Chapter 348: The Photo

Rein did not smile in the photo. Instead, he had a cold face. He was carrying an assault rifle on his back, and his black panzer uniform loo

Rein did not smile in the photo. Instead, he had a cold face. He was carrying an assault rifle on his back, and his black panzer uniform looked a bit messy, with some oil stains and dust in places.

But his eyes were cold and resolute, as if they were constantly emitting a cold, arrogant light. Under the unique peaked cap of a German SS officer, because his eyes were so sharp, the somewhat comical little freckles on his face did not have the slightest hint of childishness. He just stood there, like a sword, glinting with a cold light.

The Iron Cross below his neck made him seem of extraordinary origin, worthy of respect. He was wearing a tactical vest that was slightly newer than his uniform but looked a bit sloppy, with magazines on it. His pair of military boots were old and had not been taken care of for a long time. He was no different from an ordinary grunt, but anyone who saw him would know at a glance that this must be a man with a story.

Alice, beside Rein, however, left a completely different image in this instant. She was smiling shyly and reservedly, looking so gentle and graceful, like a well-bred young lady, exuding a unique charm that was exclusive to women.

In the photo, she was much thinner than when she had first arrived, but her face shape had become more perfect because of it. She had lost a bit of her playful and cute flavor, but had gained a bit more sexiness and charm. Like many seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls, she was constantly overflowing with an aura of youth.

The military uniform that looked sloppy on Rein looked clean and tidy on Alice. She was smiling cleanly, her big eyes narrowed into beautiful crescents. Her fair skin was made even fairer by the black SS uniform, and her long legs looked even longer because of the uniform trousers.

The two of them were standing just a fist’s distance apart, yet the entire photo exuded a strong disharmonious atmosphere, as if the right side where Rein was standing was a cold winter, and the left side where Alice was standing was a spring of rejuvenation. The auras that the two of them exuded were so incompatible that it made one unable to help but laugh.

But if you looked at this photo carefully, there was a subtle connection between the two of them. Underneath the incompatibility of the entire photo, there was also a kind of unified feeling that was hard to describe—Rein was no longer so cold, and Alice also looked to have gained a bit of resolve.

The young, flirtatious photographer did not yet know that he had unknowingly created a legend. He just shouted loudly to Rein and Alice, “Alright! I’ve got the shot!”

Rein instantly relaxed and turned his head to continue looking at the French behemoth. Alice, on the other hand, was a little dejected. She felt that her performance just now was not perfect. She should have stood a little closer to Rein. The effect of the photo might have been better.

But Alice quickly recovered her mood. With her hands behind her back, she walked with a smile to Rein’s side and, with her commander, examined the French railway gun in front of them. It had to be said that this was indeed a huge guy. At least in front of it, humans seemed much smaller.

“Hey, Rein, why were the French defeated by us, even though they also have so many advanced weapons?” Alice suddenly asked, looking at the railway gun.

“Because from beginning to end, it is us humans who are controlling the weapons. What determines the victory or defeat of a battle is not only the superiority or inferiority of the weapons, but also the role of people,” Rein said, looking at the railway gun, but he answered Alice’s question very formally. “We are ruthless, act swiftly, and have an unwavering will to advance, so we win the victory of the war.”

The key to determining victory or defeat is weapon technology, and also the people who have mastered the weapon technology. It is not easy to explain how important the role of people is, but an example can be given to show that people are enough to change some things in a war.

The same air force, the same backward fighter planes. The pilots of the former Yugoslavia dared to take off without fear of sacrifice to engage the powerful US Air Force, while Iraq only dared to bury its own fighter planes in the sand. The same failure, some losers are eagles, while others are just ostriches.

The nouveau riche Japan, relying on its cunning and fierceness, and playing to its strengths while avoiding its weaknesses, had caused the great nation of China to sink for more than half a century. The volunteer army with its backward weapons, relying on its firmness and courage, and not fearing hardships and dangers, had fought the world’s number one power to a standstill. So since ancient times, those who lead soldiers do not admire shiny helmets and bright armor, but love an army of tigers and wolves.

Of course, Rein was not entirely right. With the development and progress of human technology, the gap in weapons had become more and more irreparable. You could still fight a P-51 against a malfunctioning Me-262, but you could never deal with an opponent of the F-15 level.

“But, Rein, to be ruthless is not an excellent quality. It will make you miss many beautiful memories and also make you lose yourself, lose the virtue of kindness,” Alice continued. “I don’t think it’s very good.”

“I admit that,” Rein nodded. “But in this place, in this environment of war, ruthlessness can keep you alive, and live longer. I don’t want to die, so I have no choice but to live on ruthlessly.”

