Disclaimer: The mention and desciptions of Soviet war crimes in this novel are not used for political reasons, rather for historical accuracy. As you see in several times in the novel, like the Russian tank crewman and the elderely Russian officer, I do not portray all of them as murderers. I am poltically neutral, and hope that this novel is not misused by neo nazis.
cheers,
Kevin.
Through Hell and Heaven
By Kevin Chan
Introduction:
September, 1944, France.
Jaques Grenier, a French policeman in his late 20s, took cover as the Allied aircraft dove in and bombed the town. US Sherman tanks were approaching rapidly. All around, German soldiers in their distinctive Field Gray uniforms and helmets moved towards the outskirts, accompanied by several Panzers. It was all confusion, with the German military police, the Feldgendarmes, running all over the place in their distinctive chain tags. The local German Garrison of the town, an elderly Prussian gentleman in his late 40s, Hauptmann Von Mollendorf, who trusted Jaques well, screamed “Jaques! We have to evacuate the town, the Allies are coming, you have 30 minutes to get your family with you! The SDKFZ halftracks are waiting, we need you for special duties elsewhere!” It was the beginning of the nightmare.
Chapter 1:
October 1944, Dresden, Germany.
Jaques was now recruited as a former French policeman into the French volunteer division 33. Waffen Grenadier Division der SS ‘Charlemagne’of the special branch of the German armed forces, the Waffen SS. Jaques, now in a Field Gray SS uniform with a French national arm shield on his arm sleeve, knelt down as he looked at his 5 year old boy named Christian, and said “I will be back for you, ok” Christian replied “Will you please get a postcard for me?” “Yes, I promise.” Jaques now turned to his beautiful English wife, Marie, and kissed her on the check and said “I love you, sweetheart.” Marie sobbed and said “please don’t die, I can’t live without you. We are soul mates, write to me every day, ok?” “ok, dear” With that, they kissed and hugged each other again, Jaques trying to get a few more moments of Marie’s softness, warmth and tenderness. Jaques walked towards the military train, turned around and said “I will be back for Christmas!”
October 1944, Wildfelcken Military Camp, Francoia, Germany,
The 7000 soldiers of the “Charlemagne” Division lined up in solid blocks, clad in the German Stalhelm helmets and the Field Gray greatcoats. A few men from each unit, Jaques from Regiment 57, lined up in front of lowered French and German swastika flags, and raised their fingers into the air, along with the rest of the Division, and chanted in German.
"Ich schwöre bei Gott diesen heiligen Eid, dass ich im Kampf gegen den Bolschewischmus dem Obersten Befehlshaber der Deutschen Wehrmacht, Adolf Hitler, unbedingten Gehorsam leisten und als tapferer Soldat bereit sein will, jederzeit für diesen Eid mein Leben einzusetzen."
SS Obergruppenfuehrer Gustav Krukenberg, the commander of the ‘Charlemagne”, stepped onto the speaking platform and addressed “Frenchmen! You are going to take part in the battle against Bolshevism! You will be training, it may be hard, but you will become good soldiers!”
The soldiers of the Charlemagne were a mixed bunch. Many of them were veterans of the German army legion of French volunteers, the LVF, while other were veterans of another earlier smaller French SS unit, a Sturmbrigade, and the rest were former Collabarationists or policemen and Milice, like Jaques.
December 1944, Germany.
The harsh Waffen SS NCO, a tough and highly decorated veteran of the elite SS Division ‘Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler’, screamed in hoarse French “Get moving, you assholes! What do you expect in combat? For me to carry you?” Jaques and his comrades struggled in their heavy greatcoats in the barbed wire, with their equipment and rifles. The NCO was now very angry, and ordered a nearby MG42 to sweep the approaches of the barbed wire with gun fire. Jaques and his comrades still struggled, now under intense pressure to finish the exercise. One soldier simply had enough, and stood up, screaming “No more!” The NCO screamed “get down, you fool!” The soldiers manning the MG42 struggled to turn it off, but it was too late. A bullet tore through the heart of the poor soldier, and he fell onto the barbed wire, dead. The NCO spat out his cigarette, and said “@#%” For the first time now, Jaques saw the true reality of death, and was visibly shaken, and vomited.
