Any Survivors (2008)

by Freud, Martin

  I didn't know what to say. Last Thursday we had already arrived in Berchtesgaden. I had been nowhere near the Thames estuary and out of principle I did not read the papers in Germany. Edgar answered on my behalf: ‘Excuse me, my Führer. This man was not on the U-boat that infiltrated the Thames. He was on the U-XY, do you remember, three weeks ago they …?’

  The Führer did not let him finish. He started to rant. ‘What are you saying?’ he shouted. ‘These men have been dallying around on the mainland for three weeks? When every five minutes, every five seconds spent in enemy waters could create the deciding moment that determines the outcome of this war? It is not as if we have so many U-boats and crews that we can send some on holiday. This is outrageous! And a disgrace! Where is their captain?’

  ‘He was called away. The Security Service ordered his return,’ the unhappy Edgar announced.

  The Führer became increasingly irate: ‘I’ll have you know, I will eliminate every single person who is responsible for this extortionate waste of our resources. Three weeks – that makes at least four merchant ships a day, let us say each at 3,000 tons; that is 12,000 tons a day or a quarter of a million tons of enemy matter in three weeks and these opportunities are lost through sheer negligence!’

  What I wanted to say was: ‘Don't shout at the poor man. He's only an Ehrenkavalier,’ but I didn't dare. I thought it might harm the poor man even more, coming from my mouth.

  ‘I will order the following,’ the Führer raved on, ‘that no U-boats will be allowed back into their home port except for emergency repairs. Auxiliary vessels will supply all the necessary: fresh ammunition, fuel, aspirin and Iron Crosses when required!’

  I nearly piped up, ‘You forgot to mention the post’, but again I thought it better to keep quiet. Unfortunately, the Führer had noticed that I was about to say something.

  ‘Go on, you have something to say!’ he shouted.

  This was the moment I had been waiting for. Now I could finally deliver my ground-breaking, world-changing speech, eye to eye with the Führer; his full attention upon me. But after all that, I decided not to seize the moment. I had already come to the conclusion that there was no point in persisting. This was not a man with an open mind who could be easily persuaded. I could see right through him. He did not care one iota about what anyone else thought and whether his people really wanted this war. His whole being was evil and he used his power to destroy and annihilate whatever crossed his path. Therefore, I gave up, right then and there.

  ‘Reporting, sir. I have nothing further to add to what I said in the hall,’ I responded briefly. I hoped that he would now regret not having spoken to all the sailors personally. Perhaps he would feel he had missed out on something important. But he did not seem bothered. He stormed up the stairs and took no further notice of us.

  ‘I thought the Führer was a bit unfair to you,’ I said to Edgar. He glared at me, cutting me short: ‘I am not talking to you.’ I think this may have meant the end of his career.

  He must have spread the word about me to all of my comrades. Grimly we faced each other in the carriage of the train, not speaking a word. We set off that very evening to return to the naval harbour. We all knew what was expected of us. We were to follow this path of destruction and annihilation by order of the evil mind behind it all. We would be expected to continue on this futile course, following orders blindly until each and every one of us – or Hitler himself – fell victim to this terrible folly.

  ***

  TRANSLATOR'S NOTES

  In the novel, Gotthold Griesemann has been given the rank of petty officer, although he is referred to as Unteroffizier, Obermaschinenmaat, Obermaat, Torpedomaat and Maat. For the translations of the German ranks, see Jak P. Mallmann Showell, Companion to the German Navy (Stroud: The History Press), 3rd edn published 2009.

  -maat

  petty officer

  ober-maat

  chief petty officer

  The dash is replaced by the individual's trade, hence:

  Maschinenmaat

  Petty officer of the machinist trade

  Obermaschinenmaat

  Chief petty officer of the machinist trade

  Torpedomaat

  Petty officer of the torpedo trade

  Gefreiter

  Able seaman

  Maschinengefreiter

  Able seaman of the machinist trade

  Unteroffizier

  Petty officer

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