Simply Bussiness (Open)

[§:Sebastian Schweinsteiger]

It was a bitter cold morning in the Warsaw ghetto. There was not a cloud in the sky, yet the sun gave very little warmth. It was February in Poland, and these conditions were almost expected. Below the clear sky, the Warsaw ghetto was alive. Jews crowded the streets, some going to their jobs, others, who had been affected by disease, such as typhus, sat on the street corner, staring out into nothingness, and still yet, others sat on the street corner, begging for meager rations of bread and water. Perhaps these Jews lost their ration card? One may never know. They were however, passed up by many a Jew, yet they would not give up in their search for food. One beggar caught the scent of some fresh soup. A lady had been given a meager bowl of soup from an SS soldier for her ration card. She hadn’t eaten in 2 days, and she was going to enjoy her soup. Out of nowhere, the beggar assaulted her—ripping, clawing, scratching, trying to take the hot soup from her grip. The lady was taken off guard by this, and through the struggle, the soup went flying in the air. It fell with a splatter by the street sign—Frank street, which was named after the founder of the Warsaw Ghetto. Seeing this, the hungry beggar dove down and began licking the hot soup from the pavement. He had no eaten in 2 weeks, and this food tasted excellent. He could almost ignore the sobbing lady who wanted to enjoy her soup.

About a mile away from this scene was the SS and Gestapo headquarters. It was a tall edifice, with Nazi banners hanging on both sides of the entrance. Outside the building, two SS soldiers stood guard, each having a MP40 in hand, ready to pounce on the slightest disturbance. Through the slightly ajar oak doors, one could see a scene unfold. It was 0600 hours, and Obersturmfuhrer Sebastian Schweinsteiger was receiving his report from a young sergeant by the name of Kreips. The Sergeant pointed to the map, stating emphatically. “The ghetto is becoming far too overcrowded. We must begin to liquidate. If we do not, disease will become even more rampant. “ Schweinsteiger took a sip of his hot coffee, which he had placed to the right of his desk. The hot, steaming liquid did offer little reprieve from this cold weather, but Schweinsteiger did not seem to mind it that much anyway, as he knew what true cold was like. He was in a trench for the remainder of WWI. That was cold. This was just brisk, as he would put it. Schweinsteiger then nodded at the plan of the young Sergeant. “Agreed.” He examined the map, eventually taking a pen and drawing a square. “Sergeant, today, I will lead the liquidation of all these streets—Frank, Stettin, and Leipzig. You will lead 1st Platoon at Stettin. If anyone gives you resistance, kill them, and leave their bodies for the crows. Have Sergeant Muller lead the assault on Leipzig. His orders are the same. I will take Frank. If anyone is too young or too old to be liquidated, kill them too.” The young Sergeant nodded at the plans of his superior. Schweinsteiger then smiled at Kreips, saying “Oh and Sergeant, one last thing. Don’t touch their women. We do not inbreed with pigs. You are dismissed, Sergeant.” Schweinsteiger motioned his hand in a waving motion, telling Kreips to assemble his men.

From there, Schweinsteiger went up into his office. He grabbed his heavy Kar98k from where he had last placed it. He then grabbed his Lugar pistol. He twirled it around by the stock before placing it in its holster. Before leaving, Schweinsteiger admired the poster of his Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler, whose picture was hung affectionately on the wall. He was one of the few men who had given Germany hope in the last two or three decades, and for that, Sebastian felt grateful. It was because of this that Schweinsteiger would follow Hitler no matter how bad things got. He never wanted to let his leader down, as his leader never let him down.

Schweinsteiger proceeded down the stairwell which connected his office to the main floor. From there, he proceeded down a corridor and out the back entrance of the SS headquarters. The back of the headquarters was somewhat of a barracks. Here the SS had an arsenal—halftracks, MG42s, STG44s, even the occasional tank, were stored in this barracks. Not only this, but it also served as a living quarters for many of the NCOs within the SS. By now, many of the SS men had received their assignments for liquidation, and they began to prepare themselves for the task at hand. Schweinsteiger observed and was pleased at the pace his men were moving. At this rate, Schweinsteiger thought he could be home in time for lunch, which was a rarity with liquidation. Usually he would finish his task mid afternoon, not early afternoon. He delighted that he might actually have an afternoon to himself for once.

Now, Sergeant Kreips walked up to Sebastian, saying “Herr Obersturmmfuhrer, everything is ready. We await your orders.” Schweinsteiger nodded his approval. “Right” he said. “Let’s move out.” Schweinsteiger proceeded to move to the halftrack which he was going to board toward Frank Street. Before he could do it however, he felt the touch of a hand on his back. Schweinsteiger turned around to see who it was….

[Franz Albrecht]

A grey HORCH Kfz.15 slowly came to a stop outside Gestapo headquarters, Warsaw. Sturmscharfuhrer Franz Albrecht stepped out on the street adjusting his great coat's collar so that it protected his cheeks from the brisk February air. He paused there finishing a lit cigarette started before they arrived. The sky was clear and blue, the sun was also present but gave off no heat. Franz hauled on the smoke then tossed it aside and headed towards the main doors which were open ajar. The two guards at the entrance clicked their heels as he past by in a hurry, Franz raised his arm so that his sleeves went above his wrist revealing a gold watch on a black leather strap, it read Ten after six/am.

The sound of Albrecht’s jackboots echoed off the glossy floors of Gestapo headquarters. Twenty Five Szucha Avenue, this building had served as the Ministry of National Education Building before the occupation. Now it was the very last place in Poland any pole wanted to be. Even some Germans feared the very existence of the place, everyone knew what went on between here and Pawiak prison. The Sturmscharfuhrer noticed everyone was getting ready for the liquidation of the Ghetto, he had to locate Obersturmmfuhrer Schweinsteiger in order to inform him that everything on the Sicherheitsdienst's end was ready to go. Albrecht had been working nearly all night, running around for his superiors delivering dispatches and representing the SD to all the involved parties.

Albrecht continued to move through the buildings main floor towards the rear doors where he exited the building. Here allot of preparations were taking place. Franz had been there the night before when they were bringing in some new arsenal for the SS garrison. He figured the Obersturmmfuhrer would be here observing the men’s progress. Suddenly a halftrack engine roared to life causing Franz to look in it's direction, there he saw the back of a German officer about to climb into the vehicle.

Albrecht quickly approached clearing his throat, "Herr Obersturmmfuhrer!", no response, the halftrack revved up several times, black smoke filled the air. Franz then leaned forward and tapped the officer on the back of his shoulder....

[§:Sebastian Schweinsteiger]

Schweinsteiger turned quickly around to see who had tapped him on his back. There, in front of him, stood a SS man, a Sturmscharfuhrer. He was young, but impeccably dressed, wearing a long, black overcoat, to protect himself from the cold air of Warsaw. The SS NCO’s jackboots were also impeccably polished. Sebastian inspected the man, trying to figure out his identity. As the head of liquidation in Warsaw, Schweinsteiger saw too many SS men in one day to know each by name. Suddenly however, Schweinsteiger remembered who this man was—It was Franz Albrect, a soldier who worked closely with the SD, the Gestapo’s sister agency. He was the man absent from the briefing at 0600 hours. Schweinsteiger needed his report to give the order to move out, and yet almost impetuously, he had forgotten, as he wanted to move out quickly, finish the task at hand, and then have the rest of his day for leisure. He was embarrassed by his mistake, and it could be seen in his facial features that he was flustered. Schweinsteiger tried however, to hide the true reason he was upset, his own folly. Rather, he began scolding the SS man on his punctuality.

