Heroes Without Honour

by Alan David

  NCOs yelled orders and had innumerable head counts, and finally, when it seemed that they would be kept standing in the ranks for the rest of the day, the order to board the train came and they complied cheerfully.

  When the train began to move there were three rousing cheers, and Kurt peered from a window and watched battle-scarred Warsaw slip into the background, unaware that, in two short years he would be passing through it again in the opposite direction.

  But now there was time to rest up and reconsider the experiences they had gained from the fairly gentle introduction to battle they had been given. Kurt thought of Max, and wondered a great deal about his brother, but, when the train reached open countryside and they could gaze across the plains without fearing for their lives, they all crowded to the windows to take in their fill of the scenery.

  The orders were that they had to return to Germany to be ready for a French offensive, but rumours were circulating that the tanks were not fit for further action and they would have a stiff programme of training to undergo before they could even consider facing another enemy. Bitter lessons had been learned by the High Command, which had the task of considering the effects of four weeks’ battles and smoothing out the difficulties that had become so apparent. A great deal had gone right for them. They had demonstrated the successes which could be gained by Blitzkrieg, but supplies had failed to keep pace with the Panzers, as had the motorised infantry. The rifle regiments had stayed too far in the rear when their immediate action might have enhanced a particular breakthrough or assisted the tanks.

  But all of that was above Kurt’s head, and he was concerned only with his immediate future. He could think no further than his pending leave, and was already beginning to make tentative plans for each day.

  The train rolled towards the west, and they passed over ground which, during the preceding weeks, had caused him so much fear. Kurt felt a dryness in his mouth as he relived some of those terrible moments of the tank in action. He clenched his hands and prayed that they would not have to fight again. The French had not pushed across the border. They seemed content to sit behind the Maginot line. If the Führer, with his tremendous powers of persuasion, could win over the Allies to his way of thinking then there would not be a large-scale war.

  His musing was interrupted by the arrival of Captain Zimmermann, who entered the compartment. Kurt was in the company of five other sergeants, and they all made as if to get up, but their Company Commander held up a hand.

  ‘Don’t bother, men,’ he said. ‘I just want to have a word with Sergeant Eckhardt. Squeeze up there so I can sit next to him.’

  Zimmermann sat down and Kurt studied his lined face, could already picture him sitting with Aunt Gretel at the big table in the farm kitchen.

  ‘We are merely going to our barracks in Sennelager to take up quarters and then collect leave passes,’ Zimmermann said. ‘I shall be driven to Dettfeld from Sennelager by a friend, and it will save you a lot of time if you travel with me, Kurt. You won’t have to rely on the railway or wait for connections.’

  ‘Thank you, sir, that’s very kind of you,’ Kurt replied.

  ‘Not at all, my boy. I expect our paths will cross when we are on leave. I am planning to force the issues a bit. I think that seeing a bit of action has bolstered my courage somewhat.’

  ‘I think I know what you mean, sir,’ Kurt said, smiling as he thought of Anna.

  ‘Are you making any plans to get married? I know the Oswald family very well, and Anna is a lovely girl.’

  ‘Yes, sir, I am planning to pop the question.’

  ‘Well good luck, my boy, and I hope to get an invitation to the wedding.’

  ‘You certainly will, sir,’ Kurt promised.

  He came in for some leg-pulling after Zimmermann had gone, but it was all good-natured, and he settled down to sleep away the rattling miles. One thing he had learned was that it did not pay to worry about the future. What was to be would be, and one had to learn to live with it.

  When the train pulled into the station at Sennelager two days later they were taken to their barracks in trucks, and, with all formalities completed, were given leave passes, drew their pay and were permitted to proceed on leave, which meant fourteen days of freedom from discipline and fear.

  A captain was waiting with a car for Zimmermann, who sent a corporal for Kurt. With his knapsack on his shoulder, Kurt went down to the transport. He sat in the back of the car, watching the scenery, while Zimmermann sat in front beside his colleague, and the miles slipped by. Time passed, and Kurt dozed uneasily, his dreams disturbed by memories of the battles in which he had fought. But finally they reached Dettfeld, and Zimmermann shook Kurt awake.

