Propaganda Games [Francis]

[Otto Wolff]

Country: München, Germany
Current Time: 15.00
Weather Conditions: A pleasantly warm day of early spring, the sun is shining and there are not too many clouds in the sky.


The sun was shining pleasantly as three black cars purposefully moved along the streets of München. The weather had started becoming much more warmer in the past few days and some of the trees had already sprouted tiny, light-green leaves. Soon the parks and the shopping streets would be filled with people again. The sunshine had a rather effective way of luring people outside after the cold winter. Even the vicious bombings could not stop people from trying to enjoy the coming of the spring and at least in daytime the streets were safe to walk.

Otto Wolff could not really dream of spending idle time on the streets of München anytime soon, no matter how much he longed to walk in the parks and enjoy the sights of the beautiful city. Work was taking all of his time these days even more than before the war. After the communists had been mostly subdued, other criminals threatening the safety of the state had been taken under close watch. In that matter, Otto remained always the loyal servant and bloodhound of the Reich. His nose was quick to catch the scent of enemies of the state and his teeth clamped mercilessly on their throats, not letting go until the final sparks of resistance had faded away.

Unlike most common people believed, the Gestapo did not truly have agents everywhere. It was enough to make people believe that this was how things were, however. The Gestapo did not really suffer from any shortage when it came to volunteer informers, anyway. This was how new information had landed on Otto's desk just a few weeks ago and after a quiet but thorough investigation they were finally ready to move in to catch these perpetrators. A small but daring group of people had been printing and spreading anti-Nazi propaganda, something that only fools might hope to get away with. Such things had to be snuffed out quickly and that was precisely what would be happening soon.

Otto had requested for a small group of soldiers from the SS to assist the Gestapo in the actual detainment of the criminals and they were to meet the men for a final briefing in front of an old government building. The shabby headquarters that these criminals had been keeping were but a short drive away from the location, so the Gestapo and the SS could move in very quickly after all the men were clear on their tasks.

Brushing off some unseen dust from the fabric of his long coat first, Otto moved the sleeve slightly to take a look at his old, dented watch. They were just on time and there was no hurry, the small group of criminals they were after could not have possibly known what was in store for them. Just in case, Otto had placed an agent in civilian clothing near the location of the criminals to keep an eye on their movements. If something out of the ordinary happened, the Gestapo would know about it soon enough.

Glancing out of the window of the Mercedes, Otto already recognized the luxurious white building. The car slowed down, crossing over the narrow walkway and entering the large front yard. The intricate architecture of the building and the beautiful stone paving of the yard made the area appear quite regal. Somewhat further away on the street the occasional civilian made their way past the building, but all of them seemed to hasten up after they noticed the cars on the yard. The Mercedes Otto was in had no markings, but the car that followed the first one had "Polizei" written on both of it's sides.

The car came to a stop in front of the building and a door was soon opened for Otto. As the Kriminalkommissar got up from the black Mercedes, he saw that the men from the SS had already arrived in an Opel Blitz. Good, then Otto could get this briefing over and done with and they could get to actual work soon. The man started walking towards the Blitz, his younger, light-haired assistant Brenner close behind. The third man from the Gestapo stayed beside the car and the police officials only stepped out of the car to enjoy their cigarettes. They already knew their tasks and left the briefing of the SS muscle to the Kriminalkommissar.

Otto was a serious, poker-backed man in his fifties, dressed in a black SS uniform and a long dark overcoat which felt quite unnecessary now that the weather was so warm. He was a very tall and broad-shouldered man and he carried himself in a very self-assured and proud manner. His dark hair had started thinning recently due to his age and his nose had been left slightly crooked after an injury he had received while boxing. All in all, Otto seemed like a man who was used to commanding respect from the people around him.

Taking the peaked cap from under his arm, Otto placed it on as his eyes searched for the tabs of a Sturmscharführer among the SS men. The Gestapo officer squinted his eyes slightly and headed towards the man in charge of the soldiers. Otto had a habit of wanting to know something about the men he had worked with and he was already familiar with the man's name and some of his military history.

"Sturmscharführer Albrecht? Kriminalkommissar Otto Wolff der Gestapo. Das hier ist mein Assistent Kriminalsekretär Brenner." Otto's voice was low and slightly husky, he nodded briefly towards his assistant as he introduced him. The Kriminalkommissar's serious expression did not change for a moment as he greeted the SS man very matter-of-factly. "Gut um zu sehen, dass Sie bereits hier sind."


Translations:

"Sturmscharführer Albrecht? Kriminalkommissar Otto Wolff der Gestapo. Das hier ist mein Assistent Kriminalsekretär Brenner."
"Sturmscharfuhrer Albrecht? Kriminalkommissar Otto Wolff of the Gestapo. This here is my assistant Kriminalsekretär Brenner."

"Gut um zu sehen, dass Sie bereits hier sind."
"Good to see that you are already here."

[Franz Albrecht]

Location:München, Germany

The days weather conditions enjoyable sunny day, fresh smell of spring in the air, mostly clear blue skys

An Opel Blitz Lkw military transport manoeuvred through the streets of München. The three ton trucks engine hummed as the driver shifted to a higher gear on a straight away, the vehicle rocked as they hit a pot hole in the road. The gears changed once again causing the vehicle to jerk forward.

From the open back of the Opels covering tarp Sturmscharfuhrer Frank Albrecht sat at the tail gate smoking a cigarette watching the scenery go by as they proceeded through the streets. It was a cheerful day all around, spring was a long awaited change from the cold winter that had lurked around for many months of the year.

Even in this time of war the seasons change brought out the best in people, well, those whom some would consider normal anyways, people who lived their daily lives with out the constant requirements of duty. Frankie had never been to München it's self, but Upper Bavaria was a beautiful place and reminded him very much of Austria, the border being close. One time his whole family traveled to Landshut to visit relatives who lived there, it was a joyful time that produced many good memories. This was his first time back since childhood, but the mood was not the same.

Frankie tossed his cigarette butt out and turned his attention to the other men riding in the truck. The SS soldiers aboard wore long field grey coats, apple green M40 single decal helmets bearing the twin black Sieg runes with a white background. Each man wore a belt and harness with MP40 Mag pouches attached, the MP40 it's self resting between their legs or on laps, they sat facing one another stone faced.

Frankie looked across from him to see a young SS Schütze who didn't share the same expression as the rest, he looked nervous, slouched over fingers tapping on his weapon gently. The soldiers eyes would every so often shift towards the others, he suddenly caught Frankie looking at him. The Schütze straightened up, took a deep breath and leaned back as if he was posing to be at ease.

Frank leaned forward signalling the private to do the same, Albrecht spoke calmly, Sorgen Sie sich nicht, jedes Ding ist dabei, fein zu sein. He nodded once, the private returned the nod but remained quiet, the truck suddenly came to a screeching halt. Frankie and the private released the pins on the tail gate causing it to collapse, Albrecht disembarked from the vehicle took several steps away and started shouting, bewegen Sie es schnell! get in a line!.

The SS men quickly got sorted out, counted off to twelve and were ready for inspection. Frankie retrieved his Kar98 from the truck and slung it over his arm. Albrecht looked around while he waited for the Gestapo. The grounds of this location were exquisite, the designs on the old building itself were pleasing through beauty and perfection of the of the fine architectural craftsmanship displayed. The great work of this artist would always be seen and admired by people, he had made his mark here. Frankie wondered what he would do to make his own mark. Not so much to be admired, but to be remembered.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of three black cars pulling into the yard. There was two Mercedes 260D's, the favoured car of the Gestapo, and one marked police car in the convoy. The automobiles halted at the base of the buildings entrance. An aid of some sort rushed and opened the door to one of the unmarked cars, out stepped a serious faced Gestapo officer who cast a commanding vibe instantly.

The tall broad-shouldered officer moved towards Frankie, head held high looking proud with the stride of a gentleman, an aid followed close behind keeping in step. Sturmscharfuhrer Albrecht turned to the squad shouting, Achtung!, as they all came to attention Frankie about-turned coming to attention himself, clicking his heels he threw his right arm in the air, Heil Hitler!.

"Sturmscharführer Albrecht? Kriminalkommissar Otto Wolff der Gestapo. Das hier ist mein Assistent Kriminalsekretär Brenner."

