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Pov of Ernst
25-December-1919
''How is the view, Hauptmann? Do we have everything we need to give those Poles a proper surprise?'' I asked while observing one of the many machine-gun nests installed in the buildings surrounding the Kalisz railway station.
''We are going to massacre them'' the Hauptmann replied with a wide smile, showing his teeth while running a hand over one of the machine guns.
''Excellent. I like that attitude. It is the best way to show our gratitude to those idiots who think they can tear our conquests away from us'' I replied with a smile before beginning to inspect the defensive positions.
I moved through the many buildings that had been evacuated and checked that everything was in place: grenades, ammunition, water, spare weapons and additional barrels to quickly replace any machine gun that overheated or became unusable.
It was a pity we had not found a way to bring an artillery piece into one of the peripheral buildings, but we could not have everything.
The trap was ready.
All that remained was to wait for our prey.
And that prey was none other than the Armée Bleue, an army composed of Poles, formed and equipped by the French, whose men had fought alongside them during the war. Some of its members had already returned to Poland and were among those who had resisted the most when ordered to hand over their weapons, just when they believed they could finally fulfill their beloved dream of freedom.
Many of them were already in prison, awaiting the date of their execution.
We had forced the Polish State, turned into Karl's puppet, to judge them as traitors to their homeland. In that way, the Kingdom of Poland was legitimized as a State created and accepted by the Polish authorities themselves, even if that acceptance had been obtained with a pistol pointed at their heads.
Thanks to the collaborators of Abteilung IIIb and the good relations Karl had forged with them, we had managed to keep several of their agents working for us inside Germany.
While the German State tried to reorganize itself and create new institutions, Abteilung IIIb itself was in the middle of a transformation process. During that period of uncertainty, an important part of its former operatives worked for us, providing information about German internal politics, the government's secret discussions and everything happening inside the country.
We also knew who was feeding the German press with stories about our, so far, heroic resistance against the British and French.
Every Allied attempt to establish a stronghold on the Baltic coasts had failed disastrously. They only held a couple of beachheads protected by their fleet, but it was only a matter of time before their navy had to stop bothering us in the Baltic.
However, Abteilung IIIb had recently sent us urgent information.
After receiving enormous French and American pressure, the German government had agreed to allow the Armée Bleue to pass into Poland. Its mission was to open a new front against us.
The French intended to establish an alternative government and provoke a civil war between the Polish administration controlled by us and a new Poland subordinated to France.
Fortunately, Germany had negotiated for several days before accepting the transit of the troops. That delay allowed our operatives to discover that the French were preparing a major railway transfer from their territory.
The planned itinerary began in Reims. From there, the soldiers would travel to Koln, where they would leave the French trains and board German ones. Then they would continue toward Posen.
Once there, instead of allowing the trains to return to our territory along the Polish tracks leading toward Kiev, thousands of soldiers of the Armée Bleue would advance along several different routes to try to take us by surprise.
They expected us not to know they were coming… But we knew everything.
Around fifteen trains would advance along different railway lines, and we had prepared traps on each one to receive them.
France had been demanding for a long time that Germany cut all its commercial ties with us. However, food shortages had prevented the Germans from accepting those conditions.
Finally, they had yielded regarding the passage of the Armée Bleue, after receiving larger-than-usual food shipments thanks to the increase in their purchases.
However, that concession did not have to harm us.
On the contrary, destroying an army trained and equipped by France at the very moment it tried to enter Poland would give us an enormous amount of prestige.
''According to the French itinerary, they should arrive in the next ten minutes'' I said, observing my men as they prepared to open fire.
''We are ready here, mein Major'' one of my subordinates reported while securing the machine gun on its mount.
''Good. Is the radio ready? I want to transmit some final instructions about what must happen here'' I said, looking at the radio operator, who was still adjusting some cables on the device.
''Ready for use, mein Major'' he replied, offering me the transmitter to communicate with the other positions.
''This is Major Ernst, to all units on this frequency. The French will arrive soon, so remember one thing: these men will be executed even if we capture them. We can spare the system some work by being efficient. If they do not raise their hands immediately, shoot. We will give them the same treatment they give ours. According to our reports, the general of the Armée Bleue, Józef Haller von Hallenburg, is traveling on this train. He is a traitorous dog, the worst of them all. A former Austro-Hungarian officer who went over to the French side. He is the only one Karl wants alive. If you see someone who looks important, do not shoot him in the face or torso, but you may leave him crippled. Over'' I said through the radio.
The frequency filled with confirmations from my subordinates while the soldiers occupied the different floors of the nearby houses. We remained waiting for the train to arrive and, as I checked my watch, we began to hear the distant sound of the locomotive.
''Is there not a risk it could be one of ours, mein Major?'' one of the Hauptmann asked while observing the train with his binoculars.
