Rose
Freeman an
American woman of German descent in her mid thirties and her son Robin
who just
turned twelve were visiting at her parent’s Gut. This German expression
for a
mix of cattle ranch and farm is common for
With
the Blitzkrieg
attack of
This
way it was
late in November when Rose had packed their suitcases, and mother and
son had
taken a train to
After a night at the hotel to rest up from the long trip, the two were finally there to get tickets for the voyage home. Early in the morning the two Freeman’s had taken a taxi to the embarkation point. Once inside the large embarkation hall with the ticket counter little Robin bored, but dutifully patient, sat on the two large suitcases, in part for a rest and also to protect the luggage. To Rose’s disappointment, hundreds of passengers had waited through the night to be first in line for the morning’s ticket sale.
The
hours had
slipped by and it was past lunch time. Breakfast at the hotel had been
surprisingly good but by then Robin’s stomach was growling. Rose had
been standing
in line to get her turn for the two
Rose had kept a small suitcase with her and
she sat on it to rest her legs. As new passengers came to join the line
for
tickets, time appeared to slow down as if it had been a film in slow
motion. It
was past
“Mother what is wrong with you? You act so strange.” Rose gave him a troubled look and shook her head at him, signaling to keep quiet. A half hour later she came back with a hand rolled paper bag in her hand. She peeled the food out of the artful wrapping, and mother and son sat on the bags eating their late lunch with an occasional look at the two big suitcases.
Despite
his
stomach grumbling Robin looked on the eggs, sausages and the leaking
pile of
sauerkraut with disdain. “Mother didn’t
they have any chips?” Rose only lifted her hand to cover her lips
with her
fingers cautioning him. “Robin, Robin,
please just be patient. In a week this is all over dear, and you can
have all
the chips you want.”
The two ate with care not to get food on their clothes. Once they had finished with this late lunch, Rose took the paper and small food rest to the large waste paper basket near the ticket counter. It was late in the afternoon when the shipping line sales window closed. The whole line of people left and Rose was losing her patience. She quickly walked up to the window and repeatedly knocked on it till she had the sales agent’s attention.
He
came back and
opened it, stroking his bald head with his free hand. “Yes
Madam what is it?” Rose had to catch her breath before she was
capable to get her voice. “Look here my
dear man, I have been waiting here since six this morning and now you
close
up?” The ticket salesman shook his head at Rose. “We
have,” Rose hadn’t finished. “My husband
is going to be in
“What am I going to do?” She asked him
in a kind of lost voice. Her soft voice and her despair must have
touched the man.
“Madam I am truly sorry, it will be,”
he looked at a schedule on the counter. “It
will be four days before the next ship sails for
Rose turned back to her son nodding as she walked over to him. “Robin we will have to get back to our room at a hotel and wait.” She looked out to the street and explained. “Let’s hope we can still get it back. I’ll go and get a taxi. You wait here with the suitcases.” Robin was too tired to talk. He watched his mother glumly.
The days rolled past them with a quick routine. Checking into a hotel closer to the harbor Rose hoped would save time for the next day’s effort to get tickets, but Robin was lacking confidence. Many times Robin wanted to tell her; ‘Mom why are we doing this? It is hopeless.’
The
large number
of women who walked the streets, occasionally approaching men, and the
red
lights on some of the buildings made it clear to Rose; they had landed
in the
pleasure district
Early
in the
morning Rose got Robin up for breakfast at a restaurant filled with
sailors of
a large variety of nationalities, most of them trying to get over a
hangover
before boarding their ships. The restaurant was only a block away from
where
they were staying. The room on the second floor faced the street, and
since the
streetcar’s wheels screeched as it turned the corner Robin woke up not
needing
her to wake him up. Their room smelled of tobacco smoke and the
bathroom stank
of pee. To get rid of the smell Robin opened the first windows to the
inside,
and then the outer ones to the outside. Despite having seen this for
all of
three months he was still puzzled by it. Why, he wondered, didn’t they
use the
sliding double hung windows like the ones at home in
The night before their next ship was scheduled, Rose decided to celebrate. The two took the streetcar downtown to the center where mother and son sat down to have a good dinner for their last one. It was December the eighth. Rose had seen an advertisement for this dining room. She had made Robin put on his blue sailor suit and she had picked a dark red silk dress for herself. They both were wearing their winter overcoats especially bought for European winter weather. Rose had been in high spirits as had been Robin. The table linen was white and the elegant china was white with gold rims and the dining room’s lighting was provided by chandeliers.
The
two were near
the end of their dinner, just about to start on their dessert for which
Robin
had picked ice cream with strawberries, when the music from the radio
stopped. “Volksgenossen und Volksgenossinnen” it had
started out. “This broadcast is
interrupted for an important announcement from the Oberkommando der
Wehrmacht. The
Japanese navy and air force has bombed
There
was a short
pause before the music started up again. Robin had been listening with
a spoon
of ice cream in his mouth which he swallowed quickly. “Mom
did you listen to this? Are we at war with...” Rose had
quickly put her hand over Robin’s mouth. “Shhh
Robin,” She exhausted her lungs with sudden fright on her face. “Robin, Robin no more speaking English from
now on. No discussion of anything about the war or us being from
Next
morning Rose
left Robin at the hotel and walked over to the shipping line ticket
window. She
had changed her dress and in particular her
Before
she even
got to the sales counter she could already see the salesman shaking his
head at
her as she approached. The middle aged man in his railroad uniform, it
seemed, was
still exempt from military duty; he remembered the elegant young woman
quite
well, even though her little man was not with her today. There was no
one there
other than Rose. He leaned forward still shaking his head. He wondered
what would
happen to this woman who was so adamant about going to
As
she unlocked
the hotel room door she heard Robin practicing his German. “Die
Katze tritt die Treppe krumm.” He was
still repeating the limerick which his mom said would help to get his
tongue
into the needed convulsions when learning the proper German
pronunciation. Rose
nodded her approval at Robin who gave her a questioning look. “So mom, what are we going to do now?”
Rose shook her head with a grim look on her face. “Robin
no more ships from here. We will have to try the train to
By
noon the two
were on a train with the label ‘D-Zug’ on the coaches labeled to
After a few hours of walking through the old city he found an outdoors ice cream vendor with a cart under a large colorful umbrella. Robin was ecstatic when he found the man having his favorite flavors, chocolate and strawberry. While waiting for his turn to buy a double cone from the stall his eyes roved the streets aimlessly. There was this man standing at the corner who bore a striking resemblance to the man Robin saw at the railroad station on the previous day. It was that same man in his tight fitting black leather coat, a black hat with the brim pulled down into his face. The man wore dark brown riding boots and had that Swastika centered on a red armband in a white disk just like the German flag that flew on poles from the post offices. Even though he held a newspaper partly covering his face Robin had the impression the man was eyeing him. ‘I think I am going nuts. I have to stop this right now.’
‘Did
I see this
man before, not in million years?’ Still Robin could not help but
search his
mind. And then he had a picture flashing before his eyes, ‘yesterday at
the
railroad station when we got off the D-Zug express train from
As
Robin stood at
the corner licking his ice cream cone he was thinking. ‘What is it that struck him so
familiar about this man?’ Quick Robin had to lick the sides of the
cone to
keep the ice cream from running down his hand. ‘Yea
yesterday he was watching mom. Pretty stupid, but that is not a
great deal. A lot of men watch mom. Why is he watching me though?’
ran
through his mind. It was puzzling the boy. ‘This
man is wearing a uniform or is this some way of showing off a strong
party
attitude for something Robin had no understanding for. Did this
swastika mean
something?’
Walking along one of Innsbruck’s narrow inner city streets, built probably well before the American Revolution, though there were portions with sidewalks built to reach right into the houses, like in Roman towns. Robin had just finished his ice cream when he came to a halt at a poster among a whole slew of them mounted on a large wooden signboard with a five inch frame as on an oversized picture frame. These were propaganda posters, which among other things are to warn people with illustrations.
There was a strangely foreign looking man in tweeds and a farmer’s style hat, his ear pressed against a door and the words, Achtung Feind hört mit! Written in large letters across it, or the one with the picture of a railroad freight train and the promise; Räder rollen für den Sieg! In bold and underlined. There was one that looked just like the man he saw just half an hour ago. It was the picture of a man in the same black leather coat, riding boots dark hat and the red armband with the white circle with the black swastika in the center, left arm’s sleeve. The poster showed a strong face with a large chin jutting out front. The writing underneath the placard reads ‘Volksgenossen for our safety, GESTAPO watches over our enemy.’
Robin turned and looked around as he crossed an intersection with streetcar rails running through the center. It was late in the afternoon, a bunch of men hurried along with those typical brown leather briefcases; it seemed they were coming from work. Three men in tuxes with white ties, which signified they were waiters going to work, the evening shift. A couple of BDM girls in their blue skirts and white blouses were passing by him, not without giving Robin a curious glance.
A small group of Hitler Youth boys in their brown shirts, corduroy shorts and black ties wound through these leather knots. Dagger-like Fahrtenmesser hung on their belt. Whatever Robin might have seen; ‘…the leather coated man from the GESTAPO has disappeared’ Robin thought. ‘I am so silly there is nothing to worry about.’ But the thought was indelibly scorched into his brain.
The boy rode around town till it started getting dark, before he decided it was time to get back to his mother. Robin retraced his steps for an hour to get back to the hotel. Rose woke up and not finding her son she had questioned the hotel staff and especially the dark haired porter whom Robin had taken a liking to the previous evening. The man had been real helpful with their luggage when they arrived last night. It was to no avail. When Robin finally showed up she had been furious with him.
