The Quickening

By Carole McEntee-Taylor

The Quickening is the second book in 5 part series, Obsession, which tells the stories of five families across England, Germany and Poland from the 1920s through to the aftermath of WW2.

Rob and Mike had hoped they had done enough fighting, but then they find themselves in Calais in May 1940. As the news from Europe deteriorates Annie tries to keep herself distracted, but nothing can prepare her for what is about to come.

Hans behaviour is growing worse and then he becomes obsessed for the one Jew he thinks has escaped him. Meanwhile Karin is in love, but will she still feel the same when she realises her lover has lied to her? With their son forced to fight for a cause he hates Gerhard’s parents try to protect him by taking even more risks. But Gerhard is not defeated and unable to accept the growing brutality against the Jews in Warsaw, he risks everything.

Felcia’s life becomes a fight for survival as she is separated from her son and sold into slavery by the Soviet Union. Unable to see an end to her never ending nightmare she dreams of escape then one day she receives a surprising answer. Raisa tells herself she is doing the right thing to help her family through the occupation, but when they don’t agree she makes a decision that she will eventually live to regret.

Contains adult content

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carole McEntee-Taylor
• Release date: May 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005988104

Carole McEntee-Taylor

I write military history, historical fiction and memoirs and sometimes a mixture of all three. I am also a ghost writer of novels and memoirs.My non fiction, published by by Pen and Sword Books Ltd, include Herbert Columbine VC, Surviving the Nazi Onslaught, A Battle Too Far, Military Detention Colchester from 1947, The Battle of Bellewaarde June 1915, From Colonial Warrior to Western Front Flyer, The History of Coalhouse Fort and A History of Women’s Lives in Scunthorpe.I have also written a biography of John Doubleday to be included in his book: The Work and published The Weekend Trippers and My War and Peace myself. I am always on the look out for new military memoirs to publish. If you would like to know more please visit my website.My spiritual books are The Re-Enlightenment and The Holiday From Hell.My fiction includeSecrets ( a book of six short stories)Lives Apart: A WW2 Chronicle - a five book series inspired by the true story of my in-laws.Obsession - a five book series inspired by the true story of the missing POWs at the end of WW2.Betrayed - a stand alone murder mystery set in WW2 Germany and Palestine.Secret Lives - a six book series set before and during WW1.A One Way Ticket - a four book series inspired by the true story of Bill Young through WW2 and beyond.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Beltring, Kent

The New Year brought even worse weather. Rob and Mike had been stationed in Kent since the previous autumn and, although neither was in a hurry to be sent overseas, they were bored with the training and the constant moans of their companions, who couldn’t wait to go and fight. They were also fed up at being separated from the women in their lives. Rob yearned for a normal life with Annie, to spend their nights together and plan their future instead of having to make do with short telephone calls and letters. Mike, on the other hand, just wanted to make sure Daisy was being faithful.

The winding country lanes of Kent were blocked by snow drifts several feet deep which restricted their training, because driving armoured vehicles in thick snow presented them with considerable problems. Unable to move around too much, the men concentrated on other skills, such as improving their map reading. The cloudless winter skies, the crystal clear frosty air in which the stars shone like diamonds, were ideal to learn about night time navigating. Rob would stare up into the moonlit sky and imagine Annie also watching the stars and thinking of him. Mike tried not to think too much about what Daisy was doing. He had a feeling he might not like it.

‘Thank goodness the post’s still getting through.’ After yet another dreary day’s map reading, Rob pounced on his latest letter from Annie, lay back on his damp straw mattress and began reading. As his eyes scanned the pages he marvelled at the way she wrote down every detail of her day and wished his letters were as descriptive, but looking up at the drab featureless walls of the cold, draughty oast house and thinking about the endless training, he wasn’t surprised he couldn’t find anything much to say to her. He glanced back down and sighed. Sadly, he’d almost finished.

Well, I suppose I’d better stop now, and then I can run and catch the post. It’s so frustrating knowing you are so close and yet I can’t be with you, but at least we can still write to each other. I will hold onto that thought as I wait impatiently to see you again.

