The Brightest Day

by Christopher Nicole

  “Ah…”

  “It is a large area of very wild country, a mass of hills and ravines and woods and natural obstacles. There are only a few minor roads through it and a couple of villages. It is an obvious place for outlaws to accumulate.”

  “And no one has reported it?”

  “Hitherto it has not seemed very important; the local commander in Grenoble seems to have assumed that most of the people fleeing there were attempting to escape the labour draft. But they were causing no trouble, and he knew that to flush them out would take at least a brigade of front-line troops. His superiors agreed with him. Now the situation has changed. These people are being led by Liane de Gruchy. And do you know how many men she may have at her command? Not thirty, Roess. Not even three hundred. Bittner estimates, from the information given him by this prisoner, that the figure could be as high as a thousand.”

  “With respect, sir, I find that impossible to accept.”

  “Well, colonel, I am going to give you the opportunity to verify those figures. This is an opportunity we have not had before. We now know where de Gruchy is. And we can be pretty sure that she is going to stay there, using the Vercours as a base from which to mount raids on the surrounding country, just as she did from the Massif Central in the early days of the War. We also know that she does not abandon her people. If they are attacked, she will stay and fight with them to the end. It will be your privilege to see to that end, colonel. With Joanna’s assistance.”

  “Me?” Joanna cried.

  “Yes, you. I am sorry to inflict this upon you in the early days of your marriage, my dear, but it is necessary for the good of the Reich. We all know how de Gruchy is so skilful at disguising herself. As with the last time we attempted to capture her, I want a positive identification of the body by someone who knows her well. The difference between this time and the last time is that we know she is there.”

  “I am sure Colonel Roess knows her well enough to identify her, sir.”

  “As I understand it, when Roess had, shall I say, an acquaintance with the lady, that is…” He smiled at the discomfited colonel, “before she put him in hospital with a blow on the head, she was wearing one of her disguises, so he has never actually seen her as she really is. Is that not correct, colonel?”

  “I believe so, sir,” Roess muttered.

  “Even if, no doubt, she was still beautiful. In any event, the last time you two worked in tandem you turned up Moulin. I am sure you will be similarly successful again.”

  Roess and Joanna gazed at each other. While he did not look displeased at the prospect, her brain was as usual doing handsprings. Last year had been a small-scale operation, in which she had been able to influence events, even at the cost of committing murder. But if this were to be a large-scale military operation…

  Roess was obviously thinking the same thing. “How many men will I command, sir?”

  “Bittner has a division at his disposal. That is more than ten thousand men, in the general area. He is a general and will obviously command in the field. You will be an observer for the Gestapo and will take charge of any prisoners. However, you will also inform General Bittner that if he requires any additional forces or the services of the Luftwaffe, he can apply for them, through you, to me and I will see that he gets them. These vermin must be utterly destroyed. Do not come back until that is done. Either of you.”

  “Yes, sir. I should imagine that ten thousand professional soldiers should be sufficient to deal with a thousand guerrillas.”

  “Just remember that it is very rough country, and that these are not front-line troops.”

  “Yes, sir. I still am certain that they will be sufficient, with a little careful preparation. This prisoner who was taken after the attack on Grenoble, is he still available?”

  “You will have to ask General Bittner. He may well have been executed by now.”

  “That would be a pity. However…” Roess stood up. “We shall leave tomorrow. Heil Hitler!”

  Joanna also stood up. “Am I allowed to inform my husband where I am going? Or, at least, why I will not be returning for a few weeks?”

  “My office will inform Colonel Hoeppner. And I sincerely hope you will be back at his side a lot sooner than in a few weeks.”

  “Thank you, Herr Reichsfuehrer.”

  They turned to the door, which suddenly burst open, to admit a panting uniformed secretary.

  “What the devil—?” Himmler demanded.

  “Herr Reichsfuehrer,” the girl gasped. “The invasion… Normandy… the Allies…”

  “Pull yourself together, woman. What is it you are trying to say?”

  The girl stood to attention, gulping air into her lungs. “It has just been reported, Herr Reichsfuehrer, that at dawn this morning the Americans and the English landed in Normandy in great strength.”

  PART THREE

  The Brightest Day

  But westward, look, the land is bright.

  Seven

  The Traitor

  “Have you lost your senses?” Himmler demanded.

  “Normandy? That is about the furthest part of northern France from England. Of course they would not invade there. It must be a raid.”

  “But the report, Herr Reichsfuehrer… Thousands and thousands of men, thousands of ships, thousands of aircraft…”

  “That sounds like some hysterical junior officer losing his nerve.” Himmler glared at Joanna, as if wondering if Hoeppner could be the culprit. “Has the Fuehrer been informed?”

  “I believe the Fuehrer is still asleep, sir.”

  “Well, no doubt he will deal with the situation when he wakes up. Meanwhile, get confirmation of those absurd numbers, if they can be confirmed.”

  “Yes, Herr Reichsfuehrer.” The girl hurried from the room.

  Himmler looked at Roess and Joanna. “The material one has to work with… One despairs. What are you waiting for?”