“Robin where the hell have you
been, what
happened? You drive me nuts when you
disappear and I don’t know where you are” Rose went on and on as if
the
world had come to an end. At first the boy stunned by her vehemence
found it
difficult to understand her rapid German speech. He saw people stopping
to
watch and all the attention from strangers became embarrassing. In an
effort to
slow his mother down all he could say with a low warning in his voice
was; “Mutti, Mutti.” Rose looked around at the
staring people and suddenly got a hold of herself when she realized the
attention they were getting; exactly what she had been telling her son
to avoid
at all cost. All she could think of was that she would have to be way
more
careful. At last Rose thoughts calmed her down. ‘Tomorrow we are in
Cheerfully,
the next
day, the two were at the railroad station ticket counter for the last
and final
time to get out of
For
a moment Rose
was stunned, and then wordlessly she showed her American passport. The
station
master was summoned, who after looking at her documents advised her. “Madam with our new rules you will have to
get two special Ausreise visa permits for travel to the west.” Rose
nodded;
she took pencil and paper out of her bag, she wet the point of the lead
pencil and
asked him. “Good, where do I get this
permit?” The station master tilted
his head to the east. “That will be in
This time it took them two full days and nights to get to the country’s capital. Rose took a hotel close to the American embassy where, when she asked for help, she found all the important officials having left the country. Her next trip was to the German visa section for her exit papers. This turned out to be a never ending shuffle from one office to the next. While Rose spent a day at one office waiting for papers, she found that by the time she finally got to talk to the bureaucrat in charge the day was shot. The effort, if she was lucky, would get her five minutes to explain her dilemma. The standard answer was always: “Madam I am sorry to waste your time but this is the wrong office for your problem. Let me check and see which the proper authority for your exit papers is.” It mostly turned into a new address or worse, into a telephone number.
On the evening of December the twenty second she was finally exhausted enough to give up. Rose came home to the hotel and wearily she conceded, telling Robin who had been staying back in the hotel room. “Robin this is too late for us. The people are losing their interest in us because their minds are already on Christmas. So I have mailed a letter to Grandfather, telling him we will be staying at the Gut until after the holidays.”
Robin had been reading dime novels to pass the time and he had gotten tired of the smelly room. “Great Mom, we can always come back next year.” He jumped up quickly and started to pack away his books and the little blue race car with its differential to the rear wheels which Rose had bought for him to help him while away the time.
CHAPTER 2
NAZI NET CATCH
Next morning the two got on the train to go back to Granddad’s ranch. Ranch was perhaps a misnomer for some five square miles of farm land with its hundreds of years old mansion. The German word was Gut a peculiar term with the double meaning of estate as well as good. Von Trenck inherited it from an uncle who died without having children of his own to leave it to. It was a large and well cared for place in need of more tender loving care than with the wars shortages at the time would have been available .
Robin
had spent
most of the summer and then a part of his sixth term school time into
the fall
at his grandparents. Now it appeared they were going to be stuck to the
end of
the war, which could last as long as to the summer of forty-two. They
were lucky
with the schedules and so it was just about noon that mother and son
arrived at
the railroad station. Robin had been looking out the window at the
winter snow.
When he recognized the coach he yelled out. “Look
mom Granddad sent the sleigh.”
Laszlo the coachman was there with the sleigh. It was the one thing which Rose needed to regain some composure. “Yes Robin that is so lucky for us that granddad has picked the right train to send Laszlo for us.” As soon as the coachman saw the two disembarking he came over to take care of their luggage.
“Good morning Baroness. Herr von Trenck is
so glad you finally decided to come back home.” Still surprised
Rose asked
him about his timely presence with a laugh. “Good morning
Laszlo. How did my
father know at which train to meet us?” The gray-haired man in his
sixties shook
his head. Falling back to her old name he explained. “Baroness,
he sent me to every train that came from
Rose
was so
relieved to be at her parent’s home. There were tears in her eyes when
her
mother Maria came down the steps to hug her and Robin. “It
is about time Rose, it is almost Christmas. Dad has been worried
sick since you wrote you couldn’t get out and back home because of this
terrible war.”
It was later in the evening when dinner had been served and the help was in the kitchen eating, that her father, sipping on a glass of wine, confided: “Rose I am very concerned abut these events. It is a delicate matter and not good for people here to find out. I think your chances of getting home are getting worse and worse as time passes.” Maria with a frown nodded, looking at Robin with a serious face. “Yes dad is right Rose. You both will have to stay here for a year, till the war is over and done with.” The old Von Trenck had pulled a cigar case from his pocket, opened it with a slow deliberation and extracted a fat Cuban cigar from it. He brought a penknife from his vest pocket and cut the tip off.
“Rose, I think this war will be over by this time next year. We can’t have Robin here without his going to school. It will be too obvious to the neighbors, not to speak of the help.” Von Trenck rolled his cigar for a few moments and with a look at his wife he slid it between his lips, and took a box of matches from his outside pocket. Slowly he picked a match from it and pressing the coated end against the sandpapers end he ripped it across with a sudden move. The flame lit up and he held it to the cigar, puffed twice till it started to glow.
For a moment Rose opened her mouth to speak, and then thought better of it. Robin had his ears primed and he had a great smile in his face. “Mutti does that mean we can stay here for the year?” He dwelled on this for a moment, then with a thoughtful look he turned his face to her. “Mother what is Dad going to do?” He looked from Rose to his grandfather and talked half to them and half to himself. “What does this war declaration mean? Is dad going to join the army and come here and fight with granddad?” But now all three of them looked at Robin shaking their heads. “Gee that seems crazy mom.”
Von
Trenck took
his cigar out of his mouth and cleared his throat. “There
is one thing about this need for Robin having to go to school. I
have an old friend running a military academy in
Rose had listened intently. She turned to her father with a questioning smile. “Dad do you think this can work? It sounds like the best way of hiding Robin. Do you think his German knowledge is good enough?” The old Trenck half nodded and shrugged his shoulders. “Rose I think if he wants to he can do it. By the time the students get to know him he will have improved enough. What do you think Robin?” Robin was trying to finish his dessert before he talked. “Granddad you are right. I am already getting better every day I am here and after all I have already had four months of living and speaking here. With what I learned from you mom and then here since the summer shouldn’t that be enough?” Rose looked at her father with a questioning look. “What do you think daddy?” Her eyes went from him to Robin and then to Maria. Her mother with a half smile and a worried frown to boot turned to the old von Trenck.
“Tomorrow morning I will talk to Albert.”
He looked at Robin, a cautious look in his eyes. “Robin my
boy this is very important. You must not let what do you call
it; let it out of the bag? Now maybe our school system
is more advanced then what you are used to.” Robin nodded
with a smile. But he had a twinkle in his eye. “Granddad I
will watch it and my English should make up for it. I mean
what can they possibly teach here in third grade of high school?”
The
whole family
seemed happier now. Rose was still ill at ease when she asked. “Father, so when will he have to go to
school and did you say Albert’s Theresianum is in
His room was large enough to house a family. There were six oil paintings on the walls. Instead of running water, there was a wash commode with a reddish marble top in front of a mirror framed in a gold lacquered frame. A flowered porcelain basin with matching jug completed the washing arrangement. A highly polished walnut desk with a dozen open compartments for letters, sealing wax and a couple of seals for closing envelopes with the family crest, sat against the second window. The walls were covered in silk tapestries and a table with two matching chairs finished in a glossy black with mother of pearl insets.
Even
the bed was double
size. What had amazed Robin when he first started to use it was that
the bed’s mattress
was in three parts each side filled with horse hair. The mattresses
were not
supported by box springs as he was used to at home in
CHAPTER 3
The
phone was
ringing on the desk of the Major. A young corporal picked it up. “OSS offices, Major Meyer’s desk.” The
voice on the other end was surly and
short; “This is Captain Freeman for Major
Meyer.” The corporal swiveled in the major’s chair, coughing,
before he
deigned to answer; “The Major is out at
the moment, can I take a message?” The
corporal had his feet up on the major’s worn yellow wood desk, his eyes
were on
a calendar with a pin up girl on the January page, but hearing steps in
the hall
way he quickly took them off the desk, and generously offered; “Captain Sir, I hear steps approaching, and
it sounds like the Major.”
Now
his eyes were
on the door and as it flung open he saw his words confirmed. Meyer
stepped into
the office of
‘How in hell did Jack get to know about his
orders to drop into
His eyes wandered along the row of chairs at the counter across the dozen booths, searching. Finally his eyes caught the window with a coffee cup painted on and large artistic letters in reverse. Words are painted on the window. Slowly he reads it from behind and the right to the left “Greek Bistro? It’s five blocks west from your office.” Meyer looked through the door at his orderly wondering; ‘Does the man have any idea what is going on from my end of the conversation? All I need is one more person in the know. Not a chance and I better find out where the leak is. A spy doesn’t get protection from the Geneva convention just a bullet in the head, not however before some nasty days of medieval type torture with a few new inventions added in.’ He agreed: “I’ll be there in half an hour.” As his three month training demanded, he swallowed Jack’s name just in case.
Captain Freeman looked for a booth away from the crowded part of the restaurant. Slowly wandering across to the rear he slid into the Naugahyde covered seat, patiently moving the salt and pepper back to the wall, his eyes on the entry door. A waitress with a pen behind her ear, fresh lipstick, and her hand stroking back her hair comes over to the handsome Army Captain without a wedding ring on his left hand.
