The Cross of Iron Read Online Free PDF

grave expression. ‘It is difficult,’ he said. ‘I shall have to consult my books.’
    The men grinned and turned their attention back to the highway. It was slowly beginning to grow light. The terrain was now fairly visible. In front of them the field sloped steeply up to an embankment and beyond rose the black silhouettes of mountains against the greying sky.
    ‘Where the devil is the highway?’ Zoll whispered.
    Krüger shrugged. ‘It must be in a dip. Once we get our carcasses over it, we’re clear.’
    They lifted their heads. The sounds on the highway had stopped.
    They all jumped to their feet and stared up the sloping field. ‘Here comes somebody,’ Dietz whispered hoarsely. A figure emerged out of the dim foreground, came running toward them with great leaps. ‘Hollerbach,’ Zoll whispered. At this moment Hollerbach stopped and waved his fist in the air. ‘Let’s go,’ Krüger said. They snatched their guns and ran up the slope. Hollerbach waited a moment for them, then turned. Panting, they followed him. When they reached the crown of the hill they saw the highway beneath them in the grey dawn light, deserted. They slipped down the steep declivity and raced across the trampled, rutted width of the road toward the edge of the woods which rose like a dark wall against the further mountains. Schnurrbart and Steiner were waiting for them. Seconds later they were trampling through the dense undergrowth and were several hundred yards within the woods. Gasping, they stopped to catch their breath. It had by now grown so light that they could see clearly. When they looked at Steiner they saw a wild gleam of triumph in his eyes.
    Krüger raised his hand. They turned in unison to face the road, from which the rumble of vehicles could again be heard. But now that they had made the crossing, they did not care. The fearful nervous tension of the past few hours dropped away. They grinned, slapped one another exuberantly on the back. ‘We’ve got the stuff,’ one said boastfully.
    ‘Precision work,’ commented Hollerbach. To celebrate he lit a cigarette.
    Schnurrbart looked around. ‘What mountains are those?’ he asked.
    ‘Just hills,’ Steiner explained. ‘We have to cross them. The marsh begins on the other side of them.’ He turned to the men. ‘Get ready,’ he ordered.
    They picked up their gear. Kern hung back; now and again he would rub the burned spot on his face and give Steiner a dirty look. ‘Don’t take it so hard,’ Dietz said to him. Kern did not condescend to answer.
    They started off once more. For a while their way led over springy, moss -covered forest floor. The slope grew steeper, and they began toiling uphill, gasping for breath. The climb seemed everlasting. Tight -lipped with determination, they gained ground slowly; every yard uphill represented a scramble. They kept their eyes fixed in the direction of the invisible crest of the hill which must lie somewhere up above these trees. Their good humour ebbed away and they began cursing.
    ‘They ought to stop for a bit up front there,’ Dietz panted. He stood still and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Krüger, who was behind him, also stopped. ‘What’s the matter, Child? Fuel running low?’
    ‘They ought to make a break,’ Dietz repeated plaintively. He was done in. Krüger regarded him with a frown. ‘If you start giving out now, how is it going to be later on?’ He shifted the machine -gun to his left shoulder. ‘Let me have your boxes.’
    Dietz sighed gratefully. While Krüger picked up his boxes of ammunition, he loosened his belt. ‘I have a stitch in the side,’ he said apologetically.
    ‘You’ll get over that in a little while,’ Krüger lied reassuringly. ‘Come on, or we’ll be holding this position alone.’
    The others had meanwhile gone a considerable distance ahead. But after several more of the men protested, Steiner allowed a rest. It was full daylight by now. The woods were filled with the hearty