Goodnight, my Darling. May God look after you and keep you safe.

Love always,

Annie xxxx

Rob lay back and closed his eyes.

Mike watched him with envy. He was also missing Daisy but, whereas Rob could tell Annie how much he wanted to be with her, Mike couldn’t do the same with Daisy, not if he wanted to keep her as his girlfriend anyway.

She’d made it abundantly clear that she had no intention of becoming serious about anyone. Not for the first time, Mike wondered what it was he saw in Daisy. She was probably the most selfish woman he’d ever been out with. Maybe that was it? All his other relationships had been with girls who couldn’t wait to tell him how much they liked him. Daisy never paid him any compliments, she was only happy when she was the centre of attention and she seemed sole bent on having fun without any kind of emotional attachment. Hardly the perfect girlfriend. Mike sighed. Perhaps he saw her as some kind of challenge?

*******

Berlin

Hans was totally confused. He had procured Claudia for Andreas at his sister’s request and then, when her husband had become attached to the whore, rather than wanting him to get rid of her as usual, Karin had told him to forget all about it for some reason he’d never got to the bottom of. She’d also asked Hans to find her a lover before changing her mind about that too. Then he heard Karin and Claudia were in Switzerland together and his sister was finally pregnant. Now, to cap it all, she wanted him to intervene in her marriage and prevent Andreas sending Claudia away. It didn’t make any sense.

‘I’m not sure what you want me to do about it.’ Hans handed Karin a pristine white handkerchief and watched as she dabbed at her eyes. He’d come back to Berlin for some leave having remained in Warsaw over Christmas, only to have Karin arrive at his apartment in tears over her husband’s whore.

‘Can’t you speak to him? He’ll listen to you.’

‘But what am I going to say, Karin?’

Karin frowned. ‘That Claudia is my friend as well as an excellent nanny to Heidi. Andreas is away so much I’d be really lonely without Claudia.’ She debated whether she should add that lonely women often sought affairs so her husband should be pleased she had a good friend instead, but then she changed her mind. It was probably best not to mention affairs…

Hans narrowed his eyes. ‘When did you and the whore become such good friends?’

Karin winced and immediately leapt to her lover’s defence. ‘She’s not a whore.’

Hans raised an eyebrow. ‘Since when did you and she become such good friends?’

Karin shrugged and looked away. Hans frowned. Karin seemed very uncomfortable. There was obviously something going on she hadn’t told him. ‘Karin, if I’m going to help you, I need to know the truth.’

Karin blanched. She could never tell Hans about her relationship with Claudia; he would be disgusted. On the other hand, maybe she could tell him about Heidi? She thought rapidly. Would him knowing that Claudia was Heidi’s mother help? She made up her mind. She had to try everything, well almost everything.

‘Heidi isn’t my daughter, she’s Claudia’s.’ Karin didn’t dare look at him but she heard him gasp. There was a long silence, then Karin haltingly told him how Claudia had discovered she was going to have a baby and that Andreas had suggested they bring it up as theirs. Hans stared at her in growing disbelief and then nodded slowly. It all made sense now. That bastard Andreas couldn’t get his own wife pregnant but he’d managed to impregnate his whore instead. Hans started to see red.

‘Why on earth did you go along with it?’

Karin shrugged. ‘I wanted a baby so much, Hans.’ She began to cry. ‘You have no idea what it’s like to keep hoping month after month and then it doesn’t happen. Each month I was getting older, so my chances were reducing. When Andreas first suggested we bring up the baby I was furious with him. How dare he even consider something like that? But then I thought about it and I realised this could be my only chance to be a mother.’ She’d stopped crying now. This was the difficult part. ‘I went to see Claudia and I found I actually liked her…’ She fell silent for a moment before looking up at Hans who shrank back from the intensity of her gaze. ‘I don’t want her to be sent away from her child and I enjoy her company. Like you, Andreas will be away quite a lot now, so he doesn’t have to see her very often. I’m being punished Hans, and it’s not fair.’