Chapter 2
Febuary 17th, 1945, Germany.
Jaques got onto the military transport train, along with thousands of men. As the train thundered across the Reich towards the battlefield, it was snowing, and there was eerie silence. Everyone was afraid of the combat to come.
February 24, 1945, Hammerstein, Pommerina, Germany.
Regiment 58, on train, pulled into the city. It was under intense Soviet artillery fire, and was snowing heavily. Shells came flying down everywhere. At the train station, as Jaques and his comrades unloaded, civilians ran wild everywhere, the Feldgendarmes unable to maintain control. Jaques exclaimed ‘This is crazy! We don’t have heavy equipment, the SS Camouflage tunics, and all those things!” The commander of the unit, Hauptsturmfuehrer Henri Fenet, a veteran of the old French army and the Sturmbrigade, walked towards the unit. He had a sharp face and glasses. He said “Men! The Soviets are approaching Hammerstein with many tanks and thousands of men! I know we are ill equipped and many of you want to return to your loved ones, but we must try our best in the battle in the old French manner! And remember men, be careful, and I will look out for you.”
Jaques jumped into the foxhole, a Soviet bullet narrowly missing him. All around him, French SS soldiers struggled to get into their positions, many of them firing at the Russians on the way. The approaching Soviet tanks fired their guns non stop, sending cold snowy dirt flying into the air, and the charging waves of Soviet infantry riddled the ground with gun fire. All around him, men fell. The French SS soldiers that reached the trenches and foxholes opened a terrible fire on the Soviet infantry, cutting them down in dozens. The Soviet khaki tide, so visible in the snow, was thinning out quick, but was coming nearer. Jaques jumped out of his foxhole, and cut down the 3 nearest Soviet soldiers with his MP44 machine gun, just meters away. 2 Soviet tanks approached Jaques. Jaques knew he had nothing to lose, it was either life or death, screamed “Marie, I love you!”, and jumped onto the Soviet tank in front, and opened the hatch, and tossed in a stick grenade. The interior of the tank burst into flames, killing all the crew. However, the Soviet tank behind Jaques approached him, trying to run him over. Jaques screamed in fear, until suddenly the tank burst into flames. It had been destroyed by a fellow soldier with a Panzerfaust rocket launcher. He helped up Jaques, and Jaques said “thanks”. All around, there was a stench of smoke, gunpowder, blood, and burnt human flesh in the air. However, the first Soviet attack was stopped. More would come. As Jaques walked around, he noticed something horrific. In a hospital van containing wounded, all of them had been shot to death in sadistic pleasure by Soviet soldiers.
Jaques took the valuable spare time in between the Soviet attacks to write a letter to Marie, which would be mailed by the German army Feldpost. He wrote
‘Dearest Marie, my love,
Where are you now? The Soviet attacks are reducing our strength badly, but we still hold them off with courage. I hope that you can go somewhere safe, the Soviets are human devils….. we have seen several of our wounded shot dead.” I really need you now; the place is absolute human hell. I can’t wait until I am together with you again. Give my love to our son as well… I love you.
Love,
Jacques.”
February 26, 1945, Heinrichwalde, Pommerina, Germany.
Jaques and a bunch of French SS soldiers were quickly assembled, and smacked to attention. Henri Fenet quickly paced back and forth, hands behind his back, and said sharply “men! We will counterattack and take the village of Heinrichwalde!”