His voice was low and slightly rough. The officer had introduced himself along with the aid who accompanied him. The man now known as Wolf continued, "Gut um zu sehen, dass Sie bereits hier sind."


Frankie stared through him keeping his eyes straight, standing at attention he replied, "Jawhol herr Kriminalkommissar, ich bin Albrecht. Wir kamen gerade bevor Sie Herr Kriminalkommissar".

Translations:
Sorgen Sie sich nicht, jedes Ding ist dabei, fein zu sein
(Do not worry, everything is fine.)
bewegen Sie es schnell!
(Move it fast!)
Achtung!
(Attention!)

Sturmscharführer Albrecht? Kriminalkommissar Otto Wolff der Gestapo. Das hier ist mein Assistent Kriminalsekretär Brenner
(Sturmscharfuhrer Albrecht? Kriminalkommissar Otto Wolff of the Gestapo. This here is my assistant Kriminalsekretär Brenner)

Gut um zu sehen, dass Sie bereits hier sind
( Good to see that you are already here)

Jawhol herr Kriminalkommissar, ich bin Albrecht. Wir kamen gerade bevor Sie Herr Kriminalkommissar".
(Yes Mr. Detective superintendent, I am Albrecht. We came just before you Mr. Detective superintendent)

[Otto Wolff]

The men of the SS were quick to respond to the Kriminalkommissar's presence and Otto nodded, raising his hand and responding with a slightly less enthusiastic "Heil Hitler". It was not because he would have not felt proud saying those words, on the contrary. He was just damn tired of repeating the phrase and the gesture hundreds of times during his day and sometime during the afternoon the enthusiasm for such formalities just seemed to slowly fade away.

Otto studied Albrecht in an assertive manner, his dark eyes slightly squinted. This Sturmscharführer seemed quite like the ordinary, upstanding member of the Waffen-SS and to Otto there was neither anything remarkable or out of the ordinary regarding the man. "Jawhol herr Kriminalkommissar, ich bin Albrecht. Wir kamen gerade bevor Sie Herr Kriminalkommissar," the man said in a stern tone and Otto nodded at him. The size of the SS force was more than enough for Otto's purposes. He was not expecting much resistance, but it never hurt to be sure.

"Sehr gut. Ich hätte gern einige Wörter mit Ihnen, Sturmscharführer," Otto said and turned to look at Kriminalsekretär Brenner, who already handed a folded piece of paper to the Kriminalkommissar. The younger Gestapo officer was wearing civilian clothes and he stayed behind as Otto glanced at Albrecht, nodding at him and starting to slowly walk towards the police vehicles. He made sure that Albrecht was walking next to him before he spoke again.

"Ich sah Ihre Dossier, Sturmscharführer. Es scheint, dass Sie an etwas ähnlichen Aufgaben früher teilgenommen haben?" the Kriminalkommissar asked once they had moved a comfortable distance away from the SS men. His tone of voice stayed low and pleasantly conversational as he spoke. No doubt Albrecht could already guess what kind of things might have caught the Gestapo officer's attention regarding his military history. The Kriminalkommissar looked much like a man who took his work very seriously and who wanted to make absolutely sure that there would be no slip-ups in anything he was in charge of.

"Ich bemerkte auch, dass Sie einige... Unstimmigkeiten mit Ihren Ordnungen an einem Punkt hatten, bin ich richtig? Ich weiß, dass das eine Sache ist, die bereits gesetzt worden ist. Aber wollen gerade wir sagen, dass ich gern wissen, mit welchen Männern ich arbeite." The older man stopped near the black Mercedes and his strangely dark blue eyes settled on the Sturmscharführer. It was not hard to see why a man such as Otto Wolff had chosen a career in the Geheime Staatspolizei. The tall man's gaze was sharp and penetrating, making him appear as a person who might easily see through flimsy lies.

The dark-haired Kriminalkommissar moved his hands behind his back and the edge of his overcoat moved away just enough to reveal the golden party badge pinned to the man's uniform. The coveted badge made it quite clear where the Gestapo officer's loyalties lied and obviously Otto wanted to hear just the right answer to his question. The ribbon of the man's Iron Cross also revealed that the man was a veteran of the Great War. Otto arched an eyebrow at the SS man inquisitively. "Vielleicht würde der Sturmscharführer Wert darauf legen, mich zu unterhalten und mich die Gründe hinter dieser Entscheidung zu erklären?"


Translations:

"Sehr gut. Ich hätte gern einige Wörter mit Ihnen, Sturmscharführer."
"Very good. I would like to have a few words with you, Sturmscharführer."

"Ich sah Ihre Dossier, Sturmscharführer. Es scheint, dass Sie an etwas ähnlichen Aufgaben früher teilgenommen haben?"
"I took a look at your file, Sturmscharführer. It seems that you have taken part in somewhat similar tasks earlier?"

"Ich bemerkte auch, dass Sie einige... Unstimmigkeiten mit Ihren Ordnungen an einem Punkt hatten, bin ich richtig? Ich weiß, dass das eine Sache ist, die bereits gesetzt worden ist. Aber wollen gerade wir sagen, dass ich gern wissen, mit welchen Männern ich arbeite."
"I also noted that you had some... disagreements with your orders at some point, am I correct? I know this is a matter that has been already settled. But let's just say that I like to know what kind of men I am working with."

"Vielleicht würde der Sturmscharführer Wert darauf legen, mich zu unterhalten und mich die Gründe hinter dieser Entscheidung zu erklären?"
"Maybe the Sturmscharführer would care to entertain me and explain me the reasons behind that decision?"

[Franz Albrecht]

Frank remained still while the Gestapo officer eyed him. Wolf looked to be in his late 40's or early 50's. He had dark blue eyes and thinning brown hair, visible on the sides of his visor cap which was placed neatly on his head. After those quiet few moments Wolf spoke,

"Sehr gut. Ich hätte gern einige Wörter mit Ihnen, Sturmscharführer."


Frankie gave a single nod showing he acknowledged Wolfs request. He noticed a piece of paper had been given to Wolf by the plain clothed Herr Brenner who stayed in the back silently observing the events taking place. Herr Wolf signalled Albrecht to come with a head gesture then he slowly started walking. Frankie moved to the side of the Kriminalkommissar and together they strolled slowly towards the parked cars, Frankie figured he knew what this was about. The Gestapo knew everything about everyone, they made it their business to know it all.

"Ich sah Ihre Dossier, Sturmscharführer. Es scheint, dass Sie an etwas ähnlichen Aufgaben früher teilgenommen haben?"

The Kriminalkommissar spoke in a low voice quickly glancing over his shoulder, he spoke pleasantly as if he were in a general conversation with anyone, "Ich bemerkte auch, dass Sie einige... Unstimmigkeiten mit Ihren Ordnungen an einem Punkt hatten, bin ich richtig? Ich weiß, dass das eine Sache ist, die bereits gesetzt worden ist. Aber wollen gerade wir sagen, dass ich gern wissen, mit welchen Männern ich arbeite."

Wolf stopped beside the black Mercedes, he scowled at Frankie with a glare that looked as if he read the Sturmscharfuhrer's thoughts, even before he thought them himself. This was the most intense look anyone had ever given him. In the early days Frankie seen allot of officers in Kripo, Sipo and the SD, none of them had ever phased him like Kriminalkommissar Wolf did. This man was good at his job, a real professional who should be taken seriously.

The young Frank admired this about his superior, he had respect for Herr Wolf having nothing other than the truth to tell him. Wolf placed his hands behind his back revealing the awards attached to his tunic. He wore a Gold Nazi Party badge and a WW1 Iron Cross Ribbon,

"Vielleicht würde der Sturmscharführer Wert darauf legen, mich zu unterhalten und mich die Gründe hinter dieser Entscheidung zu erklären?"


Sturmscharfuhrer Albrecht nodded twice, his eyes shifted from the Gestapo officers stare to the ground as he began to speak. The story obviously wasn't one of his favourites to tell. Frankie cleared his throat then spoke quietly,

Sir, in Poland..my superiors received a message from Obergruppenführer Heydrich himself. The order was to kill anyone belonging to groups that were considered hostile to our occupation. We killed Poles..of the upper class, uhh..preists, teachers..anyone who clearly displayed the Polish national identity.