“Good morning Captain, what can I get you?” Freeman his mind elsewhere came back to where he was. He opened the menu from behind the small fence at the wall and with a quick look he nodded at her: “Okay miss, how about a coffee and,” he pauses perusing the second page as he read; “Apple pie a la mode?” He looked up to her and smiled at the young woman. She blushed just a little and hurried off without a word to him. His eyes were on the door when a minute later she put down his coffee, a plate with the pie and with a round ball of ice cream at the side, and spoon, fork, and knife rolled into a paper napkin.
Jack Freeman nodded at her with a slight smile than seeing how she had made an effort to serve him fast obviously neglecting some other customers to serve him first, he nodded at her saying; “Thanks a lot missy.” Her happy smile was wasted on him as he eyed the window to the outside.
Jack sipped his coffee and took a bite from his apple pie when Meyer walked in. First Jack lifted his hand to make it easy for Meyer to see him, then failing that he stood up. Major Meyer walked over to his friend’s table and sat down with a look around observing that Jack had picked the most private location in the place; with a glint of satisfaction in his eyes he lifted a hand at the waitress for service.
He had a certain air of being at home here, as if he belonged. Still watching her while he greeted his friend, just barely shaking his head at him with his face between concern and surprise on Jack with his captain’s bars. He pointed at them asking: “what happened to you buddy?” Then in a more serious voice “Hello Jack, where the hell did you hear this. A man’s life is at stake if this comes out.” Jack looked at his friend Meyer in civilian duds smiling, and with a shake of his head he unloaded his news;
“Harry, my wife and Robin my son got trapped
in
The
waitress had
arrived and handed him a menu. He waved the menu away and ordered; “Miss, a cup of coffee please and one of
those.” He pointed at Jack’s apple pie. She turned and went away
before he looked
back at Jack and lifting his hand to his mouth asked; “Write
down the address and anything else you know, like relatives,
friends, ex-husbands, lovers, employers. A picture, the latest you can
lay your
hands on. How old is the boy?” Jack
reached into this pocket, and brought out three pictures showing Rose
and Robin
separately, and together on one of them. He brought a
Jack
Freeman had
filled half the page and slid it over to Harry with a friendly smile,
putting
his hand on it while the waitress set down his cup of coffee and pie in
front
of him. She had left and he looked at the sheet of paper with a quick
look; “Wow, you had all this prepared. How good is
Robin’s German? Can the boy talk well enough to pass for German? Rose
obviously
can.” He stirred sugar into this coffee and took a sip. “Where could they possibly hide him, any
ideas?” Jack silently shook his head. “Harry,
I haven’t got a clue. Do you think they would take me for this job?” Meyer
shook his head at him. “Knowing your
family is in there, I doubt even I would consider you for this.”
“Is there anything I can do to help? There are two people in addition to her parents you could go to for help.” He emptied his cup and fiddled with the saucer while he explained; “I wrote their names and address at the top.” Harry munched his pie shaking his head with doubt in his eyes. “Jack, the sheer fact you found out about this scares the shit out of me. Who told you and who else knows?” Jack looked at his friend with a cool look. “Harry I spent five days looking and reading before I saw your name. All I wanted was to get chosen so I could go myself.”
Meyer’s eyes sweep the restaurant, and then he looked at Jack wondering. ‘If Jack could find out, who else did? Who else? I may as well tell him. For all I know this may well be the last time I have a chance to talk to Jack’ he thinks as he explained to his friend: “My chances of coming out alive are probably less than one percent. I am perfect for this job. I speak German like a native, besides, I have no family. There is nothing to hold me back and nothing to worry about either.” There is a good chance I can get a job working for the government.” Jack with face at intense attention listened, gradually changed to a mischievous look.
“As long as I thought they might let me go I
tried planning this. Ideally a job with the Gestapo would be perfect.
It will
provide a car to travel, a weapon. It will also provide full
cooperation from
the people you need to watch out for the most” Meyer started to
listen with
a look of concentration.
He pulls a fountain pen from his pocket and a piece of cardboard from the napkin dispenser. He doodled some and wrote down Gestapo, job, uniform, car, hmmm and doodled showing wheels and the outlines of a Beetle. “Besides, who would dare to suspect a trusted member of the meanest of the bunch? Ha” Meyer looks at his friend with an open mouth.
“Jesus Christ Jack, you would be the perfect
handler”. Meyer laughing picked up his cup, took a sip of his
coffee and
promised; “I will have plenty of time
once there. I’ll have enough money not to have to work and a lot of
things I am
not allowed to tell you.” He looked at the penciled information on
the
cardboard thinking. ‘I will have to
memorize all this and then burn it.’ Meyer with a sweeping look
around to
assure no one was listening admitted with enthusiasm: “You
are right Jack a paycheck from the Gestapo. It’s brilliant.”
The
The waitress came to fill their cups and Meyer wasn’t too happy. He asked her: “Can I have the bill?” She reached up to her ear fetching a pencil and taking a pad she asked: “Together or separate?” Meyer waved his hand at the table: “It is my turn.” She wrote in a dollar and twenty-eight cents for the two pieces of pie and coffees handing him the sheet: “Thank you sir.” and left.
Meyer
picked up
the bill saying: “Jack this isn’t the
place to talk. Lets go to my place or better yet to the office.” The
two friends
got up and left Meyer leaving two quarters tip and paying at the
register with
a dollar and four bits. As the two walked away he confided: “Jack
first you knowing what I am to do
scared the hell out of me, but now I think this can help me.” With
a slight
laugh he conceded: “I maybe even make it
back in one piece?”
Back
at the
office Meyer ordered the corporal: “You
may as well go for lunch corporal, the captain and I have some details
to work
out and I won’t need you.” The corporal nodded with a:
“yes sir,” and taking his cap he left. The major took a bottle of
Scotch from his desk drawer and a couple of glasses pointing at the
chair
beside his desk he poured the two glasses half full: “Soon
this is not going to be available. So what else have you thought
of?”
Captain
Newman took
his hat off, and placing it on the desk he grabbed a pencil and started
to
write explaining: “Here are the addresses
for the von Trencks, my wife Rose’s parents. He is of the old guard and
anti
Nazi, but a veteran of the first war he will still stand for his
country. Don’t
be careless. Here is a distant cousin’s address. She is married to an
Austrian
and may be of help. In
Jack
continued
writing and told the
Finally
Jack shoved
the paper across to his friend. “That is
all I have. Just for God’s sake help my boy and be careful, will you?
You ought
to stay here and I should go instead. You do know that, don’t you?”
Jack’s
friend was
going through his notes when Colonel Mc Dowell entered his office
asking: “Major what is going on here?” His voice
was low but serious, as he continued:
“Your life is at risk in what you are about to do and.” Major
Meyer lifted
his hand: “Sir, excuse me sir?”
The
Colonel
stopped with a blink of surprise in his eyes for the interruption. “Major?” Meyer pointed to his uniformed
friend Newman. “Sir, the captain has been
in Germany for years and he knows people, relationships and situations
I can
use. Matter of fact some of what he has told me may well be crucial in
saving
my bacon sir?” The colonel looked at Jack with a grim face asking:
“Captain you do realize that what Major
Meyer is doing is top secret. You aren’t even supposed to be in these
offices.
They are off limits to all but who work here”
His
voice was low
and very serious as he mustered Jack who was standing, facing him at
attention.
“Yes Colonel sir I am well aware of this.
As the major said, I have thought back to all I have seen in
After looking over Meyer’s shoulder at the notes he asked: “Does the captain have clearance, Major?” Meyer winced and admits: “No sir, he doesn’t have clearance, but,” He was interrupted by: “Major call security and have the Captain get clearance at once. Do you hear me?” The Colonel turned about without waiting for an answer and stomped out of the office.
CHAPTER 4
WHO YOU KNOW
At
breakfast next
morning Granddad apprised him of having an appointment for the early
days of
January in
Mother was taking most of his clothing away. She went to town on a buying streak. “Robin no more blue jeans or sneakers from now on”. He ended up with a new wardrobe of shorts including a pair of Lederhosen, and a suit made from wool that the German chemical industry had conjured up from wood. Robin didn’t like the new suit’s textile too much since the long pants that come with the suit quickly developed bulges at his knees. “Mom this stinks, look at my knees.”
After
some
thought Rose nodded at him. “I know dear,
but
Rose
was concerned
about her father’s machinations with his friend Albert, the school
principal.
If Robin was discovered we all will end up in jail or worse. It was
just one
more frightening thing on her mind. Just thinking about it raised goose
bumps
on her arms. ‘Do you have any idea how
dangerous this is? , was what she hesitated asking Robin ‘Now will all our lives be in the hands of
my twelve year old boy?’ It made her blood run cold and she needed
quickly to
move these unbearable thoughts into the back of her mind. It was
difficult ‘but who,’ she wondered, ‘will
suspect a kid as pleasant as her
Robin?’
The
week after
New Years Rose took Robin on the train to
Robin’s
mom
pointed out the Turkish cannon balls lodged in the dome’s walls from
the
Turkish attempt of taking
The
next day was
when Rose and Robin took the streetcar to the fourteenth district where
the
To the left of the open door there was an office with a large window, which showed a man in military uniform. He majestically waved them over to his window, and then lifted a hand as a wordless command asking them to wait for a moment. His other hand depressed a bell button in response to which a boy with a short haircut in a heavy dark blue winter uniform that cried out wool and a ten inch dagger at his left came to the front. The gate guard nodded at Rose. “Frau von Trenck the commandant is expecting you.” He turned to the summoned boy. “Take them up to the colonel’s office.” The student offered the guard the German salute then he turned smartly to Robin. “Follow me please.” He turned and quickly walked over to the ten foot wide stone staircase. Rose and Robin stepped up their speed and followed the boy upstairs.
