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one; then he gave the ignition to the detonator retarded in two minutes and he put against the
wall, next to von Grossen.

Psychologically, two minutes can endure an instant or an Eternity, especially if exist the
possibility that one could die after it. The Germans, to avoid thinking in all what wasn’t the
combat, were checking that the machinepistoles be unlocked from the switch safety; to control
by umpteenth time that the loaders would come easily to the hand, from the canvas cartridge;
and to ensure that the stalk hand grenades would slide without problems from the belt and the
mouth of the boots. Therefore, for the Germans, two minutes were closer to the instant than to
the eternity. The kâulikas, instead, remained absolutely immovable, with their minds focused in
the infinite unity of the Kula. For them, who had been despoiled from the awareness of the
duration, the two minutes were similar to the Eternity.

But all of them ran likewise when the bombs exploded. And, literally speaking, they
were tired of killing.

The charges, distributed with singular expertise, pulled out the gate completely and
destroyed it, spreading the pieces at tens of metres around. The smoke of the entrance had not
been dissipated yet and von Grossen and Heinz were already planted in front of the only two
gates of the barracks.

Inside reigned a great confusion, and only a few reacted to take a weapon and try to
escape; but such reaction occurred very late as to save their lives. Kloster and Heinz were
running since one minute before around the barracks throwing the grenades trough the holes:
at the fifth grenade, simultaneously, both rooms started to crumble. Desperated, those who
result miraculously unscathed, were striving to gain the doors and leave, to fall dejected over
the corpses of their predeccessors, fulminated by the inclement bursts of the Schmeissers. No
one escaped from such mortal trap.

As no more guards appeared through the doors, von Grossen gave an order and two
kâulikas penetrated in the ruins to kill off the wounded and survivers with accurate stabs. The
Standartenführer consulted the wristwatch of luminescent needles: the one and eight
minutes. In just eight minutes, and without giving them a chance to shoot, the three officers
exterminated the duskha garrison!

From the main entrance, and till the wide townsquare where the Monastery was
elevated, was a broad avenue of 300 metres long whereby von Grossen had planned the next
advance. Except for the two lopas who remained outside, and whose mission consisted to go up
to the towers, to the kâulikas was entrusted to «clear» the way of the Germans. With that
purpose, once the gate exploded, three of them went directly there brandishing their scimitars

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