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Sheldon Cohen. A Jewish Journey
PART 1
CHAPTER 1. On a clear day in Munich, the peaks of the Alps are visible some sixty miles to the south. Many Munich citizens travel in this direction to the town of Oberammergau. The trip is a beautiful and tranquil journey taking the traveler past shimmering, clear green lakes. Soon one sees pale grey mountains looming in the distance. The journey starts a slow upward ascent as rolling hills transition for almost a mile above sea level. The travelers then find themselves encircled by grey and white peaks surrounding the beautiful village of Oberammergau in the Ammer River Valley. Countless travelers make the journey for the sole purpose of observing the famous Oberammergau Passion Play
CHAPTER 2. In 1633, “The Black Death” visited Oberammergau and eighty-four citizens died. This was not the first time this plague had decimated Europe. In the years 1348 to 1349, twenty-five million people perished
CHAPTER 3
Following the German victory over France in the War of 1870, an intense nationalism under Bismarck replaced German liberal, democratic ideas. A new German Reich, dominated by Prussia and German militarism, saw a further inhibition of democratic principles including an eventual outlawing of the Social Democratic Party
CHAPTER 4. By the third generation, the upper body muscular definition of the Bauemler men disappeared as they continued in academia. The anti-Semitism was inbred, however, and Karl persisted in efforts to promote his father’s anti-Semitic legislation. Try as he might, he failed. This frustration only served to enhance his anti-Jewish mindset. He continued his father’s nationalistic anti-Semitism and amplified it to suggest that the Jew represented an international threat to the world, and Germany was the place where that threat would come to a boiling point
PART 2
CHAPTER 1
Seven young boys, aged ten to twelve, sat on a low hill under a large shade tree while Rabbi Shepsel Tepperovitch paced back and forth in front of them. He viewed his students as the future of Judaism, and it was his mission to keep that vision alive. He was a fighter in God’s army, struggling to negate the powerful forces marshaled against his Jewish beliefs. This was the reason for his existence
CHAPTER 2. In 1772, Russia, Austria and Prussia divided Poland between them in three stages, over a period of twenty-three years, and Rabbi Tepperovitch’s ancestors found themselves part of Russia. These partitions resulted in Russia assimilating several million Polish Jews within their boundary. Many of the Jews were poor, and some comprised the middle class between the nobility and the peasantry of Russia
CHAPTER 3. Kolakoff followed on horseback as the rabbi and his seven students walked down the hill the one-half kilometer to the town. The rabbi accompanied the boys to their homes and then he walked alone toward his home
“I’m hearing from you that it’s hopeless, and there’s nothing that we can do,” said Katz
CHAPTER 4. Meir Tepperovitch had also been a rabbi. He ministered to a large group in an adjacent town. He also served as an arbitrator for his parishioners. In a larger city, three judges, all rabbis, served on a panel known as a Beit Din, to arbitrate any minor civil disputes within the Jewish community. The plaintiff chose one rabbi, the defendant chose another rabbi, and the two rabbis then chose the third. In Meir Tepperovitch’s town he served alone and had the respect of the entire community, for his followers considered him a tzaddik—one of the righteous—capable of complete unity with the Creator. Such a tzaddik was a man whose human foibles did not exist in consciousness, thus allowing direct communication with God. In his court, he handled all minor matters and only referred to a larger Beit Din when he thought the problem might establish a new principle. He felt that under such circumstance a consensus from three judges would be required
CHAPTER 5. The next afternoon, Shepsel was preparing for the Sabbath
“Good afternoon. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?” asked the rabbi, trying not to appear fearful “I have news to discuss with you, Rabbi, because we’ll be having an important visitor Monday, and he has to talk to you and some of the other leaders of the Jews.”
“I know and I’m not an educator, but I’m told that your Jewish education is making your children ignorant about the world. The Czar does not wish to raise a generation of ignorant subjects, so he’s decided to build special schools for the Jews.”
“This I can’t understand, for religious study is so all encompassing that there’ll be very little room for anything else.”
