7.
The battle
of Marne
Abel Lenger.
Surgeon
It’s there not
any sanity in this war? I stood to question the sanity of the people who started
the war. I heard from the survivors in my medical tent of new plans
by the top-ranking officers. They wanted to invade Paris.
"The
French are retreating." I heard the roars and shouts of the men when they thought
that Paris within sight is Paris to be overrun. But I wanted to tell them
that the cornered animal is more dangerous than a roaming one. I shared a drink
with an injured officer who has the misfortune of being shot in the left thigh
by a stray bullet fired from nowhere.
"General von Kluck disobey orders from its
own headquarters to double back and support General von Bulow’s 2nd Army. The
former treasured Paris and forget the strategy of protecting their own. The
General is not keen to be second last to the other anymore. Von Kluck now
marched in pursuit of the retreating French 5th Army, under General Charles
Lanrezac, across the Marne River."
The fool for the coveted prize of Paris
with the sacrifice of thousands or maybe million if we give him them. I
thanked the officer for sharing with me the news. I took leave of him to let
him rest. Once I was outside, I took my box of cigarettes to take a smoke. As
the match light up my stick, I noticed in the far corner is the other team of
surgeons trying to clear the backlog of cases. As one was carried in, there may
one carried out for the burial detail. There was absolute madness there, and I
saw one doctor came out for a breath of air.
“Hello,” I called out.
“Oh, hello. You were on the previous
shift.” The doctor looked at me. “Was it as bad as now?”
“When was it ever quiet and serene here?” I
replied with a tinge of sarcasm.
“Maybe when we reached Paris.” The doctor
smiled. “I hope they don’t bomb it like Marne.”
The doctor then did some stretching and
movements to loosen his limbs before going back in to continue his works. I thought
of the conversation with the other officer on the General's plans. It was all
the same. They wanted to reach Paris at any cost. I felt the agitation and wanted
to bring them here to see their works being done in real life. I then shouted
into the dark night with Marne River as my witness: "Lie on my surgical
table and I would show you their pain."
Dieter Luther, Gefreiter
I sat down on the
tree base and released the load from my back. I was sitting with two other new
recruits from Munich who just joined us. It was my job to teach them how to
stay alive longer. They were cousins and happened to be in the same squad;
Helmut and Henry.
Both were blond
and probably just turned twenty, but they were a cheerful pair. They are ever
joking on the French for they have yet to see the hostile one upfront in the
war except for the ones they passed by dead during the march.
"Henry did
you see the French whore this morning? She is smiling as if we are visitors to
her village. She may not know it but we don't need to pay them for a fuck now.
We take what ours now." They both laughed at the silly joke. I would have
cautioned them but I thought it was better I kept my mouth shut.
All the men in
the world given the current situation would make fun of something on the
enemies. The popular topic would be on their women. I did not see Dietrich
coming at them as we might have missed him sitting at the nearby tree. Dietrich
used his rifle stock to slammed it on Henry's face. He was about to hit Helmut
when I stopped him.
"Dietrich,
stop it. We are not fighting among ourselves now. They are sorry." I
looked at my friend who was now holding on his action when I stood between him
and the cousins.
"Whores! All
you think about is every woman is a whore. If that so, your mother is one. You
are a whore's son." Dietrich was upset and I knew why. He was still missing
his sister. Marja and above all, he had a French \wife but she died a year
after their marriage. She was killed in an accident in the working place.
"They know
now. Go to have your meal there. I would reprimand them." I watched as
Dietrich walked away with his shoulders drawn down.
I looked at Henry
and told him to report to the Infirmary. I then looked at Helmut.
"Make it
known to you and your cousin. The French soldiers are like us but the only
difference is they are losing the war now. But if you reversed the situation,
and this is Munich, you would not want your sister to be treated that
way." But Helmut's reaction was expected.
"The bastard
hurt my cousin and he would pay for it." These young men are all hot-headed and I slapped him hard across the face.