Hans was still struggling to contain his fury. How dare his brother-in-law get his mistress pregnant and then expect his wife to bring up the brat? He took a deep breath and turned his attention back to Karin. When he finally spoke, there was no indication of the red hot anger flowing through him; his voice was cold and unemotional. ‘I’ll have a word with Andreas. Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll see things from your point of view.’

*******

Outside Lvov, Poland

The door of the small cottage on the edge of the farm outside Lvov opened and Halina appeared, Ala close behind her. Felcia stood up from playing on the floor with Mariusz and went into the small kitchen to boil the kettle. They’d been unable to leave the Russian sector after the invasion the previous autumn and been left with no means of supporting themselves in the city after the Soviets had completely emptied Halina’s shop of its goods. Because the Russians had also stripped Poland of most of its factories, there was little likelihood of being able to replace the looted stock, so Felcia had been grateful when Halina and Ala had been able to find some work on a nearby farm. She was also pleased to escape the claustrophobic atmosphere of the city, the continual Soviet propaganda pouring from loud speakers on every street corner and the unspoken threat of deportation for anyone with a connection to the Polish establishment. Although Iwan had been killed at the beginning of the war on the Polish-German border, her marriage to a Polish army officer meant she was included with those seen as a threat to the new regime. Unfortunately, even though they’d moved to the country, she was still not allowed to work because of her marriage, so without Halina and Ala she had no idea how she and Mariusz would have managed. They had moved just after Christmas and Felcia was finally starting to feel safe. Now her biggest worry was that they still had no idea whether Wiktor, Magda and Raisa had survived the German invasion because there was no way of getting messages across the partition between the German and Russian occupied sectors. Nor was there any word from Stani or Alek and her only real concern about leaving Lvov was that it would be harder for her family to find them. Halina had left their new address with a neighbour she trusted, so Felcia could only hope and pray they would soon receive some good news about her family.

‘There are rumours the Soviets are now arresting civilians and sending them to Russia.’ Halina waited until Ala had come in before slamming the front door hard behind her, her voice muffled under the thick scarf wound tightly round her head and neck. Ala was barely recognisable under several layers of jumpers and a pair of turned-up labourers’ trousers, a gift from the farmer. It was below freezing outside and, working all day in the fields, they were both grateful for their thick winter coats and gloves.

Halina’s words came as a nasty shock and Felcia paled and instinctively reached out for Mariusz. ‘Are you sure?’

Halina nodded. ‘Yes. Janusz told me. He went into the city yesterday and saw queues of people by the railway station.’

‘I have to get away.’ The despair in Felcia’s voice communicated itself to Mariusz who immediately began to cry. She held him close and tried to stop herself shaking with fear.

Ala sat down next to her on the worn sofa, took her hand and squeezed hard. ‘You’re not alone, Felcia.’ She fell silent, not knowing what else to say. Neither she nor Halina were on the Soviets’ watch list, so if the soldiers did come, they would probably only take Felcia and Mariusz.

‘If they come for me, will you hide Mariusz?’

‘Of course we will, Felcia.’ Halina thought for a moment. ‘But if they do come to arrest you, they will know about Mariusz. I don’t see how…’ She stopped and took a deep breath. ‘You’ll have to say he died.’

Felcia looked horrified. ‘I can’t say that.’

Halina sighed. ‘I think you might have to, Felcia, or they will insist on taking him too.’

Felcia shook her head. She could never say anything like that about her precious son, she was too superstitious. She searched frantically for an alternative. Then a thought occurred to her. ‘But they might want to see a grave…’

Halina frowned, then she nodded. ‘You’re right. If the Russians are that determined to take you both, they are bound to insist on proof that Mariusz is dead.’ She saw Felcia’s wince but ignored her. They couldn’t afford to be squeamish, not if they were going to come up with a way of saving the boy. ‘We’ll have to come up with something else…’

‘You could say he has scarlet fever,’ Ala suddenly interrupted. ‘I heard one of the women say the soldiers are terrified of it for some reason. They might leave him behind if they think he’s ill.’