“We shall see. You believe it’s a subertfuge, but I believe it’s a small step toward the eventual freedom we all desire. If you learn in the future that I have no part in the further development and management of this program, then you’ll know you were right,” said Lilienthal
“I learned about what Mr. Lilienthal had to say. What do you think?” asked Kolakoff
CHAPTER 6. Six months passed before Shepsel heard anything. When he did, he learned that the special schools and the candle tax would soon start. Kolakoff gave him this news. “Here’s the decree, Rabbi. Give your people the wonderful news. They should be excited.” “Yes, I’ll read this and we’ll talk about it. Oh, by the way, is Mr. Lilienthal going to be the director of the program?”
He read the decree. He was stunned. He said, “The Hasid can’t wear his side hair locks and black clothes?” What harm is that to the Czar?” Then he realized his thoughts had found expression and opened himself up to attack by Kolakoff
CHAPTER 7. One evening there was a knock on the rear door of the synagogue while the rabbi was there with the children. It was Kolakoff. His face was grim. He said, “I need to talk to you, Rabbi. I have something to bring to Prushkin’s house, and I was sure you would want to come along.”
“I’m counting on you to look into this, Rabbi; and if you come across any more such foolish talk, tell them about Prushkin.”
CHAPTER 8. In 1855, Nicholas I of Russia caught pneumonia and died. Although some historians have put forth the theory of suicide, most feel that he did indeed die of natural causes
CHAPTER 9. The Polish people, living under Russian rule as long as the Jews, never accepted their fate. After being a powerful state for hundreds of years, nationalism remained a significant force. The religious differences increased the separation, as the Russian Orthodox hated the Polish Catholics, and vica-versa. Into this boiling pot stepped Alexander II
CHAPTER 10. By 1870, Shepsel had reached the age of 77 years. When his wife preceded him in death, he retired from the rabbinate and went to live with his son Jacob
CHAPTER 11. Moritz and his mother Rachel were in Moscow with their aging relatives. They went to Tiktin for the funeral and returned to Yelizavetgrad, and together with Jacob, they sat shiva for seven days
Doctor Kalish continued. “We should all leave. I’m not saying this has to be done tomorrow. I have many things to do at the hospital. My patients need to know so they can make arrangements with other physicians. You can sell your business, Moritz. It is successful and there will be many takers.”
“It’s settled then, we’ll sell the business,” said Moritz looking at his cousin. “I’ll take my family to Germany, and I’ll open up a garment business. You, cousin, can set up shop in the United States, and then we can merge. We’ll become an international force,” laughed Moritz. They all laughed together attempting to insert some humor into this serious life-changing decision
PART 3. BERLIN, GERMANY. LITHUANIA. RUSSIA (1904—1944) CHAPTER 1. In 1904, Samuel Tepperovitch packed up his belongings and left for Berlin, Germany
CHAPTER 2. It was not long before Berlin’s medical community became aware of the technical skills of the young surgeon. His practice flourished, and his excellent bedside manner endeared him to his patients. An established surgeon wanted Sam to join him, but his quick success allowed him to go it alone as his uncle had done for so many years in both Russia and Germany
CHAPTER 3. One month after the war, Sam returned to Berlin. He renewed acquaintance with his wife, depressed by the deplorable state of the home front. Her already thin body had become thinner. Her cheeks were sunken. Tears flowed when she saw him, but they were the tears of happiness and hope
CHAPTER 4. Max was thriving. His school accomplishments were outstanding, as was his skill in football. Children in Germany learned how to play football as soon as they learned to walk
CHAPTER 5. Erich’s father, Ernst Bauemler, was a professor at the University of Berlin and a good friend and philosophical companion of Alfred Rosenberg who first met Hitler in 1920. Rosenberg participated in the Beer Hall Putsch
CHAPTER 6. In the meantime, Ilse remained concerned about what she perceived as a threat to her son. Unbeknownst to Sam, she took it upon herself to speak with her son’s football coach, Peter Streicher. He was a former player, now an insurance executive and married with a family. He coached football for the love of the sport. He seemed to be the friendliest of individuals. He would exhibit unrestrained joy when one of his boys made an outstanding play. Although about fifty years old, he still had the muscular definition and the agile gait of a polished athlete
