“The same rules apply. As they would to you, Alexei. Now, would you like to sleep with me, tonight?”
“Not tonight, if you do not mind.”
He slept with Elaine, who was equally in a state of some shock. Which increased as he repeated his conversation. “Jesus!” she said. “What a way to live! As if they were animals.”
“They are animals. And we must be animals, too, if we are to survive. It was your idea to come here,” he reminded her.
“Sure. Maybe I did think it would be like cowboys and Indians.” She smiled into his ear. “But if you read the history books and get behind the John Wayne glamour, that was a pretty dirty business too. We’re sure going to have something to tell our grandchildren.”
“Supposing we have any. Elaine, I want you to remain behind when we carry out this raid that Tatiana’s planning.”
“I came here to work and fight, not skulk in a bush.”
“Do you suppose I could possibly shoot you if you got hit and couldn’t walk?”
“Do you think I could shoot you? We’d both be shot by Tatiana. At least we’d go together.”
They lay in silence for a few minutes. Alex didn’t know how the rest of the group were getting on. There were another ten couples in this hut with them — although neither Tatiana nor her step-brother were among them — but as the place was reminiscent of the interior of an icebox there had been no temptation for either Elaine or himself to take off a stitch of clothing, nor was there any indication that anyone else had done so. If the chill kept down the odours the stillness only emphasised the grunts and snores and farts of the other inmates. It occurred to him that this must be what it was like in prison — save that in the worst prison there were seldom more than four to a cell.
“Now,” Tatiana told her people, who were gathered round the fire. “It is a matter of crossing something like twenty miles of open country, entering the town, committing as much mayhem as possible, specifically with regard to the German headquarters and the railway marshalling yard and their communications, which means the electricity generating plant, and regaining the Marshes again. However, the first thing that needs to be done is a thorough reconnaissance. Valya has volunteered to lead this reconnaissance, as she knows Brest-Litovsk well. Natasha and I will accompany her. We will be gone for two days. In my absence, Colonel Gerasimov will command.”
“Why are you only taking women on this reconnaissance?” Shatrav inquired.
“For the reason that if we are taken, we will most probably be raped and beaten and then released. If a man were to be taken, he would be assumed to be a partisan and immediately taken into custody.”
“But are you not known in Brest-Litovsk?” asked someone else. “And Natasha.”
Tatiana smiled, grimly. “Anyone who knew us in Brest-Litovsk is long dead,” she assured them.
*
“This is a terrible country,” Anna von Holzbach grumbled, peering from the window of the train as it rumbled across the plain east of Warsaw. The winter snows were definitely melting now, and they seemed to be travelling through a vast black bog. “There are no features to it. No mountains. Hardly a hill!”
“Nevertheless,” Alexander said, looking up from his papers. “It is some of the most fertile land in Europe. All that black earth, just waiting to be sown and then harvested. It really is too good for the Poles. Well it is no longer theirs, to be sure. But the same goes for Belorussia and the Ukraine. There is enough arable land in these few hundred square kilometres to feed us for the duration of the Reich. A thousand years!”
“When do we get to Brest-Litovsk?”
He looked at his watch. “In half-an-hour.”
Anna put on her hat. She was excited returning to Russia after all these years, and as a conqueror! The train clanked into the station. Anna stood at the window to look out. She knew that Brest had been the scene of fierce fighting the previous summer, that the citadel had held out for a month. Well, that was easy to tell from the shell-torn ruins of the fortress. The Germans had not bothered to rebuild it, they had no use for such things as forts. Their secret was their mobility, and their unceasing onward movement.
Little had been done to repair the town either, apart from such buildings as the conquerors had appropriated for their own. One of which would now be her home for the rest of this year, Anna supposed. She did not imagine it would take Alexander more than a year to destroy a few partisans.
A group of officers waited on the platform to welcome the new SS Colonel and his wife. Salutes and handshakes were exchanged, and there was a young woman to present a bouquet to Anna. “How nice,” she said. “I did not know there were German girls in Brest-Litovsk.”