"That
bastard saved my life before and he may just do it for you too. If you hurt
him, he may just kill you or forget that you are German when it comes to saving
your life. So be respectful of the elders here. Do I make myself clear?" I
looked at the young man's face. He nodded and then he added more words to his
understanding.
"Gefreiter,
I cannot be sure of my marksmanship." He threatened in his words. I really
wanted to slap him again, but I know that would not work now. So I took up my
load and walked back to my old friends. For once, I wanted to be near the ones
who would save me in the battle and not shoot me in the back.
"I am sorry,
Dieter. I lost my head on seeing him called them whores." I looked at
Dietrich who is now nursing his bottle water like cognac.
"Don't be,
my friend. We would let the French soldiers do the honor when we go to battle.
He may die by their bullets or their bayonet. I am putting them to do point in
the next patrol."
"Dieter, you
are a bastard," Dietrich said to me smiling.
"I know but
someone had to be among us to do point." I smiled and unpacked my meal.
It is either them or us who would do point and the casualty rate is the highest
in patrol.
Peter
Weiner, Hauptmann
"Hauptmann,
I want you to lead a patrol to locate the 2nd Army over here. I need
to know their exact location so that we can bridge the gap between our lines. I
do not want the French soldiers to outflank us or find a weak line in our
lines." I listened to the Oberst as he gave us the needed briefing. I
looked down at the map on the table as I can see we are advancing towards
Paris.
In fact, we were
about 30 miles northeast of Paris and I saw across the map are the assumed
last known position of the 2nd Army is a distance to the eastern
side and behind us in the advancement. Now I can see why the Oberst is
concerned about being outflanked by the French soldiers.
"We have the
French soldiers running like wild ducks now. Our orders are to push for Paris
as given by General von Kluck. Why do you send a detachment to the rear
for?" We all looked at the Oberst-lieutenant Keiter who was unkind to join us here at the
briefing unannounced. He had then arrived and heard the order.
"Yes, Oberst-lieutenant
. I know the General's order but I am just doing my recon to ensure that I am
not unprepared for any eventualities." The Oberst reply was a clear insult
to the General's ability to plan his battle plans. The Oberst-lieutenant took
offense and step back from the table.
"I must be
making my report back to the General. Thank you, Gentlemen. Oberst." The Oberst-lieutenant
saluted the senior officer before
leaving. We can hear his land vehicle moving off and the Oberst then remarked
on the departure.
"I was
wondering how long would he stay here. Bloody bootlicker. Now Hauptmann, take
a patrol out and avoid any unnecessary contact. Report back to me." I
saluted the Oberst and took my leave. The Oberst can be a glory hunter but he
does sometimes display good strategy in his planning. As I was walking back to
my platoons, the Oberst came running out.
"Hauptmann,
I need a word with you." The officer soon caught up with me. "In the area
of your patrol, there is a place I want you to go over. It’s a convent and I
have a letter for you to give to the Mother Superior." The Oberst hands
over to me the letter. "Pass it to her; that is all I asked."
I nodded and kept
the letter in my jacket.
Dieter Luther, Gefreiter
"I
understand, Hauptmann." I saluted the officer and walked back to my squad.
We numbered twenty of us then and the cousins are back except one of them has
his head bandaged but he can still shoot. We were joining another platoon of
over twenty-five men on the patrol.
"We are
going on a recon patrol with the other platoon. Ours would be the heavy hitters.
So I need two machine guns and ammo, plus each man would carry six stick of
grenades." I have sensed the men's concern as it’s not something ordinary to
carrying so many ammo.
"I also want
you all to remove all non-essentials from your load." Two four-man squads
were formed to carry the Maxim 08 Machine gun, while we all carried the spare
ammo. The other platoon was all carrying their basic weapons.
The next day we
were taken by the trucks to go east to near the town of Noyon, along the River
Oise. We were all dropped off next to a flat valley with rows of grapevines.
