The SS clearly in the lead...
And suddenly things change
Von Stazi steps in
Brigadeführer, Sigfried Von Stazi walked slowly towards a tent shaped camouflaged net on the outskirts of the small village of Guise situated on what was a vital crossroads held by the French.
The crossroads had been heavily defended by the enemy only hour earlier that was before the SS Wiking Division had rolled through. Now the village was quiet except for the odd cry from a wounded soldier and medical orderlies wandered amongst friend and foe.
But for Von Stazi this was no comfort as rumours that the Herman Goring division was at the outskirts of Paris had reached the ears of Reichsführer-SS Himmler and so it was that Von Stazi was about to entered the battlefield HQ for Waffen SS Netherlands to greet Himmler. Behind him a Kubelwagen screeched to a halt. An officer hurriedly ran towards him and whispered into his ear. Together with Untersturmführer Heinz Klein who had just joined him he entered the tent.
One look at the gathered officers told Von Stazi that his boss was not just agitated but clearly annoyed as he lashed out at another SS officer.
“Why can we not go faster, here and here,” he shouted waving briefly at nonsensical locations on the map giving the lower ranks the impression that he had some grasp of the military situation.
“The Reichsführer-SS is right,” Von Stazi barked commandingly as he entered the tent. Himmler turned glaring at the intruder, his expression changing as he saw Von Stazi. The young Brigadeführer had the knack of making his boss look good and of salvaging his masters dignity on numerous occasions.
With hands on his hips he looked at the map, smiled and then whispered in the Reichsführer-SS's ear. A smile crossed Himmler’s lips for the first time that day.
“It appears the Goring division has run out of fuel,” Himmler said. “This gives the Waffen SS time, do not fail me,” he stated before storming from the tent, a smile on his lips. For a brief second he wondered how Von Stazi had managed to deprive Goring’s pride of fuel. His smile widened, knowing Van Stazi it would have been brutal.
A tired officer enjoys a smoke break - As they say "War is Hell"