  ‘Here you are, Kurt,’ the older man said cheerfully. ‘Give my regards to Aunt Gretel, and tell her I shall be calling early tomorrow. It’s late now, but there’s a light in the house so she is waiting up for you. I took the liberty of sending a message to let her know you were coming on leave.’

  ‘Thank you, sir,’ Kurt replied tiredly, grabbing his knapsack. ‘I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Thank you for the lift home. It has saved me a lot of time.’

  ‘It was a pleasure. Goodnight.’ Zimmermann got back into the car and it roared off, leaving Kurt standing beside the gate that led to the farmhouse.

  The night was cold, the stars brightly remote. Kurt could hardly bear the peacefulness, and clenched his hands for a moment as he thought of the recent past. But he had to try and put all that behind him. It was over now and, with any luck, they should be able to forget there ever was a war against the Poles.

  But he knew there were countless families in Germany who would not be celebrating the return of a loved one. Max had said they lost at least ten thousand men killed! And the Poles! They had been overwhelmed and slaughtered. He shook his head slowly as he walked up the path to the door of the house. He was looking at just one side of the coin. The other side was far more ominous, and that was why he tried to forget it.

  When he opened the front door, Aunt Gretel appeared in the doorway of the parlour, a tall, thin woman with dark hair that was neatly pulled back from her forehead. She was smiling, but tears glistened in her eyes. She was forty-three, and had lost her husband in the Great War. He had bought the farm for them before joining the German navy, and had gone down with his ship at the battle of Jutland. They had never lived together on the farm, and Aunt Gretel had no other interest in life but Kurt, who was more than a son to her.

  She ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck, and Kurt smiled gently when he felt her tears upon his cheek. ‘Aren’t you glad to see me?’ he demanded.

  ‘They are tears of happiness, Kurt.’ She kissed him soundly. Then she leaned back to look critically into his face, and a frown marred her own expression when she saw the shadows in his eyes, the battle weariness which only time could erase. ‘What have they done to you, my Kurt?’ she demanded. ‘You look as if you have suffered.’

  ‘I? Suffered?’ He chuckled. ‘We were lucky. We hardly saw any fighting, and I never collected a scratch.’ He paused. ‘I tell a lie, Aunt Gretel. I did get hurt. I slipped getting out of my turret one evening and bruised my elbow. It is still sore.’

  ‘What was it like, Kurt?’ she demanded. ‘We’ve read all the newspaper reports, and Anna and I went to the cinema in Dettfeld to see the newsreels. It looked very bad.’

  ‘It might have been for the Poles,’ he answered somewhat truthfully. ‘But I was in a tank most of the time, and you must have seen pictures of those. Nothing can touch them.’ He stifled a pang that stabbed through his breast as he thought of those anti-tank guns that had opposed them, and smiled as he met her searching gaze. ‘Captain Zimmermann drove me home or I wouldn’t have made it until tomorrow at the earliest. I have fourteen days. The Captain is coming to see you tomorrow, Aunt Gretel. How is Anna? Have you seen her often?’

  ‘She comes every day to visit me. We read your letter many times. I wrote back. Did you get i
t?’

  ‘No.’ He chuckled. ‘I expect it will be waiting at the barracks for me when I return.’

  She took his knapsack and put it down on a chair. Then she clasped his hand and led him into the parlour. He looked around as if it were a strange house which he had never seen before, and thought of the times in Poland when he wished he had been back here, and the occasions when he thought he would never make it back. It seemed like a dream that he was here now, and was half afraid that he would suddenly wake up and find himself sitting in the turret of his tank in Poland, facing those anti-tank guns. He suppressed a shudder and put an arm around Aunt Gretel’s shoulders.

  ‘What do you think?’ he demanded. ‘I have a great surprise for you.’ He told her of his meeting with Max, and she exclaimed in pleasure. ‘He’s promised to write to you, and says he will call at the farm if he gets leave.’

  ‘He’s in the SS,’ she replied soberly, her gaze uneasy. ‘I have heard some nasty rumours going around about those people.’

  ‘Max fought in the war like the rest of us,’ Kurt retorted. ‘It was honourable fighting too, by all accounts.’

