War Girls Box Set

Chapter 11

The raid on Baluty reminded Richard of the frontline, except their opponents were civilians and didn’t carry weapons. The odds were stacked heavily in their favor this time. In the village, about twenty men jumped off the truck and entered the houses, surprising people in their sleep and hauling every living soul outside, where they lined them up for questioning. Women and children to the left, men to the right.

But no questioning took place.

The SS squad arrived in their slick black uniforms with the red armbands showing the black swastika on white ground. Richard froze with shock when the SS-Scharführer aimed his pistol at the temple of the first man in line and pulled the trigger. The bile crawled up the back of his throat. He’d seen many cruel battles, but never such cold-blooded murder. He cast a silent plea for help toward Johann, who shook his head. An Obergefreiter couldn’t pull rank against an SS-Scharführer.

“What are you waiting for? The work doesn’t do itself!” The SS-Scharführer yelled at his men, who repeated his actions until no Polish man was left standing and the pristine carpet of white snow was covered in crimson blood.

The shrill screams of the womenfolk as they lamented the horror of the morning pierced Richard’s ears. He closed his eyes for a moment, unable to stand the sight of such evil.

“Now, let’s get to the fun part and show these women what happens to traitors to the German Reich,” the SS-Scharführer called out and grabbed the first female within arm’s reach. Tearing off her clothes, he r***d the poor woman under the hooting and hollering of his squad.

The other women raced away, intent on hiding in their houses, but to no avail. Dozens of SS troopers searched the village and systematically and brutally r***d every female they got ahold of.

“We’re out of here,” Johann ordered his men to retreat while the brutality of their compatriots raged through the village. “There’s nothing for us to do when the SS is in charge.”

Richard stumbled along the road, bumping against Holger, who spat out angrily, “Get a hold of yourself. Be a man, for God’s sake!”

“…but… they killed… murdered… everyone…”

“Those Polacks would kill you in a heartbeat. Do you know how much damage these bastards have done us? How much brave German blood has been shed by these snakes? They deserved it.”

Richard shook his head. In his eighteen months at the front he’d never had to question the why. War was war. Soldiers killed soldiers. But killing and r****g civilians?

“Why do they have to r**e the women?” Richard’s voice shook under the force of his emotion.

“What of it! They’re only Poles, an inferior race. These women should be happy to be done by a real man at least once in their lives. If it wasn’t for Johann and his wretched sense of morale, we’d be joining in the fun now.” Holger kept complaining as they marched toward the truck.

“Fun?” Richard couldn’t believe his own ears.

“You still have to learn a lot, my boy, before you become a man. Besides, it teaches them a lesson, shows them who’s the boss here. These women and their men will never question German superiority again.” Holger added, “What we both need is a good hot meal.”

Richard was about to jump onto the truck when a movement caught his eye. A small person slipped inside a shed at the end of the village. He thought of ignoring it, but several others had seen it as well.

“There’s another one!” someone shouted.

Johann seemed to hesitate for a moment but then gave the expected order. “Everyone down and search the area in pairs.”

The team dashed in different directions and soon the first soldiers came back with captured villagers. Richard and Holger entered the shed just when a person tried to sneak out and run for the woods. Richard acted swiftly and grabbed the young woman by her long brown hair as she struggled to flee.

Her beautiful brown eyes met his and the expression of fear mixed with fury bolted through his heart. She is so young and beautiful. Why does she have to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?

She is so young and beautiful. Why does she have to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?Heavy footsteps thumped inside and one of the SS soldiers grabbed the girl’s arm. Richard’s heart squeezed knowing she would have to endure the inevitable at the SS trooper’s hands and he barked at him, “Back off! I saw her first, she’s mine!”

Surprised by Richard’s sudden outburst the other man held up his hands and grinned. “Hey, no big deal. Have your fun and I’ll take her next.”