CHAPTER 7. After Hitler’s abortive attempt to seize control of the Bavarian Government in 1923, the government outlawed both the Nazi party and the Youth League. With Hitler’s release from prison, he reconstituted the party by inviting all right-wing German nationalists to join him in a new and unified organization
CHAPTER 8. Ilse could not forget Erich Bauemler’s insult to her son. In her mind, it was a harbinger of much worse things to come, and she expressed her concern to Sam
CHAPTER 9. By 1929, the Nazi party had one hundred thousand members. This number represented a small fraction of the German population, and Hitler’s influence on the Weimar Republic was not threatening to the stability and democratic inroads that were evolving. Conditions were good
CHAPTER 10. Erich Bauemler no longer played on Max Tepper’s football team. The Hitler Youth had developed a team of their own—the Hawks. Their uniforms bore no recognition of the fact that all the players were Hitler Youth members. Through this subterfuge, they were able to enroll in the football leagues and engage in competition. Erich, helped by senior Hitler Youth football players, had organized and developed a good team. When the time came to play against Max Tepper’s team, nothing had changed. Erich refused to acknowledge Max’s existence
CHAPTER 11. Other than an occasional isolated incident such as occurred with Max, the Tepper family was content with conditions in Germany. The economy remained stable during the year of 1929. Unemployment and inflation were both at low levels. A satisfied electorate, for the most part, ignored Hitler’s hate-filled rhetoric, and he continued with his organizational efforts
CHAPTER 12. A few days later Arthur went to a meeting attended by Doctor Hjalmar Schacht who was president of the Reichsbank and Germany’s commissioner of currency. As a banker, Arthur had had many occasions to deal with Commissioner Schacht, so at dinner that evening, he took advantage of their friendship to evaluate Schacht’s thinking on international economics, particularly the situation in America
CHAPTER 13. In October 1929, the American stock market crash, Black Friday, passed over the heads of the Nazi leadership. Their newspapers made no mention of it, but Germany was soon reeling under its impact
CHAPTER 14. Eighteen-year-old Eric Marie Remarque, drafted into the German army to fight in The Great War sustained several wounds. When he recovered, he spent the next ten years writing a novel about the experiences of the German soldier. He described how war destroyed the lives of enthusiastic young men eager for the glory of battle. He spoke about the separation between the patriotic notion of fighting for honor and country and the horrors of war up close. He portrayed the victims on both sides of the conflict, and he portrayed the killers, once ordinary citizens. Any differences between them had blurred by the realities of war. He described the unimaginable horrors no one could understand unless they experienced them first hand. The book was also a protest against the notion of sending young men to the slaughter in a stalemated trench warfare guaranteeing heavy casualties. Both sides of the conflict denied the humanity of the enemy. They turned into hardened killers
CHAPTER 15. In the meantime, Erich Bauemler was a shining light and future leader of the Hitler Youth’s Jungvolk division
CHAPTER 16. Sam and Ilse, aware that Arthur’s prediction about a world depression was beginning to come true, did not notice any unusual activity by the right wing parties in Berlin after the stock market crash of late 1929
CHAPTER 17. Unemployment rose throughout Germany from the winter of 1929 through 1932, reaching more than five million. Germany’s economic recovery had come to an abrupt end with a forty percent drop in industrial production. The Weimar Republic was facing its most critical time
CHAPTER 18. From the early 1930s, the Nazis and the Communists had one goal in mind: the destruction of the Weimar Democracy. In the elections of 1932, the Nazis lost votes to the Communists. The Weimar Republic could only look on with concern as the country split in two
CHAPTER 19. January 30, 1933 was a great day for Erich Bauemler. As a fourteen-year-old, he had just graduated to the Hitler Youth from the Jungvolk. Now he would be able to compete in the senior football league and enjoy all the privileges of his new rank. Most important: tonight he would participate in the torchlight parade to celebrate Adolf Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor of Germany. Beaming, he put on his cleaned and pressed uniform. His parents smiled and took pictures of their son to celebrate this great day in the history of Germany
