Later historians can call Paulus a "loyal dog" raised by Hitler. This statement is by no means a deliberate smear, but Paulus is simply such a person.
At least before this guy raised his hands and surrendered to the Soviet army, his loyalty to Hitler was almost 100% overwhelming. Leave all the difficulties to be overcome by yourself, and all the orders given by the Führer will not be discounted.
Do your best to execute.
Leaving aside whether the Sixth Army had the ability to fulfill Hitler's orders, Paulus's attitude of uncompromisingly carrying out orders to the end was a factor in the Wehrmacht, where the Junkers' aristocratic officer corps occupied the upper echelons of power and often obeyed Hitler's orders.
, it is already very rare.
Even now facing such great difficulties and obstacles, Paulus was still thinking about how to carry out the orders of the head of state. As for the tragic situation in the field hospital reported by Colonel Adam, Paulus compared it with the battles the Germans experienced last year and thought about it.
After a while, I felt that I could still overcome it.
After all, the fighting outside Moscow was so miserable, and the German army still managed to survive this year. Is this Stalingrad even worse than Moscow last year?
Paulus thought about it and felt that he must be able to overcome this difficulty. The current difficulty is only temporary and is used to test his willpower. The most unbreakable person at this time is himself, the commander. If he
No one had any hope of victory, and the Sixth Army was really completely defeated.
With this method of self-comfort, Paulus once again cheered up and cheered up, restoring a trace of life to his zombie-like pale face before speaking to Colonel Adam again.
"I remember you were going on vacation soon? Adam."
If Paulus hadn't taken the initiative to mention it, Colonel Adam would have almost forgotten that his vacation was imminent.
After frowning and recalling for a while, Colonel Adam quickly remembered that his original vacation would start tomorrow, and of course he would go according to the original vacation plan.
"Yes, Commander Paulus... Well, I was originally going to start taking leave tomorrow. But the current situation... I think I should continue to stay here. There are many things that I need to handle personally.
Even you."
Of course Paulus knew exactly what Colonel Adam was referring to.
To be honest, even Paulus himself was quite dissatisfied with his various performances in the past few days: irritable, erratic, changing his face from joy to anger faster than turning the pages of a book, and if he didn't take two sleeping pills before going to bed at night,
If you do, you will definitely suffer from insomnia. When you wake up, your whole body will be shaking like a living corpse. When you look in the mirror, you will see that broken face and you will hardly recognize yourself.
Strictly speaking, I do need personal care, and I also need a friend with whom I have a close relationship who can chat with me to relieve my depression. It is best to have someone who can solve my problems based on the troubles I encounter at work.
Colonel Adam felt that he was the best person in this situation, and of course Paulus thought so too, but this was not an excuse to cancel Colonel Adam's vacation.
"The vacation is not long, Adam. A week will allow you to quickly adjust your condition. When you come back from China, I will also adjust my own condition. This is the agreement between us. Between men,
The promise must be fulfilled, right?"
"Right?" Such a crucial rhetorical question at the end of the sentence, Colonel Adam felt that it had no momentum at all, and was more like the tone of a kid in elementary school asking adults for answers to math problems, timid.
And not confident in my own ideas.
Colonel Adam didn't think that Paulus was a kid who didn't know anything. It was just that Paulus' unconfident tone was caught and noticed by Colonel Adam. In other words, Paulus didn't even have confidence in himself now.
, he is just relying on the stubborn obsession that still stands in his heart to support his body and consciousness to do those "things that should be done".
Colonel Adam knew what to answer.
It can be said that his answer is the reassurance that allows Paulus to feel at ease. Paulus needs to find someone to rely on to restore his confidence. To give him this confidence, Colonel Adam, who is closest to Paulus on weekdays, must personally do it.
Finish.
"I understand, Commander Paulus. I will leave soon after I hand over the work and the documents in my hand. I will use the vacation to adjust myself, and you will do the same."
Early the next morning, Paulus stepped out of his headquarters for the rare first time in many days and breathed in the early morning air outside the house that was filled with the smell of war smoke.
As soon as possible, the smell of death was wafting in the air. I didn't know where it came from. It was probably the bodies of dead German soldiers in the nearby field hospital. But Paulus, who seemed to be in a good mood, had obviously slept well last night.
After a good sleep, Paulus, who ignored the strange smell in the air, had one thing he had to do this morning, which was to send Colonel Adam back to China for vacation.
The commander sent his adjutant back home for vacation, which was still a very rare behavior among the Wehrmacht. Naturally, Colonel Adam would not have asked Paulus to do this.
However, Colonel Adam did not refuse Paulus's proposal to give him a ride. It was okay to get out of the dark and narrow headquarters that restricted personality thinking and walk outside. The narrower and more oppressive the living and working space is, the more likely it is that a person can be transformed.
Normal people are driven crazy, and many hard-working 996 office workers in later generations committed suicide in this way.
Paulus has been sending Colonel Adam to the field airport in the rear. Although the journey is not too far, only a few dozen kilometers, this is the farthest trip Paulus has taken in recent times.
"Is there anything you need me to handle when I return home? Commander Paulus."
The propellers of the Junkers transport plane are already roaring and warming up not far behind. All the soldiers of the Sixth Army who are on vacation today will take this special flight to return home in transit, and Colonel Adam is no exception.
Paulus raised his head and glanced over Colonel Adam's shoulder at the approaching warm-up aircraft. His eyes seemed to reveal an indescribable complex emotion.
Is Commander Paulus envious that he can return to China on vacation? Colonel Adam has this guess, but he is not sure, because even he, who is closest to Paulus on weekdays, cannot understand the look in Paulus's eyes.
What does it mean?
"There is nothing to do. I will wait for you to come back here. I will continue to lead the Sixth Army to victory and complete the tasks assigned to us by the head of state. When you come back in a week, we will all be able to devote ourselves to the battle in the best condition.
, now it’s time to enjoy your own vacation.”
His behavior was abnormal and increasingly erratic, making it difficult to figure out what was going on in Paulus' head.
Colonel Adam, who had been flying in the air for a long time after getting on the plane, thought hard, but still couldn't come up with an answer that satisfied him.
The only thing Colonel Adam can be sure of is that his personal friendship with Paulus is indeed better than before. This may be the only comforting thing at the moment, and it is good for both parties.