“I know who you are.” Schweinsteiger said, in an almost biting tone. “Sturmscharfuhrer Franz Albrect, ja?” Schweinsteiger meant this question to be rhetorical, and he quickly continued his lecture. “You’re late. It is currently 0615 hours. I needed your report 15 minutes ago, Mr. Albrect. I am aware, Mr. Albrect, that you are not a soldier under my command, but realize sir, that I am too an SS man, and I do outrank you. I expect to be treated with respect and dignity. Your lack of punctuality offers me no such respect. In fact, it is a slap in the face to me. It is a slap in the face to the SS, and it is a slap in the face to the Fatherland! If I ever, and I mean ever, did something like that as a part of the original LSSAH, I probably wouldn’t be wearing this rank. I probably wouldn’t even be in the SS!” Schweinsteiger tried to calm himself at this point, but he couldn’t contain his anger and his embarrassment, and at the top of his lungs exclaimed, “I ought to report you to my superiors for this type of behavior!” Schweinsteiger, now trying to control his emotions reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. He opened the packet by sliding his thumb through a crease, and reaching in, he pulled out a cigarette. He quickly placed it in his mouth, and reaching into his pocket once more, he pulled out a lighter and lit the cigarette. The buzz the cigarette gave Schweinsteiger worked quickly to calm him.

“All I am asking.” Schweinsteiger said in a calm, soft tone with the cigarette still in his mouth. “Is that you be more punctual. My mission is dependent upon the briefing from the SD, and I need it on time. Now our mission will run late, because you were not where you needed to be, and that, Mr. Albrect, reflects badly upon myself towards my superiors. It’s a vicious circle, I hope you understand that. Your screw up makes me look like I am not doing my job, and believe me, Mr. Albrect, I have worked too long, too hard for my beloved Germany, for my beloved Fuhrer, to have my impeccable record tarnished by such a frivolous mistake.” Sebastian took the cigarette out of his mouth at this point and blew a large cloud of smoke into the cool air. He then hopped off the side of the halftrack, landing on his feet with a small thud. He then looked into the eyes of Albrect, and said calmly, “Don’t let this happen again, Mr. Albrect.”

Schweinsteiger then gave a motion for Segreant Kreips to walk over towards them. Kreips quickly jumped from his halftrack and walked at a brisk pace towards Albrect and Sebastian. Schweinsteiger then gave the same motion to Sergeant Scholl, another one of Sebastian’s key men. Scholl, followed suit and quickly joined the congregation. Then Schweinsteiger turned toward Albrect, and said “Now, Mr. Albrect, give us the SD briefing. Is everything ready?”

[Franz Albrecht]

The SS officer turned to face Albrecht. He stared at him with a piercing glare, Franz knew he was late and prepared himself for the shit storm that was sure to come. When Schweinsteiger realised who Franz was after a brief moment he went off . The Obersturmmfuhrer Informed the Sturmscharfuhrer he knew who he was and that he needed his report fifteen minutes ago. Franz stood straight taking the verbal explosion with the response of, “Jawhol Obersturmmfuhrer, Yes, of course”, when he had the opportunity to get some words in. Albrecht respectfully agreed he was in the wrong, keeping to himself it had not been his own fault, but the heat had to come down on someone.

Franz had been busy for nearly 24 hours. He was tasked with delivering orders back and fourth between SS-Oberführer von Sammern-Frankenegg’s office, SS-Sturmbannführer Hermann Höfle who was deeply involved in Aktion Reinhard, code name for the extermination of Polish Jewry in the Generalgouvernement and Bialystok area. This term was adopted in remembrance of SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich. Heydrich
Had been ambushed by Members of the Czech underground resistance on the 27 May 1942. Aside from those places many other visits were made to various police stations and a local SS garrison where most of the troops would be sent from.

When Obersturmmfuhrer Schweinsteiger had finished speaking, having a smoke to calm the nerves he commented with a soft tone that Albrecht should have been more punctual. Franz clicked his heels throwing his arm in the air, “Jawhol Herr Obersturmfuhrer! I apologise for my ignorance, it will not happen again. No excuse.” Albrecht continued, “I know how much work goes into carrying out the duties assigned by our fuehrer, I did not mean any offence by my mistake Herr Obersturmfuhrer. If there are any issues that arise due to the fact I was absent from this mornings briefing allow me to take full responsibility.” This was not something Franz wanted, the very thought made him sick to his stomach, if need be he would have to arrange for his superiors to confirm his location before arrival, therefore proving he had been on time from point A to point B. Albrecht removed one of his gloves and loosened his collar slightly with a finger, it suddenly felt tight around his neck. Schweinsteiger firmly advised Franz to not let this happen a second time. This brought some relief to the Sturmscharfuhrers mind. Now he could fully concentrate on the task at hand, the resettlement action
That would be taking place very shortly.

When the conversation had ended Schweinsteiger called two of his NCOs’ over. As the SS men joined them Schweinsteiger asked for the briefing from the Sicherheitsdienst. Albrecht cleared his throat and began, “SS-Standartenführer Meisinger, my superior has made all preparations and given me this which will be read at the Judenrat this morning, I have a copy here gentlemen”, Franz reached under his left arm revealing a dossier which he opened, “It reads”,

All Jews will be resettled to the east, regardless of age and sex.
With the exception of:
Jews working for German institutions or companies
Jews working for the Judenrat
Jewish hospitals' staff
Members of the Jewish Order Service
Wife’s and children of above-mentioned persons
Patients of a Jewish hospital on the day of resettlement.
Each person which will be resettled is allowed taking along 15 kg luggage and all valuables: Gold, jewellery, money etc.
Provisions for three days is necessary.
The resettlement will start 11 o'clock (11 a.m.).
The Judenrat is responsible for delivery of 6,000 persons daily until 4 p.m.. Assembly point is the Jewish hospital at Stawki Street.
The Jewish hospital at Stawki Street has to be emptied so that the building can be used for the people being resettled.
The Judenrat has to announce the German orders.
Punishments:
Each Jew who is leaving the ghetto during the resettlement action will be shot.
Each Jew who is acting against the resettlement will be shot.
Each Jew who doesn't belong to the above-mentioned persons and who will be discovered in Warsaw after the resettlement action will be shot.
The first contingents put together by the Judenrat consisted of refugee assembly institutions, prisons and old people's homes.
If these orders will not be carried out, a corresponding number of hostages will be shot.

Albrecht looked up from the paper, “Today is the day”, he said with a devilish grin. When he looked up meeting Schweinsteiger’s eyes Franz’s facial expression returned to normal, blank and emotionless. He held the document forward so the Obersturmmfuhrer could take it from him, “The other pages included are signed orders given to all commanding officers from their respected Reich departments. Everything is in order, any questions you may have feel free to ask, sir”. Albrecht removed a six pack of Lande Mokri Superb’s from inside his greatcoat, he placed it to his lips while he dug for a lighter in his trouser pockets. When the lighter was located Franz lit his smoke, inhaled quickly then exhaled filling the air with grey smoke, part of the exhale was a hidden sigh of relief.

[§:Sebastian Schweinsteiger]

Schweinsteiger listened intently to the letter which Albrecht had received from SD high command. He had heard it before, through the liquidation of other street blocks within the Warsaw Ghetto. Still, it was good to refresh the mind to his orders and the orders which he was to give to the Judenrat.

Schweinsteiger did not particularly like working with the Judenrat. He found them to be like all Jews—parasites, which leached off the German people for money and support. It was not just the Treaty of Versailles fault for the depression which plagued the Weimar Republic in the early 20s, but it was the Jews’ fault. Their greed helped feed the inflation which drove Germany into the ground. That is, until Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. Then, things changed. The Nuremburg Laws and Kristalnacht helped put the Jews in their place. Still, there were some Jews that felt as if they were better and more privileged, or so Sebastian saw it. These Jews were the Judenrat, the governing body that stood between the Jewish community and the Schutzstaffel. They worked these jobs, for the most part, to save their own skin, which is why Schweinsteiger came to view them as cowards and dogs. They knew that relocation was a myth. That these Jews were truly being sent to death camps, such as Auschwitz and Treblinka. Sebastian was aware of their knowledge of this, as he had heard a story about a prominent Jewish children’s book writer, who was also the head of an orphanage. He was greatly respected amongst the Jewish community, and when the Judenrat got word of his relocation to the East, they tried to save him. He refused, but surely if the Judenrat thought he was going to live, they would have not risked themselves to save him. The fact that these men had the same intelligence in some areas of liquidation and intelligence sickened Sebastian.