There Rose met the colonel Albert Goring who was her father’s friend of more than twenty-five years. The boy knocked on a large door. “Herein.” The word was loud and clear. The boy shouts “Jawohl.” He opened the door, then stood aside to let Rose and Robin enter the office. “Ah Rose! How is your father?” The colonel took off his spectacles and his eyes fell on Robin. “Good, so this is Robin.” He got up walked around his desk and shook Rose’s hand. “Father is fine Herr Oberst”.
The
tall man in
the colonel’s gray uniform with the green tinge and the leather
covering the
seat of his pants which were stuffed into his riding boots and silver
epaulets on
his shoulders laughed out laud. “My dear
Rose I remember you from when you were what, about five years old?”
He
asked. “How about calling me Uncle
Albert?” Rose laughed, still shaking his hand, but her thoughts
were on
whether Uncle Albert knew why Robin was applying for the Theresianum.
Then she
wondered how dangerous this thing they were doing with her son might or
might
not be for him and for her father. ‘Am I
underestimating my father and perhaps the colonel as well?’
Colonel
Goring was
looking at his best friend’s daughter, not showing his curiosity.
Doesn’t this
woman who was a child last time he saw her know that old friends are
something
one doesn’t betray? Her father, who retired at the end after the
capitulation
in nineteen eighteen, hung up his uniform and went back to his Gut. The
colonel
had no doubt that his friend knew Albert was aware of Robin being
American. In
a small way it amused him to be in a position to put one over on an
establishment
run by this noncom upstart Hitler. “Yes
Uncle Albert. I remember you brought me a huge box of chocolates and
mother a
silk scarf from
“My boy,” He turned to Robin and reached
out for his hand. “I hope you are ready
for us here.” He turned to Rose. “You
do know the entrance examine takes a whole week, don’t you?” Rose
shook her
head with a look at Robin. “No Uncle
Albert we didn’t know. I guess I’ll have to take the hotel room for the
week
then.” “Rubbish, my dear girl, you
will come and stay with us of course.” He pointed at a chair for
her and
motioned her to sit down, which she did carefully, folding her skirt
and
properly crossing her legs below her knees.
”But Uncle Albert I don’t want to be a
burden.” “Oh Rose my dear
girl, it will be a welcome change for an old man. Doris
my wife died last April in a bomb attack by the British. It will be
good to
hear a woman’s voice instead of my orderly’s.”
After the interview Rose took a taxi and moved her things from the Sacher Hotel into the colonel’s apartment on Radetzky Strasse. At dinner, which was almost formal since Frank the orderly served dinner with aplomb, the officer brought to light some experiences of the nineteen fourteen war. Rose started to find a brand new picture of the happenings of these years when she was a teenage girls going to high school. The comradeship of these men was something she had never imagined. What she learned showed a picture of her own father that brought out nobleness she had never been aware of before.
At
these dinners with
the colonel Rose developed a new depth of understanding, which aroused
a pride
in her for both her dad as well as for this friend of his. Was this
what Robin
would become she wondered and a new valuation of her son took place.
Her little
Robin would be like these men? It changed her stay here in
Meanwhile Robin was being run through the tests on math, in English, in German and history. His test scores in math, German and history, largely thanks to the preceding weeks of preparation urged on him by von Trenck, come out in grand style. The English test made it look like he should be advanced to the next grade, which was no surprise to Albert the principal. The physical education tests were a matter of their own. He had to walk across a beam at ten feet height to show balance and fearlessness of heights. Then he together with a dozen of other aspirants was asked to jump off the five meter board at the school’s swimming pool.
This
brought him
a strange new advantage. Only one of the applicants knew how to swim,
which was
an amazing discovery for the
As
he was used to
at home he jumped in and proceeded to swim the length of the pool and
back.
While the teacher was not overly pleased with what seemed to him; ‘This kid is acting up a bit too much but a
little bravado is a welcome change here. It is good to have a student
who helps
to install some degree of daring in his class. This boy Robin will be a
help to
teach the boys to swim. I will have to mark Robin down for assistant in
the
swimming classes of the future.’
The riding test got a little strange. What was the matter here, this saddle felt all wrong, it was way too small and no horn to hold on to. ‘What was wrong with their horses anyway that they have saddles half the size of ours like they want us to fall off? Am I out of tune? Why English saddles? Granddad didn’t tell me about English style instead of the western cowboy type I am familiar with.’ Robin still came out being favored since he was the only student applicant who knew not only how to get up on the left side of the horse, but actually managed to take it through the horses three paces of walk, trot and gallop.
That
test week’s
Saturday Uncle Albert informed Rose that Robin had done exceptionally
well and
that she could send him back to
It was a couple of weeks later that Robin checked back into the Theresianum on Favoriten Strasse. The first exercise was to get his uniform, which consisted of a kind of light brownish summer shirt with breast pockets, black shorts and for the winter a dark blue heavy wool suit with a thick overcoat with a fitting cap. Not enough of that, he received a dagger to wear for festive occasions and for going out. The dagger was something Robins finds odd for a school boy, but then the bad fit of the clothes he finds unacceptable. So he returned to the Kammer room and shows the sergeant responsible.
“Sergeant please look at this. The sleeves are reaching to my knuckles and the pants don’t even cover all my ankles.” The Kammer Bulle looked at Robin with a smile. “Yes, is it Robin?” he asked. The new student nodded at him. “Yes that is my name.” He looked around, but he was the only one wanting an exchange. “I am sorry to bother you. Is it permissible to get a better fit than this?” The soldier had already gotten replacements for him and as if by a marvel, Robin who tried it on in front of the large dispensing window found the new uniforms a nearly perfect length.
In
these next few
weeks the
Hardly
a night
goes by that she didn’t worry about her son while Robin went through
the
training that stemmed from the middle eighteenth Century when the
Empress of the
Austrian Empire gave up her castle in
The daily early morning run of a full kilometer in the Empress’s Park Robin found to be a lark. Getting drummed out of bed at five thirty in the morning was a little early but after a week of this exercise all he could think is; ‘wow it changes the day for me and how will I ever be able to give this up.’ Taking a shower right after this morning run with all thirty class mates crowding under the eight showerheads was a blast. Getting dressed and making his own bed well enough to bounce a pfennig of it like a tennis ball.
‘These Germans soldier instructors are nuts all right. I am lucky Karli my student friend in the next bed to mine is doing his third year.’ He had two demerits before Karli showed him how to wedge the sheets under the mattress in one fast and easy two handed force move. Robin’s first thought was; ‘who can do all this in the few minutes allowed. By the second week all this activity fit into the timeslot with two minutes to spare. ‘Wow again mom is going to be real surprised what I can do.’ Meals were a new experience. No speaking permitted during the first course which was soup.
Two weeks after Robin joined the class Karli moved in beside him for school homework time after lunch. “Robin I can’t hack the spelling of my English”. He looked over to the desk of the officer in charge shoving his school book over to Robin. ‘What am I going to do? Karli is a great help but what if?’ Then without further hesitation he ran his pencil over Karli’s two page essay crossing out the needless u in forty, penciling in the missing ugh in through, adding the second o for too, exchanging the k for a c in secret in half a minute he has Karli’s work almost correct. He left a few mistakes in for good measure. ‘Are they watching us? Should I? Hell the daily issue is be a good comrade. What else can I do?’ Karli, his eyes on the officer of the day pulled his book back and quickly made his corrections. At the end of the day the notes are read out. “Karl Krieger you have a two minus. Robin Von Trenck you, one minus.” And on it goes.
Karli lifted his fist above the desk with a smile of victory in his eyes. After dinner when they got to spend time at the games room he invited Robin for a game of chess. Karli had two stripes on his uniform and when he sat down with his American friend the rest of the platoon size class left the two at a safe distance. Karli gave Robin white for a first move. When Robin moved his first two pawns out for the start his new friend smiled; “good move Robin, I owe you one.” ‘What the dickens is he talking about,’ shot through Robin’s head. Then it hit him. ‘The boy isn’t talking about chess. He is thanking me for the English lesson corrections.’
They
played three
games, after that Karli took Robin over to the counter, dropped two ten
Pfennig
pieces on the table top for soft drinks both for him and Robin. “You know Robin,” he says, “You have got a
good head for language. You
should go for intelligence like those officers with the red stripe down
their
pants legs.” Robin laughed at him.
“Why? What are you saying Karli? It isn’t anything important is it?”
The
boy shook his head at Robin’s ignorance.
“Kamerad you have a gift that will keep you
alive. Young officers have a short life span. Even Generals have a
small chance
of survival. My numbers are that about a hundred generals on each side
get
killed in a war. Your talent isn’t just a way out, it saves lives even
General’s lives.” He laughed at Robin’s frowning face. “The
men’s lives you save, they will know and will be thankful.”
Robin nodded at him thinking. ‘If you
just knew you would be shocked. What luck to find a friend like Karli.
May be
now I won’t have to worry so much? If I tell mom she can stop worrying
too.’
Rose suffered most at night when her thoughts centered on her boy. Von Trenck had given it a full month before that next evening’s dinner he sat down with her. “Rose mein Mädchen, Robin is fine. Those boys stick together like glue. He is a smart and pleasant boy. He will find a couple of Kameraden and men will stick together through thick and thin.” Rose put down her book, a tear was running down her cheek. “Daddy, daddy how can you say that? They are all German boys and he is an American, what do they care?” Her father ground his teeth head shaking; “Rose boys are men, just a little smaller. Robin is a smart friendly boy. There is a bonding going on I don’t really know how to explain it to you.”