After a brief pause he continued to speak, eyes still on the ground.

In Russia, I remember it being July.. many Jews were condemned to death mercilessly without compassion. Men, women, and... t..the..others as well. Our orders were mostly to shoot men, but as the summer went on our superiors changed their minds...age or sex no longer mattered. This started to take a heavy toll on morale sir...we heard Einsatzgruppe A in Latvia were the worst.

Frankie raised his head staring right into the officers eyes,

" Babi Yar, just outside Kiev. A mass grave had been dug in advance, we waited for the prisoners to arrive. Everyone knew what was going to happen, just as before. We take their belongings and they are shot. The ones who didn't die from the bullets, were buried alive..we even heard rumours of cases where they would dig their way out..but anyways sir, I was ordered to shoot this woman in the hole. She stared up at me blankly and spoke calmly, 'Why? why do you want to kill me soldier?', I realised I had no reason, no right to shoot this woman, she has done nothing to me and has not offended anyone here. What do I tell her I thought, Nothing, I have nothing to tell her. If I cannot justify my means so I may understand them for myself sir, what kind of man does it make me?"

Frankie's face remained blank, his eyes cold, I respectfully rejected the order Herr Wolfe. I raised in a strong Roman Catholic family, taught that god has created mankind..i could not be responsible for another killing, taking from him. One can only ignore it for so long. I was arrested and the woman was shot by another man. I obey orders sir. I am Loyal to what we stand for. Germans and Austrians united as one, more powerful then we ever were. I came prepared to do what it takes for total victory sir, but not that.

Treu, Tapfer, Gehorsam"Herr Wolfe.

Frankie waited quietly for a responce.

Translations...

"Sehr gut. Ich hätte gern einige Wörter mit Ihnen, Sturmscharführer."
"Very good. I would like to have a few words with you, Sturmscharführer."

"Ich sah Ihre Dossier, Sturmscharführer. Es scheint, dass Sie an etwas ähnlichen Aufgaben früher teilgenommen haben?"
"I took a look at your file, Sturmscharführer. It seems that you have taken part in somewhat similar tasks earlier?"

"Ich bemerkte auch, dass Sie einige... Unstimmigkeiten mit Ihren Ordnungen an einem Punkt hatten, bin ich richtig? Ich weiß, dass das eine Sache ist, die bereits gesetzt worden ist. Aber wollen gerade wir sagen, dass ich gern wissen, mit welchen Männern ich arbeite."
"I also noted that you had some... disagreements with your orders at some point, am I correct? I know this is a matter that has been already settled. But let's just say that I like to know what kind of men I am working with."

"Vielleicht würde der Sturmscharführer Wert darauf legen, mich zu unterhalten und mich die Gründe hinter dieser Entscheidung zu erklären?"
"Maybe the Sturmscharführer would care to entertain me and explain me the reasons behind that decision?"

Treu, Tapfer, Gehorsam
( Loyal, Valiant, Obedient)

[Otto Wolff]

For some reason the Sturmscharführer could not keep looking at the Gestapo officer and before he started his story, his gaze shifted from Otto to the ground. Still, Otto kept looking at the other man as he recounted his memories relating to events that took place in Poland and Russia. Most of the story the Kriminalkommissar was already familiar with, having read the SS soldier's file earlier, but the reports did not reflect on the feelings and thoughts of the individual soldier.

Albrecht found it in himself to look at Otto once again as he continued his tale, obviously finding it somewhat difficult to return to these memories of shooting prisoners. The only sign of any emotion from Otto Wolff came when the Sturmscharführer came to the part of his story where a woman had asked him why he wanted to shoot her and Albrecht had realized that he did not want to act according to his orders. The Kriminalkommissar arched an eyebrow at the man, but still stayed silent, letting the man finish his story before commenting on it. Albrecht went on to explain his background, saying that he was from a Catholic family and had been raised to believe in God.

Otto himself was not a believer, although he had taken great interest in Christianity at one point of his life. Still, he was a man of hard facts and science and had not found it easy understanding the concepts and the beliefs surrounding religion apart from purely mythological sense. He hardly had time to consider such things these days and leaving the Church was considered as some kind of a proof of devotion to the Nazi party. He did not pray, read the Bible or belong to the church himself. Still, Otto did not feel that it was any of his business judging what other people believed, no matter how strange the concepts might appear to him.

The Sturmscharführer ended his tale with assurances of his loyalty, although to Otto his story and his promises seemed somewhat contradicting. The Kriminalkommissar nodded briefly and considered his story for a while, before speaking up in his low voice once again. "Ich habe solche Dinge gesehen, vorher mit Männern zu geschehen, die sich weigern, ihre Aufgaben zu tun, wenn es zu diesen Ausrottungen kommt. Ich schätze irgendwie, dass ich sie wirklich, aber andererseits verstehe... Das Vaterland braucht starke Männer, und manchmal stark zu sein, kann bedeuten, dass Sie Aufgaben durchführen müssen, die Sie hart finden zu erledigen. Manchmal kann es hart sein, das große Bild hinter Dingen zu sehen, und dann kann es auch schwierig sein, die Gründe hinter den Sachen zu verstehen, die wir machen müssen," Otto said, his gaze shifting somewhere up in the sky for a moment.

"Aber mindestens haben Sie ehrlich gesprochen, und ich kann das schätzen. Ich hoffe, dass Sie später widerspiegeln, was ich Ihnen erzählt habe. Wie es geschieht, verlangt die Aufgabe, die wir vor uns haben, nicht, dass Sie irgendjemanden bis auf die Situation schießen, wo Sie Ihr eigenes Leben von diesem von anderen verteidigen müssen." The man produced the folded paper from behind his back, opening it and turning around. He straightened up the document, which now revealed itself to be a floor plan of a house. The man placed it on the hood of the Mercedes, smoothening out the paper with his hand. The layout included only two floors of the house, but apparently that was enough for this particular mission.

"Weil Sie sehen können, ist das hier das Erdgeschoss. Hier haben wir den Keller, das ist, wovon die Verbrecher gearbeitet haben. Diese Gänge und sind auch die Stufen nicht sehr breit, so werden Sie am wahrscheinlichsten vom Senden des minimalen Betrags von Männern besser sein, brauchen Sie für den Job. Es gibt drei große Zimmer im Keller und dem Heizungskeller hier. Es gibt keinen anderen Durchgang vom Keller außer den Stufen so, sobald Sie angreifen, haben sie ausweglos," Otto's finger moved on the map to point out the various locations as he spoke.

Moving his gaze back to Albrecht, Otto regarded the man again. "Es gibt sechs von ihnen, sie alle, im Keller in dieser Zeit arbeitend. Höchstens haben sie nur einige Waffen, und wenn wir sie außer Dienst fangen, werden sie keine Zeit haben, sie zu verwenden. Ich möchte, dass das mit dem minimalen Blutvergießen und vorzugsweise keinen Leichnamen überhaupt geschähe. Aber wenn Sie oder Ihre Männer sich in einer Situation finden, wo Ihre Leben bedroht werden, dann tun Sie, was Sie müssen. Jeder Fragen?"


Translations:

"Ich habe solche Dinge gesehen, vorher mit Männern zu geschehen, die sich weigern, ihre Aufgaben zu tun, wenn es zu diesen Ausrottungen kommt.."
"I have seen such things happening before, with men refusing to do their duties when it comes to these exterminations. I guess in some way I do understand them, but then again... The Fatherland needs strong men and sometimes being strong can mean that you have to perform tasks you find hard to do. Sometimes it can be hard to see the big picture behind things and then it can also be difficult to understand the reasons behind the things we must do."

"Aber mindestens haben Sie ehrlich gesprochen, und ich kann das schätzen..."
"But at least you have spoken truthfully and I can appreciate that. I hope you reflect later on what I have told you. As it happens, the task we have ahead of us does not require you to shoot anyone, save for the situation where you must defend your own life of that of others."