CHAPTER 20. The period between World Wars was a fruitful time for the Jewish people of Vilna, also known as the second Jerusalem. There were over fifty thousand Jews residing in the city. Vilna, in 1933, was a world center for Yiddish culture. In this Lithuanian capital, Yiddish newspapers, schools, and seminaries flourished
CHAPTER 21. In spite of his family’s trepidation, Max took public transportation and walked. This was the first time he had been to such an area, and a he entered a new world
CHAPTER 22. Sixteen-year-old Erich Bauemler was in charge of three groups of Hitler Youth (Schars), each one consisting of fifty-five boys. Nineteen thirty-five was the year of great emphasis on physical conditioning. Every day, at least one hour was devoted to intensive endurance and strength training. Because of Erich’s great athletic skill, he led this hour
CHAPTER 23. The senior members of the Hitler Youth received intense paramilitary training. This training included the option to specialize in an area of personal interest
CHAPTER 24. Seventeen-year-old Max was ready to start at the university. His ambition was to become a physician. He often visited his father at the hospital where he viewed many surgical procedures. By self-study and in part through his schoolwork, he learned anatomy and physiology. When he spoke with his father on either of these two subjects, it was almost a conversation of equals. By practicing on cloth or orange peels or chickens before they were cooked, Sam taught Max how to suture wounds and tie surgical knots
CHAPTER 25. Seventeen-year-old Erich was nearing the end of his career in the Hitler Youth. He had risen to the ranks of Bannfuehrer, responsible for fifteen thousand boys. This position gave him considerable leadership and administrative experience. He would soon be eligible to become a member of the Nazi Party and SS
CHAPTER 26. When Erich turned eighteen, his parents organized a party in their home to celebrate Erich’s graduation from the Hitler Youth and entry into the paratroop corps. Members of the Hitler Youth hierarchy and friends of the family were invited. Alfred Rosenberg, Nazi philosopher and Ernst Bauemler’s good friend, was also among the guests
CHAPTER 27. As per his desire, Erich entered military service as a private. His superb physical condition allowed him to excel in all aspects of military training. He ranked first on the entry intelligence test, first on the obstacle course, first in strength and endurance and in the top ten percent in marksmanship. The lesson he had learned under Scharfuehrer Voegler ensured discipline and respect for superior rank. His leadership talents assured his promotion to corporal. He had taken the first step in his goal of rising through the ranks. They sent him to the Stendal Parachute Training School
CHAPTER 28. In Vilna, Ilse arrived home with five different language newspapers. The front pages of all of them described events in Austria and Hitler’s efforts to control or annex the country. Sam arrived home to find a late dinner and all of the papers lying on the table. This meant Ilse wanted to talk
CHAPTER 29. Eighteen-year-old Max was now a college student with every intention of becoming a physician like his father. He and Grig were still the best of friends. Ever since Sam had saved Ona’s life, the families had become close. Ona invited Sam and Ilse to the farm where Max had so enjoyed his new life as a woodsman. They understood why, once they saw the adjacent woods
CHAPTER 30. Max and Grig both attended the same university in Vilna. Grig’s major was engineering. Like his father, he was a mechanical genius, able to fix or make anything. He was the first one in his family to attend college
CHAPTER 31. In March of 1939, Hitler threatened to send his troops into the rest of Czechoslovakia. The Czech President and Foreign Minister arrived in Berlin only to be told that unless they surrendered the country, Prague would be bombed into complete ruin within two hours. President Hacha had no choice but to sign. He issued a statement turning the Czech people over to the “protection of the Third Reich.” Czechoslovakia ceased to exist. Hitler gave his troops the order to march. The Luftwaffe occupied the airfields. In Czechoslovakia, he had conquered his first Slavic country— all without firing a single shot. Ilse cried when she read of this in the German newspapers. “Don’t worry, said Sam, “If he’s got a brain in his head, he’ll stop now.”
