Fuhrer, sat two busts. One of
Charlemagne, the other of Caesar. The classically educated officer was
something of a student of imperial Rome and Caesar. Drunk, he would sometimes
call his men "legionaries", or of course the SS were Hitler's
"Praetorian Guards". So too Christian was not beyond quoting the
brilliant General - he once stepped out into the Umschlagplatz on a warm
summer’s day and satisfyingly exclaimed to himself, surveying the smooth
operation of his troops in the evacuations, "Veni, vidi, vici". To
those who did not share his enthusiasm - or needed convincing - of Caesar's
greatness Christian would also repeat what Napoleon had once remarked to
Goethe,
"You should write about the death of Caesar in a fully
worthy manner, grander than Voltaire's. It could be the greatest task of your
life. The world should be shown how happy Caesar would have made it, how
different everything would have been, had he been given time to bring his lofty
designs into fruition."
The idealistic Lieutenant would close his argument by
asserting that the spirit and sense of Caesar's greatness had been reincarnated
in the Fuhrer (the afore immunising his Roman hero against criticism) and that,
equally, the Reich was similarly Rome re-born. Was that not partly why he was
here? Like Caesar, Christian was doing his military service before he took his
place within the Senate.
The fascistic officer smoked another cigarette, fastidiously
picking any crumbs or flecks of dirt from his daily pressed uniform. He noticed
an old, faded gravy or claret stain on the cream tablecloth. He would change
both his laundry woman and the tablecloth. Despite the heat and stuffiness of
the room the officer refused to remove his jacket. He took another large swig
of his comforting cognac and, as was the Lieutenant's custom at this time of
the day, he went over his morning's activities and drafted the reports and diary
entry he would complete later that evening.
"Oversaw another canning process for some sardines this
morning (Christian was here referring to the "sardine method" of
disposing of Jews. The victims would first dig a long trench and then lay down
in it. Soldiers would then fire down upon them and the next layer, heads lying
upon feet, would be similarly murdered. Up to six layers of bodies would be so
formed and the mass grave would then be filled in). The sun has baked the
ground somewhat over the past few months, causing small time delays in the
construction of the trenches, but I believe it is still an effective method for
the evacuation of the Jews. Moreover, apart from the odd teething problem with
cases of nausea and shock from some troops employed in the operation, my teams
are now sufficiently battle-hardened so to speak - and the wheat has been
separated from the chaff - to bring them to the standards of efficiency I
require. Not only did the out of town inspection grant me the opportunity to
assess the progress and validity of this now old method of evacuation but so
too, more importantly perhaps, it furnished me with the experiment of seeing
how well my team at the station could manage the operation without me. Despite
the apparent odd hiccup the men performed admirably by all accounts. As I have
trained my men in the same philosophy and techniques as I was trained, or
rather self-trained, I have as much confidence in them as I do in myself."
After finishing his notes for later insertion into his
official reports and personal journal Christian turned to his schedule for that
evening. Nervousness fluttered in his heart but still a pleasurable feeling
came over him as he thought of his plan to promote the Private to his adjutant.
Christian was taken back by his innocence and attractiveness again after
witnessing the youth on parade. Dietmar was almost the double of Christian's
first male lover, Johann Koller, in his days at University. He had the same
round, boyish expression, blue eyes and downy skin - but yet most hauntingly
and
Charlemagne, the other of Caesar. The classically educated officer was
something of a student of imperial Rome and Caesar. Drunk, he would sometimes
call his men "legionaries", or of course the SS were Hitler's
"Praetorian Guards". So too Christian was not beyond quoting the
brilliant General - he once stepped out into the Umschlagplatz on a warm
summer’s day and satisfyingly exclaimed to himself, surveying the smooth
operation of his troops in the evacuations, "Veni, vidi, vici". To
those who did not share his enthusiasm - or needed convincing - of Caesar's
greatness Christian would also repeat what Napoleon had once remarked to
Goethe,
"You should write about the death of Caesar in a fully
worthy manner, grander than Voltaire's. It could be the greatest task of your
life. The world should be shown how happy Caesar would have made it, how
different everything would have been, had he been given time to bring his lofty
designs into fruition."
The idealistic Lieutenant would close his argument by
asserting that the spirit and sense of Caesar's greatness had been reincarnated
in the Fuhrer (the afore immunising his Roman hero against criticism) and that,
equally, the Reich was similarly Rome re-born. Was that not partly why he was
here? Like Caesar, Christian was doing his military service before he took his
place within the Senate.
The fascistic officer smoked another cigarette, fastidiously
picking any crumbs or flecks of dirt from his daily pressed uniform. He noticed
an old, faded gravy or claret stain on the cream tablecloth. He would change
both his laundry woman and the tablecloth. Despite the heat and stuffiness of
the room the officer refused to remove his jacket. He took another large swig
of his comforting cognac and, as was the Lieutenant's custom at this time of
the day, he went over his morning's activities and drafted the reports and diary
entry he would complete later that evening.
"Oversaw another canning process for some sardines this
morning (Christian was here referring to the "sardine method" of
disposing of Jews. The victims would first dig a long trench and then lay down
in it. Soldiers would then fire down upon them and the next layer, heads lying
upon feet, would be similarly murdered. Up to six layers of bodies would be so
formed and the mass grave would then be filled in). The sun has baked the
ground somewhat over the past few months, causing small time delays in the
construction of the trenches, but I believe it is still an effective method for
the evacuation of the Jews. Moreover, apart from the odd teething problem with
cases of nausea and shock from some troops employed in the operation, my teams
are now sufficiently battle-hardened so to speak - and the wheat has been
separated from the chaff - to bring them to the standards of efficiency I
require. Not only did the out of town inspection grant me the opportunity to
assess the progress and validity of this now old method of evacuation but so
too, more importantly perhaps, it furnished me with the experiment of seeing
how well my team at the station could manage the operation without me. Despite
the apparent odd hiccup the men performed admirably by all accounts. As I have
trained my men in the same philosophy and techniques as I was trained, or
rather self-trained, I have as much confidence in them as I do in myself."
After finishing his notes for later insertion into his
official reports and personal journal Christian turned to his schedule for that
evening. Nervousness fluttered in his heart but still a pleasurable feeling
came over him as he thought of his plan to promote the Private to his adjutant.
Christian was taken back by his innocence and attractiveness again after
witnessing the youth on parade. Dietmar was almost the double of Christian's
first male lover, Johann Koller, in his days at University. He had the same
round, boyish expression, blue eyes and downy skin - but yet most hauntingly
and
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