Soul to the Rhine

Chapter 54 Transfer
Although they were very hungry, this group of doctors and nurses seemed to be very determined, and they even endured it and did not ask the refugees for food.

What is most important in war?

doctor!food!ammunition!

Without food, you will starve to death in a few days. Without guns and ammunition, you cannot start a war, but having good doctors may reduce casualties by half.All are indispensable.

Field doctors and field nurses are precious resources for the country, so they are more proud than ordinary people.

Because of this, the positions of the two sides formed a sharp contrast. Rosia's side was almost like an immortal who could not eat the fireworks of this world.

When night falls, because the surrounding ground is empty, the stars in the sky can be seen very clearly, and the entire land is very bright.

The weather was already quite hot in May, but it was still very cold when the wind blew at night. The dozen or so women crowded into the car didn't feel very warm.Ilana brought a lot of clothes and took out two pieces from her bag to put on the two of them. The refugee opposite was more experienced and lit several bonfires to keep warm.

Although this is a suburb, it is not far from the city. The fields are quiet, and occasionally a few summer cicadas can be heard chirping, and dogs barking seems to be heard in the distance.

Gradually, some people began to fall asleep half lying on the ground.Elana couldn't help but yawned, and leaned lightly on Rosia's shoulder.On the other hand, Rosia was still very energetic. Although she also wanted to sleep, she was not sleepy.Not far away, the refugees were chatting. It was quiet at night, and her hearing was so good that she could hear everything closely.

"Is Pierre still in the army? Which army is he in?"

"Don't mention it. I haven't seen him for a long time. Compared with the children I saw on the road, I would rather he had died in France."

"Don't say that, he's a good boy."

"Ugh... you don't know, when I see them... like that, I really can't wait... if they are Germans, if they are Germans, I can curse them to hell as much as I want... But God is actually our own child……"

"Now I actually hope that the Germans can fight quickly and end this war!"

"..."

The chatter suddenly started to hold his head and cry. Rosia didn't hear much, but she also guessed what happened.This group of refugees was probably not driven out by the Germans, but was ransacked by the defeated French army, and then fled in confusion.

Morale is really important. It can not only determine victory or defeat on the battlefield, but also affect the humanity and morality of an army.

The second half of the night passed quickly, and Rosia fell asleep in a daze. At dawn, the weather suddenly became very cold, and many people woke up shivering.

The refugees were about to leave for the south, but Uncle Hammer had already got out of the car, looking at the sky, waiting for the curfew to end, and he didn't know where the Germans were now.

When it was daylight, a group of people were already hungry, and their hearts were pressed to their backs. The male doctors were even worse. They had been freezing outside the car all night, and their faces were all blue.

Uncle Hammer was considerate and drove into the city quickly, asking them to buy food and warm themselves up.

They continued to set off during the day, but the traces of the German army's march on the road became more obvious, which made the group have to wonder whether they had been following the Germans.Uncle Hammer silently changed lanes, intending to bypass this small area and minimize the chance of encountering the Germans.

On the way, they also encountered several groups of fleeing French troops. The German blitzkrieg allowed the armored forces to advance rapidly towards the English Channel, leaving no time to capture the soldiers.These people were described as in a sorry state, with low morale and no ambition at the beginning of the war.The doctors and nurses in the car were so angry that their livers ached, and they all tilted their heads and pretended not to notice.

Rosia silently thought to herself that she would not be angry for long. France's defeat was certain, and she would just wait for the Germans to occupy Paris and then withdraw their troops at the expense of money.Hitler's air force went to deal with the British again, and then began several years of fighting to the death, using bombers to write the history of the Western Front.

Think about it, it's already the 17th. The war is almost over. In one month at most, France should surrender. Then the Allied forces enter Paris, France falls, and it becomes Hitler's pillow.

Rosia had never studied the map of France and did not know where Calais was. She only knew that Uncle Hammer's car kept driving north.And when she arrived in Calais, in front of the new hospital, she actually saw the sea.

