Chapter 134: Night Raid

"The 8th defensive zone is located to the east of Berlin. The Soviet forces had already captured the crossing on the Oder River the previous night. Large armored units have yet to cross the river, and only some infantry squads have entered our 7th and 8th defensive zones. They gradually gained control of the surrounding buildings and intersections, guiding rear artillery fire through radio communication, posing a significant threat to our encircling defensive lines!"

Without a map, Jonas drew a sketch behind Lynn's appointment document and gave a simple explanation based on his understanding of the situation.

From the sketch, Berlin's defenses were divided into a "nine-grid" system, with each zone numbered from 1 to 9, making it look straightforward, but the actual defense was much more complex than imagined.

"The east of the city? Hmph!"

Lynn hadn't personally measured the size of Berlin but knew that it had a population of 5 million at the outbreak of the war, making it a bona fide metropolis. Looking at the map, many blocks of Berlin appeared to be arranged in a grid-like pattern, but in reality, only the east-west Charlottenburg Avenue and Unter den Linden belonged to the main axis traversing the entire city. The rest of the streets were either long or short, with few leading directly to the end. As for their current location in the Army Library, it was situated in the northern part of the city, and even without enemy artillery fire, it would take at least two hours to walk to the east of the city.

For a long night ahead, these two hours might not seem like much, but it contradicted Lynn's thoughts. To escape the battlefield before Berlin completely fell, his plan was to obtain some Soviet uniforms, seize a Soviet truck, bluff through the Soviet checkpoints with his knowledge of Russian, and escape to the far south of Germany not yet occupied by either the Soviets or the Allies. Whether to stay hidden locally or find an opportunity to flee to Switzerland, it was much better than becoming a prisoner of war.

Jonas saw Lynn frown but didn't know what worries the young superior had. He immediately drew a crooked line on the sketch and said softly, "Last night, we set out from Unter den Linden, entered the sewers near the Friedrichstrasse station, walked about 5 kilometers inside, and then surfaced at the intersection of Katten Street in the 8th defensive zone!"

However, Lynn didn't focus on studying the sketch but tilted his head back in thought, asking, "Did Corporal Enrik... also fall in last night's battle?"

"Alas!" Jonas sighed helplessly. "Last night's battle was going smoothly. We eliminated over forty Russian soldiers, took out one of their new strongholds, and destroyed two armored vehicles. We were ready to retreat, but unexpectedly, we were ambushed by Soviet snipers while crossing the road. Then we encountered another enemy combat team head-on! After Lieutenant Erick was injured, Corporal Enrik voluntarily took on the rear guard, and he never returned!"

Lynn glanced at Jonas and then scanned the faces of the other four individuals in turn, implying, "After a day has passed, the number of Soviet soldiers entering that zone has probably increased significantly!"

Jonas furrowed his brows, tacitly agreeing to this speculation. Fringes and Bruck looked bewildered, as if they had resigned themselves to the brutal war. Wolfram also frowned, appearing more worried and disheartened than Jonas. As for Brull, he remained calm on the surface but observed those around him, thus being the only one to notice Lynn's gaze and meet it head-on.

Facing Brull's gaze, Lynn nodded slightly and then deliberately lowered his voice, appearing mysterious, "Gentlemen, you are all comrades I trust deeply, more important than brothers. There are some things I shouldn't say, but the current situation is clear to everyone... Berlin is definitely not defensible!"

While this statement didn't distort the truth, the more dire the situation, the harsher the punishment for deserters by the military. At this moment, along the roads leading out of Berlin, many trees and telephone poles were adorned with the bodies of executed deserters. Various SS special units and military courts responsible for this task were wandering around the chaotic battlefield—not exclusive to the German SS, some Wehrmacht units also had military courts, though their methods of punishing deserters might be slightly less severe. As for the Soviets, they had adopted similar measures during the autumn and winter of 1941 to deter soldiers attempting to flee.

In silence, the five men cast Lynn various looks, each carrying different emotions—fear, apprehension, surprise, despair, discouragement, and confusion.

Having planned an escape route early on but spending a long time at the forefront of the war without much opportunity to make preparations, Lynn had no necessary documents, proofs, or essential supplies for fleeing. Even the basic funds were lacking. Consequently, he felt deeply anxious about the future journey.

After a moment of silence, Jonas addressed the group, "Gentlemen, the current situation is as Sergeant mentioned, reaching an irreparable stage. We should be prepared to sacrifice at any moment. Of course, as part of our duty, we should obey the orders of our superiors!"

This statement was a subtle neutrality, as Lynn understood it.

Following this, Brull, who initially shared similar thoughts with Lynn, attempted to take the lead among the group, "In my personal opinion, if there is an opportunity, we should still consider our own retreat!"

"This is too dangerous!" Bruck, always straightforward, grumbled dissatisfiedly, shifting the atmosphere.

Another dreadful silence followed. The first to break the deadlock was Flynn's training camp companion, Fringes.

