17 Courtney's War by Wilbur Smith

Author:Wilbur Smith [Smith, Wilbur]
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The army officer who witnessed Gerhard’s anti-Hitler speech and took down his name for future reference was Colonel Heinrich Graf von Sickert. The following day he called up an old school friend who was on the staff of the Fourth Air Fleet and made inquiries about Gerhard. A few days later, his friend called back with his findings.

Von Sickert did not find Gerhard’s family background as impressive as some might. To a man of his aristocratic Prussian lineage, the von Meerbachs were newcomers to the world of wealth and social privilege. Gerhard’s war record, however, was impeccable and perfect for von Sickert’s purposes. He decided to make further enquiries among contacts in Berlin and Munich.

In early March, he had an opportunity to share his findings with a likeminded soul.

After a disastrous December and January, the tide had unexpectedly turned in the Wehrmacht’s favour. In the south, Field Marshall Erich von Manstein had overseen a series of armoured assaults, executed with blitzkrieg vigour, which took back much of the territory seized by the Russians after the Battle of Stalingrad. Now von Manstein was preparing a new campaign, and the Führer had flown to the Ukrainian town of Zaporozhye, to bring what he saw as his unique military genius to bear on the next stage of operations.

In the improved mood, there was more time for socialising among the officers who were present. This enabled von Sickert to have a word with another old friend, a staff officer called Kleinhof from Army Group Centre. They armed themselves with schnapps and cigarettes and found a couple of armchairs tucked away in the corner of a reception room.

‘I think I’ve found a possible recruit,’ he said. ‘Man called Gerhard von Meerbach.’

‘One of the von Meerbachs who make engines?’ Kleinhof asked.

‘Yes, younger brother of the current head of the family.’

‘You mean that fat swine Konrad? Are you sure your man is on our side? The older brother’s a diehard SS man. He was Heydrich’s toady-in-chief, and now has his thick skull rammed up Himmler’s backside.’

‘I’m informed that the two brothers have never been close. Young Gerhard never showed enthusiasm for the Party. He was an architectural student, more of a lefty, bohemian type. But then something happened, no one’s quite sure what, but suddenly Gerhard had joined the Party and was working in Speer’s architectural practice.’

‘He couldn’t have got that job unless he had the official seal of approval.’

‘Quite so. But even then, a lot of people got the impression that the good-Nazi act was put on for show,’ von Sickert said. ‘They assumed brother Konrad had insisted on it for the good of the family business.’

Kleinhof nodded. ‘Everyone was at it. Steel companies, Krupp and Thyssen, and all their friends were buttering up the Nazis like mad. Hardly surprising: the state was their biggest customer.’

‘Then again, it’s possible that von Meerbach was sincere in his beliefs until he saw what was happening here in Russia.’

‘God knows that’s enough to change anyone’s mind.’

‘He was at Stalingrad, right through the campaign.

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