  “I was wondering if this new situation requires any change in our plans?” Roess asked.

  “This new situation? It is a raid, nothing more. It can only be a raid. Normandy? Rubbish. You have your orders, Colonel. Carry them out.”

  “I shall do that, Herr Reichsfuehrer.”

  “With respect, sir,” Joanna said. “If there is fighting in Normandy—”

  “Your husband will be involved. So will Frau Rommel’s husband and thousands of other wives throughout Germany. Believe me, your husband will do a much better job without you there to distract him. Heil Hitler!”

  *

  Joanna and Roess went down the stairs together. “Do you believe it is just a raid?” she asked.

  “That depends on how accurate those figures are.” He glanced at her. “Are you frightened?”

  “Why should I be frightened? I am concerned for my husband’s life.”

  “Do you not realize that if this is the invasion, we my well be looking at the defeat of Germany?”

  “Can you dare say that?”

  “Oh, come now, Joanna. You know very well that we cannot defeat the Allies if they get a foothold in France. Look at what is happening in Italy. Do you know that Rome has fallen?”

  “I did not know that.”

  “It happened yesterday. So they are steadily working their way up from the south, the Russians are steadily working their way in from the east and if the Allies are now going to start working their way in from the west…”

  “Don’t you believe in all these secret weapons we are developing?”

  “A few rockets are not going to make a jot of difference, supposing they work. But you can be sure that one of the first things the Americans will do when they get to Berlin will be to hang you.”

  “What an intriguing thought. Perhaps they will hang you beside me.”

  “They will have to catch me first. And before they do, I am going to have the satisfaction of hanging that bitch Liane de Gruchy, slowly.”

  Over my dead body, Joanna thought. But she was realizing that it could w
ell come to that.

  *

  It was two days before they got out of Berlin, as it turned out that the Allied landings were not merely a raid after all. But OKW remained convinced that while the attack appeared to be a genuine attempt at invasion, it was still a diversionary attempt to draw Germany’s attention and troops, especially panzers, away from the Pas de Calais, where logic dictated that the real invasion would take place. This was certainly Hitler’s point of view, and he refused to release his armour. In the uncertainty and confusion, the railways were the most confused of all with some trains being cancelled entirely on the authority of the local stationmaster and others being diverted to move troops. The confusion was even greater in France, where a large part of the railway network had in any event been disrupted by RAF bombing.

  It was therefore Thursday June 8 before they finally left Berlin to begin the journey south by train. Joanna had actually disobeyed Himmler and tried on her own to get through to Franz, but it had been impossible to locate him. “He could be dead already,” Roess remarked. He was in a thoroughly disagreeable mood at the delay, and Joanna decided the best thing to do was ignore him. Franz could not possibly be dead, she told herself. “If he is dead,” Roess pointed out, “you will be left without a man. I suspect that Himmler is tired of you.”

  “Surely that is my business?” She spoke as coldly as she could.

  “I mention it because, in the circumstances, I might take you on.”

  Joann stared at him. “I would sooner lie down with a snake.” He retired behind a wall of hostility; his mood had not improved by the following morning when, just after breakfast, the train suddenly ground to a halt. He looked out of the window. “This is not Limoges.”

  “Which is, I am sure, a place you remember very well,” Joanna suggested.

  The conductor appeared at the door of the compartment. “I am sorry, Herr Colonel, but our journey will be delayed.”

  “Here? Where are we?”

  “The nearest village is called Oradour.”

  “Oradour?” Joanna asked. “Isn’t that where the woman Dugard claimed to have seen Liane de Gruchy?”

  “Which you say was a lie.”

  “It was. My point is that it is only a dozen kilometres north of Limoges.”

  “That is correct, Fraulein,” the conductor said. “But we will not be able to get there today. The line has been torn up.”

  “What?” Roess shouted. “Torn up by whom?”

  “The Resistance, Herr Colonel. They are very strong in this area. Our people are working on the line, but it will take time.”

  “How much time can it possibly take to re-lay a track?” Roess demanded.

  “It is not a difficult job in normal circumstances, sir. But there are men in the woods, shooting at our people.”

  In fact, they could hear the distant pop-pop. “That is outrageous.”

  “I agree, sir. We have radioed Limoges for assistance, and I understand there is an SS regiment stationed there, which should be with us at any moment.”

  *

  The SS company arrived two hours later and after a brief skirmish drove off the guerillas. Then having been informed of who was travelling on the train, Captain Hoffmann came to the compartment. By then Roess was in one of his furies. Joanna had always doubted his sanity, since Liane had delivered that crushing blow to his head; now she half expected him to start foaming at the mouth.

  “This is an intolerable situation,” he shouted at the captain.

  “It is aggravating, I agree, Herr Colonel,” Hoffmann conceded. “But we will soon have you moving again.”

  “And when you have gone, they will destroy the line again.”

  “I’m afraid that is very likely, sir. We simply do not have the men to patrol the entire line, certainly not now that a large proportion of our people are being sent to the west to deal with the trouble in Normandy.”

  “But the people who dug up this line, they were shooting at the workmen only an hour ago. They can’t be far.”

