Free The Cross of Iron by Willi Heinrich

Brandt ignored him. Then he turned upon him. ‘For heaven’s sake stop the marathon. You bother me more than the Russians. Tell me your private opinion of Stransky.’
    Kiesel stopped by a chair, pulled it between his legs and sat down backwards on it. ‘My private opinion?’ he said, drawling. ‘To tell the truth, I have not yet taken the trouble to form an opinion. Herr Stransky seems to think very well of himself. But that may be because he comes from a fine old family. Or maybe he is just too rich to be human.’
    Brandt dismissed these suppositions with a gesture. ‘Stop beating around the bush. You’re a judge of people. What do you think of him?’
    ‘I have so far met Stransky only once,’ Kiesel answered noncommittally. He lit a cigarette, holding the burning match in his fingers until it went out. ‘The few words I’ve exchanged with him were instructive in one sense. On the other hand, they were hardly enough to justify an objective opinion. My personal impression is that Herr Stransky considers himself an unusual personality who is above criticism. If I understood him rightly, he believes he has a great mission to perform, namely to achieve spiritual domination of the battalion.’
    ‘What’s that?’ Brandt asked in utter incomprehension.
    Kiesel smiled. ‘It does sound odd, but I have an inkling of what he wants. To put the matter more clearly: Herr Stransky wants his orders obeyed not because of his rank, but because of the sheer impression his personality makes upon the men.’
    ‘If that’s so, his chances are pretty poor. I’ve had my own experiences with the obstinacy of the 1st Battalion.’ He laughed harshly. ‘You’ve dreamed all this up, Kiesel. I’ve been wearing this uniform a long time and I’ve never yet met such a case.’ 
    Kiesel nodded. ‘I grant it is unusual for a commander to want to rule his men’s emotions as well as their actions.’
    ‘And how, may I ask, does Stransky intend to achieve this, ah, spiritual domination?’
    ‘I didn’t sound him out on this. But I gather he intends to use his company commanders as his tools since, in his own words, the influence of a commanding officer diminishes in intensity the lower you go in the ranks. He considers personal contact with the other ranks a dangerous experiment.’
    ‘Beautiful!’ Brandt brought his palm down against the table top in exuberant amusement. ‘You know, Kiesel,’ he said, with a confidential wink, ‘I am rather impressed by this man Stransky, even if he is a visionary.’
    ‘Not all visionaries are as unpopular as Stransky,’ Kiesel commented.
    ‘Do you think so?’ Brandt suddenly wore a look of studied indifference.
    For a second there was silence between them. Then Kiesel said casually, ‘Oh, well.’ He regarded the tip of his cigarette and resolved to say no more on this dangerous topic.
    Brandt drummed his fingers nervously on the table. At last he raised his head with an impatient gesture. ‘At any rate, in the First, Stransky will find few officers or men who will go along with his little game. Less than ever now. To tell the truth, the morale of the men is troubling me. No pep to them. They’re like a set of chess pieces; they’ll let themselves be moved around, but they won’t move of their own accord.’
    ‘Chess pieces?’ Kiesel frowned reflectively. ‘Haven’t they always been that?’
    ‘Not a bit of it.’ Brandt shook his head vehemently. ‘I tell you, up to a year ago we had the best troops a commander could wish for. The men knew just what they were doing and why they were doing it. They were capable of winning a battle even when it was being run by an amateur up on top. But today! I never feel easy unless I’m right up there in the trenches myself. It’s impossible to have any confidence in them.’
    ‘The feeling is mutual,’ Kiesel remarked.
    ‘What’s that?’ Brandt gave him a look of astonishment that quickly became reproach. ‘What do you mean by