CHAPTER 32. Max and Sarah had become a twosome, and he introduced her to his parents. They were thrilled with his choice. Her parents, Alfred and Leah Rosenzweig, had been members of Vilna’s Jewish community for many generations. Alfred was an attorney and his wife a librarian in the Strashun Library, which held forty thousand volumes, some from the 1500s, printed shortly after Gutenburg had invented the printing press. There was a large research hall there filled with young men and women engrossed in research. Sarah took Max to the library often. There, he discovered a new world of history and philosophy. Just as Grig had broadened his athletic, survival, and mechanical skills, Sarah was broadening his intellectual horizons
CHAPTER 33. After Hitler marched into Prague, Stalin authorized his foreign minister, Maxim Litvinov, to propose a conference with the Soviet Union, Britain, France, Poland, Romania, and Turkey. The purpose of the conference was to forge a united front against Hitler. Britain, under Chamberlain, never accepted the idea of a conference. Some, like Winston Churchill, urged that Britain accept the concept of a multi-nation united front against Germany, but Chamberlain would have none of it
CHAPTER 34. In the meantime, back in Berlin, Hitler was preparing a daring assault
CHAPTER 35. It had been less than two months since the start of World War II. Hitler wanted to lull the world into a false sense of security by announcing that he was now desirous of peace with Britain and France. In addition, when Hitler had overthrown the Weimar Republic in 1933, he had agreed to honor the pledge never to take up arms against Belgium or the Netherlands. This promise was another one of his many pledges made while he planned for war
CHAPTER 36. General Student activated several officers and placed them in charge of calling for volunteers. The response was overwhelming. Each man underwent a lengthy interview. One of the volunteers was Sergeant Erich Bauemler. Captain Gunther Hoess interrogated him. Lieutenant Winifred Heyde, a medical officer, was also present
CHAPTER 37. The German-Soviet pact brought Soviet dominance to Lithuania. On September 19, 1939, the Soviet seized Vilna without resistance. The inhabitants wondered whether the take-over would be permanent. The answer came when the Soviets ceded the Vilna district to the Lithuanians. They made the agreement on October 10 and finalized it on October 27 with the Soviet withdrawal
CHAPTER 38. Fritz Voegler had not seen Erich since a year after the episode of All Quiet on the Western Front
CHAPTER 39. Belgium has always had a military disadvantage. Situated between two historic rivals, Germany and France, its fate depended upon the geopolitical vagaries of the times. Germany had always feared a French, British, and Russian military coalition. Therefore, before World War I, the German general staff developed a plan to cut through Belgium. The flat Belgium countryside offered ideal terrain for this purpose. This move would enable them to encircle the French from the rear and prevent the British from rushing to assist the French. At the same time, the necessary units were available to defend the Soviet eastern front
CHAPTER 40. On May 10, 1940, Lieutenant Voegler told the men to suit up and be ready for the mission. The technicians had completed their work. The DSF 230 gliders were loaded and attached to the JU 52s. Erich and the eight members of his team were in the lead glider. The men’s thoughts focused on whether they would perform their individual duty as a coordinated military strike force. Teamwork was essential. The JU 52 lurched forward
CHAPTER 41. At about the time Paris fell, the Soviet Union installed a “people’s” provisional government in Lithuania that included two Jews: a Minister of Health and a Minister of Commerce. They reinstalled the outlawed Communist Party and released Communist political prisoners. Although Jews were ten percent of the Lithuanian population, their number in the new Soviet Lithuanian government was much fewer than this percentage, but the cry went out from anti-Semites that the Jews were taking over the country and were collaborating with the Soviets. Lithuania became the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
CHAPTER 42. At the same time, Hitler told his commanders that the Soviets were doing everything in their power to keep Britain at war with Germany to gain time to strengthen their armed forces. Some day he will deal with them, and he ordered the planning of Operation “Barbarossa,” the invasion of the Soviet Union. Any attempt to attack the Soviets before the winter of 1940 would not be possible. The Germans could not gather the necessary forces before the approaching winter. Of course, the world did not know about his plans, but there were those who suggested that Hitler would tear up his pact with Stalin and try to occupy the Soviet Union
CHAPTER 43. Frustrated in all his efforts to deal with Britain, Hitler turned full attention to the Soviet Union and Operation Barbarossa
CHAPTER 44. The order came down to capture Crete on April 20, 1941. The Eighth Luftwaffe Corps would soften up the island’s defenses. The navy would also be involved in the softening up process. Air transport formations, parachute, glider troops, and mountain troops under General Kurt Student were to take Crete by assault
CHAPTER 45. The first glider landings met disaster. Mist and ground fire obscured the ground and the glider pilots miscalculated. Major Hoess’s glider crash-landed near Hill 107, killing most of his force. Those who survived charged out of the glider only to face a hail of bullets, one of which killed Major Hoess. A well-entrenched and camouflaged New Zealand force met the invaders who now knew that they were in for the fight of their lives