"Weil Sie sehen können, ist das hier das Erdgeschoss..."
"As you can see, this here is the ground floor. Here we have the cellar, this is where the criminals have been working from. These corridors and also the stairs are not very wide, so you will most likely be better off sending the minimum amount of men you need for the job. There are three large rooms in the cellar and the boiler room, here. There is no other passage from the cellar except the stairs, so once you attack, they have no way out."

"Es gibt sechs von ihnen, sie alle, im Keller in dieser Zeit arbeitend..."
"There are six of them, all of them working in the basement at this time. At most, they only have a few weapons and if we catch them off guard, they will have no time to use them. I wish this to happen with minimal bloodshed and preferably no corpses at all. But if you or your men find yourselves in a situation where your lives are being threatened, then you do what you must. Any questions?"

[Franz Albrecht]

Sturmscharfuhrer Albrecht listened quietly as the Gestapo officer spoke. He nodded in agreement to what he was being told, Frankie responded once Wolfe had finished,

"Ja, Kriminalkommissar, Ich verstehe"

The Sturmscharfuhrer looked over the floor plans displayed in front of them, he paid attention as wolf explained the details of the raid. Frankie tried to memorise each of the rooms and their locations, he would have to brief the men afterwards. The terrorists operated in the basement but could be anywhere in the residence. It was close quarters and could turn bad at any given moment. Everyone needed to know their place.

Sturmscharfuhrer Albrecht responded, " I will deploy 5 of my men to the sides and rear of the residence, making it so no one escapes. At the same time, five men including myself will stack up and make entry on the front door. After we are inside, the ground floor will be cleared enabling us to continue towards the cellar."

He placed his finger on the map and slid it over to the stairs,"Here, is the tricky part. The criminals will know we have breached the house, meaning we no longer have the element of surprise on our side. No need to worry though, we will take care of it properly. I have always found that flats and apartments are easier to raid."

Frankie reached inside his great coat and removed a package of cigarettes. Placing one to his lips he used an SS field lighter. The Sturmscharfuhrer then offered one to Otto. Albrecht replied to the Kriminalkommissar's request for questions about the operation,


als eine Antwort auf Ihre Bitte bezüglich Fragen Herr Wolff, was der Dokumente gefunden innen?

Frank prayed this went well, hopefully these criminals did not react with violence. If they choose to do so, the fault would be their own. All of the SS men would be told to hold their fire unless necessary. Albrecht wanted these people off the streets, stop them from spreading their anti-Nazi propaganda. It was was bad for morale, and it caused some to question the Führer.

Questioning the Führer was not smart. Hitler had specific ways of dealing with his enemies, Frankie had carried out many arrests while in service with the SS. There were times when the charges against the prisoner were unclear, but that was none of Albrecht’s business so he chose never to ask any more questions. Even if he did, he would get the famous answer of, " It’s none of our concern".

He enjoyed another puff from his cigarette, awaiting for Wolffs response....



Translations:
Ja, Ich verstehe
(Yes, I understand)
Als eine Antwort auf Ihre Bitte bezüglich Fragen
(as an answer to your request with regard to questions)
der Dokumente gefunden innen?
(what of the documents found inside?)

[Otto Wolff]

As Otto was pointing out the dangerous spots of the building and telling the Sturmscharführer how he wanted the operation to proceed, the SS man listened to him attentively, staring at the map. Otto knew well the risks of conducting an assault in such confined spaces, but he trusted that the surprise would work decisively to their advantage. They didn't need much, they only needed to make sure that none of these activists made it off the scene and hope that they would be too scared out of their wits to put up any resistance.

After Otto had finished his short briefing, Albrecht pondered for a small moment before explaining how he would be deploying his men. Otto only nodded slightly, adding something when it came to stationing some men outside the building. "Die Männer außerhalb des Gebäudes sollten auch sicherstellen, dass irgendwelche Bürger frei der Szene bleiben, obwohl ich sicher bin, dass sie klar freiwillig steuern werden... Ich habe einen in Zivilkleidung verkleideten Offizier von der Gestapo in der Nähe, aber er wird nicht handeln es sei denn, dass etwas Unerwartetes kommt."

The Sturmscharführer pulled out a package of cigarettes, offering them to the Gestapo officer, but Otto declined politely, his mind still working on the details of the raid. He was hoping for a quick and easy raid and also being able to have most of the interrogations done by some of the new young officers of Staatspolizei. It would be good and valuable practice to them and Otto expected that it would be a relatively simple task to break these particular activists into confessing their crimes and giving the Gestapo more names related to the local underground. Otto himself had bigger fish to catch elsewhere and the younger agents would be able to showcase their talents this way.

Otto arched an eyebrow and glanced at Albrecht as he asked about the documents they would most likely find at the scene. The Kriminalkommissar grabbed the map from the hood of the Mercedes and started folding it up carefully. "Irgendwelche innerhalb des Gebäudes gefundenen Dokumente sind für die Staatspolizei, um sich darüber zu sorgen, wir werden darauf aufpassen. Die einzige Aufgabe, über die Sie und Ihre Männer sich in diesem Fall sorgen müssen, ist der sichere und effiziente detainment der Verbrecher, nichts anderen. Machen Sie es schnell, hoffen Sie, dass niemand geschossen werden muss, und das wird ganz getan und mit in weniger als zwei Stunden."

Otto's dark eyes settled on Albrecht again. "Sie können gehen und Ihre Männer, Sturmscharführer einweisen. Wir werden in zehn Minuten abreisen. Die Polizeifahrzeuge werden am Punkt fahren, und Sie werden im Blitz folgen. Seien Sie bereit, Männer einzusetzen, sobald der Lastwagen zu einem Halt vor dem Gebäude kommt, ist Geschwindigkeit von der Essenz. Ich denke, dass alle sein sollte. Heil Hitler," the Gestapo officer said matter-of-factly, turning around to discuss the raid with the police forces before they would be setting off.

"Alles ist in Ordnung, Brenner. Wir werden kurz abreisen, der Sturmscharführer wird seine Männer befragen. Behalten Sie Ihre Pistole am bereiten, Sie können nie zu sorgfältig sein," Otto said in a low voice to the younger Gestapo officer, who nodded, padding the front of his jacket to denote that he was carrying his gun. Otto grunted low in his throat and proceeded towards the police vehicle to tell the uniformed officers that they would be setting off soon. Soon Otto settled sitting into the black unmarked Mercedes, glancing at his watch. The cars were starting up and Brenner climbed quickly into the car as it's engine rumbled to life, the convoy of vehicles soon turning around in front of the luxurious old building, heading off towards east.


Translations:

"Die Männer außerhalb des Gebäudes sollten auch sicherstellen, dass irgendwelche Bürger frei der Szene bleiben..."
"The men outside the building should also make sure that any civilians stay clear of the scene, although I'm sure they will steer clear voluntarily... I have one plainclothes officer from the Gestapo nearby, but he will not act unless something unexpected comes up."

"Irgendwelche innerhalb des Gebäudes gefundenen Dokumente sind für die Staatspolizei, um sich darüber zu sorgen, wir werden darauf aufpassen..."
"Any documents found inside the building are for the State Police to worry about, we will take care of that. The only task you and your men need to worry about in this case, is the safe and efficient detainment of the criminals, nothing else. Make it fast, hope nobody needs to get shot and this all will be done and over with in less than two hours."

"Sie können gehen und Ihre Männer, Sturmscharführer einweisen..."
"You may go and brief your men, Sturmscharführer. We will be leaving in ten minutes. The police vehicles will drive at the point and you will follow in the Blitz. Be prepared to deploy men as soon as the truck comes to a halt in front of the building, speed is of the essence. I think that should be all. Heil Hitler."

"Alles ist in Ordnung, Brenner..."
"Everything is in order, Brenner. We will be leaving shortly, the Sturmscharführer will be debriefing his men. Keep your pistol at the ready, you can never be too careful."

[Franz Albrecht]

The Sturmscharfuhrer nodded in agreement, “I will have my men insure that nothing gets in or out of our perimeter“. The Gestapo officer declined the smoke politely, Frankie could tell he was still working out the details of the raid within his mind. Albrecht knew exactly what he must do, these were always risky operations but they were vital to national security.

The French resistance was a serious thorn in the side for the 3rd Reich. They targeted rail ways, fuel depots, produced venomous anti Nazi litterateur, they even assassinated officers from both the Whermacht and SS. This was unacceptable, these people were declared terrorists by Hitler himself and had to be dealt with accordingly.

