“Oh, well, the night is long
The beads of time pass slow
Tired eyes on the sunrise
Waiting for the eastern glow…”
~ Led Zeppelin.
May & June 1941.
Kurt’s recon unit bivouacs southeast of Zamość, Poland, with Kurt making occasional scouting patrols to the border of Soviet-occupied Poland. After attending a meeting at battalion headquarters in town, Kurt meets Zandra outside of a cafe. Meanwhile, Elisabeth experiences the first symptoms of morning sickness.
Wilhelm, as a member of the 15th Panzer Division, fights on the outskirts of Tobruk in Libya. During a failed offensive to take the fortress, he is mortally wounded and dies in a field hospital. In Berlin, Elisabeth’s suspected pregnancy is confirmed and she shares the news with her grandmother, but wonders if she should tell Kurt or wait for him to come home.
Kurt visits battalion headquarters once more and receives orders for the upcoming invasion. Inside the same cafe where he met Zandra a couple of weeks earlier, he writes to Elisabeth and informs her that all leaves have been canceled until further notice. As he finishes the letter, Zandra enters the cafe and sits at his table. During their conversation, spoken in French, he learns of her disdain for Germans and Communists and discovers why she moved to Poland from Romania following the military coup in November 1940.
At 3:45 am the next morning, Kurt’s recon unit crosses the border into Soviet controlled Poland and spearheads an assault north of Lvov. In Berlin, Elisabeth and Adele are disturbed by news of the offensive broadcast on the radio.
