The Brightest Day by Christopher Nicole

Author:Christopher Nicole [Nicole, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Published: 2018-02-15T05:00:00+00:00

PART THREE

The Brightest Day

But westward, look, the land is bright.

Seven

The Traitor

“Have you lost your senses?” Himmler demanded.

“Normandy? That is about the furthest part of northern France from England. Of course they would not invade there. It must be a raid.”

“But the report, Herr Reichsfuehrer… Thousands and thousands of men, thousands of ships, thousands of aircraft…”

“That sounds like some hysterical junior officer losing his nerve.” Himmler glared at Joanna, as if wondering if Hoeppner could be the culprit. “Has the Fuehrer been informed?”

“I believe the Fuehrer is still asleep, sir.”

“Well, no doubt he will deal with the situation when he wakes up. Meanwhile, get confirmation of those absurd numbers, if they can be confirmed.”

“Yes, Herr Reichsfuehrer.” The girl hurried from the room.

Himmler looked at Roess and Joanna. “The material one has to work with… One despairs. What are you waiting for?”

“I was wondering if this new situation requires any change in our plans?” Roess asked.

“This new situation? It is a raid, nothing more. It can only be a raid. Normandy? Rubbish. You have your orders, Colonel. Carry them out.”

“I shall do that, Herr Reichsfuehrer.”

“With respect, sir,” Joanna said. “If there is fighting in Normandy—”

“Your husband will be involved. So will Frau Rommel’s husband and thousands of other wives throughout Germany. Believe me, your husband will do a much better job without you there to distract him. Heil Hitler!”

*

Joanna and Roess went down the stairs together. “Do you believe it is just a raid?” she asked.

“That depends on how accurate those figures are.” He glanced at her. “Are you frightened?”

“Why should I be frightened? I am concerned for my husband’s life.”

“Do you not realize that if this is the invasion, we my well be looking at the defeat of Germany?”

“Can you dare say that?”

“Oh, come now, Joanna. You know very well that we cannot defeat the Allies if they get a foothold in France. Look at what is happening in Italy. Do you know that Rome has fallen?”

“I did not know that.”

“It happened yesterday. So they are steadily working their way up from the south, the Russians are steadily working their way in from the east and if the Allies are now going to start working their way in from the west…”

“Don’t you believe in all these secret weapons we are developing?”

“A few rockets are not going to make a jot of difference, supposing they work. But you can be sure that one of the first things the Americans will do when they get to Berlin will be to hang you.”

“What an intriguing thought. Perhaps they will hang you beside me.”

“They will have to catch me first. And before they do, I am going to have the satisfaction of hanging that bitch Liane de Gruchy, slowly.”

Over my dead body, Joanna thought. But she was realizing that it could well come to that.

*

It was two days before they got out of Berlin, as it turned out that the Allied landings were not merely a raid after all. But OKW remained convinced that while

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