Sebastian was brought out of his deep thought about the Judenrat with the words “Today is the Day,” which Albrecht uttered with a sadistic grin. Schweinsteiger grinned back. He too had a deep hatred of the Jews, as he felt they were the main reason Germany entered into the depression which caused him to live as a vagabond on the street. He hated them for that, as he felt he was a prestigious officer of the Great War, not a man who should be living in the slums without a mark to his name. Schweinsteiger then took the paper from Albrecht, and nodded at the young Sturmscharfuhrer, saying to him in an elated tone, “Indeed, Mr. Albrecht.” Sebastian then looked at the letter, examining it closely, taking in every detail so that his orders may be better understood by himself.

Now that he had fully digested the orders which he was to carry out, Schweinsteiger looked up at Albrecht. “Now, let us get a move on, Mr. Albrecht. I wish to finish this early, so I may enjoy lunch and perhaps a mid afternoon nap.” Schweinsteiger chuckled at this, though he was being sincere. He had been working hard as of late, and felt as if he needed a break from it all.

By now however, it was getting cooler and some clouds were beginning to form in the brisk winter air. It was bound to snow within two to three hours. The air was also now getting to Schweinsteiger. His pale cheeks had turned a rosy pink complexion. Schweinsteiger did not want to endure the two mile trek to the Judenrat headquarters on the back of a halftrack, especially in these elements and in the crowded streets of the Warsaw Ghetto, where animosity towards the Schutzstaffel was running high. He motioned towards Albrecht, saying “Follow me, we can ride in my Volkswagen. It should be warmer than the back of a Halftrack.” Schweinsteiger then shot a glance at the driver of the halftrack they were standing by, saying to him “Probst, we will pull up the rear in my Volkswagen. You will be the front of the convoy.” Private Probst nodded to these orders, and began reving the engine to his halftrack. Schweinsteiger then began to walk towards his Volkswagen, which was in a garage toward the back of the armory. It sat near to a small Panzer tank. The car itself was small, but well kept. It was dark grey in color, and had the Nazi swastika painted on the passenger and driver side door. Schweinsteiger proceeded to get into the car. Albrecht followed suit. Schweinsteiger then put the key in the ignition, turned it, put the car in drive, and pulled out of the garage.

The first two blocks were crowded and congested. Jews walked every which way, and the convoy stopped for them, which made the pace of the journey a lot slower than it should have been. “So,” Schweinsteiger said to break the silence, as his Volkswagen hit a bump, which was caused by a cadaver, which at one point was likely a Jewish beggar stricken by Typhus. “I don’t want our car ride to be too quiet. I hope my previous tirade did not give you the wrong impression of myself. I’m a career soldier, you see. Everything I do is done with precision. My anger has passed, so please, Mr. Albrecht, tell me a bit about yourself. Judging by your impeccable dress and the prestine shape of your weaponry…” Schweinsteiger pointed towards the young man’s MP40 while finishing his sentence. “…You seem like a good soldier—just what the fuhrer needs.”

[Franz Albrecht]

When everyone was clear on the days orders things began to roll. Troop trucks were pulling onto the street Ghetto bound, kubelwagons and motorcycles roared through the streets towards their objective that was located a short distance away. The air had cooled as dark grey clouds rolled in blocking the sun over Warsaw, Franz looked up to see the rays of sunlight slowly disappear. Poland was a cold miserable country in Albrecht’s opinion, the posting here always demanded that he get barely any sleep and no time to himself. He often woke up after being passed out in a chair at Gestapo Headquarters waiting for the phone to ring. From there he would head to his Horch parked outside and go where ordered.

Franz nodded when Schweinsteiger suggested they use his car, “Of course Obersturmmfuhrer, the Winters here are quite undesirable, warmth is always welcome”. Franz puffed on his smoke while Schweinsteiger gave some orders to his half track, they would lead the convoy through town. When the Obersturmmfuhrer walked away Albrecht fell into step slightly behind him tossing the remainder of his cigarette aside. The two men entered a garage where they climbed into a Grey VW with a black Nazi emblem on the door. Sitting beside the VW was a Panzer 3 E “Medium” tank it was designated, but it was only light compared to most German tanks that were in the field. Albrecht grinned and gestured towards the armour, “Should just send the panzer in, they would shit their pants”. After a good chuckle the little VW started up, after revving up it rolled forward through the doors onto the street falling in behind the Sd.Kfz. 251 HT that roared towards the Ghetto behind some Opel Blitz Transports.

The ride was quiet until they pulled into the Ghetto’s entrance. The Obersturmmfuhrer suddenly broke the silence as they passed over a bump in the road, telling Franz he didn’t want the ride to be so quiet and how he didn’t want to give him the wrong impression of himself. He explained that he was no longer angry and he wanted to know some things about Albrecht. Franz was relived to know that Schweinsteiger was not going to report him and that he wasn’t going to hold anything against him. Franz enjoyed making high ranking friends for their intellect and attitude. A lot of NCOs’ didn’t share Franz’s passions the way officers did. Franz spoke, “Well sir, in the early days, I was a member of the Nazi party in Austria before the annexation. The day the Germans marched in I signed up for the SS and completed my training with high honours shortly after.” “I then traveled to Germany as a member of the SS Totenkopfverbande (Deaths head). During the invasion of Poland I was assigned to Einsatzgruppe D under SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Polizei Otto Ohlendorf, a very cold man”. Albrecht’s gaze seemed distant and full of disturbing memories, with his right hand he patted the MP40 resting on his lap.

After a few moments of silence Franz finished his cigarette down to the filter, it nearly burnt his gloved fingers. Using his right hand he quickly rolled the window down while glancing over towards Schweinsteiger. He flicked the butt and said, “What about you sir? How did you end up here if I may ask?”.

The streets were full of Jews tending to their daily business within the Ghetto’s walls. The convoy cruised on through the streets, on both sides of the road apartments occupied by a dozen or more Jewish families who watched in fear as the vehicles rumbled by. As the VW drove on Franz could see all the faces in the windows, the young, the old, everyone’s attention was on them. Albrecht didn’t have a personnel issue with the Jews, he hardly even met any through out his life in Austria. Hitler on the other hand truly hated them with a passion, it was evident in this current situation and it wasn’t going to get any better. Franz knew like every other SS mann that there would be no resettlement, maybe to the camps but from there it was the end of the line.

[§:Sebastian Schweinsteiger]

“Austria, eh?” Sebastian said, replying to Frank’s story. “I heard that country is quite beautiful. Wouldn’t mind going there myself. Wish I could have gone during the initial German occupation of it, but instead, I was sent to the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. You see, Mr. Albrecht, I am a career soldier. Have been ever since The Great War. Didn’t really have a choice in the matter, though. My parents died from Typhus while I was still young, and I was sent to an orphanage. A man has to make a living, you know?” Schweinsteiger laughed at his comment. The convoy, at this point, had reached a halt. It wasn’t due to the fact that they had arrived at Judenrat headquarters. Rather, the streets were too congested for the convoy to move. “Looks like we will be sitting here for quite some time, Mr. Albrecht.” Schweinsteiger stated, smiling at the young SS man. He however, quickly changed topic, and continued with his story. “I saw some hellacious fighting. I saw men die before my very eyes. It’s hellacious, war is. It hardens a man, and yet, I loved every second of it. After the Great War, I went back to Germany, and well, depression struck. I found hope in National Socialism, and I joined that party. Soon, the upper echelon of the National Socialist Party took a liking to me, and they place me in the LSSAH. From there, I was transferred to Tottenkopf. My story from there out is very much similar to yours, Mr. Albrecht. What you do need to know, though, is that I am a fighter. I will die in combat, a gun in my hands, I know that much. I welcome it, Mr. Albrecht.” From there on out, Schweinsteiger remained somewhat quiet. He really could not think of any topics for conversation. He did like Franz though. He seemed like a very loyal man, and loyalty was a trait not often found in his day and age.

The convoy moved slowly. Slower than Schweinsteiger would have liked, and the wait to get to Judenrat headquarters somewhat annoyed him. He wanted to finish the job, and he wanted to finish the job quickly and at this point and time, the operation went from one ahead of schedule to one behind schedule. Schweinsteiger was a man that wanted to execute everything with precision. When the slightest things went a rye, he would try to correct the problem quickly. In this case, he couldn’t.