“You’re right,” Alice nodded. This line of questioning seemed to be more for convincing herself, so she easily agreed with Rein’s words. “I don’t want to die. I want to live on with everyone! Baumann, Andre, that damned Bruce… and you!”

“I will lead you to live on!” Rein nodded firmly. “Perhaps in a few days, we will enter Paris, and the war will be over.”

“Under the Eiffel Tower, we’ll take another photo as a memento!” Alice said with longing. “I want to buy French perfume and drink the red wine there!”

“You want so much. Your little salary isn’t even enough to buy socks,” Rein sneered. Alice, in her embarrassment, began to chase after Rein. Rein, in a couple of moves, climbed onto the French railway gun and, standing on a row of iron plates on top that looked like scaffolding, he laughed heartily at Alice below.

Since the background of the era was war, a peaceful scene would naturally not be the main theme. Just as Rein and Alice were bathing in the brief, tranquil sunlight, on the outer defensive positions of Dunkirk, the soldiers of both sides were engaged in a fierce and tragic battle of life and death.

Friederici frowned as he looked at the British army’s position opposite him through a scissor periscope. It was being covered by a fierce barrage of artillery fire. Black columns of smoke shot into the air, one after another. The Friedrich rocket launchers were weaving a dense net of fire over the heads of the British opposite them.

This time, the British army really had no room to retreat and had finally let the German soldiers see their true tenacity. The battle had already been going on for a full hour. Although they knew that the British soldiers had suffered heavy losses, the German army still had not received any news that the British army was preparing to surrender.

The German Air Force had demonstrated its corresponding strength as the overlord of the air. Over a thousand planes were bombing Dunkirk in turns every day. The Stuka bombers came in like a swarm of locusts, and then dived in turns, dropping their bombs into the crowds of the Anglo-French coalition forces.

They searched for their targets in the air—these targets had not been camouflaged against air attack and were piled up in droves on both sides of the roads and in the suburbs of the cities, including weapons and equipment, as well as dense military camps and field hospitals. The Stukas had easily found these high-value targets and had then dropped their bombs to destroy everything.

In the sky above, the invincible German Fw-190D fighters circled like vultures below the cloud layer. They covered the Stukas as they bombed the Allied forces’ heads as if in an unmanned territory, and from time to time, they would dive down and strafe the ground with the 30mm cannon and 13mm machine guns on their noses, cutting down an entire infantry company of Allied soldiers in one go.

Everywhere were burning tanks and trucks that had been hit. Houses were damaged and had collapsed. Soldiers had fallen by the side of the road from excessive fatigue. As far as the eye could see, everywhere were cannons that had been abandoned due to lack of ammunition, and tanks and armored cars that had been left on the side of the road due to lack of fuel.

The terrified Allied soldiers were crowded together, waiting for the retreat that their officers had promised. They had been told two days ago that they would board ships at Dunkirk and leave this living hell. It was a pity that up to now, only a small number of ships had come to rescue them.

“Concentrate the heavy artillery. Bombard Hill B. Destroy the British fire points there. Then commit the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment to attack here and control the high ground,” Friederici said, retracting his gaze and pointing to a map on the side to his staff officer. “The British army’s ammunition is quite sufficient. We must be prepared for a repeated struggle in this battle.”

“Colonel, this is the list of our army’s killed in action this morning. The four attacking companies have lost 72 officers and men. One StuG III was destroyed by an anti-tank mine. The deputy battalion commander of the 1st Regiment’s 2nd Battalion was hit by a stray bullet and is still being treated.”

“Continue the shelling! Send a telegram to General Manstein. Say that our army has suffered serious losses and is requesting to withdraw to rest and reorganize. Let the 40th Division come up to fill the gaps in the defensive line,” Friederici said, beginning to feel sorry for his soldiers. “Tell the air force’s liaison officer to push for more. It would be best to have air cover for the attack in a little while.”

As he was speaking, another round of shelling hammered the British defenders’ position. The muffled sound of explosions came from afar, and mud was thrown into the air by the huge and tragic explosions. The German 150mm heavy artillery had opened fire. Unlike the density of the rocket launchers, the German artillery’s fire was more accurate.

“Attack! Begin!” Not far away, a German battalion commander who had received the order commanded loudly. In the simple trenches, one after another, the German soldiers stood up. They arranged their ammunition, left their baggage and supplies in the trenches, and then, with a single command, they leaped out.

The MG42 beside them began to roar fiercely. The tracer rounds, trailing light, flew toward the British positions. The soldiers charged toward their targets, bent over. Another round of German attack had begun!

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