Felcia thought for a moment then nodded. ‘That’s what we’ll do then.’ She began to cry softly, tears rolling unchecked down her face. Ala and Halina exchanged helpless glances. Halina reached out and patted Felcia’s shoulder. ‘We’re probably worrying unnecessarily. Now you’re not in the city, they’ll soon forget all about you.’

Mariusz began to wriggle, wanting to get down on the floor. Felcia helped him onto the carpet and nodded. There was no point getting upset. It wouldn’t change anything. The most important thing was to protect Mariusz and, thanks to Ala, she now had a way to do that.

Chapter 2

Direktstrasse, Lublin

‘Hans? I wasn’t expecting to see you…’ Andreas didn’t get any further. Livid at having to cut short his leave to go to Lublin on his way back to Warsaw and furious that Andreas had treated his sister so disrespectfully, Hans had crossed the office in a few short strides and pinned him up against the wall by his throat.

‘Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?’ Hans spat at him.

‘I don’t know…’

‘That the brat is your whore’s child, not Karin’s.’

Andreas paled. ‘I don’t…’

‘Don’t even think about lying to me, you fucking arsewipe.’

Andreas tried to wriggle free but Hans was much stronger than him.

‘I didn’t expect her to get pregnant, Hans. They never have before and Karin was so desperate to have a child, it seemed like the right thing to do. You’ve seen how happy she is…’

‘Until you got bored of your whore and tried to send her away.’

Andreas closed his eyes. So that was what this was about. Karin had already objected to him sending Claudia away, but he’d made it quite clear he was in charge, so she had gone running to her brother. He should have done something about their growing friendship much earlier.

‘Now look, Hans…’ Andreas tried to reassert his authority. ‘What goes on in my house is nothing to do with you.’ He never saw the fist that hit him and, before he could retaliate, Hans hit him again and again until eventually he slumped to the floor.

Hans stood back, panting hard. He’d not meant to lose his temper with Andreas but he’d seen red. He waited until he’d regained his breath and then leant over his former friend. At least he was still breathing. He kicked him and Andreas groaned. Hans knelt down, put his face close to Andreas’ ear and spoke clearly.

‘If you do anything else to upset my sister, I’ll kill you. Is that clear?’

Andreas nodded and groaned again. Hans stared down at him for a few more seconds then got to his feet and left the room.

*******

Beltring, Kent

Rob pulled on his gloves, tightened his army greatcoat and put his head down into the wind. He was nearly at the front of the queue for the telephone. Not much longer now and he would hear Annie’s voice. Fortunately the phone box had withstood the freezing conditions and, whenever he could reach the village through the snowdrifts, Rob had joined countless others spending many a cold winter’s night huddled in the red metal kiosk, frantically putting in coins to keep the line open. Just listening to Annie’s voice made him feel like she was there with him.

The door opened and the man in front of him vacated the phone box. Rob dived in quickly, put the money in the slot and waited for the operator to connect him. As soon as Annie answered he pressed button ‘A’ so she could hear him.

‘Darling, it’s so good to hear your voice.’ Rob cradled the receiver under his chin and closed his eyes, trying to imagine Annie was beside him instead of miles away.

‘I’ve missed you so much, Rob. Is there any chance of you getting leave soon?’

Rob sighed. ‘No, Darling. No one’s being given any at the moment. Let’s not talk about that, its much too depressing. I wish I was with you now.’ Rob sighed loudly.

‘Well, I’m sure it won’t be too long now before you have another pass, even if it’s only twenty four hours.’ Annie fought back tears. Rob could hear the catch in her voice and he slammed his hand against the metal frame of the telephone box in frustration.

‘Don’t cry, Darling. I love you so much and we’ll soon be together again.’

