Iron Cross

Captain Robinson was really scared now. He didn't know what evasive measures the formation members took to get rid of the fierce night fighter just now. When the enemy plane approached silently from behind and quickly knocked down the last plane of the formation, he knew that he could no longer maintain the formation, otherwise everyone would be finished. While being forced to disband the formation and let the remaining members find ways to get out, he took advantage of the opportunity of diving to quickly adjust the course and frantically get out in the direction they came from.

Not long after, the rear cabin gunner sent a message saying that he saw a ball of fire in the sky, and it was estimated that a plane was hit and caught fire. Robinson was stunned for a moment, and soon realized that another member of the formation might have been killed. The intercom also proved this. Now no matter how hysterically the navigator Harry called, he could only get a response with a crying voice-apparently the remaining companions also understood what happened.

"There is only one response, I'm afraid the others..." Harry trembled, but couldn't say the second half of the sentence.

"The mission failed, return home." Robinson's mood instantly sank to the bottom, a little bit miserable, but he still made a decisive decision, "Tell him to immediately increase the altitude and drop the bomb, no matter where the target is, just bomb anything, and you can return home faster after dropping it. Remember to flee to the northwest and wait for me to gather together..."

"Received." Just after hearing the other party's answer, a terrified voice suddenly came, "The enemy plane is behind me..."

With the joint efforts of ground guidance and airborne radar, Becker finally caught up with the third plane after more than ten minutes of pursuit. With a "boom", the third plane exploded in the air, and all the crew members were killed.

"The aircraft cannon ammunition is almost exhausted, request to return home." Becker, exhausted, wanted to chase the fourth plane, but looking at the ammunition that was about to run out, he was really powerless.

"Request permission to return home."

"Received."

"Captain Becker, congratulations on shooting down three enemy planes." Hoffman gestured to Helen to give him the intercom and said.

"Thank you." Becker responded reflexively. He suddenly felt that the voice was familiar and mature, but he was sure that no officer in the command had the same voice, so he asked involuntarily, "Who are you?"

"I am Adolf Hitler!"

"Ah!" Becker finally reacted. Isn't this the voice of the Führer? Could it be that the Führer has been observing my performance today? This is really unexpected. What a wonderful night. "Long live the Führer!"

Becker's communication signal was cut off along the way. Now everyone is concerned about the fate of the last enemy plane, but Hoffman is obviously not worried about it. Instead, he praised Helen: "You performed very well today. You cooperated perfectly with the pilot. You deserve half of his achievement."

"Thank you, Führer, and thank you, instructor." Helen is a kind person. Although she was so excited that her voice changed, she did not forget to say a good word to the young sergeant next to her.

"What was your occupation before you became a volunteer?"

"I just graduated from college this year. I was going to teach, but then I saw the Air Force recruiting female volunteers and signed up. This is my first job."

"College graduate?" Hoffman laughed, "That's rare. Which school are you from?"

"Department of Mathematics, University of Göttingen."

"No wonder you can calculate the speed and direction very accurately, thanks to the foundation laid by the school." This is also Hoffman's alma mater. He has a better impression of this young lady and asked with a smile, "How is your family situation?"

Helen misunderstood and thought that the Führer was asking about her family origins, so she said: "My ancestors were subordinates of the Elector of Brandenburg during the Holy Roman Empire and had the title of knight. Since then, our family has been pure Aryans for generations."

Knowing that the Third Reich has always emphasized the view that the blood of its own nation is the noblest, Hoffman was still a little surprised when such a tone came naturally from the mouth of a college graduate. But he soon let it go: this was the basis of public opinion in the Third Reich and the strong backlash of German national pride after being cruelly treated by the Treaty of Versailles. In a sense, it was also repeatedly advocated by the Führer himself, but this racial theory of "I am the best in the world" made the Germans suffer enough. Hoffman did not feel unhappy at all, and said to Helen, who had blonde hair and blue eyes and a standard German appearance: "You can see it from your appearance. I mean, you volunteered to serve in the Air Force. Do your family support it? After all, it is more dangerous than teaching."

