Ardennes Sniper: A World War II Thriller Read Online Free Page B

is why he is a Scharführer." Ball busting was what sergeants in any army did best—but he did not appreciate being on the receiving end of it. He turned to the men who had squeezed into the back of the Schwimmwagen. He saw that like the driver, they were very young. His teaching instincts stirred. "Listen,” he said. “When the time comes, get in close with those things. Aim for the tracks, and then get down low. The Americans will come out shooting. And whatever you do, don't stand behind someone firing a panzerfaust or you will end up looking like a burnt sausage."
    "Yes, sir."  
    The traffic jam abated, and they rolled on for several minutes. Von Stenger let his thoughts wander—they were still some distance away from the American lines.
    His thoughts were interrupted by the driver. "Herr Hauptmann, they say you are a legend with a rifle. How many men have you killed so far?"
    Von Stenger shrugged. It was a question he was asked frequently, and yet it was hard to answer. Back when it mattered, he had kept count. The number had climbed above two hundred during the first few weeks of Stalingrad. At that point, he had stopped counting. Such numbers were a point of pride that also managed to sicken him. Who knew how many Allied troops he had shot since June alone? "Do you just want to know how many men I have shot? That would be around two hundred. I have not kept track of the women and children, but maybe fifty of those."
    Now it was the young SS driver's turn to give him a sidelong look. "So many."
    "Yes," Von Stenger said. "So many. And yet not enough. Now pay attention and don't run into the back of that panzer, or the invasion is going to end quickly for us."

    • • •

    When Von Stenger looked at Friel, he reminded himself that he was looking at a panther. The man was handsome and urbane—in fact, he was friendly and clever company. But deep down, he was utterly ruthless.
    Where Friel's heart should have been, there was a swastika. He was a believer in the Third Reich and Adolf Hitler. Though quite intelligent and a good student, he had dropped out of high school to join the military. But even as a teenage high school dropout, Friel was a military standout. It helped that he looked like he had stepped straight out of some Aryan propaganda poster. He didn't just mouth his loyalty to the ideals of the Reich—it shone from his soul like a beacon. These qualities soon saw him sent to Bad Tolz, the German equivalent of West Point. There, he received advanced training in military tactics and performed incredible feats of physical training—often under live fire. The officers who graduated from Bad Tolz were the very best, the SS version of Spartan warriors.  
    Instead of being sent to the battlefield, Friel was taken under wing by Heinrich Himmler, a real monster. The middle-aged Himmler looked bland enough with his round eyeglasses and receding chin, but he was the mastermind of Hitler's plan to eliminate all untermenschen —subhumans. At Himmler's side, Friel planned and then watched the murder of Poles and Jews. He was even present for the testing of the first poison gas chambers.  
    But Friel was eager to see action. Given a tank command in Russia, he was utterly savage. On two occasions, his men had surrounded Russian towns and killed everyone within. The screams of dying women and children fell on Friel's deaf ears. After all, he saw the Russians as being among those untermenschen . For his efforts, he received the Knight's Cross and became one of Hitler's darlings.
    Despite Friel’s friendly manner, Von Stenger constantly reminded himself that this was the man sitting next to him.  
    Like most people of his class, Von Stenger was a pragmatist. Idealists did not create and then keep family fortunes intact. Germany was at war; therefore, he would help to fight and win. He was not one of the fanatics, like Friel, who welcomed war and fought on when saner minds might have sought a favorable peace. When it