He
stroked her
hair as Rose’s fingers trace the salty tears down her cheeks. “I am such a cry baby dad you must be
embarrassed.” The old man’s eyes are far away then he got up,
walked over
to the fire place and lit a cigar. It was as if he were on another
planet when
his mind was on the battles of
Robin had his first leave to go to town since he had joined the school. He had his parade boots on and the dagger with the inscription ‘Blut und Ehre’ on its blade. The red armband with the round white circle had the center marked by the black swastika. He didn’t really see it till he saw its reflection in a pastry shop window on the Ring Strasse. Two men in large overcoats with black hats, a yellow Star of David sewn on their lapels, cast down their eyes when he crossed their path. With a grim, quiet look the two stand aside to let him pass. ‘What the hell is wrong with these men?’ Robin puzzled. Karli had offered to go with him and he explained. “They are Jews. The law is they have to wear the Star of David in yellow on their sleeves.” ‘Cripes,’ the thought ran through Robin’s head ‘The Freeman are Jews, am I a Jew too?’ He touched the swastika on his arm biting his teeth till it hurt.
The pocket money they received each week almost burned a hole in his pocket. Walking down from the Sacher hotel towards the Stephan’s Dome Karli saw a window full of pastries. “Stop Robin lets go and get some cake.” Robin turned and his eyes feasted on a Dory Torte between a Sacher, a Dobosch Torte and a Linzer Torte. It was too much to resist. “Karli lets go and get them.” The two friends sat down at the small tables with the round marble tops. Karli proudly told Robin about the Conditors of the Austrian Empire.
“The Princess came to the Conditors and she
made a bet with her cousin she would get all of
After this royal demonstration all of
The
two boys in
their uniform had exhausted their appetite to the fullest and after
having used
up their time of weekend furlough they were taking a streetcar home to
the
school. Karli turned to Robin with a questioning remark. “Did
you see that GESTAPO cop sitting four tables over to the side?”
Robin had seen the man and felt he recognized him from a month earlier.
It had
worried him to a degree, but he decided to disregard the man. Karli
mentioning
it arouses his fear again but he wanted to avoid all suspicion at any
cost
saying “What are you saying Karli? Was he
watching you?” The boy didn’t seem to care. “Forget it
Robin he did pay a lot of attention but it could not mean us
anyway.”
CHAPTER 5
Robin’s
class of
thirty had a new breed of instructor at the front desk. The teacher had
stapled
the large print of a horse over the blackboard. His uniform pants had a
leather
seat, below his hip they flared out but below the knee the cloth
slipped into
the high riding boots which were adorned with spurs. The silver rim
some five
millimeter thick on his epaulettes indicated his rank was sergeant. His
voice
boomed out into the high ceiling classroom.
“Heil Hitler Cadets! I am unteroffizier Lindner. The weather has turned
warm
and soft early this year therefore even though it is only the middle of
February we shall start to teach you the tradition of horse handling.”
With his spurs ringing as he strode up to the illustration, he pointed his riding crop at various parts of the animal. “This is the head, neck, mane, back and.” In rapid succession he took less than ten minutes going through the horse’s body naming each part. Robin had not slept well and he was still tired enough to yawn. Quickly he raised his hand to cover his mouth. It was not fast enough to escape the instructor’s sharp eye.
With
a few steps
the noncom officer stood at his desk. “Good
morning,” the soldier looked at his name plate; “Trenck
am I boring you?” The classmates broke into a snicker. Robin
snapped to attention. “Nein Herr Unteroffizier.”
Lindner turned to the class. “Attention!”
His command came quick and precise and the laughing classmates turned
silent as
if someone had turned a switch to off. With a snap the class jumped up
at
attention. “Follow me.” Followed by
Robin and his class mates the sergeant walked out of the school room
through
the long castle hall ways, courtyards into the park to the stables.
Four young
corporals in riding boots were tightening the saddle straps on a mare
and three
geldings. Sergeant Lindner walked into the barn and returned with a
fifteen
hand high saddled black stallion.
“The first thing you must do when learning to ride a horse is to mount it.” His left hand holding the bridle raised his left foot up and slid it into the stirrup and with a slight crouch he propelled his body up placing his leather covered behind into the saddle. He did all this without taking his eyes off the boys even for a second. The first four boys, Robin was one of them, stepped up to the geldings and the mare.
Freddy, the boy next to Robin, was on the right side of a white and brown pinto. While Robin took the rains of the nearest animal, he whispered to him; “Freddy, from the left only.” He ran his hand through a saddle cinch running across the horses belly to make sure it was tight, then he precisely, as the instructor before, he raised his foot into the stirrup and did a copy of the man swinging up over the rump of the horse and placed himself into the little leather contraption that carried the name English saddle. Lindner with barely a smile coughed before he sounded off. “Yes Trenck, left side only.” “Unless you have a circus horse.” Robin mumbled it in a voice he was sure no one could hear.
“What was that Trenck?” Shocked, the boy
drew a breath of air through his teeth thinking; ‘damn it
does this Lindner hear everything?’ “Sorry Sergeant I
was just thinking.” The soldier’s eyes were on
him. “Yes Trenck may we hear your
thoughts?” How am I going to get out of this? He wondered. “Unless it is a circus horse, Herr Unteroffizier,
is what I was thinking.” Lindner nodded at him. “Interesting
Trenck, where did you learn this?”
‘At the Barney circus in
With a quick motion the sergeant tapped the neck of his mount with the end of his crop. The stallion took of without a second’s delay. The horse made a fast round and then the two were back with the students. With a quick tightening of the reins Robin had stopped his animal from following Lindner’s horse while the other three animals were held back by the handlers. “Well Trenck why don’t we give your friends a view off what is coming to them?” He turned his animal, giving Robin a wave with his hand to follow him. Robin, with a shrug of his shoulders, freed his horse and jammed his heels into the side.
The gelding was quick and ready to follow to the track which was studded with hurdles. It was barely a minute before Robin caught up with the instructor’s horse. The two, with Robin just trailing by a few feet, go from jump to jump. The Sergeant kept his eyes on the student behind him with a pleased look. Then he turned his horse to the right to a higher set of hurdles. Shortly before he straightened out his body and with a jab of his spurs touching his whip to the neck of his mount he now at a fast gallop raced to what looked like a double sized hurdle with the boy at his animal’s tail. There was a ditch right after the jump which widened the distance to some ten feet. The stallion lengthened its stride and took off with aplomb.
Robin had given his gelding a free head and lacking the spurs he encouraged it with a smart lash of the whip. It was the only thing he knows of that he can do to follow. It proved to be not quite enough. The two clear the hurdle with no problem but it was not enough to manage it across the ditch. His Gelding stumbled with its feet in the soft ground and the two took a tumble. At the last moment Robin loosened his grip, sliding his boots from the stirrups, he somersaulted off into the fresh spring air and into the ground with its spare grass cover, as the animal took its fall.
By
the time Robin
had gotten up to dust the dirt off his uniform, the instructor had
stopped at
his side, getting off his horse he checked the boy and then the slowly
rising
animal. A somewhat worried look dissipated quickly when he saw both the
boy and
animal were all right. There was a new appraisal in his eyes. “I don’t think following you close was the
mistake that caused the tumble Sergeant. Do you?” with a slight
shake of
his head he answered. “No Trenck, it’s
just that the horse knew better than you. I think from now on I better
keep an
eye on you.” It was exactly what the American boy was not looking
for. ‘Damn it again,’ Robin thought, ‘why
am I sticking my head into a noose at
every turn.’
For the rest of the day he kept his need for being unobtrusive foremost in his mind. ‘I am not going to show off. I am not going to show off, I am not going to show off’ continued to rattle his brain and with his increased anxiety the riding experience had blown into him, he stayed in the sidelights as best he could. ‘Why’ Robin searched his mind ‘am I doing these things to myself? Where is my brain? Mom always says I should think before I jump. Is this what she is telling me? From now on I am going to watch it.’
The
riding
instructions were going ahead with success and a new course set in.
Weapon
handling was next and training in marksmanship was the instructor’s
next goal.
The first mention came in the week of March. ‘I know how
to shoot a twenty-two rifle just as I knew how to ride a
horse. I have to let them show me and not be a smart ass.’
This time a gray green bus came into one of the castle’s center courtyards. The class sized platoon of boys that made up Robin’s classmates got in for a drive to a target range. As soon as the vehicle stopped in the wide open field the boys were ordered out. Rows of targets on the far side and high benches for support of the twelve year old cadets’ who lined up to receive a carbine each.
Despite
the warmer
weather the NAPOLA boys were in winter uniforms. Except for the
instructors the
whole range was dressed in the dark blue wool. As Robin’s turns come he
couldn’t
help but be excited having a well polished short nine millimeter
carbine stuck
in his hands. The thoroughly oiled bolt action weapon was a well used
old gun
that had obviously seen better times, but it was the heaviest rifle the
Robin turned down the bolt and slid it back and out of the action. A lot of wear showed under this kind of scrutiny, but the action was smooth and easy to use. “Cadets form a line to pick up your ammunition. You each will receive ten rounds so be careful. These are life rounds and dangerous. Do not, repeat, we do not load until an instructor tells you to.” There were now six infantry men in addition to the Unteroffizier (sergeant) Lindner who were supervising the class.