  ‘I’ll talk to him when he comes,’ she replied. ‘Now it’s late and you must be very tired. Did you have to sleep in those terrible Panzers of yours?’

  ‘Sometimes we slept under them,’ he replied, chuckling. ‘But don’t worry yourself about what happened in Poland, Aunt Gretel. That is all in the past, and I don’t think there will be any more war. Very soon now I expect I shall be discharged from the army and I’ll be back here working on the farm, you’ll see.’

  ‘Let’s think only of the future,’ she responded. ‘You’ll be seeing Anna tomorrow. The poor girl didn’t want to go home this evening when she learned that you had got leave.’

  ‘And you’ll see Captain Zimmermann. He’s a very good man, and he cares a lot about you.’

  She tried not to blush, and smiled at him. ‘I’ll get you something to eat,’ she said firmly. ‘Then you must sleep. You look very tired.’

  ‘I’m home.’ A sigh escaped him as he stretched luxuriously. ‘And it’s like being in Heaven.’

  Chapter Thirteen

  Max found his platoon mustered on the square at seven the morning after Leutnant Flensheit had been suspended from duty, and Captain Dantine appeared in the background as Sergeant Meyer brought the platoon to attention. The three ranks of field-grey clad SS stood like statues, and Meyer’s voice echoed as he reported to Eckhardt.

  ‘Thank you, Sergeant.’ Eckhardt inspected the men, then looked around to find Captain Dantine and Sergeant-Major Leun approaching across the square. He came to attention himself and saluted.

  ‘Good morning, Leutnant.’ Dantine was tight-lipped, looking as if he had not slept at all during the night, and his usually clipped tone was even harsher than usual. ‘We have an unpleasant duty to perform this morning. Flensheit has been stripped of his rank and sentenced to death. He is to be executed at seven-thirty by a firing squad from your platoon. The execution will take place on the rifle range at the rear of the barracks. Sergeant-Major Leun will collect the prisoner with an escort from your platoon, and the whole Company will be on parade to witness the execution.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ Eckhardt saluted, his mind frozen for a moment by the knowledge that Flensheit had broken under stress. But the oath had to be upheld. If one man could break his vow of honour and escape the consequences then others would attempt to do the same. Loyalty was incontrovertible.

  Dantine departed, marching stiffly towards the Officers’ Mess, and Eckhardt turned to Meyer, aware that Leun was waiting in the background.

  ‘Sergeant, I want Corporal Steine’s section to act as the firing squad.’

  ‘Yes, sir!’ Meyer’s face was stiff, his eyes filled with shock. ‘I overheard the Captain’s orders, Herr Leutnant. You will need an escort for Sergeant-Major Leun, won’t you?’

  ‘How many men do you want, Sergeant-Major?’ Eckhardt asked, and Leun stiffened to attention.

  ‘A squad of six, sir, if you please,’ he replied.

  ‘Attend to that, Sergeant.’ Eckhardt moved across to Leun’s side. His father’s old friend was staring ahead. ‘At ease, Leun.’ He spoke in a gentler tone. ‘What happened? Captain Dantine visited my quarters last evening and ordered me to take over Flensheit’s duties today. Has Flensheit been tried?’

  ‘No, sir. There was no need for a trial. He openly refused to obey Captain Dantine’s orders. I think the punishment is too severe, sir, although I wouldn’t repeat that to anyone.’

  ‘Don’t say it even to me, Leun,’ Eckhardt warned. ‘But if Flensheit has refused to obey an order then he deserves to die.’

  ‘Without a court-martial, sir?’ Leun met Eckhardt’s gaze with unwavering eyes, and Eckhardt firmed his lips.

  ‘With or without a court-martial, the result would be the same, so we might as well get it over with. Take your escort and fetch Flensheit from the cells. I’ll march the rest of the platoon to the rifle range. The sooner we get this done the better. The rest of the Company is being turned out to witness it, so let’s get it right.’

  Leun saluted and marched off with six men. Eckhardt turned to Meyer, ordering him to take the men to the rifle range. The compound containing the civilian prisoners was in plain view from the range, and Eckhardt saw that those unfortunates had been left out in the open all night. The early morning was raw and cold, and he wondered if the prisoners had been fed since their arrest. But that was none of his business and he turned to Sergeant Meyer.

