The Somme, France 1916
The line of German reserves marched along the muddy road to Formelles: thirty-five kilometres from the main Somme front-line. On either side there was desolation: the ground pockmarked, trees only stumps, and an evil smelling mist penetrating all things.
There was a dead officer lying by the roadside–the skull grinned at them as they marched past.
More dead bodies lay entangled in barbed wire a short distance away on what was once no-man’s-land between trenches. They were the enemy; British or maybe French; rats the size of small dogs were ripping them apart.
The boom of artillery fire sounded like distant thunder as they marched away. Many of them were under the age of twenty and only a few weeks ago were living ordinary lives. Dieter Weiss was different however; he was marching with a gleam in his eye. This was a return to the killing fields for him–this time on the other side under another name and nationality.
They passed the field hospital, with bandaged men lying outside and heaven knows what horrors inside. Next they marched past supply dumps and artillery, until halted by an officer who then sent them to the trenches to join the sixty first Bavarian Reserves.
A soldier with a drooping black moustache met Weiss and a few of the other reserves as they entered the main trench.
“I’m Corporal Hitler–you men are under me!” he barked.
British and Australian bombardment began at first light the following morning and went on for several hours. The Germans sheltered in their deep bunkers waiting for the ground to stop shaking for that would signal the end of the bombing, and the beginning of the ground offensive.
The Australians came first. Waves of them charged over no-man’s-land with bayonets attached.
“Man the machine guns,” shouted the officers as the Germans flowed out of their bunkers unhurt from the bombardment.
The rattle of machine gun fire filled the air as the first of the Australians were mown down. But still they came breaking into the German lines.
Dieter Weiss rose into the air and pulled out his large field knife as three enemy soldiers jumped over the front of the trench. He then spun at lightning speed–severing their heads. Hitler stood agog, until shaken from his reverie by other Australians entering the trench.
The hand-to-hand fighting continued along the length of the trench. The chattering of the machine guns began to fade due to Australian soldiers pouring into other German trenches.
An Australian bayonet pierced Adolf Hitler's chest as he turned around to face another onslaught.
His assailant then plummeted through the air to his death near the trenches whence he came.
Weiss looked into Hitler’s eyes and said: “You will follow me.”
Hitler’s eyes flashed red as he stood up. He looked at the place where the bayonet had entered his body and there was no mark.
“Praise be to you my Lord,” he shouted.
“Why do you call me lord–I am no lord,” said Weiss
“I know who you are–you are the Anti-Christ. You heal me with your eyes.”
“I am not the Anti-Christ. I am one who waits for a new world.
I am surprised to see you are healed. Clearly you are not to depart this world at this time.”
The Germans repelled the Australians and took back the few trenches they initially lost. A makeshift stockade was erected to house the many prisoners.
The British attack came after the Australian defeat and continued along similar lines, but with less loss of life due to the creeping barrage method they used.