“There are several, fulfilling official duties,” explained Captain Clausen. “But this girl is Russian.” Anna raised her eyebrows. “Do not be alarmed,” Clausen said. “She is one of our people, now. Her name is Constantina.”
“Constantina,” Anna said. “How quaint.”
“Constantina will be your maid,” Clausen said.
Anna wasn’t really sure she wanted a Russian as a maid, but she could hardly expect to have a German maid in Brest-Litovsk, where it was very important that the Germans projected the master-race image. So she said, “I am sure she will do very well, Captain,” and got into the car beside Alexander.
“So, tell me about these partisans, Captain,” Alexander said, as they were driven through the city. Close at hand the damage was more severe than it had appeared from the train, but what Anna found more disconcerting than the broken windows and cracked plaster was the emptiness of the streets; there were people about, but they moved furtively, as if afraid they would be at any moment thrust from the pavements — many indeed walked in the gutters anyway, however deep the muddy water.
“We have seen or heard nothing of the partisans since last November, Herr Colonel,” Clausen said. “Since that unfortunate incident of the patrol.”
“But they are still there, I presume? You are not telling me I have come all this way for nothing?”
“Only time will tell, Herr Colonel. They could well all have frozen to death. It must have been very hard for them in that swamp during the winter.”
“Well,” Alexander said. “We will just have to go into the swamp and find out, Clausen.”
The captain did not look happy at that prospect, but fortunately they had now reached the Colonel’s residence, a comfortable villa set outside the town. “This was once the dacha of the local commissar,” Clausen said, as he ushered Anna into the downstairs hall. “You are not superstitious, I hope, Frau von Holzbach?”
“Not in the least. What have I got to be superstitious about?”
“There was a double murder here, last summer. Three Russian girls were brought here for interrogation, and, through carelessness on the part of the commanding SS officer, they managed to make their escape, killing two officers on the way.” He led the way up the stairs. “I am afraid the murders took place in this room; it is the master bedroom.”
“I have heard of that case,” Alexander said. “Was not the leader of these three succubi a woman called Tatiana Gosykinya?”
“That is quite correct, Herr Colonel.”
“And she is the one who is now the leader of this group of partisans?”
“Well, that is possible, Herr Colonel. They used her name when they were active last year, and the Russians have used it as propaganda. But, as far as I am aware, she is only a girl. And as we have not heard of her for several months, she is certainly dead.”
“It is she I have been sent here to deal with,” Alexander said.
Before the onset of the Russian winter there is the Russian autumn, during which it rains nearly all day. At the end of the Russian winter there comes the Russian spring, in which it does rain all day. Anna was given ample cause to remember this during her first week in Brest-Litovsk. The rain teemed down, and the roads of the town, which had not been adequately repaired from the bombardment of the
previous summer, soon became a mass of water-filled potholes into which men and vehicles could disappear without trace. Even driving between them in broad daylight was a hazardous and uncomfortable business, while it was quite impossible to keep dry, even inside the house, because of the continual damp. But Anna hated being cooped up inside the house anyway. She had not been lying when she had told Clausen that she wasn’t superstitious, but the place definitely had an air of gloom about it. Besides, she was lonely, with Alexander gone all day to the military headquarters in the centre of town, studying maps and making plans to invade the Pripet the moment the weather improved. In Russia, she reflected, one was always waiting for the weather to improve.
She went out every day, usually accompanied by Constantina, to visit the market, although there was very little to buy. However, after nearly a year of German occupation, one or two shops had re-opened, operated by German entrepreneurs who had moved in and commandeered the premises, and quite often these had some goods in from Germany. She had just emerged from one of these places, Constantina at her side carrying the bag containing her purchase of new shoes, when the maid gave a squeak of alarm and dropped the bag. “You silly little bitch!” Anna snapped. The sidewalk was an inch deep in mud.
