Bruno had remained at the air base outside Manila for several days after his visit began. Most considered his presence a great boon to the war effort, a symbol of iron resolve descending upon the Pacific front.
Bruno, however, found it a relief, a welcome escape from the stuffy office in his Tyrolean palace, or God forbid, the suffocating walls of the Reichschancellery in Berlin.
Erich followed him everywhere, attending to him more like an adjutant than a brigade commander.
During these days Bruno inspected the airfield with meticulous care, ensuring every weapon was accounted for and properly maintained, not out of bureaucratic instinct, but out of genuine concern for the readiness of his soldiers.
Helicopters and cargo planes took off hourly, launching Thai airborne infantry deep into the jungles of Mindanao and the Visayas. The war machine churned without pause.
Today, though, Bruno allowed himself a moment of stillness.