Slowly but surely, Schweinsteiger, Albrecht, and the convoy made it to Judenrat headquarters. The building itself wasn’t as big as SS headquarters and not nearly as imposing. Like the SS headquarters, the entrance of the building was flanked on both sides by banners that bore the Swastika, the symbol of Nazi Germany. As the SS convoy drove their way through an opened gate which led to the back of the building, Schweinsteiger parked the Volkswagen out front. He quickly took the key out of the ignition and opened his door. From there, he quickly strode through the front doors and up a stair case toward the back of the lobby. He didn’t really utter a word to Franz at this point, but at the top of the staircase, he turned towards Albrecht to give him an order. “I must meet with Yosef Stein. Stein is one of the Judenrat who is highly looked upon by guidance by the other Judenrat. All orders to the Judenrat usually go directly through him. Stay outside his office, Mr. Albrecht. Things between he and I can get heated. Stein feels as if he is entitled. I on the other hand think differently.” Schweinsteiger leaned in towards Albrecht, and said in a lower tone “He is like the rest of them—a filthy Jew. Not only that, but he believes resettlement is a myth—of course, he is right. However, how such filth gets his hands on prestigious SS information, it baffles me. Anyways, follow me.” Schweinsteiger walked at a quick pace down the hallway, which was dimly lit and somewhat damp. An office was at the end of the hallway, which had the name “Stein” engraved upon them in writing. Schweinsteiger turned towards Albrecht and said in a low tone, “Wait out here. Something tells me that self righteous filth will try to argue with me. It’s a wonder I haven’t killed him yet. My pity knows no bounds, Mr. Albrecht.” Schweinsteiger laughed as he walked in the room and shut the door behind him.

“Ah, Obersturmfuhrer Schweinsteiger, what a pleasant surprise!” Stein said in a loud, insincere tone. Yosef Stein was a tall, middle aged man. He had red hair, or, what little hair he head was red, as Yosef suffered from male patterned baldness. His nose was longer and his chin was narrow and clean shaven. His eyesight was also quite restricted, and for this reason, he wore glasses. “How was your ride over hear, Schweinsteiger.” Schweinsteiger scowled at this remark, and said in a biting tone back, “Quit the small talk Stein.” He then reached into his coat pocket and grabbed the letter that Albrecht had given him. “These are your orders.” Sebastian then looked down to the watch that was on his wrist. He quickly looked back up at Stein. “The time now is 1015 hours. I expect your men to be ready to move out by 1100 hours. Is that understood?” Stein looked down at the piece of paper and was visibly troubled by his orders. He looked back up at Schweinsteiger and raised his voice, screaming “You want me to kill more of my own people?” Schweinsteiger gave a small chuckle to these comments, which made Stein even angrier. “How dare you have such audacity?” Stein screamed. Schweinsteiger was now angry, and retorted in a harsh, loud, and biting tone. “No! How dare you? How dare you insult an officer of my status! I have told you, you naïve, little prick, we are not, nor have we ever, killed those who complied with SS orders! We have relocated them! To the east, where they can live safe and happy lives! But if you want, Stein, I would have no problem killing you right now! You are, after all, disobeying my orders and not complying with relocation, which, if you read the paper, you would realize it is the grounds I need to kill you!” Schweinsteiger reached into his coat, pulling the coat itself somewhat back to reveal a luger pistol. He placed his hand on the holster, and replied in a calmer tone, saying “Now, will you comply with the orders given? Or can I finally put myself out of misery and rid this world of you?” Stein sunk into the chair, which was behind him. He gave a sigh of defeat, muttering the word “yes.” Schweinsteiger nodded and smiled half heartedly, saying “Good.” He then picked up the paper with the orders inscribed on them, and said to Stein, before walking out of his office, “I will relay these orders to your men.”

Schweinsteiger then opened the door, exited the room, and slammed the door behind himself. He handed the paper to Albrecht with fury. “You relay these orders to the Judenrat, I will wait in the Volkswagen. What a wretched day…I need a drink.” Schweinsteiger began walking down the hallway in an agitated fashion. He didn’t want to deal with more Judenrat today. In fact, he wanted to kill any Jew he saw. He hoped Albrecht could spare him the trouble of reading the Judenrat their orders, but Franz, being the good soldier he was, would not let Schweinsteiger off the hook so easily…

[Franz Albrecht]

The convoy had been constantly delayed all morning due to the amount of civilians and SS traffic entering the Ghetto. The SS officer shed some light on his life and career during the long waiting periods, Obersturmfuhrer Sebastian Schweinsteiger has been through a lot during his life. He spoke of the first world war, some of it’s horrors and the beginning of the Nazi party. Franz listened carefully to his storey, it was proving to be a lot more entertaining then sitting there in silence. Franz replied, “Well sir, you have been many places and done many things. There are surely allot more experiences to come during these times, today for instance” Albrecht gestured to the left and right with his hand in reference to everything that was going on around them, “This Herr Obersturmfuhrer is history in the making, and we have a place in it.” Franz nodded confidently, “Once these Jews are out of here the SS can start to concentrate on something of a more military nature. Many of our resources are tied up dealing with the damn Jews, even though we control them they are still costing us money and man power, the whole process is taking longer then it should. In my opinion, no disrespect directed towards anyone in the planning but yes. Taking too long, anyways.”

Albrecht cleared his throat then continued to speak after a few moments. “I enlisted to be a soldier but find myself to be more of a…” He paused in attempt to find the word, “Police? Paramilitary? ever since I have been in the SD”. “Despite all the running, shooting and shit I take it has a plus side to it. This diamond on my sleeve pulls a lot of weight anywhere I go, I am like others though, I fear and respect it. I know that if anyone crosses it, Then things tend get quite complicated for them. I have been there personally to witness such occurrences.” Franz let out a sigh, “Never good, but I would like to get into the war and do something else for awhile. I applied for combat before but they require my skills here for the present time, I don’t argue. When my time comes I will serve.” Franz watched as the SS vehicles pulled around back of a medium sized building bearing Nazi banners on the flanks of an entrance. The building was known as the Judenrat, or Jewish council. A place where a group of Jews were responsible for local government in the Ghetto. The Judenrat got orders from their German Superiors and then passed them down the line. The Judenrat also provided their own people for work details and deportations to the concentration camps. If the bodies responsible for these taskings failed to comply or were unable to cooperate they themselves were rounded up, shot or deported on the very trains they assisted in arranging. Judenrats tended to collaborate with the Germans on the basis that cooperation might save the lives of the ghetto inhabitants. In reality it only slowed it down in most cases.

Albrecht hated visits here. It was always packed with people placing complaints and concerns, the Jews that worked here had their work cut out for them. Schweinsteiger Parked the VW on the street. After gathering his things he got out and strolled through the front doors and into the building, Franz followed close behind in step with the officer. When the Jews spotted them they quickly cleared a path, many looked to the floor freezing in fear, the thought in each one of their minds, “Maybe they are here for me”. The two SS men climbed the stairs, people that crowded the stairwell pushed against the wall to avoid any contact with them. At the top Schweinsteiger turned to Albrecht informing him that he must meet with an important Jew, by the name of Yosef Stein. In a quiet tone the Obersturmfuhrer continued on the subject of the Stein Jew. Based on what Schweinsteiger told him, It appeared as if this particular Jew felt he was important, it was confirmed that others inside and outside the Judenrat thought so as well. Franz was taken back when Sebastian informed him that Stein knew the resettlement to be a hoax. This kind of information was not common and dangerous to be aware of. Any words you let slip could mean your life, along with others suspected to have knowledge of these disturbing facts.

The end of the hallway appeared dark and dreary, the two SS men continued at a quickening pace down the corridor until they reached a wooden door with the engraved words, “Stein”. Franz was instructed by Schweinsteiger to hold outside and wait for him while he handled his business inside. As Albrecht waited there briefly he glanced at a couple rows of Jews on typewriters, some had stopped what they were doing and were looking towards Steins office. Franz caught them and took two steps forward in their direction, “What are you looking at?”, he asked calmly, instantly they all looked down typing franticly, “You Jews, always snooping on others, GET BACK TO WORK SCHNELL!”. The only sound the the room was that of typewriter keys, then many *Dings* followed. Franz lit a cigarette chuckling to himself, the thought crossed his mind that he may of scared them so bad most of the words would likely be wrong if he inspected their works.