The French SS soldiers approached Heinrichwalde in a spread out formation, unlike the mass waves of the Soviets. The Soviets opened all hell on the advancing soldiers from the ruins of Heinrichwalde, cutting down a few, sending the rest covering into the mud. Soviet Katyusha artillery rockets, nicknamed “Stalin Organs”, tore mud high into the air, and (EDITED). Jaques wanted to scream with fear, but with iron control, he restrained it. Fenet screamed “move on!”, but no one budged. It was up to Jaques, he launched himself into the Soviet fire, miraculously not getting hit, screamed, and threw a stick grenade at a Soviet machine gun post, destroying it. He then riddled charging Soviet soldiers with MP44 fire, cutting them down with a few well aimed bursts. This inspired the other Frenchmen, who threw themselves into battle, winning back the outskirts of the village with little losses. Jaques and the Frenchmen fought their way inch by inch into the center of Heinrichwalde. However, all around Heinrichwalde, Soviet forces threatened to encircle the place. Fenet had no choice, and screamed “withdraw men!” As Jaques ran back, a Soviet bullet tore into his shoulder, and he collapsed and fainted. A fellow Frenchman carried Jaques on his back, and reached the aid post behind the lines, where Jaques was put into the nearby Field hospital.
Jaques woke up, in the middle of the night. He was shaking badly. He had a bad dream, with the horrific things he witnessed, from the Katyushas tearing his comrades into shreds, the burnt up Soviet crews, and the murdered wounded comrades. Jaques suddenly felt an intense hatred. Hatred for the Soviets, and to the German Nazi leadership, for opening the gates of Soviet hell to Europe and making him and his fellow French, European and German soldiers have to defend it. Suddenly, this was calmed down. Henri Fenet walked into the ward, holding an Iron Cross, 2nd Class, smiling. Fenet pinned the Iron Cross to Jaques’s tunic, and told him “Your action at Heinrichwalde really impressed me. For this I award you the Iron Cross, 2nd Class. What’s your name son?” Jaques merely replied “My name is Jaques, Hauptsturmfuehrer.. I am ready to do my duty with my comrades”. then shooke Fenet’s hand. From that moment, they would be lifelong friends.
Febuary 27, 1945, Hammerstein, Pommerina, Germany
The French SS troops withdrew from Hammerstein, in marching order. Jaques and no doubt many others were depressed, as they had seen terrible things and seen comrades die. It was only a sampler of what was to come. In the distance, they heard the screams of German women being raped by Soviet soldiers, and the screams of children and old men as their property was looted and they were driven off. These screams would be the sound of the future for Jaques and his men on the Eastern Front. Jaques felt a deep relief that Marie and his son were not near the frontline yet… he felt obliged to do the best he could to fight off the Soviets from getting near his family, and not for Hitler and his “Thousand Year Reich”!
March 6th, 1945, Belgard, Pommerina, Germany.
Jaques, along with 3000 other men of the ‘Charlemagne’, retreat across a big plain, under cover of the bog. All along nearby villages, many villagers screamed “take us with you!” They didn’t want to become victims of the Soviets. Soon, the fog disappeared. The Soviets were there. All around, gun and artillery fire ripped. Men fell in dozens, and ran around confused. Officers screamed for men to assemble in order. Jaques lost his way, and randomly squeezed off MP44 fire at the Russians. He saw a Soviets position with a platoon of Soviet soldiers shooting all around. Jaques pulled out a stick grenade, and threw it at the sandbag position. It burst into smoke, sending Soviet soldiers flying into the air. However, there were still 3 survivors, caked in dirt and blood, firing a Maxim machine gun all around, tearing down Frenchmen. Jaques had no more ammunition. He ran to a nearby knocked out Soviet tank, took out a can of gasoline, and chucked it right at the Soviet bullets. The can of gasoline burst into flames right in front of the Soviet position, engulfing the Soviet soldiers in flames, who danced around like bonfires. However Jaques had no time for the horrific scene, and jumped into a SDKFZ halftrack, which mananged to escape. Jaques looked back, all around , men were still running, and wounded soldiers were crushed to death by the Soviet tanks. The Soviet soldiers, seeing their burnt up position, poured gasoline on 3 captured German prisoners and burnt them alive as revenge. This massacre battle and slaughter was a scene Jaques was never going to forget.
March 7th, 1945, Gorke, Pommerina, Germany.
