Steel Soviet Union

Later historians can call Paulus a "loyal dog" raised by Hitler. This statement is by no means a deliberate smear, but Paulus is simply such a person.

At least until this guy surrendered to the Soviet army, his loyalty to Hitler was almost 100% overwhelming. Leave all kinds of difficulties to be overcome by yourself, and do your best to carry out every order issued by the Führer without compromise.

Let’s not talk about whether the Sixth Army has the ability to fulfill Hitler’s orders. Paulus’s attitude of carrying out the orders without compromise is very important in the Wehrmacht where the Junkers’ aristocratic officer corps occupies the upper echelons of power and often violates Hitler’s orders. , which is already very rare.

Even now facing such great difficulties and obstacles, Paulus was still thinking about how to carry out the orders of the Führer. As for the tragic situation in the field hospital reported by Colonel Adam, Paulus compared it with the battles the Germans experienced last year and thought about it. After a while, I felt that I could still overcome it.

After all, the fighting outside Moscow was so miserable, and the German army still managed to survive this year. Is this Stalingrad even worse than Moscow last year?

Paulus thought for a while and felt that he must be able to overcome this difficulty. The current difficulty was only temporary and was used to test his willpower. The person who cannot be defeated the most at this time is himself, the commander. If he has no hope of victory, the Sixth Army will really fail completely.

With this method of self-comfort, Paulus once again cheered up and cheered up, restoring a trace of life to his zombie-like pale face before speaking to Colonel Adam again.

"I remember you were about to go on vacation? Adam."

If Paulus hadn't taken the initiative to mention it, Colonel Adam would have almost forgotten that his vacation was imminent.

After frowning and recalling for a moment, Colonel Adam quickly remembered that his original vacation would start tomorrow, and of course he would go according to the original vacation plan.

"Yes, Commander Paulus, I was originally going to start taking leave tomorrow. But under the current situation, I think I should continue to stay here. There are many things that I need to handle personally, including you."

Paulus certainly knew exactly what Colonel Adam was referring to.

To be honest, even Paulus himself was quite dissatisfied with his various performances in the past few days: irritable, capricious, changing his face from happy to angry faster than turning the pages of a book. If he didn't take two sleeping pills before going to bed at night, If you do, you will definitely suffer from insomnia. When you wake up, your whole body will be shaking like a living corpse. When you look in the mirror, you will see that broken face and you will almost not recognize yourself.

Strictly speaking, I do need personal care, and I also need a friend with whom I have a close relationship who can chat with me to relieve my depression. It is best to have someone who can solve my problems based on the troubles I encounter at work.

Colonel Adam felt that he was the best person in this situation, and of course Paulus thought so too, but this was not an excuse to cancel Colonel Adam's vacation.

"The vacation is not long, Adam. A week can help you adjust your condition quickly. When you come back from China, I will also adjust my own condition. This is the agreement between us. Between men, The promise must be fulfilled, right?”

"Right?" Such a crucial rhetorical question at the end of the sentence. Colonel Adam felt that it had no momentum at all. It was more like the tone of a kid in elementary school asking an adult for answers to math problems. He was timid. And not confident in one's own ideas.

Colonel Adam didn't think that Paulus was a kid who didn't know anything. It was just that Paulus' unconfident tone was caught and noticed by Colonel Adam. In other words, Paulus didn't even have confidence in himself now. , he was just relying on the stubborn obsession that still stood in his heart to support his body and consciousness to do those "things that should be done".

Colonel Adam knew what to answer.

It can be said that his answer is the reassurance that allows Paulus to feel at ease. Paulus needs to find someone to rely on to restore his confidence. To give him this confidence, Colonel Adam, who is usually closest to Paulus, must personally do it. Finish.

"I understand, Commander Paulus. I will leave after I hand over the work and the documents in my hand later. I will use the vacation to adjust myself, and you will do the same."

Early the next morning, Paulus walked out of his headquarters for the rare first time in many days and breathed in the early morning air outside the house that was filled with the smell of war smoke.

As soon as possible, the smell of death floated in the air from nowhere. It was probably the bodies of dead German soldiers in the nearby field hospital. But Paulus, who seemed to be in a good mood, obviously had a good sleep last night. Paulus, who ignored the strange smell in the air, had one thing to do this morning, which was to send Colonel Adam back to China for vacation. .

The commander sent his adjutant back home for a vacation, which was still a very rare behavior among the Wehrmacht. Naturally, it was not Colonel Adam who asked Paulus to do this.

However, Colonel Adam did not reject Paulus's offer to give him a ride. It was okay to get out of the dark and narrow headquarters that restricted personality thinking and walk outside. The narrower and more oppressive the living and working space is, the more likely it is that a person can be transformed. It drives normal people crazy, and many hard-working 996 office workers in later generations committed suicide in this way.

Paulus has been sending Colonel Adam to the field airport in the rear. Although the distance is not too far, only a few dozen kilometers, this is the farthest trip Paulus has taken in recent times.

"Is there anything you need me to handle when I return home? Commander Paulus."

The propellers of the Junkers transport plane are already roaring and warming up not far behind. All the soldiers of the Sixth Army who are on leave today will take this special plane to depart and return home in transit, and Colonel Adam is no exception.

Paulus raised his head and glanced over Colonel Adam's shoulder at the approaching warm-up aircraft. His eyes seemed to reveal an indescribable complex emotion.

Is Commander Paulus envious of his ability to return home on vacation? Colonel Adam had this suspicion, but he was not sure because even he, who was closest to Paulus on weekdays, could not understand what Paulus's look meant.

"There is nothing to do. I will wait for you to come back here. I will continue to lead the Sixth Army to victory and complete the tasks assigned to us by the head of state. When you come back in a week, we will all be able to devote ourselves to the battle in the best condition. , now it’s time to enjoy your own vacation.”

What was going on in Paulus' head, whose behavior was erratic and increasingly erratic, making it difficult to figure out?

Colonel Adam, who had been flying in the air for a long time after getting on the plane, thought hard, but still couldn't come up with an answer that satisfied him.

The only thing Colonel Adam can be sure of is that his personal friendship with Paulus is indeed better than before. This may be the only comforting thing about it right now, and it's good for both sides.