CHAPTER 46. As the Germans attacked Western Europe, a counter move by the Soviets was inevitable, and this action resulted in a takeover of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, including the ceded Vilna. The joy of the Lithuanian population was over
CHAPTER 47. Stalin, learning that German troops were massing in Poland, wrote a letter to Hitler expressing his concern. Hitler assured him that he had stationed his troops there so as to keep them out of bombing range of the British air force, and he further assured Stalin that he had every intention of honoring the German-Soviet pact. Such was the false sense of security that Stalin chose to believe, and he believed it right up to the time that Germany struck on June 22, 1941
CHAPTER 48. After the Crete campaign, Erich and the surviving members of his parachute platoon received some well-deserved rest and rehabilitation. Erich was now an infantry Captain on the staff of Army Group North. He would soon see action on the Soviet front. He was not involved in the Soviet invasion, as it came too soon following Crete, but after his wound had healed and he had time to rest, that would change
CHAPTER 49. In early July, on a warm summer morning, Sam was in the operating room when two German soldiers opened the door. He was immersed in surgery, his mind only on the gaping abdomen before him, but the sound of the door opening caused him to look in that direction. What he saw horrified him. Two German soldiers started to walk into the surgical suite. They were dressed in full military attire
CHAPTER 50. By September, the Nazi military authorities established a square-mile Jewish ghetto. German soldiers went to every Jewish household in Vilna. They told the residents that they had only thirty minutes to gather whatever belongings they could carry with them
CHAPTER 51. The German administration under Franz Murer appointed a Jewish council, or Judenrat, to “govern” the ghetto inhabitants
CHAPTER 52. Max was not surprised to hear about the rabbi’s mindset. He remembered how he had spoken about the threats of the Lithuanian anti-Semites and how his congregation had become frightened at the prospect of resistance. Max was beginning to realize that local anti-Semite threats were as dangerous as Nazi threats, since they were collaborators with a common goal: rid the world of Jews
CHAPTER 53. Life continued as the ghetto residents clung to the hope that there would be an end to their misery. More and more few Jews disappeared from their homes. Rumor had it that they had fled to Rudnicki to organize opposition
CHAPTER 54. In Kovno, where initial massacres had taken place on October 27,an order went out that all Jews were to assemble in Democratu square the next morning. Erich read the notice and wondered why. The intended purpose of the meeting was to divide the population into various types of labor brigades for organizing work details
CHAPTER 55. Max identified other men and women who felt as he did. They heard of the killings, but they had no visual proof yet that the Nazis were starting to kill Jews locally in Vilna. The great majority of Jews fenced into the Ghetto did not want to believe such an oppressive fact
CHAPTER 56. The winter of 1941 saw even harsher conditions in the ghetto. Provisions ended. Bread became life. They bartered clothes and shoes for food. A progressive social decline evolved. The struggle for existence became all encompassing. Some banded together for emotional support, while others retreated into their own thoughts. Those that chose to isolate themselves did not last long. Some of them would sit in a corner, staring, not eating, not thinking, unmoving until death
CHAPTER 57. The time had come for the first raid. Sergei spoke in short, quick sentences to Max and Grig. “We got information about a Nazi supply train going toward Vilna. We’ll blow them off the tracks. There will be men on this train, so get ready for a fight. We’ll rig explosives. You two and the other men will wait in the forest. I’ll give you details later. Shoot if the Nazis try and escape. That’s all you’ll do on this mission. We leave in one hour.”
CHAPTER 58. As Max and Grig were adjusting to their new life, Erich Bauemler was spending two months in Kovno. The massive killings that he witnessed left their mark, but in order to preserve his sanity and keep his mission intact, he chose to believe that Buch had brought him to some isolated acts of savagery committed by renegade Germans and Lithuanians acting in consort and on their own. The disciplined German army would never sanction such acts
CHAPTER 59. As 1941 ended, the continued cold made offensive action impossible. Defensive strategies had to be developed, and Erich assisted in planning at Bobruisk in the Central Army Zone. Erich was disappointed to learn that Colonel Buch was there as well, for Buch represented doubt. Buch was responsible for the inroads made against the fervor that had guided Erich’s life since he was ten years old. Buch was a reminder of the horror he had seen in Kovno. He was supposed to forget, but now he would have frequent remembrances, because he would have to ride in a staff car with Buch
CHAPTER 60. During the winter, preparations for the spring offensive were completed
CHAPTER 61. In April of 1942, Max and Grig were established members of Sergei’s band. By this time, Jewish partisan groups ranged almost unhindered in the forest, but Max would not consider a change of allegiance
CHAPTER 62. It was several minutes before soldiers approached them from three sides. They were carrying automatic weapons. A German officer stepped forward. He pointed his weapon at the group and said, “March. Stay close together in the middle of the road.”
