Re: Blood and Iron

Chapter 851: Arrival

The plane touched the earth late Sunday evening. Berlin’s streets were illuminated by street lamps as far as the eye could see.

Most reasonable people were already in bed, but not Erich… The moment the ramp opened his soldiers began pouring out of the plane.

Hundreds of sorties had been flown to make sure the brigade and all of its equipment were returned to the fatherland. And his was the last, he was not the kind of man to abandon the field until after every soldier under his command had left before him.

It was a quality he had inherited from his grandfather. Had Bruno’s presence not been paramount to the peace treaties that ended the war.

He would likely still have been in Cuba, ensuring that every single German asset was out of the theater before he dared to step foot on the last plane out of Havana.

But none of that mattered now; Erich instead stood there gazing upon his Brigade, and the men who had survived the war.

There were so few faces among them who had been there at Dunkirk when he first showed the world what the German Reich was truly capable of.

But he did not let the dead and the wounded cripple his sense of relief. Every man present, including himself, was taking a long inhale of the fresh, crisp, and clean German air.

Berlin was truly a city in its own league, modern in a way that defied the era, and yet somehow still traditional, resembling the prior century more than the current one.

Even the skyscrapers, which continued to grow in number and density, were not giant towers of glass and steel, but neo-baroque monuments that were a testament to imperial majesty, and the Lord God Almighty’s divine inspiration.

Havana had been rustic by comparison. And for many, had been more of an exotic vacation than a military occupation.

When Erich had finally had his fill, witnessing how the capital of the German Reich had changed so much in a mere four years, he turned around towards the soldiers beneath his command.

Any discipline they had while in the field died the moment they stepped foot on that airstrip, and kissed the pavement beneath their feet.

Nor could Erich blame them. They had fought; they had bled, and now they had returned home, alive and victorious.

In the coming days, many of them would be distinguished with full honors for their service in defense of the fatherland and the German Reich.

But for now, they were all thinking about their families, about retiring from the service, and about returning to their lives that had been postponed for years.

Some spoke of university and the pursuit of higher education. Others spoke of becoming involved with the trades, inspired by the sight of Berlin’s grandeur after having fought in ruins, jungles, and villages for so long.

Others still, spoke of pursuing ambitions or dreams of every kind imaginable. The world was theirs for the taking, and they had proven the worst part of their lives had already passed.

As Erich stood there watching the young men under his command talk about their life goals like a pack of excitable schoolgirls, he couldn’t help but think about his own life… and the path he had chosen.

It wasn’t until one of the noncommissioned officers from Erich’s original battalion stepped forward and lit a cigarette that the man finally stirred back to reality.

“It’s a sight that never grows old. Returning home from a war, and watching the boys all speak with such glee about a life beyond the service… Isn’t that right, Oberst?”

Erich looked over at the man and noticed the lines across his face. And the scorched flesh on his hands. He simply nodded his head and sighed.

“This is my second time seeing it… I think I’m inclined to agree with you, Oberstabsfeldwebel. It never gets old…”

The sergeant-major tossed his cigarette butt to the floor and stomped it out beneath his feet.

“This is my third…. And the final one I’m afraid….”

He turned around and then performed the most genuine and formal salute Erich believed he had ever witnessed. All the men behind him joined in perfect unison.

“Oberst Erich von Zehntner… It has been the honor of our lives to serve beneath your command!”

Erich could only shake his head and smile at the heartfelt gesture, returning their salute with one of his own.

“Fallschirm-Panzergrenadiere! You are dismissed!”

All formality and pretense were dropped after this moment, as Erich stepped forward, and gave a brotherly hug to each of his soldiers. Wishing them the best of luck in life, and whatever paths they chose to follow.

In the end, Erich found himself standing in Berlin’s old quarter. Out of all the city’s modernizations and expansions throughout the years.

The old quarter had remained quiet, quaint, and comfortable. It was like stepping foot into the past century.

And when Erich’s boots pressed forward upon the old cobblestone street, he found himself face to face with the same familiar old wooden doors.

There was no doorbell; there had been no need for one. Instead, there was a large cast-iron door knocker.

It was almost a novel as Erich smirked, knocking on the door, gazing up at the old family manor, which had been in the family for generations.

At first there was no response, and so Erich knocked again. Finally, hearing the voice he longed for more than anything call out from inside.

“Just a minute!”

And like clockwork, the doors opened, Erika took one look at Erich and stopped dead in her tracks.

Her eyes filled with tears before her mind consciously understood whom she was looking at.

Then she rushed forward and hugged the man, crying in his arms, filled with overwhelming relief.

“You’re finally home! I prayed to God every day for your safety! Even after the papers had said that the war was over, I dared not believe it, not until you were finally in my arms, alive and well!”

Erich hugged his wife tightly. The scent of the manor’s central fireplace and the fresh crackling embers of finely chopped wood overwhelmed his senses.

It wasn’t strong, or suffocating. Rather, it was a smell he had yearned for. And it was that scent that truly confirmed he had made it back from the war, and wasn’t simply dreaming, as he lay bleeding out on some distant battlefield far away from home.

Erich had to muster all his strength not to break down crying himself, but he did let out a noticeable grunt, as he forcefully suppressed the tears, and a smile with it.

“I told you I would come back to you in one piece, didn’t I?”

He then wiped the tears from Erika’s eyes, who had no doubt been worrying far more than he should ever reasonably expect her to on her behalf.

Louse smiled, almost in disbelief, that is until Erich made her understand the truth, that he had finally returned to her with a kiss.

After what felt like a lifetime of standing in the doorway, enjoying each other’s embrace. Erich finally forced himself to enter his own home, shutting the door behind him and Erika as she swiftly took his coat off and placed it on the rack near the entrance.

Erich looked around, gazing at the interior of the family’s old manor. Little had changed, if anything since his initial departure.

Photographs and paintings from multiple generations of his family, and the marks they had left upon this place hung in the entryway.

After fetching Erich’s coat, Erika quickly entered the kitchen area, where she fetched a fresh beer for Erich, before sitting down with him on the sofa in front of the grand fireplace.

“You should know I already put the kids to bed. I wasn’t expecting you to come home so soon. If I had known you would be returning tonight, I would have ensured they were all present waiting for your arrival.”

Erich chuckled as he heard this. He had not taken offense in the slightest. In fact, due to the time, he expected the kids were already asleep, nor did he want to wake them.

As much as he wanted to see his children, and dote on them after being apart for so long. And under such dire circumstances, Erich knew it would be inappropriate to disturb their sleep for his own benefit.

If he woke them now, they would be too excited about their fathers’ return, and have too many questions to be able to get the rest they needed, and so, that was a surprise they would have to wake to the next morning at breakfast.

Thus, for now, tonight, he allowed himself a wholesome, and intimate reunion with his wife. One where the two of them would not just speak of the war, and how they had lived separately during its time.

But also about the future, and that of their family.