‘I know.’ Annie made an effort to cheer up. ‘I’ve written you another letter. I’ll put it in the post tomorrow…’

‘Hurry up, Rob!’ The insistent tapping on the door broke into their conversation and he waved an impatient hand in the direction of the irritating interruption before turning his attention back to Annie. But he’d hardly had time to say anything else before the pips went. Cursing under his breath, Rob began fumbling in his pocket for some more change, but he only had three pennies left.

‘Rob? Rob are you still there?

‘Yes, Darling but I have no money left after this. I’ll ring you again in a couple of days.’ He fed the last of his money into the phone box.

‘Alright, darling. Take care.’

‘You too. Watch the roads; they’re very icy.’ He gave a rueful smile. She was probably a better driver than he was, she’d certainly had more practice. ‘Well, I suppose I’d better say goodbye then.’ Rob couldn’t bring himself to put down the receiver. ‘I love you so much. I wish this bloody war would hurry up and finish so we can be together.’

‘Me too, my love. I miss you every moment of every day.’ He heard her sigh.

‘I wish I could be there to hold you.’

‘I pretend I’m in your arms when I get into bed. It’s the only way I can get to sleep.’

Rob smiled. ‘I do that too.’ He was about to say goodbye when he suddenly remembered Mike’s request. ‘Oh I nearly forgot. Mike wanted me to ask if you knew why Daisy hadn’t answered his last letter?’

There was a brief silence and then what sounded like another sigh. Rob frowned. ‘What’s the matter?’

‘Nothing, I’m just not sure what to say really. You know what Daisy’s like. I’m sure she’ll write when she’s ready…’ Annie’s voice tailed off. She was wondering if she should say something about Daisy seeing other men when, to her relief, the pips sounded. She spoke quickly into the receiver. ‘I love you. Look after yourself.’

‘I love you too!’ Rob replaced the receiver, a frown on his face. He had the impression Annie had wanted to say something else about Daisy. The man outside pulled open the door and glared at him.

‘Sorry…’ Rob pushed past him and hurried back to camp.

*******

Berlin

‘How long can have you got?’ Hannah hugged Gerhard to her, unable to believe he was home and in one piece. He had arrived without warning and she was still in shock. For his part, Gerhard was delighted to get away from Hans, even though Kohl had been quite reasonable so far, despite returning slightly earlier than expected. In fact he’d seemed in quite a pleasant mood and Gerhard wondered briefly if that had anything to do with the bruised knuckles on the man’s right hand. Gerhard was sure Kohl’s good temper wouldn’t last, so he intended to make the most of his time at home.

‘Only three days, but that’s better than nothing.’ He smiled at his father and, after disentangling himself from his mother’s arms, he slipped off his army greatcoat which was gradually melting snow onto the hall floor.

‘I’m not sure about the uniform.’ Franz sighed seeing the black shirt with its SS insignia.

Gerhard nodded. ‘You and me both, Vati.’ He hesitated, wondering if he should say anything about the things that were happening to the Jews in Warsaw. He decided not to. It wasn’t as if his father could do anything about it.

‘How’s Kohl treating you?’ Franz asked as they made their way into the living room.

Gerhard shrugged. ‘Surprisingly well. I’m not sure what he wants, to be honest.’ He was quiet for a moment, then he remembered the man’s strange behaviour a few weeks earlier. ‘There was one odd episode, though.’ He quickly related how he’d found Kohl looking pale and drained and how Hans had then given Gerhard the afternoon off.

‘Peculiar man that.’ Hannah handed him a large glass of cognac. ‘His sister’s almost as bad.’ She wondered if she should repeat the rumour she’d heard circulating about Karin and her friend Claudia, then decided not to. Gerhard might let something slip to Hans and then he would be in lots of trouble. She shivered. Hans was a very dangerous man; she would hate for Gerhard to get on the wrong side of him. ‘The only normal one is Andreas. He’s actually quite charming. God knows how he got tangled up with them.’

Franz nodded. ‘Your mother’s right about Kohl. Be careful, Gerhard.’

Gerhard nodded. ‘I will be, don’t worry.’