When the KrimminalKommissar had finished having retrieved the map from the hood of the Mercedes, Frankie tossed his cigarette to the ground coming to attention with a click of his heels, in one motion his right arm up flew in the air

“jawohl Herr KrimminalKommissar! alles wird ausgeführt”

Albrecht’s icy blue eyes met Wolff’s dark gaze, “zehn Minuten werden wir Ihnen folgen, Meine Männer werden schnell handeln, Heil Hitler!”

Frankie watched as Wolff strode towards the Police officers, he saw him speak to the young Gestapo officer he had called, Brenner, the policemen patted his jacket. Albrecht spun around and went to address his men,

“The Resistance is spreading illegal propaganda. The things they are saying are forbidden as you know. The constant threat of the resistance is always there. Each and every day. It is your duty as soldiers of the SS to deliver the devastating blow to these criminals. They speak with hatred and act with violence against us”.

Albrecht walked to the end of the line and made his way to the other end. Looking in the eyes of each man as he past by him,

“One day it will be broken up, and if it is reorganized, it will be broken up again!. You and I will have a part in this together."

The Sturmscharfuhrer took a few steps backward watching the stone faced soldiers standing perfectly still before him, “Scharführer! Kommen Sie hier!”.

Scharführer Frederik Liebehenschel stepped out of line, coming to attention. Frankie signalled him to come over with a flick of his wrist. Albrecht explained the whole plan down to the last detail. He made sure to stress the fact they had to act quickly. The Scharführer was instructed to brief the men quickly and make sure everyone knew their place.

Frankie walked over the Opel he was riding in. He opened the door and removed his greatcoat tossing it on the front seat. The strumscharfuhrer put on his belt with a P08 Lugar holster attached to the right side. He drew the pistol, removed the magazine and checked the weapons action.

Everything was in order. He slid the mag back into the handle of the weapon and cocked it before placing it back on his side. The sound of engines caused Frankie to turn around, noticed Brenner and Herr Wolf were getting ready to pull out of the driveway, “Ausziehen! Schnell!! he shouted to his men, they all scrambled for the trucks.

Everyone was loaded up and good to go. The vehicles turned around in the government buildings driveway heading East. Frankie rolled down the passenger window in the Opel's cab and lit another cigarette, he noticed the civilians shooting careful glances at the convoy as it rolled through the streets. No one would make eye contact with them, when it did happen they instanly looked to the ground.

Frankie sat back in his seat and turned the radio on,

You wait where that lantern softly gleams.
Your sweet face seems
To haunt my dreams,
My Lily of the Lamplight,
My own Lily Marlene....


The soft words were relaxing, Albrecht started to hum along with the German love song. He knew it was written in the trenches of the first world war by a young private in the form of a poem to a loved one. "Das Mädchen unter der Laterne" it was called, German for the girl under the lantern. It became famous as "Lili Marleen".

Translations:

jawohl Herr KrimminalKommissar! alles wird ausgeführt
(Yes Sir, everything is explained)

Zehn Minuten werden wir Ihnen folgen, Meine Männer werden schnell handeln, Heil Hitler
(Ten minutes we will follow you, my men will act fast, Heil Hitler)

Scharführer! Kommen Sie hier
(Come here)
Ausziehen! Schnell
(Depart, Hurry!)

[Otto Wolff]

Otto hardly paid attention to the various old buildings flashing by as the convoy of vehicles made it's way through the many streets of München. The man was buried deep in his thoughts, stroking his chin with his fingers. It couldn't be only those six people spreading this propaganda about. From the information Otto had been presented with, these flyers rallying people against the National Socialists had been spread very efficiently over a large area, mostly in schools and even some government buildings. The flyers had clearly targeted places where the German youth gathered up together, maybe hoping to sway the minds of younger people easier than those of the adults. This could have hinted that the perpetrators themselves were also very young, usually hanging around in these very same places they were so vigorously concentrating their little campaign on.

If this was truly the case, it would be a shame if the Waffen-SS was forced to use more violent methods. Seeing young people get killed never worked well with the common people, even if they were considered criminals. Hopefully these people would realize that no amount of heroics would be enough to save them from one whole platoon of soldiers and a handful of police officers. The biggest concern Otto had over the arrest was that the criminals would realize the hopelessness of the situation and aim to take out as many soldiers with them as they could, dying as martyrs for the underground resistance. Although he had all the trust in the fact that the Waffen-SS would easily kill every last one of the criminals in a matter of few seconds if needed, he really hoped it would not come to that. The criminals were much more valuable alive, although not valuable enough to warrant loosing any soldiers of the Waffen-SS.

The Gestapo officer glanced out of the window of the Mercedes, recognizing the street they were on. They were nearly at their destination and the broad-shouldered man placed his hand briefly on the holster of his Luger, as if to make sure that the pistol was there. It was merely an instinctive gesture, Otto was always very precise and careful with everything he did and he certainly knew all the items he was carrying with him. He almost leaned forward in his seat to give the driver some orders, but he realized that the man already knew what to do and would be smart enough to stop the Mercedes intelligently enough to leave room for the larger Blitz with the soldiers. Otto's muscles tensed up as they arrived to the correct street. The group of black cars passes by the main door and stopped some distance away from it, allowing the Blitz to stop in front of the door.

Otto pushed the door of the Mercedes open, Brenner quickly appearing by his side. Civilians were nervously making their way away from the scene, leaving little for the SS and police forces to manage outside. The Kriminalkommissar's eyes scanned over the civilians, stopping on a young man in a brown coat. He had been left standing in his place, his eyes wide with horror, and as he realized that the Gestapo officer was looking straight at him, he turned around and ran. "Derjenige, schnapp ihn!" Otto pointed at the running man, sending three police officers sprinting after the fugitive.

At the front door, the SS members were already swarming out of the truck, ready to enter the building. Otto glanced at the police officers running after the young man, but soon turned his attention back at the actual operation. The fugitive wouldn't get far with Gestapo on his tail and Otto wanted to see to the actual operation itself. He was going to let the SS go in first and follow after them to make sure that things were done just the way he had instructed. Otto always had trouble staying away from the action. It was his operation and of course he wanted to be there when the criminals finally got arrested. The Kriminalkommissar moved towards the Blitz with long, determined strides, opening up the button of his gun holster as he walked.


Translation:

"Derjenige, schnapp ihn!"
"That one, get him!"

[Franz Albrecht]

As the convoy continued to move through the streets, Frankie carefully thought how he would execute the plan. These criminals would be dealt with swiftly, any resistance would be met with force. The arrest of enemies against the state was necessary to maintain everyone’s belief in national socialism. If people were allowed to spread these leaflets all through German cities and towns it may change the outlook the citizens had of the Fuehrer.

That was unacceptable in Albrecht’s opinion. The Fuehrer was responsible for bringing Germany out of a depression, putting food on everyone’s table, creating jobs, making her strong again. It was every Germans calling to defend their way of life. No matter what enemy presented themselves they would be destroyed.

The SS hated the resistance with a passion, many of the Reich's soldiers and officers had been killed by them. Bridges and railways were destroyed. Convoys were being ambushed by partisans who are supplied by the allies in exchange for information. Frank remembered the time when he intercepted an English drop outside of Caen. It was December, The SD had been tipped off by a local agent who told them the drop location. They required Waffen SS soldiers for muscle.

Frankie was placed in command of a Storm group. The group consisted of 20 men and a halftrack that was armed with an MG42. The night was cold, a snow had fallen during the day. The mission was overseen by a Hauptsturmführer Kessler. The Allied plane flew over and dropped the supplies, the marquis were seen emerging from the forest to retrieve them. The marquis were organised clusters of armed men and women who fought to free France from Nazi occupation.

Albrecht blew his whistle, two spot lights snapped on casting their powerful beams across field as flare was fired into the sky. Frankie could since their fear, a random shot rang out or it could have been the flare exploding into light, he gave the order, "schießen!", everything opened up on them all at once.

The Opel screeched to a halt, Frank found himself staring at the floor, snapping out of it he looked up too see rows of buildings on both sides of the street. The police vehicles had stopped ahead of them allowing space for the large truck to pull in. The Sturmscharfuhrer's muscles tensed and his combat alertness was on the rise.