Franz heard the Stein Jew greet Obersturmfuhrer Schweinsteiger with much enthusiasm. This was also humorous because the Sturmscharfuhrer knew that both men in that room cringed in the presence of each other. Some time had passed when Franz was alarmed when Stein shouted, “You want me to kill more of my own people?”, Albrecht placed his hand on the door knob giving it a slight twist, ready to barge in and put this man in his place. The conversation was rapidly occurring but the tone of it had returned to low voices, and calm discussion. Franz loosened his grip on the door knob glancing back out at the Judenrat staff who were working away minding their own business, they gotten the picture not needing to be told twice. After a short while longer Schweinsteiger Emerged from the office slamming the door shut behind him. Franz was instructed to read the Judenrat orders for relocation to the East by Obersturmfuhrer Schweinsteiger, his mood had changed drastically, he appeared hateful and angry, but it was not uncommon to see SS men like this, given the shit they had to put up with on a regular basis. It made you want to shoot someone. Sebastian marched off down the hall in a fury, Franz trailed after him, “Errhmmm..Herr Obersturmfuhrer, with all due respect I.. must inform you that these orders were dispatched from my superiors for you to relay to these Jews sir. I could not take it upon myself to do so as I am not in command of this operation. If your request stands as an order sir I could act upon it without hesitation.” Franz was not here to over step his boundaries but to simply observe the situation. If given a direct order he would accept without question. Franz’s orders were: -Deliver the dossier to Obersturmfuhrer Schweinsteiger:- Observe and assist where/when needed. Franz continued, "Sir, i am here as an observer. HQ is confident you can deliver these orders so that all understand their meaning." He leaned closer, "There is also the fact that they may not choose to look at me again, we had afew words in your absence".

[§:Sebastian Schweinsteiger]

Schweinsteiger turned around to be given a lengthy lecture as to why he should give the orders to the men of the Judenrat. Sebastian knew that Albrecht was right in what he was saying, but at the time he didn’t want to admit it. He shook his head while looking down at the ground. Then, Sebastian thought of Germany. He thought of his beloved Fatherland. He was doing this for them. He needed to exterminate these Jews so the Fatherland could succeed in its ultimate goal of a perfect Aryan race. Any way he could help would be beneficial to Germany and his fuhrer. This was one of these tasks. Sebastian let out a sigh, trying to calm himself down. He then looked up at Albrecht, and said in a low tone, “You are right, Mr. Albrecht. Please forgive my blind anger.” Schweinsteiger then turned around and hurridly walked down the steps towards the lobby of the Judenrat headquarters, motioning to Franz and saying as he walked down the stairs, “Follow me, Mr. Albrecht.” Schweinsteiger walked up to the receptionist behind the front desk. “May I help you?” The short, fat, and balding receptionist said to Schweinsteiger. Schweinsteiger nodded, “Assemble all Judenrat officials in the lobby at once.” The fat Jew nodded and went over to a phone sitting in back of him. He dialed a number, and began talking into the phone, saying “Yes, this is Hafftka. An officer of the SS is here. He wants all Judenrat in the main lobby now. Alright, thanks.” With that, the fat man hung up the phone and walked over to Schweinsteiger and said, “They will be here shortly.” Schweinsteiger nodded, and, looking back to Franz, smiled and said, “Damn Jews; always slow…”

Within ten minutes, all members of the Judenrat had assembled into the main lobby. Confused, they began talking amongst themselves, wondering why they had been summoned. The room soon erupted from small talk to an uproar amongst the Judenrat. Schweinsteiger raised his hand in the air, hoping the gesture would silence the Jews in the room. It did not, so Schweinsteiger resorted to shouting at the top of his lungs, screaming “Quiet!” After the order given by Sebastian, many of the Judenrat stopped talking immediately. Schweinsteiger smiled at his effectiveness, but quickly, his smile dissipated and he was ready to give orders. “Today, I have been ordered by SS and SD high command to liquidate the following streets in the ghetto: Frank, Stetin, and Liepzig. I have been given orders to relay to you by SD high command. They are as follows:” Schweinsteiger cleared his throat loudly as he pulled the letter from his pocket once more. He began reading:

“All Jews will be resettled to the east, regardless of age and sex.
With the exception of:
Jews working for German institutions or companies
Jews working for the Judenrat
Jewish hospitals' staff
Members of the Jewish Order Service
Wife’s and children of above-mentioned persons
Patients of a Jewish hospital on the day of resettlement.
Each person which will be resettled is allowed taking along 15 kg luggage and all valuables: Gold, jewellery, money etc.
Provisions for three days is necessary.
The resettlement will start 11 o'clock (11 a.m.).
The Judenrat is responsible for delivery of 6,000 persons daily until 4 p.m.. Assembly point is the Jewish hospital at Stawki Street.
The Jewish hospital at Stawki Street has to be emptied so that the building can be used for the people being resettled.
The Judenrat has to announce the German orders.
Punishments:
Each Jew who is leaving the ghetto during the resettlement action will be shot.
Each Jew who is acting against the resettlement will be shot.
Each Jew who doesn't belong to the above-mentioned persons and who will be discovered in Warsaw after the resettlement action will be shot.
The first contingents put together by the Judenrat consisted of refugee assembly institutions, prisons and old people's homes.
If these orders will not be carried out, a corresponding number of hostages will be shot.”

After finishing the letter, Schweinsteiger handed it to Franz, who was directly behind him. He then turned back to the Judenrat to conclude his message, saying “These are your orders. Carry them out, and we will not have any problems. Mr. Cohen, Mr. Alon, and Mr. Olmert, you three are highly regarded amongst the Judenrat. Likewise, I instruct you to gather 10 Judenrat each. Cohen, you are with Platoon A, Alon you are with Platoon B, and Olmert, you are with platoon C. The time is now…” Sebastian tapped his watch with his index finger, trying to read the time. “1040 hours. I will expect my convoy to leave here in 10 minutes. Anyone who disobeys my orders will be shot. That is all. Dismissed.” Schweinsteiger turned towards Albrecht and let out a small smile. He was glad dealing with these parasites known as the Judenrat was over with for now. He then said to Franz in a tone of relief, “Now, Mr. Albrecht, join me outside. I need to have a smoke.”

Schweinsteiger walked through the two doors and again out into the cold February air. It was beginning to snow now, which was definitely not a welcomed site for Schweinsteiger. He hated the snow. He had seen enough of it during the Great War, and it was even worse then, especially in the trenches. With every snowstorm the opportunity to get Trench Foot rose, and no soldier wanted to get trench foot. Not only that, but snow made the trenches muddy and overall, miserable to live in. Sebastian took off his black gloves and reached into his pocket to pull out a cigarette. He looked at Franz, and said “Want One?” After he had given Franz a cigarette and taken one himself, he lit it, and put it his mouth. He looked towards Franz again, and taking the cigarette out of his mouth, he scoffed, saying “I hate Poland. I hope that after this assignment here, I can get relocated. Hopefully those damn Judenrat hurry up; I want to get this over with.”

[Franz Albrecht]

The German officer listened to Albrecht’s explanation of why he should address the Judenrat. After he apologised to the Sturmscharfuhrer telling him that he was right in this situation, and that he would take care of it. Franz nodded in agreement then gestured towards the stairs, “After you Herr Obersturmfuhrer”, he maintained a good posture with professional form, the two men moved towards the stairs quickly due to the fact everyone had timings to meet. Albrecht followed at an arms length behind Schweinsteiger as they descended the stairs which led back to the main lobby. Franz had mastered the position of having to follow officers around most of the time he had been in the Reich’s service. You had to remain alert, close by and loyal in all circumstances, if you remembered this you tended to gain somewhat of a reputation for being a good obedient man. That was also important being in the SS, a lot of men passed through with something to prove. As Franz called them, “Glory seekers”, Albrecht was not one of these but the complete opposite. He was here to serve the Reich, he swore an oath and intended on keeping his word. If opportunity presented itself Franz would gratefully accept it, but never did he go looking for it. Sturmscharfuhrer Franz Albrecht hoped to be in it for the long haul, when the war was over he hoped to return home entering the Police Force. With his service record from the SS/SD it would land him a good position within their ranks, the most beneficial part of all this was the increased pay grade he would receive. Franz intended to buy a nice home in the country, settling down for the remainder of his days, Although the excitement of investigation, authority and arresting fugitives would still be there. Franz couldn’t imagine leaving it behind, not now, he was too good at it. This was evident in his work.

