Chapter 330: Simple Man
The war in Italy had barely moved beyond the initial borders. Not because Bruno and his men were sustaining losses, rather they were waiting for their allies to catch up to them. And because of this, Bruno was currently watching through the trenches dressed in his greatcoat, while having one of the new infantry rifles slung across his back.
By now, the bodies of the deceased had been cleared, and the engineers had begun restoring the border fortifications as they should have been. Despite being given the advantage, Bruno did not press the attack.
He needed his allies to continue their advance from their own sides, and because of this, he did not move beyond them, for to do so would most certainly risk encirclement and defeat. As a result, Bruno had watched as his men spent their time waiting for the orders to move.
Rain poured down from the sky, and yet the soldiers of the 8th Army, consisting by now entirely of the most battle-hardened veterans of its previous organization stood still. Artillery echoed in the distance from other battles taking place nearby, and machine guns fired off at every given moment of the day and night.
Yet the men beneath Bruno’s command did not twitch in the slightest. Two years of war in the Balkans for all the enlisted men had made them hard. Hard enough to endure what needed to be done. While the NCOs and officers above them had been by Bruno’s side since the Russian Civil War.
It was an organization as well established as an armed fighting force could be. And the 8th Army had even unofficially adopted their own unit insignia as a way to distinguish themselves from their peers. The uniforms which these soldiers wore were as a result altered by adding the new emblem of the German 8th Army onto the left biceps of its tunic and greatcoat.
This insignia was a shield that contained a black corner and a red corner separated by a white diagonal stripe. It was the same decal used by the Wehrmacht during the Second World War of Bruno’s past life.
However, there was one change to this symbol, and that was the addition of the Iron Division’s infamous totenkopf, which was emblazoned within the center of the logo. A striking addition to any German uniform, which struck fear into the hearts of those who saw them.
As a result, even Bruno’s uniform contained this slight modification despite the fact that it was not an approved addition to a soldier’s field attire. Yet, even so, if he were to be interrogated over the matter he would argue that this new symbol was a sign of comradery and heritage within the unit he commanded, one that increased morale on the battlefield
Thus, when Bruno walked in the trenches, he did so in a uniform without any form of embellishment and a helmet that matched the others. His greatcoat was the same as every other soldier in the army. No medals, nor embroidery to speak of. And he walked alone among his men with his rifle slung like the rest of them.