Frankie hopped out of the vehicles cab and slammed the door. Opening the flap on his holster he drew his Lugar flicking the safety off. Suddenly Otto's voice echoed through the air and a man was seen running from the scene wearing a dark jacket. The Waffen SS soldiers had already dropped the gate on the Opel and were running to their positions, Civilians were quickly clearing the area.

Albrecht jogged up to the front door followed by five men with MP40 sub machine guns. He glanced through the small window, it looked clear. After trying the knob he looked at the SS soldiers to his rear, "geschlossen, Bruch es", Scharführer Frederik Liebehenschel stepped forward and kicked the door with such force it broke the lock and flung open, "Schutzstaffel! Gestapo!!", shouted Frankie as they rushed through the opening.

As they made their way through the narrow corridor Frankie told his men, "Check for corners!,". The ground floor was clear and the cellar door came into view. It was shut, Sturmscharfuhrer Albrecht moved forward and gave it a boot. It flew open revealing stairs on the other side. The cellar was dark, someone had turned off the lights, "Scharführer offenes Feuer!", Liebehenschel went prone squeezing the trigger of the MP40, "Tatata-tatataT", the shots echoed through the house, Albrecht hoped that would change their minds about making any defensive action,

Frankie shouted, "Hände auf! ,we know you are down there, machen Sie die Lichter an! If you do not obey we will kill you all!". The SS Sturmscharfuhrer was just about to storm the cellar when he heard a voice from below, "Schießen Sie uns nicht, wir geben auf!", suddenly the lights turned on.

The SS men thundered down the stairs entering the first room of three. It had been clear so they moved slowly into the next to see four young men with their hands high in the air. Fear was visible on their faces as they stood perfectly still. Frankie looked around, there was allot of paper about, along with type writers and a new printing press. A Walther P38 was placed on a table atop of a paper stack. Albrecht moved forward picking it up, he then trained it on the boys who looked as if their were anywhere from 16-18 years of age. Frankie was shocked by their appearance, young Germans such as these? why? he asked himself staring at them stone faced.

Frank glanced over his right shoulder towards the Scharführer, "Fetch Herr Wolff Liebehenschel, the rest of you detain them". The Waffen SS soldiers searched the young men then pushed them up against a wall, weapons trained on them. Albrecht looked around the room then he remembered something Wolff had told him, "Gentlemen, there is one of you missing...where is he?", Frankie turned to the prisoners.

Translations:

Geschlossen, Bruch es
(It's locked, Break it)

Schießen
(Shoot)

Scharführer, offenes Feuer
(Sgt, open fire)

Hände auf
(Hands up)

Machen Sie die Lichter an
(Turn on the lights)

Schießen Sie uns nicht, wir geben auf
(Do not shoot us, we surrender)

[Otto Wolff]

Otto's jackboots clicked on the pavement as he made his way to the Opel Blitz and the group of Waffen-SS. The door was apparently locked and the Sturmscharführer was already telling the men to just break it down. Otto knew better than to get in their way, he wasn't here to wave a gun around like a big damn hero. His only task was to oversee the operation and even though he did not want to stay completely back from everything that was happening, he wasn't going to endanger his own life needlessly, either. The wooden door creaked as a Scharführer forcefully kicked it, the lock cracking open almost effortlessly, allowing the door to swing open.

The soldiers poured inside the building, Albrecht yelling a warning to the resistance to make sure they knew that both the Schutzstaffel and Gestapo were present. If these criminals had any sense in their heads, they would know better than to put up a fight when faced with opposition such as this. Otto stood calmly nearby, observing as the men stormed into the corridor, a loud crash of another broken door echoing from inside the building. The Kriminalkommissar moved the sleeve of his uniform up slightly to glance at his watch. They were exactly on time, although nothing else could be expected from an operation run by the punctual Gestapo officer. He liked to do things in a timely and efficient manner, a habit which could really be considered quite characteristic to a German.

Brenner was standing right nearby and Otto raised his hand in a negative gesture. "Ich denke, dass es besser ist, wenn Sie hier bleiben, um sicherzustellen, dass es keine Schwierigkeiten von den Bürgern geben wird. Sieh diesem Mann, der davonlief, bin ich sicher, dass sie ihn sehr bald zurückbringen werden," Otto said and Brenner nodded, although he didn't quite agree on Otto going into the cellar, either. He wasn't really needed in the middle of all the danger, but Brenner knew that Otto had this silly habit of going to great lengths to make sure that the job was done right. The younger Gestapo officer turned around, making his way back towards the police vehicles and Otto's attention was turned back to the ongoing assault.

After the Waffen-SS had made their way downstairs and into the cellar, Otto stepped inside, carefully moving along the dark corridor. The sound of a MP40 firing echoed in the corridor, surely rendering the men downstairs nearly deaf for a good moment. Even Otto's ears ringed after the loud sound, and he had not even made his way downstairs yet. The man frowned, stopping in the corridor and listening to any further sounds of a firefight, but there were none. He could hear a familiar voice, which could only belong to Albrecht, yelling for the criminals to stick their hands up. Otto had already started to descend the stairs leading down to the basement, when a Waffen-SS soldier came running up hastily, almost running head in to the Gestapo officer.

Otto gave the young Scharführer a nasty scowl and the man seemed thrown off by the older man's expression for a while, the words not finding their way out of his mouth at first. "Herr Kriminalkommissar, die Verbrecher sind verhaftet worden, Sturmscharführer Albrecht sagte mir, Sie herbeizuholen," the Scharführer managed to blurt out, licking his dry lips nervously. Otto grunted. "Weil Sie sehen können, brauche ich nicht herbeigeholt zu werden, junger Mann. Weitergehen," the Kriminalkommissar motioned for the man to get out of his way, the Scharführer hastening his steps as he went back down the stairs.

The Kriminalkommissar followed the man in a much more composed manner, he was not one to dart around like a high-strung squirrel. The Scharführer was already in the room with the rest of the soldiers and the criminals, who had been now forced to stand against the wall, multitude of weapons pointed at them. The Gestapo officer's dark eyes swiveled over the detainees and the man nodded to himself, letting out a quiet humph as his earlier thoughts were confirmed. It was as he had guessed; these criminals were nothing more than a group of overzealous, misguided school children. It was a shame to see German youth succumbing to such weakness, but obviously they could now plainly see just how foolish they had been. Of the four young men, two were trembling uncontrollably, the weaker one even sobbing in terror when faced with the infamous Waffen-SS.

The room had scarce lighting and the floor was littered with papers. It was a very amateurish operation and the young men had painstakingly typed each flyer by hand, using two old typewriters resting on the tables. For the amount of flyers they had released in various places over München, they must have been working with the writing day and night. What a waste it was...! How much better things they could have achieved doing the same amount of work for the National Socialists and the Führer. Otto was quite saddened by the mere thought of wasting such resources, but he reminded himself of the fact that most young people of their age were at least more interested in doing something decent for the Fatherland.

The Sturmscharführer stared at the fresh prisoners, looking around in a thoughtful fashion. "Gentlemen, there is one of you missing...where is he?" the SS soldier asked and Otto's hand went for the holster of his pistol, merely out of pure instinct. It was true, the Gestapo agent observing the building had given Otto the number of the supposed criminals just earlier and it seemed that one of them was missing. The boy who seemed oldest of the bunch, glanced behind him over his shoulder, still keeping his hands up carefully as he did so. "Es gibt niemanden Vermisste, das ist wir alle, ich schwöre auf das Grab meiner Mutter!" the sandy-haired boy exclaimed, his voice trembling.

"Das ist gelogen, Junge," Otto answered, his voice low but strong. "Einer von Ihnen wurde außerhalb des Gebäudes gefangen, und es gibt einen anderen Vermissten. Sie hoffen besser, dass er keine dummen Ideen vom Angreifen sowohl der Waffen-SS als auch die Gestapo beherbergt." the man looked around slowly as he spoke, spotting a rather rickety looking wooden closet next to the wall further away. The Kriminalkommissar glanced meaningfully at the Sturmscharführer, ready to tell the man to just spray the closet with bullets, but he did not have the time to do so.