The two SS men reached the lobby where Sebastian spoke to a receptionist standing behind a desk. He was a plump Jew this one, with some balding patches on his head. He slowly made his way over to a telephone where he called to make the necessary arrangements. The Judenrat staff had been ordered to assemble in the foyer in order for Obersturmfuhrer Schweinsteiger to read the business at hand. They would be made clear for everyone to understand their full meaning before being dismissed, any failure to comply with these orders would result in execution.

Once all the Jews had gathered random conversations in a mixture of Polish and Yiddish were taking place through out the lobby. Obersturmfuhrer Schweinsteiger raised his arm in an attempt to silence the crowd but it was ineffective. Albrecht shook his head looking out over the crowd who seemed to ignore their very existence, all of a sudden his thoughts were interrupted by an ear shattering yell, “QUIET!”, Franz could tell Schweinsteiger was at wits end with these people, someone was going to be shot if they didn’t shut up. When the order was given the conversation died off, Sebastian appeared pleased with his voices effect. He stood there grinning briefly, then it dissolved shortly after. The instructions were given. They had been made clear, there was no one in the room that could claim they didn’t know what they were supposed to do. When finished the Officer passed the paper off to Franz who quickly accepted it, the Judenrat was told once more by Sebastian, “There are your orders, carry them out and we will have no problems”. Specific Jews were assigned taskings which they would carry out under orders of the SS. They were assigned to Platoons, given ten minutes, or they would be shot. Schweinsteiger flashed Albrecht a smile after the men were dismissed, he suggested they have a smoke. Franz let out a sigh, “I couldn’t think of a better time Herr Obersturmfuhrer”. Albrecht walked ahead and the Jews in the lobby cleared a path for the two SS men to exit the building. Franz went though the door first and held it open for Schweinsteiger to pass through. The clouds were thick and grey, snow had started to drift down from the heavens. Albrecht looked up towards the sky remembering when he was a kid, how much he loved snow, the frozen lakes where he would skate, the snowmen him and his family would make together, good memories.

Looking back towards the streets crowded with Jews huddled around brought him back to reality. He hated the winter now, it was these situations that spoiled those good memories. Made him hate something he once enjoyed. Albrecht reached inside his great coat removing a cigarette pack, when opened it was empty, “Shit”, he muttered to himself tossing it on the ground at his feet. A desperate Jew hobbled up giving the two SS men giving slight bow, he then bent over starting to pick up the cigarette pack, Franz kicked his right foot out catching the man in the hip pushing him to the ground, he landed with a thud, “Off with you! Filthy Jew”, The Sturmscharfuhrer shook his head, “Disgrace”. Sebastian offered him a cigarette which he gratefully accepted. “Danke”, He responded. In response to Schweinsteiger’s comment on hatred for Poland Franz replied, “Ja, it‘s a shit hole. France or Italy would be nice“, Albrecht grinned while placing the smoke to his lips, he lit it and took a drag. “Hopefully they get a move on, when we start this operation we will surely get the blood moving”.

[§:Sebastian Schweinsteiger]

“Well,” said Schweinsteiger, removing the cigarette from his mouth. “Maybe once everything is done here in Warsaw, you and I could get transferred, ja?” Schweinsteiger smiled, taking the cigarette out of his mouth, and blowing the dark colored colloid into the air. “I like you, Albrecht.” Schweinsteiger then pointed to the Jew who was still fiddling around with the cigarette packet that Franz had thrown to the ground. “You don’t take crap you are precise, and you are united under one common goal, like the rest of the Fatherland. That’s admirable in a soldier. It’s a quality that some armies lack. Mainly, our opposition. From reports I’ve heard, Ol’ Roosevelt and Churchill can’t get a plain straight. Meanwhile, the German Wehrmacht and SS are strong and united under the Fuhrer. We won’t be stopped. We can’t be stopped. We will push our agenda of total war upon those Tommy bastards until they cannot take it any longer and acquiesce to the Reich.” Schweinsteiger put the cigarette back in his mouth after finishing his miniature speech. He pulled his gloves off his hands once more. His hands were freezing, and he attempted to get the blood flowing through them once more. Rubbing his hands together vigorously, Schweinsteiger tried to get the blood pumping through his hands. He then clasped his hands together and took a deep breath. Raising his hands up to his face, he blew into his clasped hands, trying to warm them. His attempt failed, and he quickly put his hands back in his gloves, trying to preserve what little warmth they had.

Schweinsteiger then turned back to Franz and said, somewhat apologetically, “I’m sorry for rambling. I’m quite the Nationalist. You will understand. Perhaps after this operation is over, I can file for something in Italy. I heard intelligence reports of a possible attack there. Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know. I just want to go somewhere where I can pick up my gun in the name of my Fuhrer.” Albrecht then mentioned how he wished this operation would get a move on. Schweinsteiger shared this sentiment. He hated standing around in these cold miserable conditions. He responded to Albrecht’s comment, saying , “Indeed Mr. Albrecht. I’m somewhat anxious to round up some Jews, especially after all of today’s events.”

Just then, a SS man, Sergeant Kreips, approached Schweinsteiger with a certain quickness to his step. He approached Sebastian, almost out of breathe. “Herr Oberstrumfuhrer…” Kreips said, trying to catch his breath. “Yes, Mr. Kreips? What is it?” Kreips doubled over, placing his hands on his knee caps, trying to catch his breath. “Yosef Stein…” Schweinsteiger seemed uneasy. He knew something was wrong. Clenching his fists, he awaited his actions. “Yosef Stein is failing to comply with your orders. He told the Judenrat not to listen to you. They are obeying his orders.” Schweinsteiger looked enraged. He raised his voice, saying bitterly, “That rat bastard! Albrecht, Kreips, arrest him. Is he still in his office?” Kreips nodded. He had finally caught his breath, and he now replied to the Obersturmfuhrer’s response with ease. “Yes Herr Obersturmfuhrer, he is. He barricaded himself in, sir. I am getting this order from one of his men—one Mort Olmert, sir.” Schweinsteiger nodded. He put the cigarette back into his mouth and inhaled, causing the smoldering ashes at the tip of the cigarette to burn red, and eventually fall off. He then turned to Franz, the senior of the two NCOs. “Mr. Albrecht, my orders are still as follows. Get that miserable parasite out of his office, arrest him. Once arrested, beat the little snot around a bit. I want to make an example of him to the rest of the Judenrat. You know, to show them what will happen if they refuse to comply with my orders? Once he is beaten until he is mangled and bloodied, bring him into the courtyard in the back of the Judenrat headquarters and call for an assembly of all Judenrat officials out back. There, we will show them what happens to dissenters by parading his cold, unconscious body to the lot of them. Do I make myself clear? Right. Mr. Albrecht, get it done.”

Schweinsteiger scowled as Franz left to carry out his orders. He knew something like this was going to happen. There was too much dissent in the mind of Yosef Stein for it not to happen. It made Schweinsteiger sick to his stomach to think about that dirty Jew. That’s what Stein was. Due to this whole thing, Sebastian only grew to hate the Jews even more, and once Franz and Kreips have taken Stein into custody, Schweinsteiger would delight in putting a bullet through his head himself. Sebastian now rounded the building towards the back. His cigarette, which at one point, was large and filled with nicotine, was now almost gone. He took it from his mouth and threw it to the ground and stomped on it. Much to his chagrin, everything that could go wrong, was. Hopefully, Schweinsteiger thought, he would be able to take his anger out on Stein. Reveling in this thought, Schweinsteiger looked up to the sky and let out a deep breath as snow fell onto his head.