The frantic girl in Richard’s grip kicked, jabbed, punched, and kneed, reckless of where she hit, while Holger and the SS man cheered him on with comical advice. For lack of a better idea, Richard dragged her toward some bales of hay piled up at the back of the shed. She put up more of a fight than some of his comrades would be able to, but Richard slapped her hard across the face and when she stumbled at the impact, he pinned her on the floor.

“Go on, Richard, show the b***h who’s the boss,” Holger shouted and then waved the SS man away. “Let our baby have some privacy for his first time. We’ll come back later and show the b***h how real men do the job.”

Richard wanted to cry with joy when he heard the door close behind them, leaving him alone with the beautiful brunette.

Out of the corner of the dirt-covered window he saw the two men take out cigarettes, walking back to the truck, waiting for him to finish his business.

“Stop! Stop struggling!” he hissed. “I’m not going to harm you.”

But the girl didn’t hear him, so caught up in her own terror was she. She wormed her hand free and ripped her nails into the flesh on his face. Richard grabbed her wrists and pinned them firmly above her head. Her curses mixed with the intermittent sounds of gunshots as a new batch of captives were picked off.

“Please stop struggling,” he begged. “I’m not going to hurt you, but those other men will.”

Her knee landed in his crotch and she used the moment of pain to wiggle out from under him. Richard grabbed her by the shoulder. “Stop, please.” His words came out in gasps, “I could never hurt you...I will help you...calm down...don’t make things worse for yourself.”

It seemed he finally got through to her and she slumped limply against him.

“Thank you,” she whispered in German and gave him a soft smile that moved his heart. “But how?” They didn’t have much time to devise a plan.

A pigeon used the quietude to fly across the shed. Richard took his pistol, aimed at the pigeon sitting under the roof, and fired.

It fell silently.

“Lie still,” he said, rubbing the pigeon’s blood over her and himself. Then he walked toward the exit, just in time to bump into Holger, who’d come running at the sound of the shot.

“You fine?” Holger asked with a glance at his bloodstained, disheveled comrade.

“A real wildcat,” Richard said, frowning.

“Did you give it to her?”

“What do you think?” he replied impudently as he made a display of straightening his clothes. “Sorry I ruined the fun for you.”

“No worries. There’ll be others. Although I do like me a wildcat.” Holger patted him on the back, and nodded toward the truck, where Johann was giving the sign to leave.

Thank God, Johann.

Thank God, Johann.As he jumped onto the back of the truck, Richard glanced back to the shed where he’d left the beautiful girl with the enticing smile. She reminded him a lot of his sister Lotte, another wildcat. His strong and independent sister never backed down and fought harder than most of the boys, including him. He grinned. Even Lotte wouldn’t stand a chance against the battle-hardened version of him anymore. Apart from the muscles formed by daily exercise, he’d also grown at least three inches in the past year and a half – painfully reminded by his toes confined in too small shoes.

He c****d his head. This was the first time in several months that he could think of his favorite sister without his heart squeezing tight. I hope she’s all right. Anna and Ursula too. And Mutter.

I hope she’s all right. Anna and Ursula too. And MutterAs the engine fired up, they caught a last glimpse of the village. The SS had started torching the houses, and the women and children howled piteously. Richard’s last impression, before the truck rounded a corner was one that would haunt him for the rest of his days. Desolate people slumped on the icy ground, beating their faces and bodies with their palms. This incident went beyond war and served no purpose, except to satisfy the cruelty and sadism of a few.

Back in his quarters he found Karl. “This is not war. This is a crime.”

“I don’t even want to think about it. I thought we’d seen the ugly side of humanity, but this…?” Karl dashed to the bathroom to vomit.

Richard fell face down onto his bunk, his stomach flipping over in protest. As he dozed off into a sleep plagued with nightmares, the sweet face of the beautiful brunette followed him, her brown eyes full of gratitude. “I hope she’s safe,” he murmured in his sleep.