''If it were one of ours, it would not stop in the city. The French itinerary says this convoy must stop here. If the machinist stops the train at this station, it means it is carrying Poles and that everyone inside is an enemy'' I replied, leaning out slightly, although the question had also planted a certain doubt in me.
''I see no difference between that train and ours'' the Hauptmann commented without lowering his binoculars.
''Of course you do not. It is designed precisely for that. They are using German locomotives and wagons so they do not raise suspicion. They will stop here to liberate the city and then continue toward Warsaw with the intention of driving us out of the capital'' I explained while observing the convoy with my own binoculars.
We had to wait for the train to approach. As soon as I saw it begin to slow down to stop at the station, I had all the confirmation I needed.
The soldiers took their positions while the closed curtains kept us completely hidden from the Poles traveling inside the wagons.
Only when we heard the train come to a complete stop did I give the order.
''NOW! KILL THEM ALL!'' I shouted with all my strength.
The curtains were ripped away at once and the machine-gunners pulled their triggers.
From one moment to the next, the few men who had managed to get down from the wagons were trapped under overwhelming fire coming from both sides of the station.
A rain of bullets fell upon the Poles from every direction. Then I noticed that many of them were traveling inside some kind of cattle wagons. Each wagon had only two side doors, so all of them had to try to get out through the same points and had nowhere else to escape.
I took out several grenades while watching them fall in piles, activated the explosives and began throwing them as far as I could, trying to see if it was possible to reach them from here.
A chorus of desperate screams mixed with the relentless roar of dozens of machine guns, whose gunners fired in short, controlled bursts. Hundreds of Poles had to be dying inside the wagons, perhaps even more, since the convoy was made up of numerous cars.
''Some of them were not caught inside the trap! A group is escaping! Reposition a machine gun, quickly!'' I shouted when I noticed that several wagons had stopped outside our field of fire and that their occupants had managed to get down and fire at our positions.
I got the attention of the gunner of one of the machine guns and ordered him to cease fire. I took the weapon and carried it to another window facing the area I had pointed out.
I quickly rested the bipod on the windowsill and opened fire on the Poles.
I pulled the trigger in short bursts, feeling the violent kicks of the machine gun against my shoulder. Fragments of wood and plaster flew around me every time the shots from Polish rifles struck the building's facade.
I kept firing until the ammunition ran out.
''Quick! Someone reload this weapon and bring me another belt!'' I shouted while the fight continued around the station.
Another gunner arrived and took up a position beside us before beginning to fire. Amid the screams of agony and the unending sound of bullets striking the wooden floor, I saw a group running back the way they had come, trying to disappear into the city.
''They are getting away! Tell one of the Hauptmann on the other side to pursue them. You, take your men and hunt them down. We do not want to have to tear half the city apart to find them'' I ordered, pointing first at the radio operator and then at one of my officers, who quickly gathered his subordinates to chase the Poles.
I drew the pistol from its holster, took one of the medical kits we had and went down the stairs, listening to the dozens of steps following me. When I reached the first floor, I opened the door leading to the courtyard near the station.
From there, we advanced directly toward the railway terminal, whose structure was riddled with holes.
''Give the warning'' I said, looking at the soldier holding a megaphone, who knew how to speak Polish.
''Jeśli ktoś żyje, ręce w górę! Jeśli ktoś żyje, ręce w górę!'' the soldier began shouting, ordering anyone still alive to raise their hands.
When we approached the train, we saw blood falling from the wagon doors. They were almost destroyed by the sheer number of bullets that had pierced them. Through some of the holes, the inside could be seen.
There were piles of bodies with more wounds than one could count. In some cases, the corpses had been left unrecognizable. Among them, groans of pain, sobs and wet sounds could still be heard.
When we heard several shots, all of us threw ourselves to the ground.
Shortly afterward, we understood that it was our own troops pursuing the survivors who had escaped into the city.
I got up, shook the dust off myself and began observing the wagons more carefully. The result seemed to be the same everywhere.
Dead, dead, dead and more dead.
Finally, I saw the first one still alive. He crawled out from beneath the bodies of his comrades, hyperventilating and completely terrified. He was covered in blood.
''No way… You must be joking. Nothing happened to this one?'' I said, observing the soldier, who did not seem to have any serious wound.
One of my men seized him by his trembling hands and forced him down from the wagon. The Pole fell to the ground like a sack of flour.
''Some people have shit luck…'' I muttered after confirming that he really was unharmed.
His uniform was torn apart and he had some scratches, but no bullet had hit him.
''Ernst… I think we found the Polish general'' someone said, pointing at one of the wagons.
I walked toward the place from where they had called me. The wagon was one of the few that seemed intended for passengers, unlike the others, and it had barely remained inside the machine guns' kill zone.
I opened the door and found a great number of dead men. Among them, I distinguished one covered by a leather coat full of holes.
''Dead… Good, boys, work finished. Who is hungry?,It's Christmas, so I'll buy the first round.'' I said with a smile.
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