By
the time the
boys had lined up in front of the targets which were at two lines of
one and
two hundred meters distance Robin calmed himself down. ‘No
showing off’. Better to miss than to hit those large bull eyes.’ By
the time it was his turn the boy felt secure looking at the class to
learn ‘who will know what?’ Under close supervision
the boys had now all loaded their weapons. Orders were to aim for the
black
center circle of the paper target sheets at the other side of the
field. The
order came. “All are now to fire and try
to hit the black marked X.” Sporadic shots started out and slowly
the
firing became steady. Robin aimed at the center knowing full well it
was the
wrong thing to do, when Sergeant Lindner walked behind him and prodded
the boy.
“Well Trenck now that it is not a horse
what are you going to do for us?”
‘Wow’ his mind was frantic with indecision, ‘what do I do now?’ For a whole minute he had been looking at the X in the target and not dared to pull the trigger. The closest private urged him “Well Trenck how is our horse boy doing?” another was goading him with; “what are we waiting for, das Mittagessen (lunch)?” With a deep breath Robin aimed and shot, worked the bolt action to funnel a new cartridge into the breech and shot again. Unhurriedly he took his time but shot and reloaded and did this till the magazine was empty. He had blindly aimed and shot with sweat running down his brow. Lindner ordered; “bolt out of the carbines and in your right hand.” The seven military men scrutinized the weapons for a couple of minutes, heads nodding to the sergeant.
A minute later the two corporals walked the range and called out the hits. “Nine, nine, nine, three and white.” Three steps and the next target was checked was the verdict. The same three steps and one of them stopped next to Robin’s sheet. “One X, nothing in the white.” there was a pause and then the corporal with a frown that carried across the range. “Maybe two or three X on number eight, but no separate holes.” The man hesitated. “Come on Meier who is number eight anyway. You see any holes in the wood?” In obvious disgust Meier shook his head at Lindner. “Should I give you some spectacles Meier?” The corporal shook his head once more, and then he ripped the paper off and walked back to the firing benches.
A
voice called
out. “Number eight is Von Trenck
Sergeant.” Lindner looked at Meier, approaching him. “What
have we got here?” He held up the large paper and stuck his
finger into the only hole visible. The sergeant looked down the line of
students chewing on his unlit cigarette. “Did
you put up new targets Meier?” His eyes showed more doubt to the
corporal
than words could convey. His mind was on his life and he thought. ‘God help those poor, stupid boys. In a
couple of years they are nothing but cannon fodder.’ Then he
caught
himself. “Well it is more than one for sure,
but where are the rest?”
He looked at Robin with an accusing eye. The boy shrugged his shoulders with a guilty frown. “Sorry sergeant I probably missed by a mile.” He looked at the frowning soldier. “I promise, I will try better next time?” For a moment the instructor wore a poker face, then without a further word he walked away as the checking and firing continues.
The
second round
of firing Robin closed his eyes when he pulled the trigger and it
worked
perfectly. Only two holes are spread out over the sheet. ‘Oh
god I have to keep out of trouble for mom’s sake, mine and
granddads too. I’ve got to.’ Robin Freeman the boy from
CHAPTER 6
TARGETS
The
rifle range
was number two in the school’s basket of instruction. While it was
going on,
the grenade yard was next on the teaching schedule. Again the same
busses that
were used for the gun training came into the same center courtyard to
take the high
school’s third graders to the grenade training ground. It was way out
of
The terrain was a torn up large sand ditch which had the marks of trees and bushes torn by the explosives of the German military over years of abuse. At the stop where they got to leave the busses, two wooden boxes awaited the boy’s pleasure. It was not the long handled Stiel handgranaten but the egg shaped style. “Do not pull the pin boys until you are told by one of your teachers.” The words rang loud and true from Unteroffizier Lindner’s lips. ‘These are the most serious words he has ever said to us.’ This ran through Robin’s head while he picked up one of the ball sized metal death dealers.
Sergeant Lindner took a grenade out of Karli’s hand. “Come on Krieger you have had this course all of last year. You should help teach this clas,s not play at it” Karli smiled at the soldier and explained. “All right Sergeant I’ll help.” He threw the grenade to Robin. The boy caught it and turned it in his hand as if it were a baseball ready for a pitch. “Robin throw it, I pulled the pin already.” He yelled. He caught the friend by surprise, but not enough to scare him. For a moment Robin held on till he comprehends the danger and with a sudden move he propelled the dangerous metal egg away into the sand ditch. The weapon barely hit the ground before it went off.
The Unteroffizier was vivid with anger at Karli. “Krieger you are out of this school as of right now.” Losing his friend was something Robin didn’t want. His head spun. ‘Karli is my best and maybe my only friend in this school. What am I going to do?’ “Unteroffizier Lindner please don’t do it. He is one of our real Germans. We don’t have any better than him.” Lindner was stunned as he turned to Robin with new respect. ‘There is more to this boy than I thought, not just a protégé of the colonel ‘Damn this Trenck boy, there is real comradeship. The best kind one can find too.’ His eyes half closed he looked at the two boys, hiding his admiration under a stern stare. ‘I have to let this slip for the sake of the good of the school’ He shook his head at Robin then he turned to Karli. “This once I‘ll let it go Krieger, but no more fun and games, do you hear?” Karli saluted him and yells; “Jawohl.”
Robin
stood at
the hand grenade box, his fingers stroking the weapons.
‘Damn it I almost lost my only friend here. Why did our Feldwebel
(Sergeant) make an exception for Karli? Last week Fred got kicked out
for a lot
less.’ Corporal Stahl slowly recovered from his shock seeing the
chief
instructor wash this Krieger boy’s breach of the rules under the table.
‘What is wrong with Lindner? When did we
ever make such an exception for any Cadet? Look at Trenck. What is
going on
with this boy? Who ever heard of a student defending another about to
be kicked
out? This boy was pretty strange that was for sure. Look at that.’ “Trenck what are you doing with the
grenades? Have you found a good one?”
Robin came out of his reverie with a shock. “Sorry corporal. No they are all the same.” The corporal kept his lips tight, still puzzled by this last occurrence. “All right Robin that is your name isn’t it?” Robin nodded with a “Jawohl.” Robin gave the corporal his full attention. “Take one grenade and allow yourself three steps then throw it as far out to the sand pit as you can.” Robin picked one of the metal eggs, pulled the pin out and trying to remember baseball he swirls his body with as much force as he can muster, he let go of the weapon, his best. The steel gray tool went up at a forty-five degree angle and slowly rotated to the indicated depression. One full second went by and it seemed to last forever. He saw the dust thrown up and a fraction of a second later the sound of its explosion hit his ears. The chief instructor Lindner had followed the exercise.
“Not bad
for a first try Trenck. Stahl go and show the cadets how it is done
properly.”
The corporal picked one grenade from the wood container, he turned to
be seen
by the whole class, pulled the pin and with the ease of someone who has
done
this many times he propels the weapon high into the air and an
amazingly far
distance, way into the test ground.
Under the watchful eyes of the sergeant the group had been
watching with
concentrated attention. “Cadets this is
the way to throw a German egg hand grenade. You each will find five in
the box.
Use them well.”
Robin
turned to
the Sergeant with a questioning look which the instructor recognized. “Well Trenck what is your question?” The
boy straightened up, pointing at the boxes of grenades and queried. “Herr Unter offizier why is it that we waste
good grenades? Couldn’t we learn using grenades without a live charge?”
For
a moment Lindner looked out to the sand pits his mind on the cadet. ‘Where do we get these children from? Is it
that we want to kill off the best minds the Fatherland has to offer?
What am I
doing here? I should go to the front fighting our enemies not help to
destroy
these boys.’ He turned to Robin. “Trenck
you are right. In peacetime we were using dummies. As of last September
we have
orders to use live ammo and grenades. The purpose is to speed you boys
up.
Amazing enough is that the speed of learning has gone up considerably
since the
new policy has been in effect.” He looked down at the boy. “Does this answer your question cadet?” A
surprised frown on his face Robin had listened. He nodded slowly. “Yes I understand.” The instructor’s
eyes were on the boy. “Trenck this is a good
kind of question. It tells me you have what it takes.” With a look
at Robin
he added. “Carry on Trenck.”
It was a week later that at a hand grenade training session a cadet Dieter by name, dropped his grenade after pulling the pin. It just happened that Robin stood next to the boy. The instructor corporal’s voice rang out loud and clear. “Take cover, a live grenade, fire in the hole.” With his throwing hand he reached down, scooping the live grenade up a few inches he lobbed it much like a bowling ball. Robin used all the strength he could muster at his most desperate speed.
The weapon flew out into the field as he straightened his head to step behind the flag pole at his side for cover. For a moment the nervous crunch of his teeth was the only sound to be heard. It was barely fifty feet out when the grenade detonated with an earsplitting bang. As he looked around he saw everyone, including the instructors, had hit the deck. There they were, laid down with hands folded over their heads. The sounds of falling fragments were for a moment all he could hear.
The sergeant was the first to get up and dust the dirt off his uniform. “Trenck,” He paused with a calm look at Robin. “Von Trenck, I owe you one.” He turned to cadets and instructors getting up. “We all owe you. This will not be forgotten I promise.” He turned to the closest instructor corporal. “You know what to do. Teach them.” He walked over to the busses took a cigarette out of his jacket and lit it. Drawing deeply on his cigarette he looked at his students musingly. ‘What a bunch those boys are. A man can’t do anything, but be proud of them. Look at you my boy I wonder what am I doing to you? When the colonel told me to pay attention to you I resented you. What a find you are. How wrong can I be? What I would give to have a son like you.’