  “I am sure they are not, sir. In fact, I am fairly sure that they are people from Oradour. We have had trouble there before.”

  “If you are sure they come from there, why do you not go in and get them?”

  “It’s not as easy as that, sir. We have conducted searches before, but everyone appears to be a simple farmer or shopkeeper, and we have never found any concealed weapons. They are very clever.”

  “Too clever for the SS? I think it is necessary to make an example of these people, Captain. Obviously they have been emboldened by this Allied raid, and they will get bolder yet if they are not taught a lesson. Now. You are certain these terrorists come from this village Oradour?”

  “Most of them, yes.”

  “Very good. You will, first of all, send to Limoges for additional troops. Then you will surround the village and place every male over the age of twelve under arrest. You will assemble these male terrorists in the centre of the town and you will execute them all by gunfire.”

  Hoffmann gulped. “But, Herr Colonel, some of them will be innocent.”

  “I am sure they are all guilty of giving aid and comfort to the enemy, which is a capital offence.”

  “The women and children… There will be a terrible scene.”

  “Shut all the women and children up in the church before you commence the executions. Let them have their scene in there.”

  “Yes, Herr Colonel. Ah… you will put this order in writing?”

  “I have given you an order,” Roess said. “Carry it out. Heil Hitler!” The captain saluted.

  “Roess,” Joanna said. “You cannot be serious.”

  “It is time these people were properly dealt with. If I had been in general command, this problem would have been solved the moment it arose.”

  Joanna was on the verge of an explosion. But she managed to keep her temper. “You understand that I will make a full report of this business to Reichsfuehrer Himmler.”

  “I would be grateful if you would do that, Fraulein. I am sure that the Reichsfuehrer will commend me.” Sadly, Joanna had to agree with him.

  *

  There followed the worst twenty-four hours of Joanna’s life, at least to that moment. The rest of the SS battalion arrived that evening, while the work of repairing the line went on throughout the night. The next morning at dawn Oradour was surrounded. Joanna remained in her compartment but she could not shut her ears to the sounds of gunfire, which went on for nearly an hour. The conductor appeared, looking visibly shaken. “The line is repaired, Fraulein.”

  “Then why do we not leave this place?”

  “We must wait for the colonel.”

  Joanna looked out of the window and saw only trees. Then she saw smoke rising behind them, which soon became quite dense. A few minutes later, Roess appeared, pulling off his gloves. “That is done. You may proceed, Conductor.”

  “Immediately, Herr Colonel.” The conductor bustled off, and a few minutes later the train began to move.

  “So, how many men do you reckon you have murdered?” Joanna asked.

  “About 300 men have been executed.”

  “And you are now burning their remains.”

  He looked out of the window at the smoke, now falling behind them. “That is the church. The rest of the village will be set alight afterwards.”

  “You mean that in addition to murdering those women’s husbands, you intend to destroy their homes.”

  “I have given orders that the village is to be obliterated, yes. As for the women and children, I do not suppose they are any longer very interested.”

  Joanna stared at him, then looked back at the smoke, then looked at him again, while icy fingers seemed to be wrapping themselves around her heart. “You could not,” she whispered. “You would not dare!”

  “They were all guilty,” he said. “Had they been left alive, they would only have joined some other guerilla band.” Joanna continued to stare at him for several minutes, then she
got up and went to the door. “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “Anywhere but here,” she said.

  She felt physically sick. She knew, of course, of the destruction of the village of Lidice in Czechoslovakia as a reprisal for the murder of Reinhard Heydrich in 1942 but that had been an act of reprisal, and the women and children had not been murdered outright but had been sent to concentration camps; a more slow and horrible end for most, perhaps, but at least with a chance of survival for the few. The people of Oradour, if indeed it had been them – there was no proof – had done no more than delay a train by forty-eight hours… and had suffered to the last babe in arms. And there was nothing she could do about it. Save remember. There would be a judgement day. But in the meantime, the Vercours… and Liane. My God, if Roess were to be the victor there…

  “It will be very difficult,” General Bittner said. “You have not seen the terrain. I have flown over it. It is quite impenetrable to large bodies of troops.”

  “We were told that there are roads into it,” Roess said.

  “A couple and they are hardly more than tracks leading to the few villages in the area. And they are easily blocked by the guerillas. I have sent detachments to try to force their way through, and they have been repelled with heavy casualties.”

  “What sort of casualties?”

  “Ten men killed and more than thirty wounded.”

  Roess snorted contemptuously. “Those are heavy casualties? Reichsfuehrer Himmler’s orders are that the entire area is to be reduced, regardless of casualties.” Bittner gulped. Like most regular army officers, he felt uneasy in the presence of the Gestapo, and when he was also in the presence of such a striking woman… “However,” Roess went on reassuringly, “we shall reduce the problem by reducing the guerillas first. Have these villages been bombed?”

  “More than once. It does not seem to have had much effect.”

  “Well, let us be logical. You estimate there could be more than a thousand men in those hills. This has to have taken several months to happen. And yet in all those months there has been this one attack in this vicinity. Why? Why are these men gathered there, doing nothing?”