Reinhard couldn't help but stay up thinking early that morning; sooner or later, everybody would know what might happen that day, and the chances of survival were slim. Everyone else was fast asleep, the staircase glimmering with small shines of light from the rising sun, and the whole trench was silent.
With nothing to do, Reinhard got dressed and exited the barracks. When he had poked outside the entrance, it was completely empty. Somewhere and about stood a sentry in the front lines, but besides that, it was empty. Reinhard strolled along the trenches and stepped on top of the parapets. It wasn't until now that he had a clear view of the field of Ypres. There were foxholes from past bombardments, but it was grassy, and forests surrounded them all. He knew one day all of this would disappear and be lifeless, just like Metz.
He could see groups of deer grazing on the fresh green grasses; small critters and rodents roamed around the foxhole in curiosity. Reinhard watched them in peace for a while until a flock of birds flew off away from the forests in alarm. He quickly took out his field glasses and observed the forests where the birds came from. In the distance, he could see trees being mowed down and falling suspiciously.
It went on for a while until Reinhard realized it was heading closer to them by the second, and he quickly rushed over to a bell stand and rang it. He kept on ringing it until all men exited their barracks in panic and rushed to their positions. Maximilian rushed over to Reinhard and nudged him.
"What's going on?"
Reinhard replied, "Movement spotted in the eastern forests, Sir, the trees are collapsing one by one."
"Did you brief the men yet?"
"No, Sir." A cold sweat rolled down Reinhard.
"Go now then, move it, Corporal."
Reinhard gave a quick salute and hurried over to his division's position.
He gave out a loud cough a couple of times until all of the 19th Division could hear him. "Pardon me for not telling you this; however, Oberleutnant Maximilian has told me to give every one of you a briefing. According to him and German intelligence, the Entente seems to have developed this war machine which they call a 'tank.' Maximilian expects every single one of you to do his job and fight bravely. Now, back to where you were," he rushed.
Everyone gave a few sarcastic whoops and cheers. Reinhard ignored those and stood beside Ernst, who was focusing on the forest with his binoculars.
"What're you seein'?" he asked.
It took a moment before Ernst replied, "It's coming this way. What horrid war machine can cause this? It would take about twenty men just to chop down one of these trees!" he exclaimed.
Reinhard tried to remember the blueprint he had found back when they were in Metz and said everything from memory, "The 'tank,' I think, had two cannons along both sides with machine guns at every corner? I am not very sure. May God forbid anything horrible happen."
They stood there in silence—all of the trench front—silent. After a few minutes of waiting, the ground started to rumble. Reinhard assumed it must be a mass siege from the British. Surely their position on high ground could knock them back. Then, out of nowhere, a blast hit the trenches a couple of yards left of Reinhard.
There was shouting and yelling. The officers tried to make every man focus on the front. More and more explosions and blasts hit them, and every time it did, that entire section was obliterated. Any man who tried to flee was either shot or killed by their officer or the explosion. Soon, troops charged out of the forests from all sides. Behind them was something the Germans had never seen before.
The 'tank' was exactly what Reinhard had seen on the blueprint, with a large rhombus shape with tracks on both sides. Machine guns and cannons fired upon them from all sides of the tank. Mortarmen tried their best to hit the tanks, but every time they did, there was no harm or damage seen upon them.
Reinhard stood there in fright; sweat watered down on him. No matter what the Germans did, it seemed impossible to stop the British advance. For every Brit killed, ten or more Germans would die from the tanks. Finally, the officers came to their senses and realized there would be no way to win and ordered a retreat.
"Retreat! Retreat!" men yelled all across the trenches. By now, the British had started to climb upon the hills and through the barbed wires. One of the men from the 19th Division stumbled onto the floor and gave out a loud cry while covering his left shoulder with his hands.
Reinhard rushed over to him and dragged him by his web gear. Ernst took notice and stood alongside Reinhard as he quickly escorted him to the retreating vehicles. By the time they were able to reach the loading trucks and ambulances, the British and their 'tanks' rushed through the trenches. The sight of it horrified him up close; the tanks would crush and run over any unfortunate men in their path, and with every shot, the ground shook.
"Quickly! Pass him to me, Reinhard!" Kayle urged. He and Ernst quickly lifted the wounded soldier to Kayle, who hurriedly pulled him into the truck.
As soon as Reinhard tried to enter the truck, a nearby explosion knocked him away from it, and it started off without them in an instant. He could hear faint screaming from his comrades telling the driver to stop, but it was far beyond their reach.
Ernst quickly grabbed him by the shoulders and helped him up. By now, the British had cleared out all of the trenches along with their war machines and were advancing over them. Any unlucky man would be shot, and trucks exploded all around Reinhard from the blasts of the tanks.
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He and Ernst quickly ran to the forests as gunfire zipped past them. Reinhard resisted looking back and tried to focus on fleeing. Thoughts about dying flushed through him, and every time they did, it made him want to give up trying.
"Come on! Duck into that foxhole!" Ernst yelled through the firing as he pointed to a nearby pit in the forest.
Reinhard threw his weapon as far as he could into the dugout for speed and finally leaped into the foxhole along with Ernst. He could hear nearby footsteps of the British, and sooner or later, they would be discovered.
He quickly went to the edge of the foxhole and readied his rifle alongside Ernst, preparing to strike when a face showed up. They waited for what felt like an eternity, and when they looked out, the British were nowhere to be seen. Reinhard gave out a sigh of relief as he got up from the foxhole.
"Wait!" Ernst tugged on his leg. "What if they're still here?"