[Franz Albrecht]

The two men’s conversation about Italy was interrupted by Scharfuhrer under Schweinsteiger’s command, Albrecht remembered him as Kreips. He had obviously rushed here to give his report, the man was short of his breath standing there doubled over in front of them trying to get the words out. Kreips informed the Oberstrumfuhrer that the Stein Jew refused to go through with the plan of action, he had also asked the Judenrat staff to refuse the orders given to them by the SS. Sebastian then gave orders to Kreips and Albrecht to arrest the Jewish rat who had barricaded himself inside his office. Franz clicked his heels and threw his arm in the air, “Jawhol Herr Obersturmfuhrer”, Albrecht passed his MP40 to Kreips and drew his Lugar moving towards the Judenrat’s main entrance. Before entering the building Kreips pointed out Mort Olmert, Steins man whom he sent out to relay his message. “Wait,” Albrecht said to Kreips with a cool tone, Franz walked towards Mort slowly staring into his face, “You are the bringer of this …unfortunate news.. Mort Olmert, the Stein Jews man yes?”, Olmert opened his mouth to reply and Franz lifted his arm pointing his pistol in the mans face. His expression turned to one of horror, *POP*, Albrecht shot him in the forehead splattering blood and brain matter all over people in the line up, screams echoed through the air then a Erie silence as the snow fell. The corpse crumpled to the ground continuing to bleed out on the wet snow that began to carpet the ground. Franz stormed through the main doors and up the stairs, Kreips was close behind MP40 in hand.

When they came to the end of the hallway Albrecht knocked lightly, “Mr. Stein, come out so we can talk about this.” he said in a pleasant tone, “It doesn’t have to be this way…Mr. Stein”. Albrecht knocked lightly a few more times then exploded, “Stein open this f****ing door right now!”, Franz banged on it with his fist rapidly, “Enough of this, step back”, Kreips backed up giving the Sturmscharfuhrer some room. Franz booted the door as hard as he could tearing the door handle off, it fired inside the room lading behind Steins desk. Yosef Stein stood tall beside his desk, his face was solid and expressionless. “Kreips, drag the Jew out here”, the Scharfuhrer rushed inside the room roughly grabbing a hold of Steins suit jacket. He pulled him towards the door till Franz was right in his face, “I have tried to be polite Mr. Stein, we all have orders to follow and I have mine”, Stein remained silent, “No apologies for your actions?”, Franz slammed his left fist into the mans stomach causing him to double over, Kreips held him so he didn’t fall. Franz then slammed his right fist into the mans head gripping his Lugar, Stein hit the floor, blood instantly trickled from the side of his head where he sustained the blow. “Up Stein, RAUS!”, shouted Albrecht pointing the pistol at his head then at the hallway, “We have timings and they will be met, Swine like you will not be the cause of us being late.”, Franz waited a few moments until the Jew opened his eyes again, he moaned in pain placing a hand on his head wound.

The two SS NCOs’ bullied the man down the corridor, drug him down the stairs. As they exited the building through the front doors Franz looked down at the man he had just shot the public streets of the Ghetto. He had acted out of anger and was unable to think at the moment in which he squeezed the trigger, Damn it, had he screwed up? Franz had received no orders to publicly shoot someone, however the Jew who represents the criminal is also a criminal, so in all reality he had done nothing wrong. Confident he was in the right he continued on with Kreips escorting Yosef Stein to the back of the Judenrat. Stein spotted his friend laying dead on the ground as they past by, “Maybe you will see him in Hell Stein, it’s your fault he’s dead now.” Albrecht wisped. When the three reached the rear of the Judenrat Albrecht asked Kreips to assemble the staff, The Sturmscharfuhrer stood there alone with the condemned Jew. “You Judenrat Jews have a chance unlike many others. A chance to survive all of this you know, well..you no longer have that option Stein, you chose your fate and now your on the way out…life is too short to do silly things such as this..act of defiance, what did you hope gain? A place in history, a hero?” Franz shook his head then looked Stein in the eyes, “You gained nothing and no one will remember your name”.

Just then the Judenrat staff began to come outside and fill the small courtyard behind the building. The SS soldiers from the convoy now approached to see what was going on, the crowd was surprisingly getting larger yet there was no conversation, and eerie silence had fallen over the area.

[§:Sebastian Schweinsteiger]

Like a loyal NCO, Franz Albrecht clacked his heels together, saluted Schweinsteiger, and was off to capture the dissident, Yosef Stein. By this point, Schweinsteiger was licking his chops, ready to get his hands on the man who has delayed this operation at every chance he has gotten. Schweinsteiger did not want to kill Stein quickly, either. The pathetic Jew felt the need to prolong his operation for the fatherland, so Sebastian thought that he would take care of things in a Quinn Pro Quo fashion. His prolonging of the mission meant Sebastian prolonging his inevitable death, and Schweinsteiger felt he was going to enjoy every bit of his dissection of the traitorous Jew. Schweinsteiger had given Stein life, and yet he chose death by aiding those who needed not aid. The Jew is getting what it deserves, Sebastian thought. The Jew bankrupted Germany with its greed, and because of this, it deserved death. For aiding the Jew when he could have chosen life, when he could have chosen to aid Hitler’s final operation, when he could have aided the Fatherland in becoming the dominant world power, Yosef Stein signed his death warrant.

Just then, Schweinsteiger heard a shot go off. He had recognized the sound of that belonging to a Luger pistol. The shot echoed from the side of Judenrat headquarters. At first, Schweinsteiger feared the worst—he had expected a total rebellion of the Judenrat against the SS. After all, that is what Stein had expected to incite. Sebastian had figured one of the Judenrat was able to take the luger of one of his men. Even worse, perhaps one of the Judenrat was siding with an underground resistance in Warsaw, and had smuggled weaponry for himself and the rest of the Judenrat. Schweinsteiger reached down, grabbing his luger. He grabbed an ammo clip and slammed it into the gun. Turning off the safety, Sebastian made a mad dash for the side of the building. Not hearing any other shots fired, Schweinsteiger began to slow his pace. There was a large crowd of Jews that was congregating at the side of the building. Some were screaming in horror, while others let out laments of sadness. Some began praying the kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the repose of souls while others remained silent. Schweinsteiger pushed his way to the crowd to get a better grip on what had happened. He then found a body, but seeing the outfit of the man, Schweinsteiger knew it was Judenrat. Relieved, the SS CO put his luger back into its holster and knelt beside the body. Schweinsteiger pulled his gloves off, put them in his coat pocket, and placed his hand on the head of the body, which was severely damaged by a bullet wound that had been caused by a luger at point blank range. The bullet shattered the man’s Frontal bone. The sphenoid and ethmoid bone were also severely distorted, almost making it look as if the man’s right eye socket was completely gone. Behind the man’s body was a puddle of blood and gray and white brain matter. He removed his hand and rubbing his index finger and thumb together, felt the warm sensation of blood on his hand. In a grotesque, cold sort of way, the blood actually felt good, helping to warm his hands. Schweinsteiger then looked up at the crowd and said in a quiet manner, “What happened here?” No one answered. Flustered, Schweinsteiger rose his voice, yelling, “What happened here?” A elderly Jewish man came forward. He was a gaunt Hassidic Jew, clad with the ear locks and wearing a black coat and pants. He told Schweinsteiger in a distressed tone of voice, “Your SS man murdered him in cold blood!” Schweinsteiger sadistically chuckled at this, trying to lower his head so the Jew would not see. He then raised his head and said to the man “Thank you.” Schweinsteiger then got up and walked to the year of the building, knowing completely what happened.

Schweinsteiger knew that Albrecht was the one who shot him, probably in a fit of rage. This did not bother Schweinsteiger. The man who he shot and killed, Mort Olmert, was a Jew. All Jews deserved death in Sebastian’s eyes. The only two things that really bothered him in this situation were that Schweinsteiger never ordered Albrecht to shoot the soldier. Schweinsteiger was the one who chose who lived and died during this operation, not Albrecht. That Albrecht committed an act of insubordination irked Schweinsteiger. Not only this, but Olmert was one of his Judenrat commanders for the operation. Schweinsteiger would have to find another skilled Jew to do this task, which would take more time, which would prolong the operation longer. Schweinsteiger would draw attention to this, on the way to Frank Street. At this present juncture, Schweinsteiger was unsure as to whether or not he would write up Albrecht for his actions.