Jaques has been cut off behind Russian lines. As he crouched inside a building in Gorke, he witnessed horrific scenes. Outside, a Soviet officer lined up several prisoners and civilians, and shot them in the head with a pistol, as “revenge” for his dead soldiers. Outside, an elderly man who had won the Iron Cross, 1st class, in the First World War, was slowly tortured to death, despite screaming “I’m not a Nazi!, I’m not a soldier!” The Soviets had tortured him to death to get his Iron Cross as a souvenir. Jaques had enough, got out of his building, pulled out a captured Russian sub machine gun, and sprayed the Soviet soldiers with fire, screaming with hate, cutting every single one of them down with many bullets. The Soviet soldier who had tortured the old man lay on the floor, gasping, still alive, clutching the stolen Iron Cross souvenir, saying “Please don’t kill me!” However, Jaques felt no need for pity, and stitched many bullets into him. He then broke down onto the floor, sobbing at war’s sheer horror. He then stumbled out of the town, managing to avoid the advancing Soviets, and reached the ‘Charlemagne’ division, which was retreating to the Baltic to avoid the Soviet encirclements. The French cannot be of any more help to the poor Pommeranians, who are now exposed to the terror of Bolshevism. However, Jaques knew that it was the Nazi regime that had brought the Bolsheviks here, through the war. He felt very bad, yet somehow honourable, stuck in a war between brutal dictatorships, fighting not for any ideal but for the lives of German civilians and his family.
Chapter 3
April, 1945, Neusterlitz, Germany.
The 1000 or so rag tag exhausted survivors of the ‘Charlemagne’ lined up in formation, at the town of Neusterlitz. SS Brigadefuehrer Krukennerg came forward to speak. “Frenchmen! You have fought well, and participated in the rescue of thousands of fellow German soldiers, and civilians. However, we have one last task to do. The Soviets are approaching the Capital of Germany, Berlin. We all know what would happen to Europe and our loved ones if the Soviets take that easily. Therefore, we shall march to Berlin and fight to the last. However – I release all of you from your oath of allegiance to the Fuehrer.. those who wish to fight, raise their hands! Those who do not wish to fight, you may be engineer units!” Surprisingly, 600 soldiers volunteered to fight. Jaques then too raised his hand. Krukenerg and Fenet were deeply moved, has tears in his eyes. He screamed “Viva Le France!” A French SS band crashed out the French national anthem, the Marseille.
Henri Fenet, now the commander of the force to march to Berlin, however only had 9 trucks at his disposal, and could only board 300 men, but as Fenet trusted Jaques, he permitted Jaques to come along. Along the trip, Jaques opened an unopened Feldpost letter from Marie, the first in Months, the reply to the letter he wrote her while in the Pommerina fighting. It read
“Dearest Jaques,
I understand your feelings, me love, and me and our son both miss you very much. I wish you a quick return, and right now I and our son are trying to leave Dresden after the bombing by the British. Please take care,
Love,
Marie.”
Jaques had tears in his eyes. But a fear suddenly gripped Jaques…. The Soviets were approaching Dresden, as Dresden was in the Eastern part of Germany!
April 25 – 26, 1945, Berlin, Germany.
The convoy of 6 French SS vehicles approached the blown up bridge. Fenet got off, and angrily shouted at the local German militia Volksturm troops, mostly old men and kids “What had happened with the bridge?” An old man in semi military and civilian clothing replied “oh…. We had an… accident.” Fenet then ordered the Frenchmen off… they would march to Berlin. Overhead, suddenly Soviet Sturmovik aircraft appeared. They strafed the marching column. Jaques jumped for cover. Several dozen other men however were not so fortunate… the Russian heavy caliber bullet tore huge bloody holes into their bodies. Soon, the column reaches Tempelhof airfield, Berlin. The Frenchmen are then divided into 4 companies, with 60 to 80 men each. By now, the Third Reich is in such a state of confusion, that Jaques and most of his comrades do not know about their units and so on… they just fight.
April 26th, 1945, Neukoelln Berlin, Germany.