Robin’s
life
after this accident changed considerable. There were those who tried to
keep
out of his way. A feeling somewhere between awe and thanks made the
boys give
him privacy where it was a rare commodity. The rest went out of their
way to do
him favors. Soon the whole school knew who Robin von Trenck was. ‘God what did I do? I was supposed to keep
my nose clean. Here I can’t go to the john without being watched.
Granddad will
be furious. I am going to try and be as quiet as I possibly can.’
By the weekend a two sheet report landed on the principal’s desk. The episode was explained in detail. Albert saw Robin’s name on the heading. ‘What did the boy do to get a special report? Is this going to develop into a fiasco? What the hell do they teach these boys in American schools for such a report?’ by now he had read the first lines. ‘Well this is not bad. Who would have thought one of these no-good kids could do that well?’ Colonel Albert was relieved. By the time he finished the report he was laughing loud enough to have his attendant come to see if help was needed. “Colonel what is wrong?” He found the man laughing and in tears. He had even taken his spectacles off. “Schulze just come here and read this.” He waved the two sheets of paper at the young officer.
CHAPTER 7
WEAPONS TRAINING
Easter was over and warm May weather made the school’s outdoor activities pleasant, even though the administration had the students switch to summer uniforms. The light brown shirts were more comfortable and the black corduroy shorts combined with the knee socks made full use of the warmer weather. The short black cravat drawn through the beige leather knot felt kind of funny to Robin. It was enough to make him want to stay with the blue wool uniform. ‘If dad could just see me now, would that be funny?’, he thought. Slowly his skin turned brown and the knees sported scabs from the falls he took.
The
new schedule
was a swim every other day. At first Robin worried about getting a sun
burn but
nothing happened which was puzzling him till he looked at the map.
Ever since the grenade incident Robin felt comfortable with the Unteroffizier Lindner so the change of territory the bus took the class as of recently diminished to twenty six students made Robin just feel like being on exploration of a new field. The two large boxes in the rear of the bus were marked Panzerfaust. When they finally, after arriving at the firing range, opened the wooden crates Robin found they were filled with RPGs, that is rocket propelled grenades. The oversized gas pipes with the odd shaped head which supposedly would penetrate several inches of armor didn’t really look all that dangerous.
Lindner pulled the first one out and aimed it at a truck that instead of wheels had eight feet of tracks for bad terrain at the rear. The vehicle had a dozen of baseball sized holes decorated with burn marks on the visible side. “You take the Panzerfaust up on you shoulder like you see me do and aim through the sights and pull the trigger.” The instructor turned around looking at Robin who stood just behind him. “Trenck?” The boy responded quickly. “Jawohl!” “Standing where you are you would either be dead or badly burned from the rocket’s exhaust.” Robin jumped aside as if he had been struck by lightening. “That is much better cadet.”
Carefully the sergeant handed the Panzerfaust to Robin. “The corporal will use a radio control to drive the truck you see there toward you. It is your job to fire at it to stop its advance. Just think it is a battle tank.” He turned to the corporal and gave him the order. “Stahl start the truck now.” The corporal turned a knob on the radio in his lap and the armored tracked vehicle’s engine revved up with a deafening roar. It was a frightening racket and the thing started to look large and larger as it ran at the boy.
Robin was frantic. ‘This thing is dangerous. It scares the hell out of me. How am I supposed to stop it? I am supposed to shoot it? Cripes I sure wish dad was here.’ Robin quickly got even more frantic. He wanted to yell for help but the noise stopped any kind of communication. ‘Shoot, shoot, shoot.’, ran through his mind and at the last possible moment that was what he did. Unlike the rifle there was no backlash, just a fuzzy noise and a streak of fire flying at the tracked terror. The very second the rocket hit the armor drilling a hole into its side the corporal turned the knob on his radio control to stop the truck, though it was barely a yard from where Robin stood, the empty tube in his hand on jittery legs. All he could think was; ‘Wow mom that was a close one.’
Lindner turned to the boy with approval. “Well done Trenck.” Someone started to clap his hands one, two, three, four, as Robin turned to look and see who one by one the rest of the boys join in following Karli who was that first one with the applause. ‘Why is all this fuss just for shooting at the armored truck?’ He thought desolately taking the emptied tube of the weapon to the wood box and dropping it on the cover. Robin didn’t look too happy about his performance.
‘I am still getting too much attention.
Maybe getting me into this NAPOLA school wasn’t such a good idea’
He picked
a new Panzerfaust out of the box and carried it back to the firing
range. With
a shrug he handed it to the sergeant. “Herr
Unteroffizier I think this is enough for today, isn’t it?” Lindner
smiled
at the boy. “Cadet Trenck for a first
time that was damned fine shooting back there. The damn racket from the
engine usually
rattles you boys enough to miss. I don’t remember anyone hitting it on
their
first try.”
The
last addition
before the summer holidays start was the half track driving sessions.
By this
time the class had shrunk down to twenty three cadets. The two busses
were
getting to be more than ample. Arriving out at the firing range the
boys found
three undamaged track vehicles. The corporal divided the boys up into
three
groups. Lindner had already been waiting for them. “This
is a change for you cadets. We’ll not shoot at them but learn to
drive.” He looked at the separated class. “Each of the
corporals will take one of these trucks and show you how
to run them.” He waved at the group Robin was in and waved them to
one
truck with beige camouflage colors.
“Well cadets who wants to be first?” Robin was planning. ‘I have to stay back at the rear so no one sees I am here’. He cautiously faded back more and more till he was at the rear of his training group ‘I have to watch my back and not be conspicuous.’ He bent down retying his laces as a ruse. Seeing the cadets in their group were reluctant Karli turned back to Robin. “Look at that Robin. Why don’t you show those ninnies?” Lindner had a big smile on his face nodding.
“Yes Trenck come here help us get the ball rolling before we get all embarrassed”. As Robin got up an alley opened for him, hands pushing him to the forefront as despair ran through his head. ‘Damn it all here I did it again.’ Sweat broke out on his forehead as he walked to the heavy tracked training vehicle. Lindner was climbing up on the driver’s seat waiting for the boy to get in next to him.
Robin
slid into
the right hand seat turning to the instructor. “Watch this
Trenck. You check the gear lever to make sure it is in
neutral position.” He had placed his
right on the knob that the gear shift lever extended to between the two
front
seats and wiggled it, then he reached over to the dash next to the
armature
which showed engine rpm’s and the odometer inside the round
speedometer. “After a ten second warm up this knob turned
to the right will start the engine. Look at the red light here. It will
glow
brightly telling you that now it is time to turn the same knob one
notch more
to start the engine.”
The engine started off with a roar that was deafening. ‘I should cover my ears.’, was Robin’s thought. ‘Nobody cares so it’ll just make me stick out again.’ The sergeant stepped on the clutch remarking. “Next you step on the clutch and move the gear lever to where it shows one. With your right foot you depress the accelerator to bring up the rpm’s just like this, you see?” he pointed to the rpm dial. “Now slowly you let the clutch pedal rise until.” The engine noise dropped and the tractor started to move forward. Lindner reached to the dash and turned the starter knob back to the left. The engine stopped abruptly while the sergeant already jumped off the truck.
“Trenck it is your turn now. Don’t worry about it we all have to start sometime.” Robin nodded with his eyes flicking between the dials on the dash and the gear shift lever. He had slipped across the center to the driver’s seat. His hand on the gearlever, he rattled it making sure it was in neutral. The loose control stick seemed to be ready to start. He put his hand on the starter knob, turned it right with his eyes glued to the glow plug light. ‘The damn thing lights up too fast. I am going to screw this up badly. Damn this school.’ Robin closed his eyes and with his foot squeezing the pedal he completed the turn that he saw just a minute ago start the engine.
The
tracked
vehicle jumped forward with a wailing engine noise, dropped down and as
the
machine moved under him in just a few feet, stopped and the engine
choked,
turning silent. ‘Now I broke the stupid
thing. There will be hell to pay. I am going to get kicked out.’ In
despair
he scratched his head. ‘Mom will be so disappointed.’
He looked at the instructor lifting his hands helplessly. Lindner shook
his
head at him, “Never mind Trenck. You
forgot to make sure about the transmission being in neutral. Next time
you make
sure and keep the clutch down while starting the engine. Go and try
again.”
A look at his fellow cadets showed no attempt at ridicule, no laughter. Robin kicked the clutch down, turned the starter knob and the engine started up within just seconds. With teeth biting down on his lips he pressed down the right pedal, the engine howling, he slowly let up the clutch pedal. His foot slipped early and the monster jumped into forward movement.
‘Oh god it’s running.’ He wiped his sweat off his brow and looking ahead he saw a boulder in his way. ‘Okay now this is just like a bike I have to turn’. It took the full muster of his arms’ force to get the wheel twisted far enough. Just in the nick of time he managed to avoid the boulder by a couple of feet. After this it got easier every day. True, once a day at least, he managed to stall the doggone machine, but in general he as well as most of the class mates learned to keep it going. Training came to a stop just a few days later. Summer holidays were here.
Second class train tickets for the D-zug (express train) arrived at mail call a week before they were going home. When on their last city leave, gave Robin a chance to go to the city center he decided to buy presents for mother and his grandparents from his pocket money savings. Karli came along if for no other reason than a chance to fill up on Dobosch and Sacher cake.
