Chapter 249: The Dog Tags

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The plane flew across the blue sky, through the white clouds, over the border between the Netherlands and Germany, and finally landed at a field airfield next to the German Western Front High Command. Unlike the bustling Waalhaven airfield, this place seemed desolate and deserted.

The guards standing on both sides of the airfield were all from the Waffen-SS domestic guard units, in their black uniforms. They were all holding MP-44 assault rifles, and their steel helmets were painted with the conspicuous SS lightning bolt insignia.

“Heil Führer Akado Rudolph!” a voice said. The leading SS officer saluted General Student, who had just disembarked from the plane. As his voice fell, all the SS soldiers stood at attention, the sound of their heels clicking together sharp and uniform. Their aura was so different from the paratroopers who had been on the battlefield, which made Student feel very uncomfortable.

“Heil Führer,” Student said, adjusting his cap. He walked down the plane’s ramp and returned the salute at attention. He then pointed ahead and commanded, “I am going to the Reich High Command at the Felsennest. Lead the way.”

The SS officer immediately nodded. “The car is already prepared for you, General! This way, please.”

After speaking, he saw an adjutant of Student’s carrying a burlap sack and following behind him. He frowned and asked, “Sir? What is this? According to security regulations, no unidentified objects are allowed near the High Command.”

“You can inspect it, if you’re not squeamish,” Student said with a wave of his hand, signaling for the SS officer to take a look. “These are the dog tags of the soldiers who were killed in action at the front. I was entrusted by them to bring these for the Führer to see.”

“My God…” The SS officer opened the bag and took a look, and was stunned by the sight before him. Inside were the soldiers’ dog tags. Most of them were covered in bloodstains, and some were stuck together because of the dried blood.

“Is there a problem? If not, get in the car! Lead the way,” Student said as he got into his vehicle. His adjutant closed the bag and followed him into the car. The SS officer seemed to want to say something more, but in the end, he swallowed twice and didn’t dare to speak. He sullenly got into the car in front and led the convoy toward the Felsennest, the location of the Reich High Command.

Because the distance was not far, the convoy soon arrived at the main gate of the Felsennest. After a detailed inspection, the guards opened the roadblock and allowed Student’s car to enter.

“A warm welcome to you, my paratrooper commander,” Akado said. He hadn’t slept for two days. In front of him hung a huge map depicting the direction of Army Group B’s attack in the Netherlands. At this very moment, Rotterdam had already fallen into the hands of the German army. Keitel’s Army Group B had already clashed with the elite of the British Expeditionary Force and the main French forces in the southwest of the Netherlands.

“Heil Führer!” Student said, entering the room and immediately extending his right hand to stand at attention and give the most standard German salute. “Lieutenant General Student, eternally loyal to you, at your service.”

As he welcomed Student’s arrival, Akado gave a weak wave of his arm. It seemed that Akado’s mental state was very poor; he was like a mental patient in desperate need of rest. Akado walked to the side of the wine cabinet and managed to force a smile. “Care for a drink, my General?”

“I’m very sorry to disturb you, but the paratroopers fought very hard at the front this time. I had to see you to confirm once again the future use of the paratroopers,” Student said softly. “In addition, I have been entrusted by my subordinates with a request, that you might see our great paratrooper soldiers.”

“Student, in war, there will always be sacrifices. This is an eternal truth,” Akado said with a sigh. “But the Great War has already broken out. The British and the French have formed an alliance in an attempt to force us to submit, and the Americans are watching covetously from the side… I need the soldiers of the Reich to fight to the end and to win victory for the Reich.”

“My Führer, once we expand the war, the paratroopers will be sent to the battlefield again. We have already suffered heavy casualties. If we fight again, the paratrooper force will cease to exist,” Student tried his best to persuade him. “I suggest we reduce the scale of the use of paratroopers and establish a rotation mechanism. We can form four parachute divisions at home and use one of them at a time for combat…”

“Student! Your thinking is obsolete,” Akado said, sitting on the sofa and waving his hand. “My opinion is that Germany will deploy fifteen parachute divisions and strive to achieve the transport capacity to drop five divisions at a time.”

“My Führer…” Student was taken aback for a moment, then, after organizing his words, he tried to persuade him again. “A scale of fifteen divisions is too large. Even having enough paratroopers to serve as officer cadres is a problem now.”