The door of the closet slammed open as a young, but quite robust man kicked it open forcefully, pointing a Walther P38 at the group of soldiers standing in the room. He had realized that he would be discovered soon enough and wasn't going to go down without making a heroic last stand. "Sie werden mich lebendig Sie Nazistische Bastarde nie bekommen!" the youngster loosened a wild, bestial war cry. His finger clenched to pull the trigger, the man ready to take out as many Waffen-SS and Gestapo as he could before getting riddled by bullets himself.


Translations:

"Ich denke, dass es besser ist, wenn Sie hier bleiben, um sicherzustellen, dass es keine Schwierigkeiten von den Bürgern geben wird..."
"I think it's better if you stay here to make sure there will be no trouble from the civilians. See to that man who ran away, I'm sure they will be bringing him back very soon."

"Herr Kriminalkommissar, die Verbrecher sind verhaftet worden, Sturmscharführer Albrecht sagte mir, Sie herbeizuholen."
"Herr Kriminalkommissar, the criminals have been detained, Sturmscharführer Albrecht told me to fetch you."

"Weil Sie sehen können, brauche ich nicht herbeigeholt zu werden, junger Mann. Weitergehen."
"As you can see, I do not need fetching, young man. Go on."

"Es gibt niemanden Vermisste, das ist wir alle, ich schwöre auf das Grab meiner Mutter!"
"There's nobody missing, this is all of us, I swear on my mother's grave!"

"Das ist gelogen, Junge."
"That is a lie, boy."

"Einer von Ihnen wurde außerhalb des Gebäudes gefangen, und es gibt einen anderen Vermissten..."
"One of you was caught outside the building and there is one other missing. You better hope he is not harboring any foolish ideas of attacking both the Waffen-SS and the Gestapo."

"Sie werden mich lebendig Sie Nazistische Bastarde nie bekommen!"
"You will never get me alive you Nazi bastards!"

[Franz Albrecht]

The Scharführer returned to the dimly lit cellar with Herr Wolff just behind him. During Frankie’s accusations the sandy haired prisoner responded,

Es gibt niemanden Vermisste, das ist wir alle, ich schwöre auf das Grab meiner Mutter!"

Otto's voice was stern in the background as he said, "Das ist gelogen, Junge."


Sturmscharfuhrer Albrecht straightened up and glared around the room for potential hiding places. There were many stacks of papers scattered about resting on desks. Frankie slowly moved to his left facing the far wall holding his Lugar at hip level.

"Einer von Ihnen wurde außerhalb des Gebäudes gefangen, und es gibt einen anderen Vermissten..."


The Kriminalkommissar noticed a shabby wooden closet against the far wall in the room, he then shot a meaningful glace to Albrecht who gave a slow nod to show he understood. Frankie was about to raise his arm, which would then signal the SS men to open fire when suddenly the doors on the structure flung open with great force behind them.

Out stepped a distraught young man gripping a semi automatic pistol, he waved it around and shouted with everything he had,

Sie werden mich lebendig Sie Nazistische Bastarde nie bekommen!"


The SS Sturmscharfuhrer stared into the boy's eyes and knew what was about to happen, they were wide, filled with anger and hatred.

The young man then squeezed the Walthers trigger pointing it in Albrecht’s direction, **CRACK**, a shot echoed throughout the room, it whizzed by the left side of the Franks head. Ducking the sturmscharfuhrer heard the bullet wip by, he threw his right arm out pointing at the boys chest, Frankie squeezed the trigger twice, 1,2, then suddenly three MP40's opened up.

The boy was thrown against the dresser by a hail of bullets, the muzzle flash of the MP40's illuminated the room for an instant. One of the SS men let off another burst at the body, the only sound was that of his brass hitting the floor and the other prisoners sobbing quietly, still guarded by the SS soldiers.

Frankie approached the "Hero's" corpse and gave it a slight kick with his jackboot, "Er ist Geschichte". The Sturmscharfuhrer looked looked at this boy before him, his eyes were green, appearing dull with no glow of life, or no evidence of the previous fire Frankie had seen in them just moments before. Frank knelt down and whispered quietly, "Dummer Junge", he patted the boy down looking for any kind of documents. This kid took allot of punishment, all his clothing was now blood soaked. Frankie glanced at Otto and shrugged, he spoke while rising from a crouch, he used the sleeve of his uniform to wipe sweat from his brow.

Ich sage, dass wir die Lügner auch schießen


Albrecht was slightly shaken under his professional appearance. He had nearly lost his life in this dark, damp, cellar in Munich. This episode reminded him that death could present it's self at any given time. Any place, any time, any where.

Translations:

"Es gibt niemanden Vermisste, das ist wir alle, ich schwöre auf das Grab meiner Mutter!
"There's nobody missing, this is all of us, I swear on my mother's grave!"

Das ist gelogen, Junge.
"That is a lie, boy."

Einer von Ihnen wurde außerhalb des Gebäudes gefangen, und es gibt einen anderen Vermissten...
"One of you was caught outside the building and there is one other missing. You better hope he is not harboring any foolish ideas of attacking both the Waffen-SS and the Gestapo."

Sie werden mich lebendig Sie Nazistische Bastarde nie bekommen!
"You will never get me alive you Nazi bastards!"

Er ist Geschichte
"He is history"

Dummer Junge
"Silly boy"

Ich sage, dass wir die Lügner auch schießen
"I say that we also shoot the liars"

[Otto Wolff]

A bullet whizzed just barely past the Sturmscharführer and Otto went for his own Luger, soon realizing that it was really of no help anymore. Albrecht had his own pistol at the ready and his first shot caught the young man square in the chest. The boy fell back, but his body did not even have time to slump down on the floor before the Waffen-SS had already opened up fire. Multiple shots from MP-40's riddled the young man's body with bullets and the sound of gunfire rendered everyone deaf for a good moment. The dead man fell down on the floor, puddles of dark blood soon starting to gather on the floor under him. The loud sound had caused some of the young criminals cower down fearfully and after they realized the fate of their friend, many of them had tears in their eyes.

Otto pushed the Luger slowly back into it's holster and glanced at Albrecht. The man appeared unharmed, although it had been a close call - most likely he was thanking his lucky stars right at this moment. The Sturmscharführer was already walking towards the corpse, crouching in to inspect the man. Meanwhile, the tall Gestapo officer moved to inspect one of the tables, picking up an unfinished propaganda flyer, his other hand going for his pocket. The man pulled out his small metal-framed reading glasses and perched them on his nose to take a closer look at the paper. He squinted his dark eyes, focusing on a random line of text. The writer beseeched for the readers to open their eyes, to see the lies and deceit behind Nazism, calling the Führer a dangerous fanatic and his followers a flock of mindless sheep. What a load of stupid, idealistic crap. What did these kids think they could achieve? And why? The Führer had helped them out of severe depression, given them work and food and this was how they wanted to show their appreciation? Ungrateful brats.

Otto eyed the cowering young men and peered his eyes at them, setting the paper on the table and placing his reading glasses back in his chest pocket. He turned his attention to the Sturmscharführer, who shrugged, finishing with inspecting the dead youngster. "Ich sage, dass wir die Lügner auch schießen," the man suggested, the memory of almost getting shot still fresh in his mind, no doubt. Otto let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head in a tired manner.

"Nein, Sturmscharführer, für jetzt sind sie zu uns lebendig wertvoller. Tote Männer können uns Information kaum geben, jetzt können sie?" the Kriminalkommissar asked, in some way understanding why Albrecht would have rather seen the criminals shot dead on the spot. He had been very close to getting killed and naturally he wanted to make someone pay for it. Still, it would have been a brash and foolish thing to do and Otto just put it on the account of Albrecht still being young and slightly hot-blooded. "Lassen Sie den Gefangenen, dem Sturmscharführer Handschellen anlegen, und bekommen Sie sie zu den Fahrzeugen. Die Polizei wird auf sie von dieser Zeit an aufpassen, und Sie können zurück zu den Baracken mit Ihren Männern zurückkehren. Ich einige meiner Männer gehen hier ein und sichern die Beweise."

