Death Squad

Death Squad



It is 1916 and the battlefields of France are heavily wet with rain and blood. The battles continue to be fought and man after man are killed. This blood thirsty “Great War” was due to go on for two more years and day after day thousands of young men lost their lives.

In a bomb crater two soldiers from opposing sides faced each other. Both were filthy from the days fighting and had found themselves here in this crater. They had both run out of bullets and now stood ready to fight with bayonets that were attached to the ends of their rifles. They were about to lunge at one another when a tank creaked over the top of the crater, the last thing these two soldiers saw was the caterpillar track of the tank.



Captain James stood in wonder in the white room that he had found himself in. It was white, but it seemed very bright indeed, so bright that you could hardly make out any walls. Captain James froze as a German Corporal approached him he was about to draw his gun when the German said.

“Hello Captain, do not be afraid, here, would you like a cigarette? My name is Kurtz by the way”

“Do you have any English cigarettes?”

“Any kind you like my friend, here take one of these”.

“Thank you” said Captain James as he lit the cigarette and drew in the smoke deeply.

“Where are we by the way Kurtz old boy”?

“Why, we are here in this room and we are also very dead”

“Dead you say, that can’t be right”

“What is the last thing you remember before you were in this room?”

“I had just blown my whistle as I climbed up the ladder to lead my troops over the top”

“And then what?” asked Corporal Kurtz.

“And then I was here” replied Captain James in a crest fallen way.

“We are dead my friend, this room is merely a holding station, a gateway to the next life, you will see soon enough”



As these two soldiers carried on chatting more soldiers appeared. One walked towards Captain James.

“Why are you talking to this Gerry”? He asked.

“Here have a cigarette, we are all friends here”

“But he’s a German”

“It does not matter my friend, we are all dead now, here take a pull on this” said Corporal Kurtz as he produced a hip flask. “Finest schnapps”.

The young soldier took a long pull and handed it back to Kurtz.

“Captain?” said Kurtz as he offered the hip flask to Captain James.

“Thanks very much old boy” replied Captain James. “Nothing to lose now have we”.



There were thirteen soldiers in the room now. Slowly and silently a door opened and the room was flushed with white blue light as an Angel appeared.

“I see you have returned Herr Kurtz, are you ready to come with me now”

“Yes I am ready now, shall I lead the way”?

“Lead on Herr Kurtz” said the Angel.

“Where are we going?” asked one of the younger soldiers.

The Angel replied, “We are going to the other side, what you would call heaven”

“How do we know that you are not taking us to Hell?”

“There is no Hell, only Heaven exists in the afterlife, all is peace and serenity” said the Angel.



Corporal Kurtz led the way through the doorway and into the white blue light beyond.

Only one soldier remained in the room.

“Are you coming Captain James” asked the angel.

“I don’t think that I am ready yet, I would like to take one more look at the battlefield”.

“You will not like what you see Captain James, but go to the battlefield if you wish, when you are ready to move on, simply think of this room and you will be here”

The Angel turned and walked into the light and as he did so it seemed that the light disappeared as if a door had been closed.



Captain James made his way back to the battlefield and as the Angel had said, He did not like what he could see happening. All around him were bodies of dead soldiers, lying in mud and filth, some covered in blood, some limbless others headless, and still the battles raged.

“What is this all about anyway” thought Captain James, “Time to go” and he thought of the nice white room and in the next instant that was where he was.



He stood alone in the room for a while and then two soldiers appeared, one German, one English.

“Hello chaps” said Captain James “Would you like a cigarette?

“Surely you are not going to give our ciggy’s to this Gerry, chap”

“It doesn’t matter any more chap, we are all equal now”

“How can we be equal, the war still rages”

“Not for us, old son, not anymore, you see we are all dead now”

“Dead, what do you mean dead, I can’t be dead, why I am only 16”

“What is the last thing you remember before you came into this room”?

“Why I was squaring up to a Gerry we had both run out of ammo, and were going to have a go with bayonets, why it was this Gerry here”

“And the last thing you both remember is”

“A tanks caterpillar tracks” said the two together,

“And then we were here” said the young German soldier.

“Here have a drink” said Captain James as he handed the hipflask over to the young British soldier, “Hmm, a fine malt” said the young man as he took a large pull, “Here you go Gerry try some of this”

The young German soldier took a large pull and thought that it tasted of schnapps.



Other people were arriving now all in a slightly confused state and Captain James tried to meet as many of them as he could so as he could explain what was happening.



Once again slowly and silently a door opened and the room was flushed with white blue light as an Angel appeared.

“I see you have returned Captain James, are you ready to come with me now”

“Yes I am ready now, shall I lead the way”?

“Lead on Captain James” replied the Angel.

“Where are we going asked a few of the soldiers?”

“We are passing over to the other side, we are going to Heaven, for only Heaven exists in the afterlife, all is peace and serenity” said the Angel.

Captain James led the squad of dead soldiers into the light, but two still remained in the room.



“Are you two coming” asked the Angel?”

“I don’t think that we are ready yet, we would like to take one more look at the battlefield”.

“You will not like what you see I can assure you, but go to the battlefield if you wish, when you are ready to move on, simply think of this room and you will be here”



The Angel turned and walked into the light and as he did so it seemed that the light disappeared as if a door had been closed.



War, what is it good for?

Absolutely nothing.



Ironic is it not, war is Hell, but it perhaps leads to Heaven.