The NSFO

(Source)

Hauptmann Jürgen von Lüttwitz stood and stared at the young officer standing in front of him, this was the latest indignity visited upon the men of the old 5th Company.

"You said you were, what exactly?"

The young Oberleutnant in his nearly perfect uniform, with not a single combat decoration anywhere to be seen, smiled and said, as if explaining to a simpleton, "I am your unit's NSFO, your Nationalsozialistische Führungsoffizier¹. My task is to instill in you and your men the proper National Socialist mindset. Of course, my other job is seeing to the men's morale, though with the proper National Socialist principles, the morale part of the job takes care of itself."

"I see, what was your name again?" von Lüttwitz had no time for this nonsense, not after the events of the past few days.

The 275th Infantry Division had been shattered twice, the first time at Falaise, the second just recently in the fighting in and around the Hürtgenwald. There was talk of reforming the division yet again, but that plan had fallen through. Von Lüttwitz and his men had been ordered back to the area around Düren where they would join up with a detachment of assault guns and the remnants of another company from the 275th. Allied air raids had put paid to some parts of that plan.

He and the forty-two survivors of the 5th Company had boarded a train bound for Düren, only to be stopped fifteen kilometers into the journey, an air raid had destroyed a railyard ahead of them and they had been ordered off the train. They had marched the rest of the way to Düren where, wonder of wonders, they had actually been met by the seven StuG III assault guns of the Sturmgeschütz detachment from the 116th Panzer Division. Why they weren't with their parent division von Lüttwitz couldn't fathom, but he was happy for the extra firepower.

Unfortunately, Major Kaltenbach, the man who was supposed to command the battlegroup, never arrived. A dispatch from headquarters said that he had been killed in an air raid, that same dispatch had been delivered to von Lüttwitz by a rather green lieutenant, who claimed to be an advisor to the battlegroup.

"My name, my dear Hauptmann, is Herzig, Oberleutnant Erwin Herzig, formerly attached to Army Headquarters at Zossen. My father is the Burgermeister of..."

"Oberleutnant, I am not 'your dear Hauptmann,' I am your commanding officer. I do not care who your father is. Do you have any combat experience at all?" von Lüttwitz tried to remain calm, but this man was trying his patience.

"No Sir, I have been at headquarters until now. I wish that..."

"Enough, go see that sergeant over there," von Lüttwitz pointed in the direction of Oberfeldwebel Klaus-Peter Keller, who had been commander of the 3rd platoon until von Lüttwitz had made him the company's first sergeant, or Spieß, "he will see to it that you are properly equipped. For now you will be attached to company headquarters."

"I see, I wonder if you would send a grenadier over to help me with my bags?"

"Herzig, you will carry your own bags. Anything which won't fit on one of our carts must be left behind. If it isn't a uniform or piece of equipment necessary for the front, it will be left behind. Am I clear?"

"I'm sorry Herr Hauptmann, I don't think you understand..."

Von Lüttwitz was tempted to pull his service pistol and shoot the annoying Nazi officer standing before him, but he was rescued by Unteroffizier Fischer, the company supply officer.

"Please come with me Herr Oberleutnant, I will help you with your baggage and see that you get settled in." Fischer then led the young lieutenant away from his company commander, before that commander did something he would probably regret.

"Problem Herr Hauptmann?" Unteroffizier Manfred Sauer came up with a grin on his face.

"Unless that officer is worth more than he appears to be worth, which is precisely nothing at this point, I don't think he will survive the war."

"Understood Herr Hauptmann. In other news..."

"Don't get smart with me Manfred, I am not in the mood."

"No Sir, but the remnants of 2nd Company have arrived, along with one hundred and fifty-five replacements. Some of them are old hands, but a lot of them are green kids. And then there is this..." Sauer handed the captain a telegraph form.

"Where on earth..."

"I stopped by the telegraph office. They are, oddly enough, still operating. They asked me if I knew the whereabouts of a 'Kampfgruppe Von Lüttwitz,' I assured them that I did, then they handed me this."

Von Lüttwitz scanned the form, then looked up at Sauer, who said, "Congratulations Herr Major."

"Did you read the rest of the message?" von Lüttwitz suspected that he had.

"Of course Sir. I have to be ready to assist you, do I not?"

Glaring at Sauer, but then giving him a wink, von Lüttwitz contemplated the fact that he now commanded his own little battlegroup of two-hundred and sixty infantry and seven assault guns, each with a crew of four men. He now commanded nearly three hundred men, something he wasn't quite ready for. That was, could be interpreted as, the good news. The bad news?

They were to head back into the Hürtgenwald. The unit that had relieved the 5th Company had been nearly destroyed by an American artillery bombardment. There was now a bulge in the line which Corps wanted straightened out.

"I suppose the NSFO is supposed to help me with that?" von Lüttwitz said disgustedly.

Sauer shook his head and said, "Be careful with that one Herr Hauptmann, he smells connected, if you know what I mean."

"Yes Manfred, I do. I guess we can't be simple soldiers anymore, now we must be good Nazis as well." von Lüttwitz shook his head sadly.

"We'll see about that Sir. There are many bad things awaiting us in that forest, who knows who will survive?" Sauer grimaced and looked to the west as he said that.

There were times when the 'simple' pig farmer scared the captain, this was one of them. Manfred Sauer was not a man to be trifled with, but he was right, there were many bad things in the Hürtgenwald, things a 'connected' young NSFO had no idea of, things which could kill the unwary.

The Hürtgenwald had no mercy.

¹ National Socialist Leadership Officer, abbreviated, in German, as NSFO.

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