The Heisenberg Legacy

Начало книги

Oberstleutnant Wilhelm Gutwein watched as the Borgward B 3000 military truck backed up to the tail end of his aircraft. Once the green canvas covering the tray was removed, he received his first glimpse of the strange metallic device, which had been hurriedly transferred in secret from a laboratory in Haigerloch. The instrument looked to him like an oversized, charcoal-painted American football, with four large steel dorsal fins protruding from its back. The body of it appeared swollen, more like that of an elongated sphere than the cylindrical shape of a traditional bomb. Its weight, being instantly apparent on the flatbed as the truck’s suspension settled down hard on its axle.

Gutwein stared at the hideous creation.

Its mere presence made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and ice-cold fear freeze his spine. It looked malevolent and pervasive, a monster capable of extinguishing all life within an entire city. The thought was abhorrent to him, yes, but a necessary evil. He’d seen what enemy firebombing had done to Hamburg two years ago. A devastating incendiary device like this was the only solution left to his country. He didn’t precisely hate the rest of the world. In fact, he felt mostly indifferent. The simple fact remained that they were at war. No matter how abhorrent the outcome, he’d rather have his adversary’s cities destroyed than his own.

Читать дальше →