Final Victory by Herbie Brennan

Author:Herbie Brennan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2010-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

15

The Chancellery

He made them brush down their uniforms and drilled them in their marching skills for close on half an hour before they set off. It was important they looked their very, very best. The Chancellery was the seat of German Government. The Chancellery was where the war was run. The Chancellery was the residence of Adolf Hitler.

The Chancellery was in ruins.

Jurgen stared at the broken remains of the building with a sinking heart. What would they do now? It was only a matter of time before one of the boys asked him, and this time even he had no answer. How was it possible that the Chancellery was in ruins? How was it possible that the country ran without it?

‘What shall we do now, sir?’ Hans asked. He looked close to tears.

But Jurgen was saved the embarrassment of admitting that he didn’t know by the approach of a burly soldier in steel helmet and drab olive uniform. ‘What are you boys doing here?’ he asked.

The question was directed at Karl, the tallest, but Jurgen stepped forward. He pointed to the swastika insignia on his armband. ‘We are a unit of the Hitler Youth awaiting orders, sir.’

The man stared at him suspiciously. ‘If you are awaiting orders, you must receive them from your commanding officer.’

Jurgen took a deep breath. ‘He’s dead, sir.’

The soldier showed no surprise. ‘In that case you must return to Hitler Youth Headquarters.’

‘The Headquarters has been destroyed,’ Jurgen said. ‘The Russians…’

This time the soldier did look surprised. ‘Destroyed?’

‘There were men from the Civil Defence. We helped them dig in the ruins, but found no one alive.’ Jurgen hesitated, then felt he had to add, ‘One of the men made treasonable statements in my hearing.’

The soldier nodded as if treasonable statements were made in someone’s hearing every day. He looked from Jurgen to the other boys, then back to Jurgen. ‘Perhaps you should report this.’

‘The treason?’ Jurgen asked eagerly. It would be a pleasure to report the disrespectful old man.

But the soldier shook his head. ‘The destruction of the Hitler Youth Headquarters. I don’t think the news has reached them yet. Come with me.’

He led them through the remains of the Chancellery to the gardens at the rear. They too were in ruins, pock-marked by shell craters and the plants neglected. Two armed guards were stationed at the entrance of an underground concrete bunker.

‘These boys have something to report,’ the soldier explained tersely.

He led them down steep steps and through a heavy steel bulkhead door. The corridor beyond was filled with scurrying people – officers in uniform, young women waving papers, armed guards, even one or two civilians.

‘In here,’ the soldier told them.

They trooped into an empty chamber. There were no chairs, no furnishings of any sort, just four walls and a bare electric light bulb hanging from the middle of the ceiling.

‘You will wait,’ the man instructed and closed the door behind him.

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