Ghost Sniper

“Well, Fritz, there are a few simple rules to follow if you wish to stay alive out here. The first is that you always do what I say without question, and do it immediately. The second rule is to keep your eyes open at all times. It seems quiet now, like we are just out for a stroll in the fields, but you saw those paratroopers coming down. There is a lot more out here now than rabbits and foxes. The third rule is not to walk so close to me because two men make a more inviting target than one.” Von Stenger stopped walking and stared at the young soldier. “Schütze Fritz, where is your rifle?”

“I, uh, I do not have one, sir. I am a driver.”

“Perhaps I should shoot you now and spare the Amis the trouble. Every soldier must have a weapon.”

“Yes, Herr Hauptmann.”

Von Stenger started off again. “Well, don’t fret, soldier. A boy like you probably won’t live until nightfall. So try to enjoy your last day alive.”

CHAPTER 5

Von Stenger moved deeper into the hedgerow country surrounding the farm. Despite what he had said to Fritz, he was not particularly worried about running into enemy troops.

Judging by the way they had come down in such scattered fashion in the early morning darkness, they would be trying to join up and figure out what the hell they were doing. In other words, the Allied forces would be highly disorganized. But Von Stenger had been fighting since 1938, first in the Spanish Civil War, then in Poland and Russia. He did not take survival lightly or for granted.

He considered the purpose of the airborne troops. It was obvious that the invasion taking place at the beach was to bring ashore vast numbers of men, tanks, trucks, and other materiel. Why had a relatively small number of men been parachuted into Normandy itself? Even a few hundred enemy troops might be no more than a diversion intended to wreak havoc, but surely they must have certain key objectives in mind.

Towns, he thought. Bridges. Roads. Rail lines. Yes, the Allies would be seeking either to gain control of these keys to transportation, or to destroy them.

From their present position, the nearest key target would be the bridge at La Profonde. And so he led Fritz in that direction.

Within an hour they were in view of the bridge. Von Stenger told the boy to wait, shed his haversack, and crept through the underbrush on a bluff above the bridge. Sure enough, the bridge was swarming with enemy troops. He could see a few dead Germans down below, all laid out in a neat row. Well, that was something—the Russians wouldn’t have bothered with that nicety. The dead troops must have been the detail assigned to protect the bridge, or possibly couriers who’d had the bad luck to run into the Americans. They would not have had a chance against so many.

“Fritz, leave your haversack and come here,” Von Stenger said quietly. “Move slowly. So far you have been rather useless as a soldier, but you can do that much, I expect.”

The boy did just that, advancing until he lay in the underbrush alongside Von Stenger. Von Stenger had a pistol, which he drew and handed to the boy. Fritz hesitated before taking it. “Sir?”

“You are my scout, remember? It is best for a sniper to work as part of a two-man team,” Von Stenger explained. “This is as good a position as any. We have effective cover, and occupy relatively high ground above the bridge, which gives us a vantage point.”

“Won’t they shoot back?”

“This is a war, boy. Of course they will shoot back. However, they appear to be armed with automatic weapons, which don’t have much range. Also, it is unlikely that they can flank us or get behind us because we can see their movements. They hold the bridge, it is true, but now we make them pay a price for it.”

“Do you want me to shoot at them with this?” The boy waggled the pistol.

“You truly are a Dumpkupf. From this range, you might as well throw rocks at them as fire a pistol. No, as the scout your job is to guard our rear. My attention will be on the men at the bridge. There is no telling who might be behind us. Go back to where we left the packs. If someone does come up behind us, shoot him.”

Fritz gulped. “Yes, Herr Hauptmann.”

The boy moved off, and Von Stenger turned his attention to the troops around the bridge. It was clear that they were planning to hold the bridge rather than destroy it because no charges had been placed that he could see. He counted at least fifty men spread out around the bridge. Some had out their trenching tools and were digging defensive positions. Von Stenger was pleased to see that their focus was on the road leading to the bridge on both sides of the river. Clearly, if there was to be a counterattack, the Americans expected it to be from the road.