Free The Cross of Iron by Willi Heinrich Page B

the direct influence of the demagogues, but because of his sense of fairness he has managed to retain a good measure of patriotism.’
    Brandt rubbed the knuckles of his left hand. ‘Those are harsh words,’ he said.
    ‘Perhaps. If it weren’t for the presence of a superior officer, I might express myself even more clearly. But I don’t intend to discuss politics.’
    ‘If you did I would ask you not to. Go on.’
    ‘If you wish,’ Kiesel puffed misshapen smoke-rings at the ceiling. ‘It is the few men who were here from the start that I am concerned about. They have been steady as steel all along, and they are the ones who have been keeping the replacements in line. To them we owe -’ Abruptly he fell silent as he caught the faint smile on the commander’s face.
    ‘Why are you stopping?’ Brandt said. ‘What you say interests me enormously. I’d like to hear it to the end.’
    ‘It isn’t worth saying,’ Kiesel murmured.
    The commander studied him coolly for a moment. ‘It is always worth saying when I am your audience, remember that. But I can guess what you were going to say. You take the same view of the replacements that I do. They’re no longer any good; they’re infected by a spirit of tired resignation. They have experienced nothing but retreats here at the front, and have every reason to believe the myth of Russian invincibility. I started at the bottom, remember, and anything you can say about the old hands interests me now just as much as it did then.’
    ‘All right, let’s talk about the old hands. To them the recent setbacks have been nothing more than the shifting fortunes of war. During the years we were on the offensive, they saw the retreating back of the enemy too often to be frightened by his face now. The replacements, on the other hand, think every Russian is an infallible fighting machine.’
    ‘Good, we’re getting to the heart of the matter. Go on.’
    Kiesel propped his chin in his fists. ‘I could spend hours praising them. And what is happening now? The elite of the division, the men who wear their medals as though they were a natural part of their uniforms, are becoming just as unreliable as the replacements. Why?’
    Brandt nodded thoughtfully. ‘I suppose you are going to say that the men feel mistreated. Their sense of duty has been shamefully exploited; they’ve been disappointed in us, and distrust and bitterness are the result.’
    ‘Precisely,’ Kiesel said. ‘What do you think is going to be the end of it? If we can no longer rely on our experienced men, if we can no longer -’
    Brandt interrupted him. ‘Enough,’ he said wearily. ‘With the situation as it is, we can’t blame them. Perhaps it is best not to talk about all this. It seems to me such conversations only make things harder for us.’ He sighed and stood up. ‘You can accompany me this afternoon. I intend to see for myself how the positions look.’
    ‘I’ll be here,’ Kiesel said. As he went out, he saw Brandt sit down at the table again and rest his head on his hands. The issue of the war had already been decided, Kiesel thought. They both knew it; there was no sense pretending any longer.
    Late that evening the men were still working on the positions. Meyer had left his bunker a few minutes before; he was nervous and wanted to inspect the trenches and foxholes. He noted that the work was progressing well, and turned back toward his headquarters. Lost in thought, he trudged slowly along the head -high trench. Steiner would certainly be coming in tonight. Once the Russians built up a solid front line, there would hardly be any chance for the platoon to get through. Even as it was, the platoon would have to detour around the city and that would take time. Meyer looked at his watch. It was shortly before ten. He stopped walking and stood for a moment, indecisive. Then, since he felt not the slightest inclination to sleep, he swung himself up out of the trench, climbed a few yards up the