Richtofen recalled the seething bitterness of that unpleasant winter. The December of 1942 was harsh and inhospitable with record snowfall. A thick shroud of frost had engulfed the land - entombing everything it fell upon. The stale stench of death hung heavily in the air as the small groups of remaining survivors mingled and milled about the ruins.
Richtofen remembered the horrible feeling in his fingers as they went numb beneath his leather gloves. He shuddered with discomfort at how even the thickest of wool jackets and leather trench coats were not enough to keep the biting cold from his lean frame. He had travelled to some of the harshest places on the planet yet somehow the French winter had been too much for him to bear.
Only a month prior, Hitler's army had overcome what was left of the Vichy government in the south of France. This last bastion of resistance in the country had now been taken over as the Nazis pushed further west - with only the British channel separating them from the United Kingdom.
Despite Hitler's parade through Paris only two years prior; the Nazis had taken control of more than just the major French cities. But Richtofen's deployment saw him avoiding the urban areas of the country. Instead, he uncomfortably toured the countryside with his men after their journey from Breslau, Germany.
Dr Maxis had sent him out on a research project codenamed: Projekt Orpheus. The project was aptly named as a nod to the musician from Greek mythology who could hypnotise living creatures and put them into a state of extreme suggestiblity. And Dr Maxis was always so keen to relate his scientific endeavours to ancient epics and mythological tales.
The project itself was part of the wider supersoldier programme which Group 935 had been heading for the Nazi regime. The group of scientists were split into teams which were each given an area of research to investigate. Of course, Dr Maxis took on the more adventurous task of creating some kind of serum which could render the victim's body under external control once administered.
And Richtofen, being Dr Maxis' assistant, was given the job of conducting field trials of the latest serum which was ready for testing. Though, deep down, Richtofen knew Dr Maxis was too weak of heart to see the testing process firsthand. So who better to send than the man who enjoyed such blood curdling work?
The weak winter sun shone through the fiery sea of orange clouds. The land was still, laying in slumber as it nursed its wounds. The once lush green fields which had painted the landscape had been reduced to craters and scorched earth. The delicate beauty of the French countryside had become the stage for violence and bloodshed.
A piercingly frigid breeze whispered across the land as the freezing air numbed wounds and put others into a sleep they would never awake from. Carcasses of burnt-out tanks and vehicles rested on the side of the road beneath shrouds of snow. The bare trees which lined the road stood bowed and twisted as if submissively greeting the convoy which passed by.
The feral rumbling of the camouflaged Mercedes trucks echoed across the dead land. The senior officials travelled in chauffeured black Mercedes-Benz Type 770 which were safely nestled in the middle of the convoy. The W150 series was a revision of earlier models and was used by many high ranking officials amongst the Axis powers. These massive cars - known as 'großer' in German meaning 'large'. These vehicles would be gifted by Hitler to his allies and were the most expensive to buy at the time.
As well as the small team of underlings who were sent to accompany Richtofen; he was also joined by two more travellers who they picked up in Berlin and Munich. Though, the reason for their last minute attachment to the unit had not been divulged to Richtofen before the journey. But he at least recognised one of the travellers though the other's identity remained obscured.
Once they were making their way through Bavaria towards the German-Fench border; Richtofen found himself uncomfortably sandwiched between the two men. Sat by the window on his right was the palaeontologist Ernst Stromer whilst the other man quietly sat on his left gazing out at the sea of fields flanking the road. Despite the large staff car they travelled in; Richtofen still found himself in want of more space as the bumpy roads jostled the men into one another.
After talking for the first hour, Richtofen had more or less gleamed insight into the purpose of Stromer's journey. The palaeontologist had been instructed to tag along on the convoy before it was to be intersected by the Von Ribbentrop Battalion. Strangely, Stromer was decidedly candid and made no effort to conceal the details of his deployment in the slightest.
He went on to tell Richtofen that these troops were tasked with plundering both private and public institutions for material which would be of use to the Germans. Though in France, such items were already actively being plunderd since the German occupation began in 1940. And, as a eminent palaeontologist, Stromer had been personally ordered by the minister for Foreign Affairs himself to assist in the appraisal and selection of such materials and artefacts.
But these illicit operations were not without internal conflict within the Nazi regime itself. This resulted in a power-struggle between various German governmental departments - namely the SS and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - who found themselves in a race as they vied to make the next breakthrough find before the other.
The SS's think tank, the Ahnenerbe was established by Heinrich Himmler and consisted of various intellectuals and scientists who were sent out on expeditions - namely, in order to find evidence for the Nazi's fanatical Arayan ideology. So in order to counter the SS's intellectual advantage, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to send Stromer on a secretive expedition to France before the Ahnenerbe could get there first. Stromer was to be appointed to oversee the operations there; however, this did not dissuade him from showing his reluctance to be complicit in such criminal activities. And he became more voiceferous as the journey went on.
By now, the three men had occupied the same close quarters for hours. And this sense of familiarity encouraged Stromer to become more forthright with his disdain of the Nazi party. Richtofen, as well as many other intellectuals, had been familiar with Stromer's 1910 expedition to Egypt and his discovery of the first spinosaurus remains. They had also met at various gatherings so a familiar face had been welcome on the grueling journey. And since Richtofen also did not hold the Nazi party in high regard - Stromer was in good company.