How terrifying!It had been two and a half years since she traveled through time, and this was the first time she saw the sea in Europe.All dormitories allocated by the hospital are sea view rooms.

However, the intoxicating blue water did not give her any feeling of joy.She began to have an uncontrollable panic, always feeling that something was about to happen. This feeling appeared when Germany attacked Poland and when there was an air battle not long ago.

Rosia began to feel uneasy, and she began to recall the location of France on the map when she was studying geography in high school.It's just that it was too long ago, and she was a science student, so she seems to have difficulty remembering it, so she can only speculate while thinking about it.

France has many bordering Low Countries in Europe, and she only knows the location of Germany.From the atlas, it seems that France is a country extending from north to south. Except for the part bordering the northeast, most of it seems to be soaked in the sea.Just looking at the way Britain and France are wearing a pair of trousers, they must be very close. She knows for sure that Britain is a large island country, so they are facing each other across the sea.

And she also clearly remembered that Britain was in the north of France, and then...

It seems that there is only...the English Channel, what should I do?
Rosia was so sad that she almost cried at the fact she discovered.

Even people who don’t understand history know the importance of the English Channel. The German army rushed here desperately in order to wipe out Britain and France.And the most important turning point will happen here in the English Channel, the Dunkirk evacuation.

She remembered this turning point of World War II, so she had been careful not to go to Dunkirk. She even breathed a sigh of relief when she heard about Calais. Now that she thinks about it, it is a good thing.If this sea was really the English Channel, she could burn incense and worship Buddha for herself right now!
Rosia's mood was complicated and unspeakable, which was not relieved at all after she saw the elegant and exquisite buildings here, the elegant and comfortable dormitories, and the clean and atmospheric conditions of the hospital.She finally understood the mood of deserters on the battlefield. Everyone knew that death was inevitable, so who wouldn't want to seize the time to escape.

The air in Calais is very good, and it is still very peaceful here so far. There are not many wounded people in the hospital, at least they are ordinary civilians with common diseases, and there are no soldiers.

But Rosia discovered something else: there were many Jews hiding in this hospital that was so large that it was beyond imagination.They are on the third floor at the back of the hospital. The architecture here is different from the modern ones. It has a retro style and a lot of decorative features. It is very beautiful and exquisite. All the people living in this building are Jews.

Judging from how they chat happily even though they are sick, it seems that their lives are much better than those of the Jews in Poland.But the result is the same. When France surrenders, it may not be much better than the Jews she has seen.

As a doctor, Rosia was assigned to the important thoracic surgery position in the front, but Ilana was transferred to the back third floor to take care of the Jews.

Caring for a Jew would save her from the horror of facing a broken limb, but it was definitely not a good thing.At least in Rosia's opinion, it's better to be in front.She hesitated for a while, then reminded the excited Ilana: "You may feel more relaxed later, but remember, don't have feelings for your patient."

"why?"

"Because..." Rosia was a little embarrassed to say it, but she still considered the right words: "They will be discharged from the hospital sooner or later. If the relationship is too deep, you will be reluctant to let go, but you can't look forward to seeing them again every day when you are sick."

"I can go play with them when I have a rest."

"Ilana, don't forget that they are Jews." Rosia solemnly told her again: "Really, I think you should know the fate of the Jews. Although this is not Germany, Germany will soon occupy France. , France will surrender, and when the time comes, no one can protect them. I have seen too many in Poland. You can’t help them, and maybe you will harm yourself.”

Ilana was a little scared and thought deeply. Rosia didn't know if she could listen to it. She couldn't say more after saying this.

On the way back, she met Brad.

Brad frowned and looked at her for a while, then slowly approached and asked, "Why do you think France will surrender?"

Rosia was startled, remembering that he must have heard what she just said to Elana.But she was not worried about what would be discovered. Anyone who was not confused could see the French pattern.

"I think France's defeat is already obvious. Anyone can see that for the safety of civilians, he will not insist on surrendering." Rosia explained calmly. In fact, what she wanted to say was that France If he is so unqualified, besides surrendering, does he still have the guts to continue fighting?

