Skeletons at the Feast -SA by Chris Bohjalian

Author:Chris Bohjalian [Bohjalian, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, General, Historical, War & Military, World War; 1939-1945, Germany, Jews, Jewish, World War; 1939-1945 - Germany, Germany - History - 1933-1945, Jews - Germany, Air Pilots; Military
ISBN: 9780307394965
Google: Tw5Us1wTNz4C
Amazon: 0307394964
Publisher: Broadway
Published: 2008-01-02T08:00:00+00:00

He seemed to contemplate this. "I've asked myself that, too: How did this happen? And it seems to me it has less to do with the Russians--the Russians or the

western armies, even--and much more to do with us. I think when this is all over, the Germans will have only themselves to blame."

She recalled how her husband and her brother had talked on occasion about the foolhardiness of attacking Russia--how the Reich had plenty of land and didn't need

to take on Joe Stalin. She assumed this was what Manfred was referring to now: the difficulty of waging a war on two fronts. They, the Germans, should have been

satisfied with the state of things in 1941 and made peace with Britain. After all, no one had any gripes with the British. Look at Callum. Or the other POWs they had had

working for them on the farm through the autumn. Good boys, fine young men. It didn't make any sense at all to be at war with Great Britain.

"Yes, we just don't have the manpower," she murmured, hoping she sounded both agreeable and wise.

"Well, we don't. But that isn't what I meant. I meant we haven't exactly been a civilized empire ourselves. The answer to your question, 'How did this happen?' It's

actually pretty simple. We asked for it."

She thought of how long and thin his face was, and how much he had probably suffered. It was as if he had emerged whole from an El Greco canvas, just walked into

the world from the frame.

"I've heard that our armies behaved badly sometimes," she said simply. "But then I think of soldiers like you or Werner. Or Werner's friends. We had naval officers at

our home in the fall, and they were nothing but gentlemanly. We played music together, they danced with my daughter and her friends. All completely civilized. And so I

have to ask: Who? Who then are these German soldiers who have done the things people whisper about? Where are they?"

"I've met some. And it's not just the soldiers. It's the whole German people."

"Who have you met?" she asked. "What have you seen?" She realized that she sounded like a devastated child: a girl who has just learned there are no such things

as fairies. Instantly she regretted the tone and tried to reclaim a semblance of dignity. "Tell me, please. I want to know."

He shrugged. "The eastern front is more barbaric than the west, I'll admit that. But there have been atrocities everywhere. And the worst has had nothing to do with

the front lines. It's what we have done behind the lines. Behind the barbed wire."

"The work camps? Yes, I've heard stories about them. But I'm sure they're exaggerations, aren't you?"

"I'm not sure of that at all."

"Have you been inside one?"

"No. But once . . ."

"Please. I can bear it," she told him. "I seem to have lost my home and virtually everything I've ever owned. I'm a strong woman, I assure you."

"Once," he said, "I was on a train." His voice had taken on an uncharacteristically somber cast.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.