“There, madam! There!” Constantina was pointing, and shaking.
“What on earth are you gabbling about? Pick up those shoes.”
Constantina ignored the command. “One of them, madam. One of the women from the Marshes. I saw her!”
Anna frowned and looked across the street. Opposite where they were standing was a side street, which was now empty, although there had been three people there a moment earlier. A German policeman hurried up. “Is there something the matter, Frau von Holzbach?”
“Tell him,” Anna commanded.
Constantina was shaking. “I saw one of the women from the Marshes,” she said. “One of the women who murdered Major Fraenckel. I saw her.”
“How can you be sure?” the policeman asked.
“We were friends once. We were in camp together when the war started.”
“And you so willingly betray her?” Anna asked. Constantina burst into tears. By now Anna’s car, which had been parked farther down the street, had come up. “Get in,” Anna told Constantina. She turned to the policeman: “You had better go down there and see what you can find.” The policeman saluted, and looked for some support; he wasn’t that keen on following a murderess into the back streets of the town. “Take us home,” Anna instructed the driver. “Now tell me what this is all about,” she commanded Constantina. “You were friends, and now you are enemies. How did this happen?”
“We were in camp together,” Constantina sobbed. “In June of last year. Then the Germans came, and we were captured. They wanted to know which of us were Jews, but Tatiana who was our camp leader would not tell them, so...” tears rolled down her cheeks... “they took me and beat me until I pointed out the Jews. Then they made me one of their servants. But Natasha, the girl I saw just now, and Tatiana...the way they stared at me. They have come to murder me. I know they have!”
“Well, we may not let her do that,” Anna said. “What happened to the Jews you denounced?”
Constantine wiped her eyes on her sleeve, “They were shot. They were made to dig their own grave. One big hole in the ground. Then they were made to strip naked. Then they were made to stand on the edge of the hole and shot. Commandant Markowitza was with them. Their bodies fell into the pit and the earth was thrown in on top of them. Not all of them were killed outright. Some were still crying out when the earth was thrown on top of them.” She shuddered. “It was terrible!”
Anna felt like shuddering herself. But she could not, in front of this girl. “And the others? Those who were not Jews? Did they all escape into the Marshes?”
Constantina shook her head. “They were sent off to labour camp.”
“But you were kept here?”
“If I had gone with them they would have murdered me.”
Anna listened to Alexander’s feet on the steps. “Were you in any danger?” he demanded.
“Perhaps, according to Constantina.”
“Well, we will get the bitch, and make her squeal, I can promise you that.”
“I’m sure you will. Leave us, Constantina.” The maid scurried from the room. “She has just been telling me a ghastly story.” Anna repeated what Constantina had said. “Is that all true?”
Alexander went to the sideboard and poured himself a glass of schnapps. He held up the bottle, but Anna shook her head. “Yes,” he said. “It is all true.”
“Schoolchildren!”
“May I remind you, my dearest girl, that it was you who insisted on coming into a war zone. We are fighting for our very existence, here,”
“I thought we attacked them?”
“We did, because we need the space they are occupying for ourselves. You must understand that: you have read ‘Mein Kampf’. Now that we are at war, it is a continual matter of hard decisions. The Jews and the commissars are our enemies. They are fanatical opponents of the Reich. If we do not destroy them, they will destroy us.” Anna sat down. There was a kind of ghastly logic about what he was saying. “They are in exactly the same category as those people in the Marshes. Sworn to defy us to the end. I have been sent here to defeat them. And to defeat them means to kill them. Every last one. I thought you wanted that.”
Now Anna did shudder. “But was it necessary to make those children undress?”
“War is a sufficiently wasteful business in its essentials. It is the policy of the Eisengruppen to reduce the waste as much as possible. The clothes worn by these people, any jewellery or accessories they may have, can be recycled for use by Germans.”
“What an obscene thought! Why stop at their clothes? Why not re-cycle, as you put it, their hair and the gold in the teeth?”
