Chapter 5: A New Day

"Excuse me, which one of you is Albert Rudolf? Sergeant Albert Rudolf!" A major, accompanied by two junior officers, stood at the entrance of the hospital ward in Basswarck. His voice echoed through the hallway, drawing the attention of the wounded soldiers from the soon-to-be-disbanded Austrian Infantry Regiment.

Albert was polishing his Iron Cross medal when he looked up and saw the officers calling his name.

Since arriving in this era, he had only participated in two battles. In the first, he had saved many comrades from a gas attack, earning him the Iron Cross. In the second, as a sergeant, he had been assisting near the field hospital, helping carry stretchers.

He wasn't sure why these officers were here. Were they going to arrest him as a deserter? It didn't seem likely—he hadn't fled. He had simply followed orders to stay behind, not out of cowardice but out of duty.

"I'm Albert Rudolf, sir!" Albert raised his hand, stood up, and approached the major.

"Sergeant Albert Rudolf, congratulations on your promotion to second lieutenant. Here is your commission." The major shook Albert's hand politely before handing him the official documents. He then carefully laid out a contract on a small side table next to a vase and pointed to a blank space. "In recognition of your outstanding service during the war, we are offering you a special commission as a second lieutenant in the new German Army. Your specific duties will be assigned by Major Gordon. However, under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, you must confirm that you are voluntarily joining the new German Army."

Before Albert could respond, Hitler's voice rang out from behind him. "Albert, you shouldn't stay in the military. You should come with me. Together, we'll be unstoppable!"

The officers turned their attention to the red-eyed, wounded corporal.

"Do you know this corporal?" one of the officers asked dismissively.

"Yes, sir. He is a loyal and capable soldier of the empire," Albert replied firmly, standing at attention. His tone was respectful but carried an undeniable weight.

The major glanced at Albert, then at Hitler, and smiled. "Unfortunately, his rank requires him to be discharged. But you, Lieutenant Rudolf, can stay. Take your time to consider your decision."

Hitler pulled Albert aside, his voice filled with urgency. "We can go into politics together, Albert. Once we're in power, controlling the military will be easy. With a single order, the entire army will swear allegiance to us."

"We can remain friends and comrades, but we can't work together—not yet. Our strength is still too limited. You alone are enough for politics. Having both of us in the same field might not be as effective as you think. Besides, I'll still be in the military. We can always discuss matters," Albert said with a smile.

Hitler's sharp, eagle-like eyes bore into Albert. "I have no confidence in winning support on the political stage. And you, in an army filled with nobles—do you really think you can rise to the rank of general?"

"It's not about confidence," Albert replied, his expression serious. After a moment of silence, he continued, "You must defeat all your political rivals and become Germany's leader. And I must rise to the top of the military, becoming the commander of all German armed forces. We have no other choice."

Hitler stared at Albert, swallowing hard before finally nodding. "Alright."

"I've made my decision," Albert said, walking back to the major. He picked up a pen and signed the contract: Albert Rudolf. After signing, he stood at attention and saluted. "Major, I am ready to report for duty immediately."

"Major Gordon's office is in Hamburg. Here is your train ticket. You are to depart at once," the major said, handing Albert the ticket. One of the junior officers, still annoyed by Albert's earlier defense of Hitler, tossed the ticket onto the documents with little regard.

"Yes, sir," Albert replied, saluting sharply. He could sense the officer's subtle hostility but also felt the significance of this moment—his first step as an officer in the new German Army.

As the officers left, Albert began packing his belongings. He wasn't sure why he had been chosen out of the 100,000 soldiers in the new army, but he mechanically gathered his few personal items: a small notebook, a mirror, a mess kit, and a military map of the Reims region.

"Adolf Hitler," Albert said solemnly, approaching his disheartened friend. He placed a hand on Hitler's shoulder. "I'll find you as soon as I can. I'll be stationed somewhere in Germany, but I'll do my best to get assigned to a more flexible unit. Until then, you'll have to rely on yourself."

He hesitated, then pulled out his small black notebook and handed it to Hitler. "This contains my analysis of Germany's current political situation. It might help you. I won't need it anymore, so it's yours."

Hitler accepted the notebook with both hands, his piercing eyes locking onto Albert's. "Take care, Albert. When we meet again, I hope we'll have the power to change Germany's future."

"We will. By 1930, we'll make Germany the strongest nation in the world," Albert said with a smile. He turned and walked out of the hospital where he had spent nearly a month recovering.

The sound of a train whistle brought Albert back to the present. The crowded carriage reeked of sweat and exhaustion, filled with wounded soldiers and civilians in patched clothing. The war had drained the nation's vitality, and the landscape outside the train windows was a bleak reminder of the country's struggles.

As Albert collected his thoughts, he noticed that the couple sitting next to him had been replaced by two new passengers: a middle-aged man with deep wrinkles and an air force officer in a leather jacket.

"Albert Rudolf," Albert introduced himself politely.

"Dick Proke, Air Force Lieutenant," the officer replied with a nod and a smile.

The middle-aged man, dressed in a fashionable plaid shirt, ignored the two soldiers, engrossed in a newspaper as if it contained something of great importance.

Unbothered by the man's indifference, Albert continued his conversation with Lieutenant Proke. "I heard the air force is being disbanded. What a tragedy. We have thousands of planes—it's such a waste. They should have been used against our enemies."

"My plane is out there," Proke said, pointing out the window. The train had left the station, and the landscape was now a vast expanse of grassland dotted with the skeletal remains of German fighter planes.

The sight was disheartening. The once-proud biplanes, now wingless, lay scattered like lifeless corpses. The wreckage stretched as far as the eye could see, numbering at least three hundred planes.

"My God, what a waste," Albert muttered, his voice tinged with frustration. The senseless destruction of these planes felt like a deep insult to the soul of Germany.

"If I were in command, I'd have fought to the last in the skies," Proke said, his voice heavy with regret. "We didn't lose the war on the battlefield. We lost it to the cowards in power."

The middle-aged man's grip on his newspaper tightened, his arm trembling slightly.

Albert tore his gaze away from the wreckage and touched the Iron Cross on his chest. "If we could have won the war, no German would have chosen this humiliation. But by enduring this shame, we'll rise again—stronger than ever."

His voice, though not loud, carried a fervent conviction. "Only those who have truly experienced war know how to face the next one. Believe me, our enemies have wounded us, but they've also stripped away our weaknesses. As long as our spirit remains unbroken, we will not fall. One day, we will repay them tenfold for every blow they've dealt us."

Ignoring the middle-aged man, who had lowered his newspaper to stare at him, and the admiring look in Proke's eyes, Albert concluded with a solemn vow: "A new day will come, and when it does, I'll make sure you soar again."

The middle-aged man set down his newspaper and pulled out a notebook, scribbling a few lines:

"No peace treaty, no enemy, can take from us what truly matters: our unyielding spirit. When fate calls the German people to arms once more—and that day will come—it will find not cowards but warriors, ready to wield their weapons with loyalty and resolve. With iron will and hands, the choice of weapon matters little."