  ‘Corporal Steine’s section is to stand fast. Fall out the rest of the men on the right. I suppose that post has been erected for our purpose.’

  ‘I expect so, sir,’ Meyer replied, and saluted before dismissing the rest of the platoon.

  Eckhardt went close to Steine’s section, who remained at attention.

  ‘No doubt you all heard Captain Dantine’s orders to me,’ he remarked to the silent men. ‘The rest of the Company will be on parade to witness the execution so I want it done properly. Aim for the chest. I don’t want to have to use my pistol to finish him off. Let’s show everyone that our platoon can obey orders.’

  Voices were shouting in the distance, and the next moment the other two platoons were marched into view to form a hollow square around the firing point. Meyer mustered the platoon and Eckhardt took command of the firing squad, moving them into position some thirty paces from the solitary post sticking up out of the ground. The early morning sky was grey, for the summery days of the lightning war had fled in the face of steady rain.

  Sergeant-Major Leun returned with his escort and Flensheit was in their midst, bareheaded, his tunic removed. He shuffled along while his escort marched, and there was a dazed expression upon his face. Eckhardt tightened his lips, feeling no pity. He had his duty upon which to concentrate, and watched Leun march the prisoner to the post, where he was quickly pinioned and tied. Eckhardt went forward, conscious that all eyes were upon him. Captain Dantine had appeared from the Officers’ Mess and was approaching. Eckhardt halted in front of Flensheit, who gazed at him with bloodshot eyes as Leun and the escort moved back out of earshot.

  ‘You’re a murderer, Max,’ the prisoner said in a thin tone. ‘Just look at those people in that compound. You’re going to spend the rest of the day shooting them.’

  ‘Do you wish for a blindfold?’ Eckhardt asked.

  ‘No. Get on with it, for God’s sake! I’m ready to pay for breaking my oath. But I tell you this, Max. I’d rather be standing here facing your firing squad than have to do what faces you today.’

  Eckhardt turned and marched back to the firing squad. Dantine approached, his dark eyes boring into Eckhardt. ‘All ready, Leutnant?’ he demanded.

  ‘Yes, sir. Do you wish to address Flensheit?’

  ‘No. Get on with it. We have a busy day ahead of us.’

  Eckhardt saluted and took his place on the right of the firing squad. He was keenly aware of the pres
ence of the rest of the Company and stiffened himself for his task. His voice was steady as he gave the commands, and Steine’s section came into the aim. The volley of shots, when it came, tore through the brooding silence, and Flensheit jerked, then sagged at the post. Eckhardt went forward to inspect the body and saw that Flensheit’s chest had been riddled with bullets. He turned about smartly and confronted Dantine again.

  ‘Execution carried out, sir,’ he reported.

  ‘Then let’s get on with the business of the day,’ Dantine retorted callously. ‘Leutnant, I want your platoon out at the execution site where you put away those Poles yesterday. The other two platoons will ferry out the prisoners, and you will be in charge of all executions. You seem to have the stomach for it. I don’t want to have to shoot anyone else in this Company for failing or refusing to obey orders. It doesn’t look so good on paper. But I think Flensheit’s death will have a good effect upon the rest of the men. They’ll know now what to expect if they fail to comply with the Führer’s wishes. Get your men out to the execution area immediately and be ready to carry out your duties. I can assure you that there will be heavy traffic between this compound and that anti-tank ditch. But you should be able to get all the bodies in. I will come out and check with you later.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ Eckhardt saluted and turned to his platoon. Meyer had assembled them in three ranks again and they marched off to the Company lines where their transport was waiting. Other trucks were already moving towards the compound.

  Eckhardt was thoughtful as he sat in the cab of the leading truck and they drove out to the place of execution. He felt in sombre mood because Flensheit had been shot, but he did not for one moment regret the action which had taken place. Flensheit had committed the cardinal sin of refusing to obey an order and his death was only fitting.

  But he felt strangely remote as they debussed under the trees and awaited the arrival of the first prisoners to be executed. Another Company arrived to form a cordon around the wood, and Eckhardt was approached by its Company Commander, Captain Lehring.