"This is as
far as the trucks would take us. They are needed back at the front line and we
would proceed on foot here. If we are lucky, we would meet up with the 2nd
Army or fight with some French soldiers or BEF." Hauptmann gave us our
briefing and I took it back to my platoon. We would march to the rear of the
other platoon and in the event of a fight, we would be their support. It would
also give us time to set up the Maxim for firing.
"Hauptmann,
I sighted a winery down at the valley. Can we do a recon there?" I asked
of the officer and he agreed to a five-man squad. I selected Dietrich and three
others to go with me.
The winery consists
of a farmhouse and the winery house next to it. As we walked through the vines
yard, we noticed some men were working at the winery. It could be a
family member as this was a small winery. When we approached the place, one of
the men saw us coming and warned the others. They all ran to the house and the
doors can be heard locking. I signaled the men to hold back on reaching the
winery yard and spread out. It’s a precaution as I do not want to shot at or
ambushed by these Frenchman.
"We come in
peace. Can we talk?" I shouted in German as I am not sure how to phrase
the words in French. It was then one of my men who just joined us some days
back spoke it in French. His name was Jean and he hardly speaks.
The door to the
house open up and an old man came out. He was unarmed and I signaled Jean to
come with me.
"Tell him we
just want some information on any German soldiers here." Jean translated
and I listen from what words of French I could be picked up.
"He said he
not seen any. He asked if we are deserters." I looked at Jean and shook my
head. The old man then spoke more excited and Ben asked him to slow down so he
can translate.
"He did encounter
some deserters from both sides. That was why they ran to hide as these
deserters shoot at them. And steal their food." Jean spoke to me about what
the man said.
"Did he kill
them? The Germans?" I asked Jean to translate. When Jean asked the man, he
shook his head.
"Tell him
not to lie to me. I know he killed them. That is our bread bag he has to hang
on the porch. It’s a standard-issue of the German Army. No deserter would leave
that behind as he holds his food there." I looked at the man and he looks
nervous. Jean asked him back and he shook his head. Then the older man panicked
and reached for his back. I shot him when he pulled out a Luger. Once I have
shot the older man, the house rang out with shots with some bullets hitting Ben
in the chest and legs. I have jumped to the ground for cover and raised my
rifle to shoot at the house. My men at the rear of seeing the firefight have
joined in with their guns.
I pulled out two
grenades stick and lobbed it into the house. I held my head down with my hand
when the explosions came. Then I raised my rifle and ran to the house. The door
was blown in by the explosion and there was a big hole by the side too. I
walked in with my rifle at my shoulder. I saw the injured men in the house and
I don't think they want to fight anymore. Dietrich was to join me and he also
scanned the room for any potential danger.
"Jean is
dead." I nodded to his words. I knew Jean was dead. Anyone who takes that
many bullets would be. I went over to the injured man and check on his wounds.
He won't make it past the night and I also noticed he carry a Gewehr 98 with
him. I took up the rifle and point it at him
"For
Jean." I shot him.
Peter
Weiner, Hauptmann
I heard the shots
and explosion when we were marching down the road. It was then I saw the
billowing dust in the distance coming towards us. I signaled the men to hide in
the nearby ditch and set up the Maxim. It could be a farmer truck or an
advanced motorized convoy of which side I have yet to determine.
Soon, I had a
a better view of the trucks. It was those rare armored vehicles but that one was French-built, unlike the Minerva which was used by the Belgian. It was actually a truck
but modified with an armored turret and mounted with a Vicker machine gun.
There were four of them and it’s probably a recon patrol like theirs.
"Take them
down. They cannot be allowed to escape or they would report our
positions." When the vehicles came passing us the men lobbied their
grenades and pressed on with the machines guns or rifles. It was not a planned
ambush but a frenzied firefight while the men shoot without realizing the
status of the enemy. I had to call them to halt after a few minutes and the
result was the charred or bullet-riddled vehicles. The French soldiers were
seen some slumped over the turret or through the side openings. I saw the men
approached the vehicles to loot it.
“Hey, I got a
watch.” One of the looters called out. I ignored them and marched on. I saw the
NCOs calling the men to get back in line.