‘Right, let’s stop talking about unpleasant things and enjoy having you home.’ Hannah reached over and caught his hand. ‘I’m so pleased you’re alright, Gerhard and, although you must be careful of Hans Kohl, at least working with him means you won’t be on the front line anymore.’

Franz nodded. He would love to think his wife was right about Gerhard being safe now but he had a feeling the war had barely started. He was sure the British and French weren’t just going to sit back and do nothing. Their troops were massing on the French-German border and he wondered how long it would be before they crossed the line. If he’d been in charge of the Allied Forces, they would have attacked while most of the Germans were in Poland and he couldn’t understand why they hadn’t.

*******

Outside Lublin, Eastern Poland

‘Goodness, what happened to your face?’ Raisa stared at Andreas in surprise. It was almost February and she’d begun to think he was no longer interested in her when he hadn’t come back after Christmas.

‘It’s a long story.’ Andreas smiled gingerly. His face still hurt, as did most of his body but he hadn’t wanted to leave it any longer, in case Raisa met some Polish boy and no longer wanted to know him. He knew he could order her to sleep with him but he wanted her to be with him of her own volition.

‘Would you like to sit down?’ Raisa indicated the farmhouse.

Andreas raised an eyebrow. ‘What about your parents?’

Raisa shrugged. ‘They won’t mind.’ She knew that wasn’t the case, but now he was here she wanted him to stay a bit longer. She reached out and gave him her arm. Andreas smiled and, leaning on her shoulder, allowed her to take him into the house.

‘I’ll make some coffee; its only made from oats, I’m afraid.’ She helped him to a chair at the kitchen table.

‘I’ll bring you some proper coffee the next time I come to see you. If that’s alright, of course?’

Raisa nodded. She wasn’t sure how her parents would feel about accepting gifts from the enemy, but she was fed up eating and drinking substitutes, so she wasn’t going to say no.

Chapter 3

Warsaw, Poland

‘You must stop the violence.’ The tall thin man with glasses from the Judenrat threw caution to the wind and pleaded.

Hans shrugged. ‘There’s very little I can do, Herr Mendel. It’s Polish gangs who are carrying out the attacks on the Jews. That’s a police matter. Have you spoken to them?’

Tadeusz Mendel tried unsuccessfully to hide his irritation. ‘Nothing happens in Warsaw without German knowledge.’ He’d been about to say ‘agreement’, but there was little point antagonising the man.

Hans gave a wintry smile. ‘That’s very true but we can’t interfere in what is essentially a police matter.’

There was silence. ‘The violence has been going on for nearly eight days now, throughout the whole of the Easter period. Surely there must be something you can do?’ Tadeusz knew he was wasting his time but he couldn’t give up without a fight. Gangs of Polish men had been roaming the city for days, killing, raping and maiming any Jews they came across. Tadeusz was sure the Germans had organised the violence but even if he could prove it, there would be little point saying so.

Hans shook his head. He was bored with the conversation and would have liked to have thrown the man in prison and have him transported back to one of the camps in Germany but unfortunately he couldn’t. His task was to liaise with the Jewish Council so they could manage the Jewish population. Sadly, the earlier plan to relocate them all to one specific area of the city had come to nothing, hence the sudden rise of anti-Semitic attacks. Hans had organised the violence and made sure the Polish gangs had known exactly what he wanted them to do. Obviously it was working well.

He stood up, signalling the end of the meeting. ‘I would suggest your people either stay indoors or move out of the city. There’s nothing else I can do.’

‘But we can’t…’ He didn’t get any further. Hans stepped closer, his face inches from Tadeusz’s.

‘Our meeting is at an end, Herr Mendel. Good day to you.’ He turned away and Tadeusz realised he’d been holding his breath. Then Hans spun back, an evil smile on his face. ‘Be careful on your way home. You don’t want to run into any of those gangs, do you?’

*******

Beltring, Kent

Spring finally arrived and the prospect of being sent overseas came ever closer as news from the continent grew worse.

