War Girls Box Set

Chapter 10

Lodz, February 1944

Lodz, February 1944“This is unacceptable!” Leutnant Scherer yelled at his men.

Richard stared at his boots in the hopes the Leutnant wouldn’t notice him.

“Obergefreiter Hauser, step forward.”

Everyone in the room except Johann, who stepped forward to receive the brunt of the tirade for his team, sagged with relief. As if the bitter cold weather wasn’t enough to deal with, the pesky Polish Home Army had increased their sabotage activities with the New Year.

The hostile elements of nature should have slowed them down. It certainly reduced the vigilance of Richard and his team, who spent as little time outside as possible. But those Polacks seemed to run on nothing but vodka, and everyone knew that booze only tasted better the colder it got.

“The b****y partisans blow up the bridge on the main North-South train connection and all I get from you lightweights is a shrug?” As he yelled at Johann, the Leutnant’s face turned a vibrant shade of crimson red.

“Leutnant, we have been making daily rounds–”

“Shut up with that nonsense. I want results, not excuses.”

“Yes, Leutnant.” Johann presented the perfect picture of misery, and once again Richard was glad he was only a simple soldier executing orders.

“In the last two weeks, the partisans blew up two railroad bridges and one tunnel. They cut communication lines, bombed fuel depots, and attacked pockets of our soldiers. This issue is more than a problem; it is an embarrassment for the entire base! I have been raked over the coals by high command, demanding I pull up my socks or else…” Leutnant Scherer snapped for air, and blood vessels on his forehead and neck popped out.

His heated stare seared into every man present, before he pointed a finger at Johann and growled, “You will fix this. Now. Double up your efforts and don’t return to base without the head of a partisan.”

“Yes, Leutnant,” Johann said. “Perhaps more men may be assigned to the scouting team, as half of my men are on sick leave with frostbite. The weather has limited our mobility–”

“It hasn’t limited the mobility of those devils, Hauser!” Wild with rage, Leutnant Scherer flailed his arms through the air until he pointed a shaking finger at Johann’s chest. “I have no men to spare. Make do with what you have. Have those lazybones return from the infirmary. Mobilize your informants. Bring me good news within forty-eight hours or you’ll all be sent to the front. Dismissed.”

The Leutnant left and a murmuring went through the room.

“The commander spoke of informants,” Richard said. “Do we have such people we can count on?”

“We don’t,” someone replied. “No one except for the prostitutes talks to us these days.”

“And with the ladies you must watch your mouth, because they’re usually spies for the partisans,” Johann said. “But enough of that, you’ve heard the Leutnant. Who wants to serve at the front?”

Nobody raised their hands.

Except for Richard and Karl none of them had witnessed a battle with the Red Army firsthand, but hearing about it and seeing the maimed and wounded transported home in hospital trains deterred them from volunteering.

Johann drew up a fresh roster and assigned teams of two to scout around for any information that would help their mission. Richard groaned when he was teamed up with Holger, a handsome man in his mid-twenties with blond hair and blue eyes like Richard himself. He hated Holger’s womanizing ways and his constant bragging about his newest conquest.

“Ah, boy. A few hours with friends at the bar can tell us all we need to know.” Holger smirked and thumped Richard on the back. “Let’s have an evening out, meet some of my lady friends, have a laugh and a few drinks. I guarantee it will be worth it. You watch and learn.”

Richard doubted the success of Holger’s proposition, but since the man topped him in rank, he had the say. Soon the two of them were sitting in the dimly lit tavern, and beautiful young ladies swarmed Holger.

“Come here, doll,” Holger said and sat a pretty brunette on his lap. Alcohol flew freely. Lips locked. Hands moved.

Richard nipped on his beer, doing his best to look away. Why had they come here? He sure as hell wasn’t interested in dallying with a Polish girl. If he ever had a girlfriend, he wanted her to be a decent woman, one who didn’t hang out in bars and jump in the laps of random soldiers. Richard wanted to walk out with her and court her, hold her hand, and get to know her before pressing the first kiss on her lips.

“What’s your name, doll?” Holger asked, one hand firmly on the woman’s thigh, the other one pouring more vodka into her glass.

“Hannah,” she said running her tongue across her lips, before she emptied the glass. “I fancy strong men. Like you.” She licked her lips again.

“And I fancy beauties like you.” He put his arms around the girl and held her close, whispering in a low voice, so that Richard barely understood, “I promise you a night full of delight and plenty of food to take home to your family, but first I need to know something.”

The girl snuggled up to him and her eyes gleamed at the mention of food.

“You wouldn’t know where the resistance members are hiding out?” he purred into her ear.

Hannah’s back stiffened with the question. “What do you want from them?”

“Talk, only talk,” Holger said, showering her face with little kisses. “And there’s a lot of food for you. Do you like roast pork?”

Richard could see how the girl fought with herself, but finally relented. “The village up north, Baluty. You promise nothing will happen to them?”

“I promise, my doll, and now it’s time for us to have some fun. Go get your coat,” he patted her butt and winked at an astounded Richard. “See how easy that was? Now you return to base and bring Johann the news, I have business to attend to.”

Johann was pleased by the intelligence, and Leutnant Scherer was so impressed he arranged to conduct a surprise dawn raid with the reinforcement of an entire SS squad. In the wee hours of the night, the surveillance team set out to search the little village of Baluty for resisters.