"Entering Berlin is difficult at the moment, leaving Berlin is also difficult, and according to the situation... the Soviets will soon be able to encircle Berlin!" Lynn looked at this reserve non-commissioned officer, still vividly remembering the night's battle outside Capoca Village when Fringes carried him down the hill.

Finally, the last person who had remained silent, Wolfram, spoke up, "I have no thoughts on this matter. Whatever the commander says, I will do. I trust the commander's judgment!"

With some supporting, some neutral, and some opposing, Lynn couldn't push further. After all, everyone had their own beliefs, especially traditional-minded German professional soldiers. It was difficult to make them accept a plan to desert all at once. If he forced them to join in, there might be trouble halfway through. Therefore, guiding them with the situation and gradually persuading them was the only way to truly bring them on board.

"All right, everyone! As soldiers, we should faithfully execute the reasonable orders of our superiors. Tonight, we will certainly go to the 8th defensive zone and do our utmost to take down those Russians! However, unless unexpected happens, we will encounter a large number of enemy troops, and the situation is unpredictable. Berlin can hold out for at most a week. Everyone should be prepared mentally in advance!"

With that, Lynn announced the dismissal. After dinner, as the sky outside had completely darkened, he donned his full infrared night vision gear and ordered in a clear but not overly loud voice to all the soldiers of the 11th Night Raid Special Task Force, "Everyone, move out!"

It was said that when the Soviets besieged Berlin, there were still 3 million residents unwilling to evacuate the city. However, when night fell, the vast city was devoid of any lights. The deep night, contrasted by the Soviet gunfire, presented a strangely illuminated scene. Walking on the streets, one didn't even need a flashlight—the visual environment made Lynn very worried. Ordinary sniper scopes could see targets across the street, but the unique advantage of infrared night vision goggles was undoubtedly greatly diminished. Thinking of what Jonas had said about being sniped and intercepted by the Soviets on the road last night, Lynn decided to avoid intersections and roads in advance.

After walking about two kilometers along a street close to the Spree River, the group arrived at Friedrichstrasse Station. This station, which once exuded a modern artistic atmosphere, had now become a heavily guarded fortress. The imposing building had collapsed in a corner due to Allied bombings, appearing even more rugged and ferocious under the cover of night. After reporting their unit number and mission to the guards, Lynn's team was allowed to enter the station and, guided by a German soldier, descended into the underground shelter, traversing narrow corridors and doorways, finally entering Berlin's sewer system through what looked like a maintenance access.

Damp, dark, and filled with a strange and unpleasant odor—this was the real sewer system. It was indeed as depicted in some movies and television shows, crisscrossing and sprawling, resembling an underground world. After walking for over an hour, according to the plot of commercial films, Lynn and his team should have climbed up a shaft to reach a place similar to a boiler room. However, this was ultimately a fierce battle waged around the city, with the air, ground, and underground all serving as battlegrounds. Before reaching their destination, they heard gunshots echoing from the sewer ahead—submachine guns and assault rifles sounded particularly loud in this narrow space, making it difficult to discern the true distance.

"Damn it, we're only a few hundred meters away from Katten Street!" Jonas exclaimed angrily.

"Did you leave from a manhole cover at the intersection yesterday?" Lynn inquired about the details.

Jonas replied, "We carefully selected a manhole cover located in a remote alley, blocked by collapsed buildings in front and behind. But we could leave through a heavily damaged building."

"It's been a day. That place might have turned into a temporary Soviet headquarters!" Lynn speculated in a low voice. But before Jonas could say anything else, an extremely loud explosion occurred, as if a grenade had been thrown right next to them, instantly stunning their ears. Lynn instinctively widened his mouth and gestured for everyone to move along the terrain for cover. However, it was pitch-black here, and unless using infrared night vision goggles, the soldiers couldn't see the commander's actions at all.

Lynn quickly realized this and, after the explosion subsided, instructed Jonas to relay orders to prepare for combat. He himself opened his infrared night vision goggles and moved forward. When nearing an intersection, he saw three figures crouching in a corner through the sight, realizing they were German soldiers stationed there. To prevent them from firing by mistake, he called out softly in advance, "Hey, guys, it's us! What's the situation ahead?"

One of the soldiers turned around and replied, "It's definitely the Russians coming in from one of the sewer entrances, but we don't know their numbers or the situation of the battle!"

After considering the dark environment of the sewer, which initially seemed favorable for night operations, Lynn realized that, except for the corners at intersections, the relatively straight sewer lacked cover for combat. Shooting back and forth here was essentially devoid of any technical skill, and flashlights or illumination grenades and grenades could provide light at any time. Therefore, he asked, "Are there any passages nearby that lead to the surface?"

"We have a shaft right above us!" the soldier replied. "Going up leads to the command headquarters of the 9th Paratrooper Assault Division and the newly established command headquarters of the 8th defensive zone, which is very safe!"

Hearing the words "very safe," Lynn relaxed slightly and turned back to beckon, "Guys, we're going out from here!"

Before he could finish his sentence, a very heavy muffled sound came from above, feeling as if someone had fiercely hit his helmet with a heavy hammer, instantly causing him a splitting headache and nausea.