Brad shrugged, not seeming too uncomfortable, maybe he was used to it: "You have high military and political sensitivity."

"Thank you!"

"So, do you think Calais will be safe?" Brad asked again.

Rosia stopped and looked at him for a while, then asked with a wry smile: "Actually, I really want to know where Calais is. I know it is in the north of France, but..."

Brad pointed to the azure sea not far or near on the horizon: "That's the English Channel."

really!

Rosia believed that Brad could see it with his eyes. They would always see traces of the German advance along the way. The importance of the English Channel to the Germans was self-evident. This also showed that the German troops would soon be approaching the city. , Calais will not be calm either.

The next day, the latest news was published in the newspapers. The Germans were advancing hundreds of miles a day at an astonishing speed.British Prime Minister Churchill, who had just taken office a few days ago, flew to Paris specifically to find out the truth and cheer up the desperate French leader. However, when he learned that France did not even have a strategic reserve, he was as brave as a pig. The brother was also dumbfounded.

Churchill had just taken over the British throne less than ten days ago. Even if he knew France was stupid before, he probably didn't expect it to be this stupid.The situation was far worse than he imagined, and it had almost reached the point of no return.
As one of the three major ports in France, Calais has also felt an unusual atmosphere, and Germans are rushing here quickly.

There are many people coming and going in the hospital every day, and the new head nurse is directing the nurses to store supplies. No one knows whether there will be a fierce battle in the next few days, and everything must be prepared in advance.

There is also an air-raid shelter underground in this hospital, which is much larger and stronger than the one in Mezières. This gives Rosia a lot of peace of mind. At this time, she has no idea of ​​leaving here. It is surrounded on three sides. All transportation facilities and roads are cut off, and even the airspace is no longer safe. Anyone in Calais has no chance of escaping.

The time became more and more difficult and the situation became more and more tense. Rosia kept waiting in fear.Within a few days, the picture in my imagination really appeared.

The German armored forces quickly advanced to Calais, but they were still on the periphery and did not reach the English Channel.When everyone was thinking about how to defend against the German attack, they did not expect that the first thing to break into their sight was the British and French allied forces coming in like a tide.Just like the group of refugees I met on the road, or even worse than them, they were driven to Calais by the Germans in embarrassment.

Everyone was caught off guard, and they didn't expect so many troops to come, but Rosia knew that these 10 people would not stay in Calais for long, and they would eventually be driven to Dunkirk, where they would perform miracles. Great retreat to England.

One night, while the whole of Calais was sleeping quietly, suddenly there was a huge roar and explosion from the seaside.

Rosia woke up instantly and pulled Ilana up. Not far away, the sea water that could be clearly seen was being splashed by bombs in the sky. The water column rose into the sky and was higher than the buildings next to it.

This familiar bombing sound was frightening. Before anyone had time to react, the Calais harbor was already filled with flames from the sudden attack. The French warships and cruise ships parked in the harbor did not even have time to breathe. It disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The area around the hospital is not considered the rear area, and it is not far from the Calais port. At this moment, the sea of ​​​​fire spreading everywhere is in the eyes of everyone in the hospital.Under the huge explosion, no one was still asleep at all. They all hurriedly put on their clothes and went downstairs. Some even ran downstairs wrapped in quilts.

The head nurse is arranging nurses to count the number of patients and trying her best to comfort these frightened people.

"Hurry up, go down from here, there is an air-raid shelter over there, all go down and hide."

"Don't worry, the Germans only bombed the harbor and will not bomb civilian areas. They will go faster."

Rosia is a doctor and does not have to do these tasks, but the head nurse still grabbed her and told her a shocking news.

"Luo, please hurry up to the front yard, you have to make a transfer.

　I feel like I'm a little rushed. In fact, there isn't much I can write about during this time period. I really want to fast forward to 1943 right away! !

　　
　
(End of this chapter)