Making his way to the back, a large crowd had gathered of Judenrat and SS. Unlike earlier in the lobby, they were all somberly quiet. Only a few were seen whispering amongst themselves. Sebastian worked his way through the crowd. In the center of the crowd were Kreips and Albrecht with Yosef Stein in between them, on his knees. Stein was emotionless, and bloodied. His temple had a bloody gash in it, made from a luger, which was probably the work of Albrecht. Unlike Olmert, this action by Albrecht did not bother Schweinsteiger, as Yosef Stein was a traitor to the cause, and like all traitors, he should be punished. Schweinsteiger neared the three men slowly, smiling a sinister smile. He goaded Stein, saying “Well, well, well, how the mighty have fallen. You see men, before you stands a traitor! A traitor to the German cause of resettlement. He wishes to hinder you Jews from living a better life in the east, free from horrible conditions, free from disease, and free from the over crowded streets of Warsaw. This man deserves death for his actions!” Schweinsteiger reached for his luger. Pulling the gun out, he pointed it at the head of Stein. Yosef Stein laughed in the face of death, and smiling, he proceeded to spit onto the shoe of Schweinsteiger. Enraged, Schweinsteiger preceded to pistol whip the pathetic Jew with his luger. He struck him once, twice, three times with his Luger. From there, Schweinsteiger kicked the man in the gut, doubling him over. Schweinsteiger cackled with laughter, saying “Defiant to the end, eh? This will be painful for you. Mr. Albrecht, Mr. Kreips, back away, I don’t want this filth’s blood to splatter onto you.” Schweinsteiger then pointed his luger at Stein once more, who had recovered from the kick. Now looking Schweinsteiger in the eye, Stein screamed in his face, “Go to hell!” Schweinsteiger smiled, retorting with the comment “You pathetic rat, know your role.” Schweinsteiger then fired eight shots into the thigh of Stein. Stein tried to hide that he was in an immense amount of pain by clenching his jaw and gritting his teeth. Schweinsteiger then preceded to pistol whip the Jew once more, beating him in the head with his luger multiple times. The puddle of blood under Stein was growing, and the once respected Judenrat man was now losing consciousness from the trauma he sustained. Schweinsteiger walked over to Stein, and, using his right hand, lifted his head up. Schweinsteiger then placed his luger right into the throat of Stein. Schweinsteiger grinned sadistically, as he said, “Burn in hell, you traitor.” Schweinsteiger then fired two shots through the throat of Stein, causing him to fall backwards, choking on his own blood. He would die soon, but until then, he would drown in his own blood.

Schweinsteiger then looked at the crowd of Judenrat and SS men. Smiling, Schweinsteiger said to the men, “Let this serve as a warning to the lot of you. Don’t cross me. I have given you my orders. You will follow them, or you will die. Do I make myself clear?” No man uttered a word; they all stood, looking at Schweinsteiger in fear. “Good” Schweinsteiger said. “The time is now 1115 hours. We should have left 15 minutes ago, but thanks to this setback, we are now late to carry out this operation. We will leave immediately. Kreips, Muller, watch these Judenrat pigs carefully. If anyone of them disobeys you, shoot the on the spot. Mr. Goldman, you will take the place of Mr. Olmert, who was also shot for insubordination. Do I make myself clear?” Schweinsteiger did not give the two a chance to respond, cutting them off saying “Good, let’s move out.” Before he dismissed the congregation, Schweinsteiger clacked his heels together, and raising his hand towards the sky, Schweinsteiger yelled “Heil Hitler!” Every SS man echoed this, repeating his action. The Judenrat too, out of fear, shouted “Heil Hitler” This was, Schweinsteiger thought, the ultimate slap in the face for the ever defiant Stein, who was now close to death. From there, Schweinsteiger began walking to his Volkswagen, ready to move out to Frank Street. The other SS men began loading into their half tracks and convoy trucks, ready to carry out resettlement. Closely behind Schweinsteiger was Albrecht. The two of them quickly made their way to the Volkswagen, got in, and soon pulled out of the Judenrat headquarters, ready to make their way with part of the convoy to Frank Street.

“Mr. Albrecht…” Schweinsteiger said, clearing his throat directly after. “I found the body of one of the Judenrat, dead on the ground. My orders were to capture Stein, not kill that man. Do you know who did this?” Schweinsteiger awaited his reply.

[Franz Albrecht]

Schweinsteiger became visible as he moved through the crowd into the yard located behind the Judenrat. Here the staff had been assembled, curious SS men from the convoy also wandered their way over to observe the undertakings. Sebastian gave a speech as the defeated Stein remained on his knees before the onlookers, he explained that this man deserved to die for his rebellious actions. These actions would only encourage more Jews to resist the Nazi’s, rebellions were something the SS wanted to discourage before they grew larger and caused a bigger issue. Schweinsteiger proceeded to whip Stein numerous times with his pistol in hand, the Jew was then delivered a powerful kick to the stomach which doubled him over. Franz raised his eyes to see the reaction of the crowd, many had turned their heads, facial expressions were horrified by the brutality displayed, many chose not to watch as Steins final moments drew near. After some more insults were screamed by the Obersturmfuhrer, Franz stepped back as several shots were fired aimed for the leg. The semi automatic Lugar’s sound echoed through the air. Sobs and whining were heard throughout the crowd, Stein lay on the ground surrounded in his own blood gurgling , gritting his teeth and moaning.

The scene was horrifying, Sebastian Schweinsteiger was a brutal man. Franz looked on as he continued to beat Stein to a pulp. The methods used by the SS for intimidation had proven to work up to this point, it was clear that no shit would be taken. The Jews were being taught to know their place and were instructed to NEVER make a stand against their masters, if it was discovered all would meet a swift end. Time and time again they were firmly warned to do as they were told on a regular basis, but yet something was not getting through as they were constantly being dealt with due to their acts of defiance. Franz put a cigarette to his lips while digging in his greatcoats inner pocket for a lighter, he saw Sebastian pointing his gun towards Stein once more who appeared broken now, he was very white after loosing so much blood. His shattered, bent glasses lay in the snow a few inches away. Franz held the lighter at the end of his smoke and flicked it as two more shots rang out, the grotesque display was now over, Stein lay flat on the ground, his legs shook slightly then he suddenly went still.

Albrecht inhaled the cigarette, held it in then exhaled filling the air around him with smoke. Obersturmfuhrer Schweinsteiger issued the Judenrat a final warning, one which they should obey if they had any sense left in them. The orders were then issued to roll out, the men of the SS sprung into action rushing to gather their gear and pull out. The Storm group was now late and had to haul ass to their objective. The section of the convoy headed to frank street had just pulled out and was en route, the Opel Blitz’s followed by some Halftracks had roared out onto the street. Franz followed Schweinsteiger to the VW staying in step with the officer. The snow had begun to cover the ground in a light white layer, the two SS men hopped in the car and were off. Their mission was now in full swing after some unfortunate delays earlier in the morning. Once this was over with and Franz was back in the warm barracks there would be time to relax finally sleep.

The thoughts of warmth and peace were suddenly interrupted by the sound of Schweinsteiger’s firm voice, “Mr Albrecht”, Franz turned his head to look at Sebastian who was seated beside him at the wheel, ““I found the body of one of the Judenrat, dead on the ground. My orders were to capture Stein, not kill that man. Do you know who did this?” Franz nodded his head calmly, “Yes Herr Obersturmfuhrer. I shot that man. My orders were to shoot anyone who resisted, that man clearly resisted if he delivered the message from Stein. He could have said no to him but chose to test us in a way that others could see, by disobeying your orders sir, He also received the orders of a Jew over your own Herr Obersturmfuhrer” Albrecht paused, “An act of ignorance and disregard, they had been instructed clearly. See, Olmert was guilty because Stein must have showed the orders to him that we had delivered. None of the other Jews had been shown and therefore they were not guilty of treason at the time, if they had seen the paper they would all be guilty of treason and I would have had to shoot them all.” The Sturmscharfuhrer shrugged his shoulders, “Perhaps my actions were slightly…harsh, right there in the open but I would not see an officer of the SS be disrespected by the swine”.

[Nathan Whyte]

Moderation Post[/u]

I vaguely remember this one. Good post all round.

Schweinsteiger 10CP

Albrecht 10CP[/color]