Otto was already visualizing wrapping up his part of the operation as soon as possible and getting back to his hunt for actual, dangerous partisans, not misguided children such as these. He would have novice officers practice their interrogation and information gathering -skills on this lot and see to the results later. Actually, he was also thinking about a peaceful evening accompanied by some good music and a relaxing schnapps, but that would come later. As the soldiers already started placing handcuffs on the wrists of the hapless young men, Otto moved towards the staircase to go and give instructions to the police officials.


Translations:

"Nein, Sturmscharführer, für jetzt sind sie zu uns lebendig wertvoller..."
"No, Sturmscharführer, for now they are more valuable to us alive. Dead men can hardly give us any information, now can they?"

"Lassen Sie den Gefangenen, dem Sturmscharführer Handschellen anlegen, und bekommen Sie sie zu den Fahrzeugen..."
"Have the prisoners handcuffed, Sturmscharführer, and get them to the vehicles. The police will take care of them from that moment on and you can return back to the barracks with your men after. I will have some of my men come in here and secure the evidence."

[Franz Albrecht]

Frankie clicked his heels when Herr Wolff replied to his suggestion to shoot all the prisoners on the spot. What he had said was true, dead men don’t speak. The Gestapo would deal with these youngsters properly during their interrogation at Headquarters.

As the Sturmscharfuhrer looked at the body sprawled out on the floor, blood created a puddle around the corpse. He then thought to himself, in this situation he would have acted the same way resulting in certain death.

"Lassen Sie den Gefangenen, dem Sturmscharführer Handschellen anlegen, und bekommen Sie sie zu den Fahrzeugen..."

Albrecht nodded his head to show he understood his instructions regarding the criminals.

“Jawhol Herr KrimminalKommissar, at once!”

Albrecht turned to Scharführer Liebehenschel, “Handcuff and remove the prisoners immediately, Schnell”

The SS man who stood attentively nearby responded, “Jawhol Sturmscharfuhrer!”.

The soldiers then slapped the cuffs around the boys wrists. They proceeded to herd them towards the stairs, one German shouting, “Schnell! Heraus!”. Frank retrieved both of the firearms from the cellar handing them to Liebehenschel who fell in behind the soldiers moving up the stairs, he tipped his cap to Otto on the way by. Albrecht lit a cigarette, while placing the silver lighter in his trousers pocket Frankie noticed a stand in the corner with a single wine bottle resting in it.

“Humph..” he grunted moving in to investigate.

Frankie removed the bottle from the stand and read the label, 1936 Chateau Lamothe De Bergeron.

“Mein Gott…lucky find here”

He rubbed some of the dust from the bottle with his gloved hand, glancing to Otto who was now heading upstairs to speak with the Police. Frankie thought about his ambitions after the war. He had intended on pursuing a career as a state security officer in the SD, “Sipo”, he believed that now was a good time to gather some information on the position. It was common knowledge that the SD accepted “Reserves” in a sort of special circumstance.

Frank was qualified for such a position, he had been a Nazi party member ever since 1938 in the Allgemeine SS, he served with the Totenkopfverbande, Enstatzgruppen D, transferred to Das Reich then received a transfer from Berlin to the 3rd SS combat division Totenkopf where he currently served.

The Sturmscharfuhrer took a deep breath and quickly moved towards the Gestapo officer,

“ Entschuldigen Sie mich Herr Wolff, may I have a moment of your time with permission to speak freely?”

Frankie flicked his cigarette on the floor, crushing with his boot.

Translations:

"Lassen Sie den Gefangenen, dem Sturmscharführer Handschellen anlegen, und bekommen Sie sie zu den Fahrzeugen..."
"Have the prisoners handcuffed, Sturmscharführer, and get them to the vehicles. The police will take care of them from that moment on and you can return back to the barracks with your men after. I will have some of my men come in here and secure the evidence."

“Jawhol”
(yes sir)

“Mein Gott”
(My God)

"Entschuldigen Sie mich"
(Excuse me)

"Schnell"
(Hurry)

"Heraus"
(Out)

[Otto Wolff]

The dull grey concrete walls of the confined cellar radiated an uncomfortable chill and the sensation sent a shiver running down Otto's spine. The pleasant sunshine outside had already made Otto almost used to the warmer weather and right now he just wanted to get out of the murky corridor. The stench of fear and blood were hanging heavily in the small cellar and it certainly did not make the dark room any more enticing. Otto did not relish in spilling blood unnecessarily and maybe the grim fate of the young man was even bothering him some. Of course, the boy had given them little choice over the matter, wanting to die gloriously, as if some great hero of the resistance. It still did not mean that Otto was happy to catch such criminals, they were nothing but young children. They should have been in school, forming the next generation of strong Germans that the country needed and here they were, getting arrested by the police, their futures destroyed. It was a disheartening thought. Otto had to remind himself that a crime was still a crime and that it was his task to see that the laws of the Reich were respected and followed, there was no room for being soft. These young men might have been misplacing their dedication and youthful enthusiasm on silly ideals just due to their young age, but it was still no excuse for getting mixed up in such serious crimes against the state.

Otto's hand moved almost absent-mindedly to close the button on the holster of his Luger as he climbed up the stairs, forcing himself to move in a slow and poised manner instead of hurrying. As he got to the corridor upstairs, he could already hear the occasional commands being shouted outside on the street. Even after the recent adrenaline-laden moment his mind was wandering and he felt strangely edgy. For some reason being back in München did not feel quite as soothing and satisfactory as Otto had first thought. He had spent most of his life in the city, moving to München with his family when he had been only ten years old. He had always loved the proud Bavarian city with it's old traditions and rich history. If anyone asked where he was originally from, he would always state that he was from München, although this wasn't exactly the truth. After he had started serving in the Weimar police, he was sure he would never leave the city, either. The various Gestapo matters had forced him to move around a lot recently, even to other countries, and now when he was finally back in München, the city seemed different somehow. Otto's dark eyebrows furrowed into a small frown as he stepped outside, eyeing the situation quickly and trying to bring his mind back to the present moment. The sun was still shining pleasantly and Otto sighed, forcing himself to calm down. No reason to start fretting about such things. He was here to do his job and not to reminiscence on old times, anyway.

A quick scan of the street was enough to ensure the Kriminalkommissar that things were firmly under SS and police control. Apparently the man who had taken flight previously had now been snatched up by the police officials and brought back to the vehicles. Brenner, the younger Gestapo officer, was questioning the fresh detainee next to the black Mercedes, but he seemed to immediately notice that Otto was back, turning around to regard the Gestapo officer. The light-haired man threw his superior an inquisitive glance, he had naturally heard the sounds of gunfire echoing from inside the building. Otto just raised an eyebrow at the other man and shrugged, which Brenner interpreted as the arrest ending successfully, although not quite to Otto's liking. The locals were mostly staying away from the scene, although some people were standing a safe distance away, craning their necks to see what was going on. They seemed more gallant now that they were sure that the Gestapo and SS already had specific targets on their radar. Otto grunted quietly at the curious crowd; maybe it was better if the common people could see how effectively the officials dealt with criminals. That if anything was enough incentive for them to stay on the right side of the law.

Otto tucked at the lapel of his uniform to straighten the canvas up, giving himself some time to think on who to assign to each task. His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden voice coming from somewhere behind his back. “Entschuldigen Sie mich Herr Wolff, may I have a moment of your time with permission to speak freely?” a familiar voice asked and Otto turned around to face Sturmscharführer Albrecht. The man was carrying a dusty bottle of wine in his hand, salvaged from the cellar, no doubt. Otto did not really have anything to say against such an acquisition, no matter how informal it was. The SS were free to do many things that others could not and if the man wanted to have a bottle of wine, he was free to help himself to it. The younger man was waiting for the Kriminalkommissar's permission to speak, appearing almost anxious.

Otto glanced around, he still had many things to manage, but he did also feel that the Sturmscharführer had done a decent job today and deserved a few minutes of his time. The tall Kriminalkommissar nodded promptly, hooking a thumb casually on his belt and raising his chin up as he regarded the other man. "Natürlich, Sturmscharführer. Wo drückt es dich denn?"

Translations:

"Natürlich, Sturmscharführer. Wo drückt es dich denn?"
"Of course, Sturmscharführer. What is on your mind?"