‘If you knew what you were going into, you wouldn’t be half as enthusiastic.’ Rob snapped at one of the younger men who was busy telling everyone what he’d do to the Germans when they got to France. Rob was trying to concentrate on the information coming out of the small wireless, but the constant comments from the others were drowning out the sound of the newsreader.

‘What’s the matter? Lost your bottle?’ snapped back the new recruit, a small mousy man called Nick.

Rob leapt off his bunk and squared up to him. ‘You have absolutely no idea what you’re going to come up against. This isn’t some game, you know. Wait till you’ve seen your mates cut in two by machine gun fire or blown to bits by artillery and then see if you’re in quite such a hurry to go and fight.’

Nick tried to think of a clever answer but failed. He shrugged and turned away without responding.

‘And to think we were like that once.’ Mike had watched the altercation with a mixture of interest and resignation. He understood why Rob was so angry. Although their enthusiasm for defeating fascism had not diminished, they were both quietly dreading the thought of being in combat again. Not for the first time, they wished they were as naive as the younger members of the battalion who didn’t yet have the nightmares to contend with.

‘I can just about remember that.’ Rob had calmed down now. ‘If we’d known what we do now, do you think we’d have bothered?’

Mike stared at him thoughtfully. ‘I don’t know, to be honest. I’d like to think so, but…’ Glimpses of men he’d known flashed through his mind, their bodies bloodied and torn apart in battle, and he shivered.

Rob nodded. ‘I thought it was just me.’ He sighed. ‘But we can’t let the Nazis win, Mike.’

‘No.’ Mike gave a wry smile. ‘Of course we can’t.’

The news had finished now and Vera Lynn was singing We’ll meet again. Rob sighed. He closed his eyes, listened to the music and, for a few moments, forgot all about the war.

*******

On the way to Danzig, Poland

‘I can’t believe it was that easy.’ Alek spoke quietly, even though they were in the middle of the countryside and there was no one around. Having made the decision to escape before Christmas they had spent a long cold winter waiting impatiently for spring to arrive so they could put their plan into action. They had left the camp in the middle of the night. The sentry must have been asleep because no one spotted them as they made their way stealthily through the fields to the edge of the camp. There was only a single wire fence which they cut through easily and then they were free and on the long walk to the coast.

They’d kept to wooded areas whenever they could, or fields, only using roads when there was no option and, when they came to any major highways, they were extremely careful before crossing.

‘We’re not out of the woods yet…’ Stani began before giving a wry smile. ‘No pun intended.’ His smile faded. ‘We need to put as much space between us and the army camp as possible. The hardest part will be trying to get a boat out of Danzig.’

‘There must be some kind of underground movement there,’ Alek said confidently.

‘I’m sure there is but we have to make contact with them and if they’re that easy to find, the Szkop will have already closed them down, or at least be watching them to see who’s stupid enough to speak to them.’ Stani heard Alek sigh. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just not sure how we’re going to get out of the country.’ He tried to lighten the atmosphere. ‘And I did promise not to get you killed.’ He paused as they came to another major road.

‘Well, if we can’t find a boat, we could always go back to the farm and try to get out from there.’

Stani turned away from the road and looked at his brother. He shook his head. ‘That’s probably the first place they’ll look for us, Alek. We can’t put everyone at risk by going home.’

He was about to say more when they heard the sound of vehicles approaching along the highway they were just about to cross. There was no time to run back into the woods behind them so Stani pointed to the deep ditch on the side of the road and both men dived into it. They were only just in time. Seconds later, three Wehrmacht troop carriers sped past, then screeched to a sudden halt.

*******

Outside Lvov, Poland

The Soviet soldiers were unsmiling, their weapons raised and pointed at her chest. Felcia swallowed nervously. ‘My son has scarlet fever. I can’t move him.’

The soldiers exchanged glances. They had no intention of risking their lives over some Polish brat. ‘Then you will come alone.’

