non-commissioned officer. The other lads moved up beside me and stiffened. “The night after this one, I am going out through that fence there.” I nodded toward the fence as it ran behind the large tent. “If you want to escape also, be here after midnight. The moon is small then, and it will be quite dark. If you have two or three others, bring them with you.”
He nodded and smiled craftily, chagrined, hoping no one had seen a private strike him.
“You are not my superior any longer. The war is over, Sergeant-Major.”
“No, not yet, Private. The Fuehrer may still survive. Survive to begin again.”
I shook my head, “No, sir, our war is kaput, again. I suggest that if you get out of here, you just disappear. That is what I am going to do.” I turned to my mates, “Come, let us go plan.” I turned one last time to the older man. “Remember, midnight, tomorrow night. Good day, sir.”
Back at our tent, I assisted Karl in removing all insignia from what was left of his uniform. Since we were not allowed knives, we used a small piece of glass Karl had found on the ground near the construction site. We worked methodically removing the epaulets also and mending the blouse as best we could.
“Are either of you fellows coming with us?” I looked at Josef and Heinrich.
Josef shook his head, looking at the floor. “I cannot, Hans. I am too afraid. I am sorry.” He looked up with a tear in his eye.
“Heinrich?” I queried the taller boy. He looked from Josef to me. I could almost see the wheels turning.
Finally he stood. “I’ll come too. I do not like it here.” He put a hand to Josef’s shoulder. “You will be all right, my friend. You are young and Amis will see that.”
The next night was cloudy. Even better. We were all tense. We had been sitting on our cots for hours, speaking quietly of our homes and families. No one had a watch, but Karl assured us that it was time to go. I did not know how he knew but we were all eager to depart. We had reconnoitered the camp the last few days and knew that the area behind the large tent in the rear was the darkest and least guarded. We hoped the Amis assumed the barbed wire fences would discourage any attempt at escape.
Josef wept openly as he hugged each of us. He kept mumbling over and over how sorry he was. We assured him that we understood. Heinrich clutched the small bag of food we’d managed to put aside, and Karl extinguished the small lantern we had been issued.
“Let us go, my friends. We’ll meet again in Stuttgart.” I slipped out the tent flap into the darkened compound, staying in the shadows. A few star s shone here and there between the clouds. I waited for my eyes to get accustomed to the dark. Against the sky I could see a watchtower in one corner of the compound. Atop it, two moving red dots suggested soldiers smoking.
In a few moments we reached the large tent. I felt, rather than heard, the lads behind me. I stood quietly by the rear tent corner. A voice hissed from the other side.
“Is that you, Private?”
“Ya. Just wait until the cloud covers the moon,” I hissed back. A few minutes passed. As soon as I saw the edge of the moon darkening, I moved quickly to the fence and knelt, feeling for the wire. The lowest strand parted with a nearly audible twang. I felt the barb on the second wire and snipped between it and the next. I felt the third but couldn’t feel the barb. I ran my hand back and forth. No barbs. Curious. Had they run out of barbed wire? No, the next was barbed. Just as I was about to snip it, a large hand reached out tore the cutter from me.
“Let me do that, you clumsy boy.” The Sergeant Major quickly snipped the bare wire before I could warn him. I saw a flash of light as the searchlight came on and a deep voiced siren began to moan. He had cut a trip wire connected to an alarm system. The Sergeant roughly shoved me aside, and he and two more men pushed past and into the gap between the fences. It would
He nodded and smiled craftily, chagrined, hoping no one had seen a private strike him.
“You are not my superior any longer. The war is over, Sergeant-Major.”
“No, not yet, Private. The Fuehrer may still survive. Survive to begin again.”
I shook my head, “No, sir, our war is kaput, again. I suggest that if you get out of here, you just disappear. That is what I am going to do.” I turned to my mates, “Come, let us go plan.” I turned one last time to the older man. “Remember, midnight, tomorrow night. Good day, sir.”
Back at our tent, I assisted Karl in removing all insignia from what was left of his uniform. Since we were not allowed knives, we used a small piece of glass Karl had found on the ground near the construction site. We worked methodically removing the epaulets also and mending the blouse as best we could.
“Are either of you fellows coming with us?” I looked at Josef and Heinrich.
Josef shook his head, looking at the floor. “I cannot, Hans. I am too afraid. I am sorry.” He looked up with a tear in his eye.
“Heinrich?” I queried the taller boy. He looked from Josef to me. I could almost see the wheels turning.
Finally he stood. “I’ll come too. I do not like it here.” He put a hand to Josef’s shoulder. “You will be all right, my friend. You are young and Amis will see that.”
The next night was cloudy. Even better. We were all tense. We had been sitting on our cots for hours, speaking quietly of our homes and families. No one had a watch, but Karl assured us that it was time to go. I did not know how he knew but we were all eager to depart. We had reconnoitered the camp the last few days and knew that the area behind the large tent in the rear was the darkest and least guarded. We hoped the Amis assumed the barbed wire fences would discourage any attempt at escape.
Josef wept openly as he hugged each of us. He kept mumbling over and over how sorry he was. We assured him that we understood. Heinrich clutched the small bag of food we’d managed to put aside, and Karl extinguished the small lantern we had been issued.
“Let us go, my friends. We’ll meet again in Stuttgart.” I slipped out the tent flap into the darkened compound, staying in the shadows. A few star s shone here and there between the clouds. I waited for my eyes to get accustomed to the dark. Against the sky I could see a watchtower in one corner of the compound. Atop it, two moving red dots suggested soldiers smoking.
In a few moments we reached the large tent. I felt, rather than heard, the lads behind me. I stood quietly by the rear tent corner. A voice hissed from the other side.
“Is that you, Private?”
“Ya. Just wait until the cloud covers the moon,” I hissed back. A few minutes passed. As soon as I saw the edge of the moon darkening, I moved quickly to the fence and knelt, feeling for the wire. The lowest strand parted with a nearly audible twang. I felt the barb on the second wire and snipped between it and the next. I felt the third but couldn’t feel the barb. I ran my hand back and forth. No barbs. Curious. Had they run out of barbed wire? No, the next was barbed. Just as I was about to snip it, a large hand reached out tore the cutter from me.
“Let me do that, you clumsy boy.” The Sergeant Major quickly snipped the bare wire before I could warn him. I saw a flash of light as the searchlight came on and a deep voiced siren began to moan. He had cut a trip wire connected to an alarm system. The Sergeant roughly shoved me aside, and he and two more men pushed past and into the gap between the fences. It would
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