While doing some window shopping a couple of girls in their blue BDM skirts and white blouses stopped to look into the same windows. Karli shoved his elbow into Robin’s side getting him to pay attention to them. The kid shrugged with a negative headshake. ‘What does Karli think? They are shopping just like we are.’ His friend gave him a scornful look.
He
turned to the
girls. “Heil Hitler,” he draws the
words together so it sounds more like Heitler,
“How about a cup of
Karli
leaned
close to Robin’s ear. “I want to sit with
Hilde.” At the little table the white round marble top was really
meant for
two, not the four of them. Hilde turned to Robin flinging her massive
blond
mane back “Where do you live Robin?”
Robin seemed a little confused. ‘What am
I going to say to her? I certainly can’t tell the truth can I?
‘Jeepers I really like that girl.’ He
wracked his brain about what to say but nothing came to mind. ‘Wait, she asked me where I live. I can do
that too can’t I?’ Relieved Robin turned to her. “So,
where are you from Hilde?” She gave Robin a smile warm enough
to melt butter; “I am Viennese. Born here
and raised here and my name is Hildegard.” Karli stepped on Robin’s
foot.
Robin felt it, gave him a nasty look and moved his foot out of the way.
‘Can he not see there is nothing I can do if
she wants to talk to me?’
Karli
kept on
trying to squeeze in with Hilde, but she barely answered his question
she was
so engrossed with Robin. Finally Karli took the hint and started to
chat with
Anna. Robin found a lot of things about German boys he didn’t know.
Many of his
prejudices grew faint and some disappeared entirely. By the time he got
on the
train going home, that was of course to his Grandparents in
The
trip toward
For Robin this summer on the Von Trenck’s ranch turned out to be an exhilarating experience. Not only did he get to ride the horses, but also since he had learned to drive a half track Granddad allowed him to go out in the field driving the farm tractors. The old Von Trenck invited the boy for a hunt in the ranch owned forest. “Is it save for Robin to go hunting dad? Isn’t it too dangerous?” The old Gentleman snorted at his daughter. “Why Rose, Albert wrote.” Her father stood up straight. “According to him Robin has proven a safety factor at the academy. He has not only learned to drive the tractors, shoot a bazooka, but rifles as well as any of the cadets.” Rose gave in. “If you say so dad I guess it is alright.”
By
the end of the
summer holidays Robin had told Rose about all the things he had found
out about
Rose listened to her son, with her eyes searching him and her parents, her mind roving through the happenings of the last ten months. ‘What is happening to my Robin? My god where will this take us? For all we know his dad is conscripted into the army of most likely the army air corps, him having a pilot’s license already. What does dad think about all this?’ “Robin please go upstairs, get a jacket and some boots so we can go for a walk.” The boy ran upstairs to his bedroom and she turned to her father.
“What is happening to Robin Dad? I am getting
worried.” The old von Trenck looked at his daughter wondering. ‘Is she worried about Robin because he has
adjusted to our crazy war?’ “Rose, Rose, he has to fit in or we are in
serious
trouble. I am glad he can accept this fiasco with calm feelings. Can
you
imagine how difficult it could be for
him to deal with being stuck here? For Robin to sit here, in the
middle, with
this war between his country and our
Rose opened her mouth to speak but he waved her off. “No Rose, please listen to me. He is doing better than I ever dared to expect. Albert wrote and though he doesn’t say anything, I can tell he knows Robin is American. He has lost any remnants of his accent. He is positive; I can’t even fathom how he does it except his youth helps him. ‘My poor girl she can’t even imagine how worried I have been for these last few months that he will spill the beans and get kicked out, or worse, get thrown in jail.”
Rose
had been
looking at her father’s face. ‘God, dad
has done all this for him and I have no understanding. I guess I am out
of
touch with this new
Her father looked at her with a face trying to add to her feeling of safety. “Rose, wars are like hurricanes. They strike and do damage to us all. Luckily we are out of harms way. At least I think so.” He put his arm around her shoulder. “Come on lets get you a coat for your outing with Robin.” His grandson was coming down the stairs slipping into his jacket. His cheerful smile brought a release from worry to her.
Worried
as Rose
was she decided to pack her bag and join her son on his way to
As he handed the ticket vendor his five mark note one of two policemen who have been checking identity papers of passengers at the streetcar stopped in front of Rose. “Your papers please Fräulein?” he said. Rose took her bag from her arm, opened it and searched for a minute. Finally she gave up and shook her head at the cop. “I seem to have left my papers at home.” The stern voice of the policeman carried to Robin who turned and stepped back to his mother with his right hand up in the Hitler salute he yelled; “Heil Hitler.” The cop turned to him; “Heil Hitler.” then not seeing anything to attract his attention he admonished Robin; “Alright run along now my boy.” turned back to Rose. Robin urged; “Mother we have to go quick so I am not late for colonel Goring.” The policeman turned to Robin; “This woman is your mother?” he asked.
Robin nodded yelling in his best military tone; “Jawohl, she is my mother. And she has to take me to the Theresianum so I am not late sir.” A streetcar had come to a halt in front of them. People were getting off and two who had waited until now got on looking at the three on the sidewalk. The officer made a stern face and rebuked Rose but not Robin; “Miss or madam you are in violation. Seeing that you are this boy’s mother, which is commendable I shall let it pass this time. I better not see you here without papers ever again. You hear me?” Rose nodded contritely; “Yes I shall be careful not to forget my papers again.” She took Robin by the arm “let’s hurry Robin or you will be late.” And they walked off with the cop glowering after the two before he turned to the streetcar and its passengers with a mien of; there you are that is how we do it.
As
they got out of earshot Robin looked at his mother with a worried
frown; “Mom what is wrong with you? How could you
forget your papers? You are the one who always tells me not to rock the
boat
and to toe the line.” Rose looked back at the cop and then walking
up to
the school gate she explained; “Robin my
papers are from fifteen years ago.” She shuffled him through the
wooden
gate to the inside. Robin shook with a nervous frown; “I
hope you get back to granddad’s and don’t come here ever again.”
He shook his head; “No identification
papers holy cow. With Dad dropping bombs on
Robin’s class platoon went
marching through
A whole year had gone by for Robin while learning how to do math, getting a vocabulary in French, barely enough though to form more than a few sentences. The emphasis of the instruction was on fighting, shooting Panzerfausts, the German rocket propelled antitank grenade. Lessons in driving the armored semi track with its front wheels and the rear chains were used to select the more talented drivers. Robin was found to be a natural and he saw so much similarity in driving them as he saw his dad’s Nash sedan. Dozens of new students were replacing the ones who had been kicked out often for a wrong look at the instructor or for being late to class.
For Robin the horses were the most enjoyable
experience. The instructors were called to the front once more and a
new
regiment of man now with arms missing, half his face gone from one
instructor
who had to take out a British tank in
A corporal stopped working looking at Robin with disdain. He turned to a couple of the other prisoners remarking; “Look at that chump. The dumb bastard is looking at us as if he had never seen an American before.” A second with sergeant stripes stopped to look commenting. “Don’t talk you never know who it its. He might be a Gestapo guy.” Robin couldn’t help but laugh at that. Three more stopped to look at him pulling chocolate bars from their pockets. One glowered at him; “fucking bastards those are: look at the swastikas on their sleeves.” A private gave Robin a nasty look swearing at him; “Asshole what are you looking at?”
Robin shook his head at him; “What
is wrong with you guys are they
treating you bad?” One close to Robin
working without interruption stopped,
dropping down the box in his hands he squinted at Robin; “Shit
boy you talk like a
Where did you learn that?” All but two stopped working to look at him. One corporal agitated almost yelled at him; “Fucking Nazi bastard.” Robin looked back at the class still drinking and chatting then turned back to the corporal shaking his head at him; “Not every German is a member of the party. Why are you so nasty?” Robin pointed at himself; “I am not and my grand father isn’t either.” He pointed at the chocolate bar. “I haven’t had a Baby Ruth since we left home. Yours looks smaller than I remember it. Is it still a nickel?” Robin turned back to his platoon when the sergeant called to him. “Where are you from kid? You want an O’Henry?” He was pulling a couple of chocolate bars from his pocket.
Robin shook his head at the soldier smiling; “No thanks sergeant, I’ve got to stay away from you guys or you know what.” The corporal was still displeased with Robin. “That swastika on your uniform doesn’t it signify you are Nazi?” Robin had turned to see what his unit was doing. He saw Karli looking his way with a smile on his face. Robin looked at the corporal slowly shaking his head showing surprise at the man’s ignorance looking at the man’s name tag; “Miller you haven’t got a clue about any of this. If you survive long enough you may learn about some of this.” He waved off any answer; “Good luck guys you may need it more than I.”
The
commanding
cadet was yelling near the top of his voice; “Antreten!” His
class of thirty-something NAPOLA students went back
to standing in columns of three. Those in the front row looking to
their right
for the proper distance from each other. The private spoke out loud; “Look at those kids they know how to do this
better than any of us.” The sergeant added; “Yea look
again, they speak better American than you do too.”
Robin’s platoon commander
ordered; “Still gestanden. Rechts
um, im Gleichschritt marsch!” As his platoon turned right and walked
away in
step with each other Robin turned his head enough to see the POWs watch
them
march away with faces that showed a new respect. I wish I could change
places
with them he thought. The pleasant way they treated each other was a
far cry
from the permanent respect in his unit. Then again how come they were
here as
prisoners of war? Maybe he was safer in this uniform; he glanced down
on his
boots and up at his armband. What would it look like to have the Stars
and
Stripes there instead of the swastika?