Read Ardennes Sniper: A World War II Thriller for Free Online Page B
Authors: David Healey
American, and shot him. In the cold air, the noise of the rifle going off was like a slap in the face, yet the prisoners were so surprised that no one so much as shouted. The German worked the bolt and shot another American.
It all happened so fast. Terrified and defenseless, the Americans stood in mute silence like cattle waiting to be slaughtered. The Kid thought it was unreal, like watching someone else’s nightmare. He kept hoping to wake up.
Then the other Germans started firing. The ones with machine guns opened up and groups of Americans jerked and danced as the bullets him them before their bodies fell into the bloody snow.
Something struck Hank like a sledgehammer and he found himself facedown on the frozen ground.
• • •
Von Stenger watched in disbelief as the SS sergeant named Breger stepped forward and shot first one American, and then another. He opened his mouth to shout an order for Breger to stop, but then the other SS men opened fire and there was no chance of being heard.
The shooting was over in less than a minute, leaving his ears ringing and a smell of cordite hanging in the winter air. At such close range, the automatic weapons had done their work all too well. The field was now littered with a mass of bodies.
A few GIs, however, had somehow survived. Two men jumped up after the shooting ended and began running toward the fence line. Fear made them fleet, because they were already out of effective range of the Schmeisser MP 40 submachine guns. A couple of SS men tried to shoot them with their rifles, but hitting a running target is no easy feat. It looked as if the men were going to make it over the fence to safety.
"Herr Hauptmann?" The driver was looking up at Von Stenger with an expectant expression, the way one might look to a politician for a speech.
Von Stenger was still too shocked by what he had just witnessed to understand what the driver’s look meant. But then he realized. The rifle. Gripped tightly in his hands. He tossed away his cigarette.
Automatically, he raised the Mosin-Nagant to his shoulder, put the sight on the back of the closest fleeing American, and shot him. The second man was even faster and was almost at the fence line. Von Stenger worked the bolt, acquired the target, and squeezed off another round. He worked the bolt again and a second empty shell casing went spinning toward the ground. This man had been running so fast that he tumbled before he lay still.
"Good shooting, sir!" the young SS driver said with something like awe. "I thought you were going to let him get away. What a shot! Incredible!"
Even the SS sergeant looked back toward the vehicle and gave Von Stenger a stingy nod.
"It is better if there are no survivors," Von Stenger said. "The Americans will never forgive us for this. But what is done is done—at least now there are no witnesses."
The young driver seemed confused. "Witnesses to what, sir?"
"To a massacre. We just shot more than eighty unarmed Americans prisoners of war. Once word gets out, there won’t be another German taken alive."
Most of the other soldiers began to move away in order to join the column that was leaving. Breger saw that he was still there and called out to him, "Herr Hauptmann, do you wish to help us finish them off?"
"No, I will let you have that honor." He turned back to his young SS driver. "Get us out of here."
• • •
When the bullets started flying, Hank was so stunned that he just stood there, unable to move. He would have been mowed down in seconds, but Ralph tackled him and knocked him to the ground, partially covering Hank with his own body in the process.
Ralph’s actions saved him—if only for the moment. He felt Ralph shudder as a flurry of bullets struck him. Then the firing stopped, as suddenly as it had begun.
Ralph lay there groaning in pain, his body still draped partway over Hank's own. Hank realized his legs felt wet and warm. He was horrified to see that blood covered his
It all happened so fast. Terrified and defenseless, the Americans stood in mute silence like cattle waiting to be slaughtered. The Kid thought it was unreal, like watching someone else’s nightmare. He kept hoping to wake up.
Then the other Germans started firing. The ones with machine guns opened up and groups of Americans jerked and danced as the bullets him them before their bodies fell into the bloody snow.
Something struck Hank like a sledgehammer and he found himself facedown on the frozen ground.
• • •
Von Stenger watched in disbelief as the SS sergeant named Breger stepped forward and shot first one American, and then another. He opened his mouth to shout an order for Breger to stop, but then the other SS men opened fire and there was no chance of being heard.
The shooting was over in less than a minute, leaving his ears ringing and a smell of cordite hanging in the winter air. At such close range, the automatic weapons had done their work all too well. The field was now littered with a mass of bodies.
A few GIs, however, had somehow survived. Two men jumped up after the shooting ended and began running toward the fence line. Fear made them fleet, because they were already out of effective range of the Schmeisser MP 40 submachine guns. A couple of SS men tried to shoot them with their rifles, but hitting a running target is no easy feat. It looked as if the men were going to make it over the fence to safety.
"Herr Hauptmann?" The driver was looking up at Von Stenger with an expectant expression, the way one might look to a politician for a speech.
Von Stenger was still too shocked by what he had just witnessed to understand what the driver’s look meant. But then he realized. The rifle. Gripped tightly in his hands. He tossed away his cigarette.
Automatically, he raised the Mosin-Nagant to his shoulder, put the sight on the back of the closest fleeing American, and shot him. The second man was even faster and was almost at the fence line. Von Stenger worked the bolt, acquired the target, and squeezed off another round. He worked the bolt again and a second empty shell casing went spinning toward the ground. This man had been running so fast that he tumbled before he lay still.
"Good shooting, sir!" the young SS driver said with something like awe. "I thought you were going to let him get away. What a shot! Incredible!"
Even the SS sergeant looked back toward the vehicle and gave Von Stenger a stingy nod.
"It is better if there are no survivors," Von Stenger said. "The Americans will never forgive us for this. But what is done is done—at least now there are no witnesses."
The young driver seemed confused. "Witnesses to what, sir?"
"To a massacre. We just shot more than eighty unarmed Americans prisoners of war. Once word gets out, there won’t be another German taken alive."
Most of the other soldiers began to move away in order to join the column that was leaving. Breger saw that he was still there and called out to him, "Herr Hauptmann, do you wish to help us finish them off?"
"No, I will let you have that honor." He turned back to his young SS driver. "Get us out of here."
• • •
When the bullets started flying, Hank was so stunned that he just stood there, unable to move. He would have been mowed down in seconds, but Ralph tackled him and knocked him to the ground, partially covering Hank with his own body in the process.
Ralph’s actions saved him—if only for the moment. He felt Ralph shudder as a flurry of bullets struck him. Then the firing stopped, as suddenly as it had begun.
Ralph lay there groaning in pain, his body still draped partway over Hank's own. Hank realized his legs felt wet and warm. He was horrified to see that blood covered his
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