Ghost Sniper

He heard the corporal grunt in pain and then saw him go limp. Wulf had tied himself into the tree, but his rifle fell free and clattered to the forest floor.

Scheisse!

Even now, Von Stenger might be in the enemy rifleman’s sights. He felt his insides freeze. Checkmate. Game over.

CHAPTER 16

Von Stenger held his breath, expecting the fatal shot at any moment. The seconds ticked by, and Von Stenger was surprised still to be alive. The cold dagger in his belly thawed.

The American sniper had not seen him, after all. But the shot that killed Wulf had come from someplace close. Directly in front of their position. From this side of the river.

Where was the American sniper? The field leading down to the river was empty. He used the scope to scan the river bank. There was little brush along the bank because cattle had grazed right to the edge of the river. No good cover there. He would have seen someone crouched along the bank with a rifle. Then his gaze settled upon the dilapidated mill house. Had someone swum the river and gotten in there? Impossible.

But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The thick stone walls of the mill would be like a fortress. He had considered it for their own sniper’s den, and just as quickly dismissed it, because the view of the countryside was limited. These trees on the hill gave a much more commanding view.

Where would a sniper be? The only position was the slit window facing the field. Von Stenger saw no one there, but one of the Americans could have set up in there a few feet back from the window, where he couldn’t be seen. It’s what he himself would have done. Clever, clever.

He considered his options. His sniper position, so carefully chosen, was now compromised. If he fired again, the sniper in the mill was close enough to spot his muzzle flash. The dummy rifle ruse had been played.

He could possibly send Fritz into the tree to reload the rifle, but it was better not to use the same trick twice.

Besides, a better use for the boy suddenly came to him.

Slowly, slowly, he unwound himself from his position. Any sudden movement might attract the eye of the American sniper in the mill. Von Stenger had chosen well, however, because he was deep enough into the woods that no one in the mill could see his movements as he climbed down.

Once on the ground, he realized he had been holding his breath.

“Fritz, I want you to do two things. The first one is to go and retrieve Corporal Wulf’s rifle and bring it to me. The second is to fetch the medical kit.” He added, “And keep your head down.”

The boy was soon back with the rifle. Fortunately, the Mauser had not been damaged in the fall. Von Stenger checked to make certain that the barrel was not obstructed and that the action was clear. Wulf had fired several shots, so he reloaded the rifle.

He walked over to check on Wulf, who was clearly dead. A little blood trickled down and spattered on the forest floor. Out of professional interest, he observed that Wulf appeared to have been struck in the head. Good shooting. Whoever was down in that mill knew his business.

Now that he had escaped immediate death, Von Stenger felt a frisson of excitement. A challenge was always welcome.

The sniper had known Wulf just three days and thought that the corporal had been competent. Too bad he was dead. So many dead, Von Stenger thought. Several faces flashed in his memory, comrades claimed by the war, and he pushed the image aside. Now was not the time to dwell on that.

He was on his own again, but that was all right. He had always worked better on his own.

He turned to the boy, who had returned with the medical kit. “Come here. Take hold of the rifle like this.” The sniper showed him how to grip the weapon in a shooting position, butt against the boy’s shoulder, finger on the trigger, left hand cradling the forestock. He worked the bolt and put a round in the chamber. “Now, stay still.”

Working quickly but methodically, he used the medical tape from the kit to secure the boy’s hands to the rifle.

“Sir, what are you doing?”

“I am making you into a soldier! Now be quiet, or I will tape your mouth shut as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Von Stenger was finished, it looked as if the boy held the rifle ready to fire. It would be convincing from a distance. The Mauser was not semi-automatic, so the bolt had to be worked to reload the rifle. The tape prevented Fritz from doing that. This meant the boy would get one shot.

“Here is what I want you to do,” Von Stenger said. “You will walk out of the woods and across the field toward the mill. Straight at it, mind you. There is one round in the chamber. When you are very close, so close you cannot miss, you are to fire through that window. In your case, I would say a distance of ten meters would be about right.”

“Herr Hauptmann, there is an American sniper in that mill. He shot Corporal Wulf. Did you not know that?”