Stalemate (The Red Gambit Series) by Colin Gee

piece of shit. We will put him with the others. Jensen, he is yours. Any trouble…” the Hauptsturmfuhrer drew a finger across his throat, ensuring that the Russian saw the universal sign and understood.
    Turning away, he nodded to one of his NCO’s.
    “Leave our calling card, Weiss.”
    The young NCO extracted his Hitler Youth dagger and cut away at the crucified man’s shirt, working quickly on the bare flesh below.
    Watching the youth at work, Lenz lit a cigarette from a pack given to him.
    “American,” he said to no one in particular, as he drew the smoke deeply into greedy lungs.
    Checking the clearing , and satisfying himself that all was in order, he gave the order to move.
    “Emmering,” the Senior NCO immediately attentive, “Pick up the other group, then north-west towards Neuburg.”
    The Kommando moved off, Lenz considering the recently gained information. Lenz was a cautious man, and had mentioned Neuburg openly, just in case.
    As was their normal practice, two of his best men remained to, as Lenz called it, ‘dress’ the casualties for those who found them later.
    Once they had all joined up with the rest of the Kommando, Emmering would steer them towards their real target, the newly formed Soviet supply base near Ingolstadt.
 
    The reason that the United States Navy does so well in wartime, is that war is chaos, and the Americans practice chaos on a daily basis.
    Karl Donitz
     

Chapter 81 - THE SWEDE
 
1247hrs, Sunday, 9th September 1945, one kilometre south-west of Pörnbach, Germany.
 
                  Using her binoculars, Captain Larisa Sverova surveyed the scene, trying hard not to focus on the disgusting sight that was screaming for her attention.
    Her unit of twenty-one replacement mortar personnel had been moving up to the front, when their aged GAZ lorry had broken down.
    Leaving the cursing driver to do his best, she and a few of her unit decided to explore the surrounding woods.
    The discovery of a brand new Studebaker down a track was a matter of celebration, until one of her young girls spotted a pair of feet beside it, the blood purple and dried upon the exposed flesh.
    Harrying the inexperienced women into some sort of organised group, Sverova moved forward carefully, her only combat-seasoned NCO moving amongst the female soldiers, advising here, pointing there.
    As she approached the clearing, Sverova silently ordered the group to stay put, and beckoned her NCO forward.
    It was then that she first saw the horrors of the new war up close.
    Senior Sergeant Ponichenkarova silently dropped beside her officer, the PPD in her hands ready for action at a moment’s notice.
    “Govno!”
    The almost male voice of the NCO spoke that which her inner voices screamed.
    She had also seen the awful apparition that stood out from the slaughter.
    Sverova’s words interrupted Ponichenkarova’s train of thought, bringing her attention back to the business in hand.
    “I count at least thirty men here, Dina. NKVD uniforms.”
    A low-key ‘uh-huh’ confirmed her NCO’s agreement.
    “Pick two and move up to the right, there,” Sverova indicated a denser patch of undergrowth, “Send me two, and I will work my way round to the tree,” she had no need to say which one.
    Checking around the position they were concealed in, it seemed fit for purpose.
    “Get the rest of them lined up here. Put Astafieva in charge, with orders to cover us”
    Sverova paused, looking around her.
    “But leave two on each of the flanks for security.”
    This time Ponichenkarova managed a grunt by way of agreement, and the solid framed NCO was off, harrying the group behind into some sort of order.
    Quickly, the women sorted themselves out. Astafieva, quietly efficient, organised her covering force and set the pairs on each side in position.
    T he two small flank groups moved off.
    Ponichenkarova was first to her appointed spot, carefully examining the scene in front of her, the evidence of quiet massacre