Alexander finished his drink and refilled the glass. “We are already doing that.” She stared at him in horror. “Although not in the case of these schoolchildren. I am sorry you find this hard to accept, Anna. But as I have said, we are creating an empire which will last a thousand years. An empire which will be populated by Germans. Any non-German elements, and particularly any Slav elements, are disposable. Right now we need their labour. Thus we are only dealing with the Jews and the commissars at the moment. But we will eventually deal with the entire population.”
“I feel quite sick,” Anna said.
The phone rang. “We have made an arrest, Herr Colonel,” Clausen said. “Will you come down?”
“Yes. Do nothing till I get there,” Alexander said.
“It would be helpful if you could bring the girl Constantina with you, Herr Colonel. She identified the woman in the first place.”
“I will do that.” Alexander hung up. “Constantina!” he called. “You will come with me to SS Headquarters.” He glanced at Anna. “Do you wish to come too?”
Anna swallowed. But she wanted to see her husband at work. To know him, in a way she could never hope to do in bed.
Chapter 8 – The Attack
Once Tatiana and her two aides had left on their reconnaissance, Gerasimov ordered the doctors to carry out a careful examination of all the members of the group, Alex and Elaine undertook the task with considerable misgivings, not least because none of the partisans had removed anything but the most essential clothing since the previous autumn. “What they really need,” Alex told the colonel, “is a good hot bath. All of them.”
“And where do you suppose they are going to obtain that?” Gerasimov inquired.
“Well, failing that, a good cold bath. It really is a miracle that there has been no outbreak of typhus. We can thank the cold for that. But once the weather warms up, as it is doing...”
Gerasimov nodded. “We shall have that done the moment the Commissar returns. Now tell me about their general health.”
“Well,” Elaine said. “Not one of them has been on a proper diet these last six month
s. There are traces of scurvy and a lot of their gums are in poor shape. Also, although we don’t have the equipment for proper testing, I think there could be some incidences of TB before too long. What these people are really suffering from is exposure.”
“Can they all fight? By that I mean, can they all take part in the coming raid?”
Elaine looked at Alex “Most of them.”
“Which are the ones who cannot?”
“Why is it important?” Elaine asked.
Gerasimov gave one of his grim smiles. “It is important, to you, because I, your commanding officer, have asked a question which must be answered.”
“No matter how many of us go on the raid,” Alex said, “it will be necessary to leave a few people here, to mind the camp.”
“And any of our people are capable of doing that?”
“In our opinion, yes.”
“Very well. Remember that you are responsible for your opinion, doctor.” He walked away.
“Jesus!” Elaine muttered. “Are you thinking what I am thinking?”
“That he will not maintain any useless mouths? Yes. I think you are probably right.”
“And suppose he said, ‘So-and-so is too old or decrepit to fight, get rid of him,’ what would you do?”
“Elaine, we are soldiers fighting in the dirtiest of wars, and doing the dirtiest of jobs. All we can do is obey orders.”
“Seems to me we both took an oath, once. Or was that in another existence?”
“We took an oath to save life wherever possible. But if there is only food and shelter for 60 people, and we have 61, well...”
“That is positively obscene,” Elaine said. She got up and walked away from him, half expecting him to follow and attempt to explain himself. But he didn’t.
What is happening to us? she wondered, as she walked through the trees, away from the encampment. It had all been a glorious escapade, enshrined in the same glorious adventure that Russia had always been, for her. The discomforts of the journey had been nothing more than adventure. Even the ghastly conditions in the Moscow hospital had been an aspect of it life, and death, in the raw. But they had still been governed by ethics. She had not supposed anything could ever change that, and if any of the stories which had been circulating about the behaviour of the Germans were true, well then, they were to be pitied for having so abandoned the tenets of humanity. Thus coming here had been a continuation of the adventure. And if they had both been shocked by the conditions in the Marshes, the attitudes, it had still not been something to affect them. They remained doctors. They would save life wherever they could, even in these stark surroundings.
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