It was possible the British were somewhere nearby, maybe patrolling the woods for any escapees. But if they stayed, they would be among the pile of the dead in the trenches.
Finally, Reinhard said, "I'm not staying any longer. The German line is a couple of miles from here; if we move now, we might be able to make it."
"How will we be so sure?" he argued. "Perhaps they've met the same fate as here! And if so, we'd be dead. Come on, Reinhard, think!" Ernst looked around wearily and in alarm as he clenched his rifle tight.
"I'd rather take my chances. Come on." Reinhard continued into the forest. Dusk was turning in, and soon the forest would be in darkness.
The duo continued walking for what seemed a few hours until they finally agreed to stop for the night in a nearby cave. Reinhard was able to make a small fire with wood and matchsticks, and soon they ate their canned rations, including dried vegetables, beef, and bread.
Ernst decided to keep watch first, and the other half would be on Reinhard. They both agreed, and soon Reinhard was fast asleep.
—
A fierce tap hit Reinhard's shoulder; he quickly burst awake and grabbed his rifle, aiming it at his opponent—who soon realized it was Ernst.
"Oh, my bad, Ernst. Get some shut-eye; it's my turn now, I guess."
Ernst gave him a weak and tired grin before laying down on his spread-out jacket and falling asleep. Reinhard walked out of the cave and sat on top of a stone outside it. He glanced over at his watch, which read 3:56 AM. The forest was completely still, the stars glimmered in the night sky, and everywhere was silent besides the crackling and hissing of the fire.
Reinhard gave out a loud sigh and started to wonder about the purpose of the war.
The next day, they continued their journey. Reinhard wasn't sure or not, but it felt as if the forest became foggier. Anything within a few yards was completely out of sight. Every slight movement or noise startled the duo as the mist covered whatever had caused it.
It went on for days until they spotted a German outpost standing amidst the forest. They were both completely exhausted from what their days' journey had faced them with—food being so scarce to the point they had to hunt for rodents such as rats and rabbits roaming around the forests. The cold of the winter didn't help with anything but made the fire more extreme.
The duo stood there in astonishment and excitement as they rushed over to the outpost's entrance. There stood a couple of guards who noticed them, and they were immediately stopped when they approached.
"Halt! What is your business coming here?" one yelled out.
Reinhard yelled back, "We are from the 19th Division! We were lost from a battle! We are here to seek refuge!" He could see Ernst cringing.
The guards spoke to each other for a while until finally replying, "Move forward! Drop any of your weapons!"
Reinhard and Ernst quickly unloaded their weapons, including knives, bayonets, and rifles they had found across the forests.
As soon as they got within touching distance, the guards surrounded them and moved them into the outpost. It wasn't very big; Reinhard supposed they were a temporary outpost. Tents were lined up row by row as men trained in all perimeters. The stone walls were at least twenty feet high, with a cannon pointing outward at each corner. In the distance, he spotted something he had never seen before.
There stood a vast machine. It had four iron legs, a rectangular base body on top with a cannon pointing outward and one on both sides. Machine guns were attached to the front legs, with the Iron Cross painted on all legs and walls. Vents pointed outward as steam and smoke exited through them. He could see engineers working on the machine; as they made a turn, more were lined up beside each other.
Then they were taken to a barrack where a majority of the men were playing and messing around. He could see, all the way in the back, the 19th Division symbol painted—the Wolfsangel.
"You'll be staying here for now. Good day." Then the escorts exited the barrack.
"Well, these must be the new men. Come on, let's find a spot." Ernst led Reinhard to the back of the barrack until they finally found two empty bunks. As they settled on their new beds, a group of men surrounded them.
"What do we have here, eh?" A big, muscular guy walked up to them. He examined Reinhard before saying, "Well, a Koporal! Must not be new, but what about him?" the guy said aloud and chuckled, with some following him.
"You must be new!" the guy told Ernst, based on his rank.
After some teasing of Ernst, Reinhard finally got fed up. "You better get away now, bastard. I'll have you written up. Would you like that?"
The guy stood there hesitating until he mumbled, "Fine," and walked away. Ernst gave him a silent "thanks" before sitting on his top bunk bed.
Suddenly, an officer walked in, and they quickly stood to attention.
"Where's Koporal Reinhard and Soldat Ernst?" He and Ernst raised their hands, and the officer gestured for them to come along.
Once they reached outside, the officer gave out a loud cough. "Koporal Reinhard, you are temporarily promoted to Oberleutnant, and if you can prove to be a good leader, the higher-ups will perhaps let you keep it. But for now, you are in charge of half the 19th Division with the help of the remaining men." Then he turned to Ernst, "As for you, you are the only experienced man in the whole division, which is why you are being promoted to Vizefeldwebel, which makes you the second in command. However, there are still some NCOs in the 19th Division to partially relieve you from the newcomers. Good luck, and congrats on your new ranks."
As he walked away, he gasped and quickly said, "Oh! The commanders wanted me to give you this." He took out two Iron Cross medals and attached them to their uniforms, then took out the Iron Cross First Class and pinned it to Reinhard's left breast before saluting.
Reinhard and Ernst both saluted back, and as they put their hands down, Reinhard asked, "What happened to the rest of the original 19th?"
The officer looked down and replied, "Maximilian and almost the majority were reported dead. The new few thousand were supposed to come to fill and repair the 19th Division the day the British attacked, but they were halted by ambushes. It's surprising only you two and a few men survived it. I would suggest coming to the funeral tonight for the dead soldiers." Then he walked away into the crowd.
Reinhard gave out a huge sigh and thought, How long would they keep fighting?