Richtofen recalled that evening, whilst the growl of the convoy engines churned on, as the topic of discussion turned to politics. The other traveller in the car had remained silent since they set off but the change of topic seemed to pique his interest. From the small glances Richtofen managed to steal, the man looked to be in his mid fifties. He looked to be a rather large well fed looking aristocrat whose fashion sense remained back in the old empire of Prussia. His facial features were obscured by his lengthy sideburns and walrus moustache which connected to form mutton chops.
But most bizarrely, he sported a very ornate white pickelhaube helmet. The helmet was finished with golden accents and emblems as well as the quintessential spike which protruded upwards. The wide brim aided the dim winter light in casting a dark shadow across his face. He wore a white, now defunct, military general's uniform beneath a large cape lined with a thick fur trim. The regalia was adorned with various medals, coloured ribbons and gold ropes. The uniform looked like one worn during the first world war which made him look more like one of Kaiser Whilhelm II's general's than Hitler's. Between his knees, his bejeweled fingers tightly grasped his imperial sword.
The German noble's aloofness from the outset only added to the stuffy airs and graces to be expected from old world European aristocrats. But it had also indicated to Richtofen and Stromer that the mysterious man did not want to be disturbed - to which they obliged. But once their conversation veered on the path of politics the man shifted from gazing out of the window and subtly turned towards them to listen.
"Zhey vant me to plunder zhe artefacts. But of course, ve all know who is controlling zhe operations", Stromer announced.
"Ja, I undershtand zhat zhe ministry of foreign affairs has been very interested in meddling vith zhe affairs of zhe Vichy Government", Richtofen replied matter-of-fact.
As Stromer nodded in agreement; their travel companion made an audible huff as if affronted by their discussion.
"Do jou not agree?" Richtofen asked the man.
"Ja, I do. But jou seem to say it as if it's a terrible thing. Would jou rather the SS take charge?" The man hissed.
But before Richtofen could reply Stromer began with:
"Bah! Vhat is vone zealot from another?"
"I have been torn from my studies and threatened if I do not undertake this journey", Stromer continued as the man listened.
Richtofen could see the pure disgust behind Stromer's eyes before he shot a glance over at the Prussian noble and sucked in a breath. Then, his attention snapped back to Stromer who was gearing up for another verbal onslaught.
"Perhaps if Von Ribbentrop--", Stromer started before Richtofen quickly interrupted him.
"Ahh, vhat is politics really? Hm? Everyvone is out for a bit of power und control. I say ve refrain from discussing politics for zhe duration of zhis trip und zhat ve keep zhe conversation light. Ozhervise, it'll be a razher awkward journey", Richtofen smiled deviously towards the mystery guest.
Richtofen's eyes remained fixed on the mysterious traveller as it was clear his remarks were solely aimed at the man. Stromer looked puzzled before Richtofen finally turned to flash him a smile as he disarmed the conversation. For the rest of the evening, the car was silent.
Richtofen smiled to himself as he remembered what had fueled his behaviour that day. The "Von Ribbentrop" Stromer intended to criticise just so happened to be the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jaochim Von Ribbentrop. He was also one of Hitler's favourite advisors and the very man whom the Von Ribbentrop Battalion was named after. And whilst Richtofen did not object to criticism of high ranking officials - it was the company they were keeping which troubled him.
As he glanced over at the Prussian noble, he noticed the fine hairs of his sideburns was beginning to peel away from his face. Indeed, as he looked closer, Richtofen began to notice the well hidden lines of the prostheses that had been used to disguise the man's face. The seams of the large red tipped bulbous nose which had been painstakingly blended into his face were beginning to come away. And the adhesion of the faux facial hair was also beginning to wear to reveal a rather clean-shaven face beneath.
It was at this point that Richtofen realised exactly whose piercingly devious eyes glared back at him. Though, Stromer remained completely unaware of the fact that the very man he was about to insult was the very same man who had been accompanying them on the trip. If it were not for Richtofen's swift intervention; things could have ended very badly had the palaeontologist been allowed to finish what he was about to say.
It may have seemed highly out of character for Richtofen to go out of his way to help another. However, he was not about to aid an imbecile like Von Ribbentrop in the destruction of an brilliant mind's career. Indeed, Von Ribbentrop was more akin to an opportunistic businessman. He had climbed the social ladder based in his ability to say the right things people wanted to hear as well as meeting the right people. And it was this empty sense of accomplishment repulsed Richtofen. During the Weimar Republic, Richtofen had heard mentions of Von Ribbentrop yet since the man worked overseas he had not met him in the flesh until that day.
Thankfully, for the rest of the journey, all three men remained silent on such delicate topics until Stromer was bundled from the car into yet another once they finally reached the drop off point. Once it was just Richtofen and Von Ribbentrop; both men nary uttered a word for the rest of the journey as the engines rumbled onwards.
Eventually, Von Ribbentrop was escorted from the car by officers and and high ranking generals who whisked him off into the night during the clandestine exchange - leaving Richtofen as the sole passenger.
But it was not long before the convoy would arrive at its final destination. The noisy procession veered from the road and began traveling along a lesser dirt path which lead into the bowels of a dead forest. The car tumbled along the poorly carved road before Richtofen began to see the outlines of small buildings in the darkness. The soft warming glow of lanterns quietly hushed as the convoy began draw closer towards its destination.
And now his work was finally about to begin...
End of part two...