"Let us move
on." I looked on while the men marched past the carnage which they had
taken part in. As I walked past it, I saw the rank on the sleeve of the dead
officer who now lies hanging over the turret of the second vehicle. I took my
hand in salute to the fallen officer.
"Why do you
salute, Hauptmann?" I looked at the soldier who then stood by me. "He
is French and we are at war. They killed my brother last week and I would kill
them all."
I wanted to reply
but I decided that this younger man may not need to be told of my action. I
just ignored him and walked on but I turn my back to see the man after a few
feet. The young man whom I left behind took up his bayonet and stabbed the dead
officer. He trod up to me and "for my brother. That is my salute to
them."
"Anger
cannot be dishonest*; I believe you now, Marcus. You spoke true then and I see
it now with my own eyes. The anger in the war can make us killers with a vent
for anger. If without anger, they would not know how to kill without remorse.
" I said to myself as I walked on the road.
*Marcus Aurelis.
"Welcome to
the war, Hauptmann." I looked to look at the veteran who replied to my words.
He smiled and pat his neckline which hangs the name tags of soldiers. I was
told by his friend; he takes the name tag of the dead enemies so he can have
shown to his dead friend's wife how many lives he took.
Erich
Kroner, Oberst
"Champagne,
it’s splendid." My finger trailed the River Seine to Paris on the map and
then tapped at the city. A short distance is shown on the map but a long journey
would be for us on the ground.
I like the city
and the wine. They are both beautiful and classy. But in this war, I have seen
the folly of the man. He underrates his foes; he assumed they would run and
protect Paris. But he could be wrong, as a cornered prey would look for
surprises. It’s the few tricks that could turn the odds.
Maunoury's army is still fighting its way
to the Ours, a little river which runs southwards into the Marne at Lizy, while
I am told the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) is at the Crecy forest. They were
engaging there and we were driven to the Grand Morin. That was not the only
weak point of our lines. La Ferté-Gaucher, Esternay were possible weak links
then. If the British do as I predicted, we would be drawn back to the Grand
Morin at Coulommiers, and thus enabled D'Esperey to do the like with Von
Kluck's center.
That would be cause for celebration for the
enemy for Von Kluck would need to retreat on his ambition.
“Von Kluck, I am here at the Seine.” I
tapped the map point and knew if I have more men, I could create a breakthrough
and be in Paris sooner. If the Kaiser knew of this, I would hail as the one who
did it. By then, the Generals will beg for my signature to approve their
advancement. I would be hailed as the Hero. But I do not command the entire 1st
Army. I am to follow orders and carried the ones given. If I am right on the weak lines between us and
the 2nd Army, I could win credits for my next promotion.
"Where is my
champagne?" I found or rather I confiscated that from a Feldwebel who had
secured it from some cellars. The French are good winemakers, just as we make
good beer and cold meat.
"Oberst,
your guest is here." I turned around to received my guest.
"Mlle Elin, it’s
been almost a year since I last patronize your parlor. How are you?"
Madame Elin is what you would call a courtesan in the older days, but today
they are known as society ladies. But nowadays, it’s not the rank or title that
buys their services but the value of the money to secure their services.
"Oberst
Kroner, I fear what I may offer may not be your preference."
She knew me well
as, during my visits to Paris, I never failed to see her and her collection of
mates for me. She knew how to pick them well and young. But I sought her here that
day for something else. We discussed and this was her reply.
"But if you
seek me of the intimate details of my patrons, perhaps we can negotiate some
coverage arrangement. Perhaps an introduction to some of your officers who
required my services. The war has dampened down the calls and the girls are
getting lazy."
I smiled at her.
She was a wonderful person to have at your side; she knew almost everything on
how to make a man happy. And if my officers are happy, I will also be happy.
"Shall we
drink to that?" She needed patrons and I needed information. Information
that can tell what the officers are planning and how I can have used it against
them. That includes my own officers above me.
"Perhaps you
have others whom I may prefer." We both smiled at the possibility.
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