Felcia nodded, relieved they hadn’t insisted on checking her story. They had hidden Mariusz in the small back room with some toys as soon as they’d seen the soldiers approaching the farm. Fortunately he was quiet at the moment, but she couldn’t rely on him staying that way. If she was to continue to protect him, she would have to leave quickly before Mariusz drew attention to himself or the soldiers changed their minds and insisted on seeing him.

She turned to Ala and gave her sister a hug. ‘Take care of him, Ala and God willing we’ll meet again soon. If not, tell my parents that I love them.’ She turned to Halina. ‘Look after them both, won’t you?’ Halina nodded. Tears were streaming down her face and she couldn’t speak.

‘You come now!’ One of the soldier’s grabbed her arm and Felcia turned away reluctantly. She wanted to scream and protest and struggle but she’d succeeded in protecting Mariusz. She couldn’t afford to mess things up now. She would have to go with them quietly.

She allowed herself to be shoved in the back of the lorry where there were several other women and children cowering on the wooden seats along the sides. One of the soldiers pulled down the flap, shutting out the light and her last sight of her family. Felcia shivered. She’d been allowed to bring only a small bag with extra underwear and a couple of changes of clothes, and her winter coat. She didn’t know where she was going or if she would ever return. Felcia closed her eyes and prayed for enough strength to survive so she could see her son and family again.

*******

Warsaw, Poland

‘Plans are being drawn up for a Jewish quarter over the Vistula River in the eastern part of Warsaw. It’s in the suburb of Praga.’ Hans was busy examining the map, so he missed the look of revulsion that crossed Gerhard’s face.

‘What about the people who live there now?’

Hans shrugged. ‘They’ll be told to pack up and leave, and at the same time we’ll tell the Jews to do the same.’

Gerhard stared at the map for a while. He was about to ask whether the Jews would fit into that small area when he decided to rephrase the question. ‘Will there be enough properties for the Poles in the rest of the city?’

Hans shrugged. ‘Yes, they should have more room. The Jews number about a third of the population, the Praga area only covers about two percent of the city’s total area. The Jews don’t need the room, they can share houses.’

Gerhard nodded. ‘Of course.’ If all the Jews were moved to Praga there would probably be six or seven people to a room, their living conditions would be intolerable, disease would flourish and many would die. He felt sick.

*******

En route to Danzig, Poland

Stani cursed under his breath. If they’d been closer to the trees they could have crawled deeper into the woods. As it was they were trapped in the ditch and couldn’t move without being seen. He looked at Alek, who had his pistol in his hand, and shook his head imperceptibly. The last thing they needed was to start a firefight with over fifty soldiers when they had no cover. Even if they could kill a few, they would be out of ammunition before they ran out of targets.

He was still wondering what they could do when he realised the trucks had only stopped for a toilet break. Fortunately the soldiers were using the ditch on the other side of the road or Stani and Alek would have been spotted immediately.

He raised his head cautiously. No one was looking in their direction. They were all facing the other way. Stani hesitated for a brief moment. Lined up in a row, the enemy’s soldiers made a very tempting target but it would be a futile gesture. They could kill a lot more by escaping. He waved a hand at Alek, indicating they should move back into the woods.

Alek needed no further invitation. He crawled quickly out of the ditch and, crouching low, he raced back to the relative safety of the trees. Stani waited until he was sure his brother was safe before double checking no one was watching, then quickly followed.

*******

En route to Russia

The lorry pulled up at the station and the soldiers herded them out with the help of threatening gestures with their rifles. They had made several other stops on the way and the truck was cramped and overcrowded with women and children. Felcia needed little encouragement to climb out and away from the misery of young children crying, while their older brothers and sisters gazed, terror struck, at the floor and the harassed mothers tried not to show their own fear. For the first time since she’d made the decision to leave Mariusz behind, she was grateful. It would be hard enough for her to survive, trying to keep a young toddler alive would be almost impossible.

*******

Outside Lublin, Eastern Poland

Andreas arrived at the farm with several of his men. He wasn’t happy with the task he’d been given, but he’d had no choice.

‘Andreas…’ Raisa had come out to greet him but one look at his face and the