THE LAST GOOD WAR: A Novel by Paul Wonnacott Page B

over and kissing him. Somehow, Kaz didn't care what “repeats” meant. There was no temptation for Anna to break her vow of secrecy.
    What the codebreakers needed was a message that the Germans had repeated, using two different encryptions. Then they might be able to figure out the wheel settings.
    The next evening, with Kaz gone, Anna thought she might have difficulty sleeping. But as she threw open the window, the smell of new-mown hay produced a wave of nostalgia. Its soporific, relaxing effect lulled her into a deep, dreamless sleep.
    Once again, she was wakened by sounds in the distance—this time, much further away. There was a strange, intermittent sound of sirens, and what seemed like explosions. She was about to go to the window, to see what was causing the noise, but just as her feet touched the floor, Sisi burst through the bedroom door.
    "The Germans are attacking. All military personnel have to report at once. Josef is leaving for the station. If you hurry, you'll have time to say goodbye."
    Anna threw a dressing gown over her shoulders and followed her sister down to the front steps. Josef was hugging his mother; tears were flowing freely down her cheeks. They were also flowing, not quite so freely, down Josef's cheeks. Then he turned to Anna with a big hug.
    "Until we meet again," he said softly in her ear. "But I'm afraid, Anna, I'm afraid. I hope that we were wrong the other night, when we said all those unkind things about Britain and France. We need help. I'll be praying for Kaz.” He gave Anna a big squeeze, stepped into the Mercedes, and was gone. He didn't look back.

8
Last Stand
    Give no quarter! Take no prisoners! Just as, a thousand years ago, the
Huns under Attila gained a name that still resounds in terror, so may the name of Germany resound!
    Kaiser Wilhelm II, addressing troops leaving for China, 1900
     
    A s ordered, Kaz and Jan left their comrades to the defense of Poznan and headed eastward toward Warsaw. With them were about 65 men, 40 horses, two heavy machine guns, several mortars, one mobile field radio, and miscellaneous light weapons and carts. They could only hope that heavier weapons—most of all, artillery—would be available when they got to the defensive positions west of Warsaw.
    As long as they rode along back roads, their trip was uneventful, although, on occasion, they did have to scurry into the woods as German planes flew overhead. When they got to the main highway, however, progress became much more difficult. The road and shoulders were crowded with swarms of refugees. The confusion periodically degenerated into panicked chaos, as low-flying German fighters attacked. Because of the crowds, soldiers had trouble finding cover, and horses reared in terror as the planes flew over, their machine guns chattering.
    By evening, a new pattern was developing: the Germans were strafing the sides of the roads rather than the road itself. As a result, civilians were crowding even more tightly onto the road, obstructing the military units and forcing them to leave the road in an effort to move more rapidly. It made no sense to go on this way, with the cavalry being held up by the chaos on the road. The time had come to divide the small force once again. One group would take most of the horses and head across country, while the other group, with the machine guns, other equipment, and wounded would continue down the crowded road, traveling mainly at night.
    Jan and Kaz drew straws; Kaz got the group that would break away across the open country. Before parting, they warmed up the radio. The news was depressing, but not hopeless. A major defensive force was gathering around Poznan, and the fortifications around Warsaw were being strengthened as many army units retreated in a more-or-less orderly way toward the capital. Britain and France had declared war on Germany. The time had come to pray for a French thrust into Germany, to force Hitler to shift army and Luftwaffe units to the