting ever more fiercely. As the Germans kept firing more intense gunfire from the trenches and buildings at enemies in the desert in the fierce battle, I fired some Thompson fire and shot five enemies as Kiefel struck down a couple more, then I aimed and gunned two others down as well. A few more friendlies were struck down, but in the vicious fighting kept up as the Germans kept firing more intense rifle fire that hit numerous more British, cutting them down as we kept up our defence... And soon, we found ourselves beginning to repel the enemy assaults.
And we weren't the only ones in the fight, for behind me, we found Hershing himself and his SS soldiers enter the room, and they aimed and fired their guns out of the windows of the buildings, striking down any enemies they could find... Although I'd prefer not to have their help, we looked like we were about to win, giving me satisfaction, joy even... When suddenly, however, as the German defenders kept fighting the main assault, enemy snipers started raining bullets down onto the trench positions.
"Shit!" a German soldier said, "Enemy snipers!"
As Kiefel blazed some covering rounds, Reinifer looked through his binoculars at the desert and then went over to me with a serious look. "Heinrich," Reinifer said, "There's British snipers and machine gunners across the desert by the Crusader tanks in the distance... Use your Gewehr rifle to pick them off!"
"Drive those dirty Limey cowards back across the desert!" an SS soldier shouted.
Switching out my Thompson and brandishing my scoped Gewehr 43, I aimed out the rifle while the SS soldiers kept blazing relentless and aggressive gunfire at enemy positions. I watched the desert and saw intense gunfire blazing all over the sandy battlefield as if it were a light show. I aimed through the scope and took direct aim at the enemy tank line, where I saw the enemy snipers and machine gunners, still raining bullets on friendly positions.
"Heinrich, hurry and kill those fucking bastards," Kiefel said, "Or we'll get picked off!"
"The Panzer will hold off their armor," Reinifer stated, "But it won't last if you don't eliminate their support."
I aimed at one of the snipers and fired a round that struck him down. I then aimed and fired some more rounds that shot two more snipers before aiming and firing upon a few soldiers, gunning a couple down. After reloading, I aimed at a machine gunner and shot him dead, then I struck down another sniper. As I shot a couple more soldiers down, I aimed and shot down another gunner, and then I took aim at the re-loader as he took control of the gun and then I gunned him down too. I shot down another sniper, then I fired on a couple more soldiers, gunning a few down, then I took aim and shot two more snipers down. After some precise concentration, I shot one sniper down, then I aimed to the right and gunned down another sniper. I kept picking off far off enemies with Gewehr shots as the Panzer destroyed a couple other Crusader tanks... And as the fierce fighting went on, the enemy assault started diminishing.
"Ha! Keep it up, everyone!" a German said enthusiastically, "We're driving the bastards off! We've got them on the run!"
I kept firing my rifle at enemy positions, gunning more soldiers down as the German infantry kept fighting and firing more gunfire that shot several more enemies down... Then, after much more vicious fighting, the British forces finally retreated back across the desert... We had held the town defenses.
"They're running away," a German said, "The city is ours!"
"Come back any time, you Limey bastards!" another German said, "We'll be waiting for you!"
That was it... The battle of Khirsijine was over, and it ended in German victory... I kept a calm smile on my face to rejoice in one of the last victories for the Afrika Korps while all the other German soldiers cheered in joy for their win. Kiefel was very excited for the result of the battle and Reinifer just breathed relief, seeing that most of his soldiers had survived the struggle.
Kiefel wrapped his arm over my shoulders and said ecstatically, "One last victory for the Afrika Korps, right Heinrich?" However, as I looked around the room, my smile turned to a glare as I saw Hershing and his SS soldiers, still with a stoic aura about them, walk right out of the room... And aroused my suspicions, for I wondered what their next act will be.
"Right," I said, "...Victory."