CHAPTER 63. Grig tried to follow the travel course, and he could tell that they were driving toward town on a dirt road. They drove for twenty minutes and stopped in front of a large hut made of cement block. It had a thick metal door with two small windows no bigger then a single block allowing for visualization of the outside. Wooden beds lined the walls. The floor consisted of large wooden boards. The toilet facilities were primitive
CHAPTER 64. When the soldiers arrived, the partisans were sound asleep in their beds
CHAPTER 65. Max followed the stream, going as fast as his weakened condition allowed. Remembering Grig’s words, he took a circuitous route. He spent much time walking in the stream, hoping to get any dogs off the scent. The cloudy sky blocked what little light there might have been from the moon. Vision was restricted to a matter of a few meters
CHAPTER 66. Three days later, Max and Grig arrived back at Sergei’s base camp. Max had elected not to shave and was growing a beard, so Sergei did not recognize him at first. Four other partisans arrived in the next two days. The fate of the other partisans was unknown, but Max and Grig presumed them recaptured and shot
CHAPTER 67. When they arrived in the forests of Byelorussia, they were amazed at the level of partisan organization. There were large groups of three to five thousand men and women stationed in guarded, well-constructed, fortified and well-hidden camps. Secured on all sides to a depth of two or three hundred meters, the roads leading to the camp were blocked or camouflaged, or they had false detours to confuse anyone approaching. Each large camp received directions by radio, and had a well-camouflaged landing strip for aircraft
CHAPTER 68. Dressed in the lieutenant’s uniform, Max took off in the truck. He followed the map directions and arrived at the first outpost, consisting of several huts, a guard station, a long fence-like barrier across the road, and four armed soldiers. “Halt,” they told Max. One of the soldiers approached him as the other three stood about ten meters away with automatic weapons at the ready
CHAPTER 69. When the Soviet military found out what had happened, several high-ranking officers came to meet Max. They spoke of recommending him for the highest title that could be bestowed, that of Hero of the Soviet Union
CHAPTER 70. After several weeks of relative inactivity, Anatoly’s band moved to the outskirts of the forest, where they kept close surveillance. Some of them, dressed as peasants, entered the small towns near the anticipated battle area to see what they could learn. The partisan bands usually had spies operating within the towns who provided them with vital information, such as German troop movements
CHAPTER 71 “Let’s go,” said Anatoly
CHAPTER 72. Max was exhausted from the emotional strain accompanying his efforts. They gave him quarters in an old building that had once been a schoolhouse. So far, everything was going according to plan. He was anxious to minimize any contact with Germans, because he might jeopardize the mission if someone who had known Erich Bauemler appeared on the scene
CHAPTER 73. The next morning, Max awakened after a restful sleep. Another officer was awakening also in the adjacent bunk. He had come into the room after Max had gone to sleep
CHAPTER 74. After the briefing, Max and the other officers left for their respective assignments. As he was walking away, relieved to have gotten over another hurdle, someone called out behind him. “Captain Bauemler.”
CHAPTER 75. Max breathed a sigh of relief. It appeared that he had managed to wriggle out of disaster again. So far, I can continue this mission. Is this colonel truly stepping back and not turning me in? Or has he laid a clever trap to lull me into a false sense of security as he reports me? I have no choice but to wait. Killing him would be the safest thing to do, but only if no one else knows and I hide the body or bury it where no body would ever find it. This task borders on the impossible. We go into battle soon. My best option is to accept what the colonel has said at face value and leave him unharmed. God is on my side. I cannot fail
CHAPTER 76. Then Max, alias Erich, led his troops forward. At first, there was no opposition, but soon air, artillery, and rockets struck from every direction. Thousands of massive Soviet tanks struck from three sides, overwhelming the German Panzers. The heavens screamed with dive bombing Soviet planes. Then came the hordes of Soviet infantry running and screaming at their hated enemy. It was not long before the struggle had become hand-to-hand. No quarter given, none asked
CHAPTER 77. Ernst Bauemler never knew the fate that befell his son. He had only heard that Erich had had a glorious death in battle leading his troops on the eastern front. He received the news that death was instantaneous because of a direct hit by an artillery shell, and this was the reason his son’s body remained on the battlefield
EPILOGUE. Alfred Rosenberg declared guilty on all four charges at Nuremberg:
BIBLIOGRAPHY