"Support! Absolutely support!" Upon hearing this, Helen opened up the conversation, no longer as reserved as before, but showing a lively expression, "My grandfather is an old soldier of the Empire. When he was 19 years old, he participated in the Franco-Prussian War as a cavalryman, and later retired with the rank of major. My father is his youngest and only child who has served in the army. During the last war, he served in the navy, but not on the battleship. He was the captain of a torpedo boat. After the war, he retired with the rank of captain and switched to a shipping company. I grew up near Kiel Port when I was a child. I am the only child of my father, and none of his other cousins ​​joined the army. When my grandfather died a few years ago, he always regretted that the family's officer tradition was broken. My father also felt sorry because he didn't have a boy... So I signed up to volunteer to serve in the Air Force. Although I couldn't become an officer, my father was still very happy. I actually knew many professional terms such as heading and speed before the training, because he taught me when I was very young..."

Open Helen, who was a chatterbox, talked a lot. Kammhuber was worried that the Führer would feel impatient. Unexpectedly, Hoffman listened to the speech patiently and nodded frequently. "It turns out that you are from a military family. It's really not easy. You have dedicated your blood and youth to Germany. The people will always remember you."

"This, this..." The girl who was very talkative just now suddenly became shy and stammered, "Führer, can you sign for me?"

"We can shake hands and take a group photo together." Hoffman pointed to the people around him and turned to ask William, "Colonel, is there a camera in the command center?"

"Yes, yes." The spotlight flashed, and behind the Zeiss lens, not only was there a photo of Hoffman and Helen shaking hands cordially, but also a photo of Helen and a group of senior leaders: Helen stood next to the Führer, almost fainting with excitement. Although Colonel William could only accompany the end of the crowd in the photo, he was still very happy, because there were rare big shots around him.

"Wow! They will envy me to death tomorrow..." Helen finally regained her young girl's expression and pointed at the eyes of other people in the hall. "I not only shook hands with the Führer, but also took photos with him and many senior generals. Am I dreaming today?"

"Of course not, there is something that will make you happier." Hoffman said solemnly, "Who says that women can only become assistants after joining the army? Outstanding female service members who have fought for the empire and dedicated themselves can also become non-commissioned officers and officers!"

"Führer!" Now it was Keitel's turn to be anxious. He thought that the Führer's words just now should not be said casually. Although the Third Reich had amended the military service law in 1935 and allowed women to serve, they were usually only allowed to become assistants and not included in the regular army, let alone become officers or even non-commissioned officers. The Führer's order was too casual, which seriously damaged the military tradition. His relationship with the officer corps was already a little tense, and this order made it even more troublesome. Those old stubborn people would definitely complain. But Marshal Keitel was not brave enough to openly refute the Führer's opinion in public.

Seeing Keitel's anxious and hesitant face, Hoffman asked unhappily: "Mr. Chief of the General Staff of the Supreme Command opposes my proposal?"

"No, no, no, this... I mean..." Hearing the Führer's unfriendly tone, Keitel didn't know how to persuade him, so he had to explain carefully, "This approach is somewhat contrary to military tradition. I am afraid that senior officers will cause unnecessary arguments because they cannot understand the Führer's painstaking efforts. Should we take a long-term view, fully communicate, and give them a chance to change their positions first?"

General Jeschonnek thought: No wonder Keitel can become the Chief of the General Staff of the Supreme Command and a Marshal. Even if he studies for another 20 years, he will never be able to say such smooth and flattering words to the Führer. This answer should get full marks. Of course, even if he disagrees with the Führer's point of view just now, he is not stupid enough to publicly oppose Hoffman's opinion. This is the business of the Supreme Command, not the responsibility of the Chief of the Air Force General Staff.