Chapter 978 Returning Home

A quiet town in Berlin.

A bus stopped at a platform, and a young man in military uniform got off the bus.

Looking around, what came into view was such a familiar scene. Everything around him was the same as when he left, and there was almost no change. But think about it, after all, there was only a short period of one and a half years, and there could not be any earth-shaking changes.

But in this short period of one and a half years, he experienced several life-and-death tests; the most dangerous one was a shell that fell less than one meter away from him, scaring him to death. Just when he thought he would be blown to pieces, it turned out to be a dud. Another time, a piece of shrapnel flew from nowhere and pierced his thigh, but fortunately it was only a flesh wound. I heard from the medical soldier that the shrapnel must have flown from a long distance and lost most of its kinetic energy, otherwise his leg would be almost useless, and he might even have to have it amputated.

After sighing, the young man strode forward. After a while, he saw a familiar house not far away. He seemed to smell the familiar smell of stewed potatoes and meat. His eyes felt a little hot in an instant, and his steps accelerated unconsciously until he came to the front door.

Gently pushed open the door that had been opened countless times before, walked into the yard, and happened to see his mother coming out of the house.

"My God! Jonas? Is it you?!" The mother was stunned at first, then exclaimed, ran to her son quickly, hugged him tightly, as if afraid that he would be snatched away by others; tears flowed uncontrollably.

Jonas threw his luggage on the ground, patted his mother's back gently with his hand, and his tone was a little choked. "Mom, I'm back."

After a while, the mother suddenly thought of something and pinched Jonas's arm hard, from the shoulder to the fingers. Then she squatted down and rolled up his trouser legs and took a closer look.

This sudden move made Jonas a little stunned, but he reacted immediately and remembered his brother who joined the army a few months earlier than him. Because he was injured in a battle, his left arm was amputated and he became disabled. Obviously, his mother was worried that he would also be missing arms and legs.

At this time, a sturdy middle-aged man pushed open the half-closed door and walked out. Seeing his son, he was stunned. He walked quickly to his wife and son, stretched out his arms, and hugged the two. "God bless! Why don't you send a telegram first?"

Jonas smiled. "I just want to give you a surprise."

Mom wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "You haven't eaten yet, come in quickly, mom will make you something delicious."

After entering the house, Jonas went to his bedroom first to put his luggage. As soon as he entered the bedroom, he saw a military uniform hanging on the hanger standing next to his brother's bed. There were several medals hanging on that military uniform. A silver infantry assault medal, a first-class Iron Cross medal, a tank destruction armband, and a silver battle wound medal.

The silver infantry assault medal is in the shape of an oval oak leaf wreath with four leaves on each side, a silk knot at the bottom of the center, and five spherical patterns in the middle of the silk knot. The most obvious feature of the badge is the K98 rifle crossing the diagonal of the badge, the rifle butt is pressed on the first oak leaf on the right side of the badge, and the rifle bayonet is pressed on the fifth oak leaf on the left side. The top of the wreath is the Wehrmacht eagle emblem holding the German flag (the original version is a swastika), and the bottom of the flag is facing the bolt of the rifle.

The silver infantry assault medal indicates that the combatant has participated in more than three attacks, armed reconnaissance, armed search, or close-range hand-to-hand combat. Because of its extremely strict awarding standards and risky deeds, it is regarded as the first important honor that the army infantry can receive.

The tank destruction medal is also called the single tank destruction medal, which is awarded to all combatants of non-anti-tank units who use individual weapons such as grenades, anti-tank rockets and engineer explosives to independently destroy an enemy tank.

Jonas took off his military jacket and put it on the hanger, gently stroking his first-class Iron Cross and silver infantry assault medal. Then he changed into a set of home clothes and went to the living room. "Where's my brother?"

"Your brother went to school and will be back on weekends." Speaking of the eldest son, the mother's face showed a trace of sadness that could not be concealed. Although the second son came back intact, the eldest son was missing an arm; when she saw the empty sleeves of the eldest son, she fainted directly.

Jonas comforted. "Mom, it is inevitable to be disabled in war. At least he survived, but there are thousands of soldiers who fell on the battlefield, died, and said goodbye to their families forever. Compared with them, we are very lucky."

After comforting for a long time, the mother was slightly relieved, but sighed again. "Jonas, do you have to go to fight the United States too?" Because there are TVs and radios, they can also watch and listen to current affairs news, knowing that the United States is the only enemy left in the world now, and only by defeating the United States can the war end completely.

Jonas shook his head. "I had already completed the retirement procedures before I came here."

"Really?!" Hearing this, his mother was immediately delighted and almost jumped up. "Does that mean you don't have to go to war anymore?!"

"Yes." Jonas smiled and nodded. "I want to finish the college I didn't finish before."

"That's great." Hearing that her son no longer had to go to the battlefield to face life and death, his mother was really relieved. "God bless, then your father and I don't have to worry every day." Every time she saw the postman passing by, she was afraid that she would receive a death notice, and now she can finally rest assured.

But his father was a little confused. "Is it so easy to retire? The higher-ups are not planning to fight the United States?"

Jonas explained. "I heard that our army has nearly 8 million soldiers. The headquarters thinks that it doesn't need so many people to attack the United States, so they have already started to reduce the army." After careful consideration, he submitted an application for retirement, and it was approved a few days later.

"So that's how it is." Dad nodded in sudden realization. "It seems that we should be able to conquer the United States within the next year." Otherwise, it would be impossible for them, the veterans, to retire.

"Everyone says so." Jonas looked around the living room. "There are a lot more electrical appliances at home." The town doesn't seem to have changed much, but his home has changed a lot. There is a cabinet in the living room, on which there is a TV, next to it is a radio, and there is an electric fan on the ceiling. These are all things he didn't have before he joined the army.

"There is also a refrigerator in the kitchen, thanks to you and your brother." As military families, especially families of military personnel who have made meritorious service and suffered injuries, they can get these ration coupons first, and the price is also quite favorable.

Jonas smiled and thought of another big item. "Can't we buy a car? What's called a 'Beetle'?"

Dad shook his head. "Yes, but the factory where I work is only ten minutes away by bike. I don't travel far, so it won't be very useful. You can buy one if you need it."

Jonas also shook his head. "I don't need a car when I go to college, so let's talk about it later."