“That is a problem for you to consider! Give me an expansion plan within a month! A comprehensive analysis and arrangement,” Akado said, then shouted to the door, “Anna! Get me a cold towel.”

“The paratroopers are the vanguard of a rapid advance. They are one of our trump cards. Heavy losses are inevitable, but I believe my soldiers can complete their mission for the fatherland,” Akado said, glancing at Student.

“We did not come thousands of miles to this place, struggle in a sea of fire, and survive under a hail of bullets for revenge, or to expand territory, or for any Führer,” Student said with a sigh. “He told me that they were just ordered to come here, and then to fight like hell to stay alive.”

Akado was taken aback. He knew who had said this. He could recognize the tone, could imagine the look on the person’s face as he spoke. That person was now charging into the fray, killing nonstop just to stay alive.

“What he said is very good! I need people like that to live! You must live too! Everyone must live as long as possible,” Akado smiled, then stood up and took the towel that Anna had handed him from the doorway, wiping his face with it.

“Where is the thing your subordinates entrusted you to bring me? It’s not a bomb, is it?” Akado asked with a smile, feeling a little refreshed after the cold compress. He did not continue the discussion with Student about the future formation and use of the paratroopers.

Student walked to the door, picked up the burlap sack that was there, and carried it into Akado’s office. He put it down and said, “My Führer, my men told me that they fought to the last moment for the Führer, but many of them were never able to see the Führer they swore allegiance to…”

“I understand…” Akado interrupted Student and bent down to open the bag himself.

“My God…” Just like the first time she had seen what was inside the bag, Anna, who was standing behind Akado, let out a startled cry, her hand covering her mouth.

Akado, however, did not seem so surprised. He just opened the bag and silently looked at the contents, his thin face showing no signs of sorrow or joy. Yes, no signs of sorrow or joy. He just looked on silently, his eyes unmoving.

After a long while, Akado reached out his hand and picked up a blood-stained soldier’s dog tag. He held it up and began to wipe it with the wet towel in his hand. His movements were a bit clumsy, but they seemed incredibly reverent.

“My Führer… you…” Student was stunned by Akado’s actions. He bent down as if to stop Akado from wiping the bloodstains with his own towel.

Akado stopped Student’s movement with his hand. “My General, these are all my soldiers… At the very least, let me do something for them.”

Anna, her hand over her mouth and tears streaming down her face, quickly walked out of the office. Soon, she ran back in, crying, also holding a wet towel. She knelt beside Akado and helped him wipe.

The room was extremely quiet. From time to time, Anna’s soft sobs could be heard. Student stood there, an indescribable feeling in his heart. He suddenly felt that it was a fine thing to be able to fight for such a man, that it was a comfort to be able to die for such a country.

He just kept wiping. The white towel with its yellow border was covered in bloodstains. Akado’s hands were also stained red with blood, but he had no intention of stopping. He just wiped silently, one after another, wiping ten, a hundred, five hundred…

At dinner time, Akado finally finished wiping the last soldier’s identity tag in the burlap sack. He placed the towel by his feet, wiped his blood-stained hands on his chest until his palms were somewhat clean, and only then did he take the tags in both hands and put them back into the sack.

“Perhaps you are right,” Akado said, standing up. He swayed for a moment and was quickly steadied by Anna. He regained his balance, signaled for Anna to let go, and then looked at Student. “Perhaps you are right. These soldiers lost their lives because of my orders.”

Akado sighed as he spoke. “But this is a war. Once it has begun, it will not stop. What can I do? Wait to be defeated by Britain and France? Or rise up in resistance and fight for victory?”

“Only victory can give meaning to the deaths of the dead! Only victory can allow the living to continue to live!” Akado walked to the map and pointed at the Netherlands. “If we fail, then they will have truly died in vain, won’t they? Those German soldiers who died to take back the Danzig Corridor will have died in vain. Those German soldiers who died to retake Alsace and Lorraine will have died in vain. Are you willing to accept that?”

Student shook his head. “I understand, my Führer. We must win victory by any means necessary! To offer victory in memory of those loyal soldiers!”

“Take these dog tags and show them to all the generals and staff officers of the Reich High Command,” Akado said, patting Student’s shoulder. “Let them see the loyalty of the frontline soldiers! Let them think, think about how to make these loyal soldiers sacrifice less! Go!”