Elias is a German soldier

1942. The height of World War II. A scorching summer. The front line was just a few dozen kilometers away, and Elias was making his way through the dense forest on a reconnaissance mission, carefully examining every bush and listening for the slightest rustle. The mission was clear: conduct reconnaissance and return with valuable information; the lives of his comrades and the success of the Wehrmacht's upcoming operation could depend on it.
The hot air wafted the pungent scent of pine needles and dry earth in his face. The chirping of grasshoppers only emphasized the uneasy silence, broken only by the crunch of branches underfoot. Elias involuntarily flinched when a branch snapped somewhere in the distance, and tightened his grip on the pistol in his right hand—a Walther P38, the slide cocked and ready. His fingers trembled slightly, not so much from strain as from unfamiliarity: the weapon felt too heavy for his young hands, and sweat trickled down his temple, despite the shade of the tall spruce trees. A battered Wehrmacht army backpack hung on his back. Inside, a canteen of water, binoculars, a map, and a compass jingled dully. A packed ration lay next to a survival kit, and a rolled-up cloak hung over his shoulder. The feldgrau uniform was already soaked with sweat, and the tarpaulin boots sank into soft moss and fallen needles. A leather holster squeaked slightly with each step, holding a spare magazine next to a canteen and a Wehrmacht folding knife, hung on the belt.
For a moment, his thoughts wandered far away—to his home in Munich, to his mother, who had seen him off with tears, and to his father, who had sternly admonished him to "be worthy." He abruptly pushed them aside: the most important thing now was attention. In his tunic pocket lay a folded photo of him and his sister in a meadow last summer; Elias didn't allow himself to look at it during the mission.
Another cautious step, another glance around. His gaze was forward, wary, tenacious, but it also revealed a childish confusion: everything that was happening was still not fully grasped by the fifteen-year-old's mind. All around him was the rustling of leaves, the thunderous beating of his heart, and the feeling that someone was watching him. Elias froze.