It was dawn, with the sun rising. Jaques rushed forward, his blood high. All around him, Frenchmen, supported with Panzers, and even a King Tiger tank from the 11. SS Panzer Division ‘Nordland’ of Scandinavian volunteers, advanced in a counterattack. Soviet tanks appeared, and eagerly took on the advancing Frenchmen and Germans. Shells flew in, burying men alive. However, the King Tiger and the Panzers quickly knock out many Soviet tanks, creating bonfires all around. Russian artillery suddenly hits the reserve section of ‘Charlemagne.’ “No! Take cover!” screams Jaques. Too late. 15 dead Frenchmen lay dead. All around, Frenchmen fell, and then withdraw, and Jaques was very bitter, swearing non stop. Nearly half of the ‘Charlemagne’ men were killed in that attack. Jaques had tears in his eyes over this failure.
April 27th, 1945, The Opera, Unter Den Linden, Berlin, Germany.
Jaques and the Frenchmen rested in the basement of the opera in the famous district of Berlin, the Unter Den Linden. Brigadefuehrer Krukenberg came, and distributed cigarettes and cakes. Jaques ate them down with a deep relish. It is a joyful mood, and many Frenchmen are singing joyful marching songs, both in German and French. At the same time, the ‘Charlemagne’ is divided into 8 man anti tank squads sent to defend different parts of Berlin against the Soviet tanks. Jaques found himself in the squad with Fenet in it. Fenet says “ah, Jaques! Guess we will have to fight together.” “Lets do our best against the tanks!” exclaimed Jaques. The squads are then sent around Berlin, via the subway.
Night of April 27, 1945, Allianz Platz, Berlin, Germany.
The 6 Soviet tanks rattled along the street. Jaques saw the first one. He gripped the Panzerfaust, and squeezed the mechanism. The first tank burst into flames. The Soviet tank at the end of the column is knocked out by a German assault gun. Jaques’s squad move swiftly through the buildings, destroying the tanks one by one with Panzerfausts. As the Soviet tank crews ran around burning, Jaques could not stand it any longer. He ran out, and shot all of them down with his MP44. He searched the wallet of a dead Soviet tank soldier – it had a picture of his family in it. This dead soldier also had many sweets, and there was no doubt that this soldier was kind to German children. Jaques felt tears come out of his eyes. Not every Soviet soldier was a Communist killer. But Jaques was still determined to stop the Soviets in battle.
April 28 to May 1st, 1945, Berlin,
The Soviet tanks came on non stop. Soviet artillery demolished all the buildings, leaving crumbling ruins, still suitable for defense. Mortars also come down non stop. As Jaques squad engages the Soviet squads, Soviet infantry came in, firing madly. Jaques jumps into cover into another building, and riddles the Soviet infantry with gun fire. Jaques pulls out a stick grenade, and tosses it. The surviving Soviet infantry around the tank area are killed. Jaques jumped down from the building, and knocked out a Soviet tank from behind, by putting on a magnetic mine. The Soviet tank behind Jaques moved forward to run him down, but Jaques jumped under the tracks, rolling out just in time before that tank burst into a million pieces, shot up by a German Panzer. The Soviet artillery gun fire try to hit down Jaques, and his and other anti tank squads, but Jaques jumped around everywhere, surviving. Berlin is a living inferno. There is smoke everywhere, nothing can be seen.
At night, when there is finally rest, Jaques heard the screams of a German woman being raped by Soviet soldiers. Jaques finally had enough of hearing that; he took out a bayonet, went to the wrecked building, and charged recklessly at the Soviet soldiers, who were stunned. Jaques hacked and slashed them to death, screaming non stop as he stabbed again and again. Jaques felt he had lost his mind, and staggered back to his lines.
Despite orders to the contrary, Fenet, who was wounded, came back to be with the Frenchmen. Jaques shook his hand and said “It’s good to have you hack Henri.” When Jaques woke up, he saw a Soviet tank staring right at him, only 1 meter away from the French lines. Jaques instantly fired his Panzerfaust at point blank range, sending Soviet steel flying into the air. Other Frenchmen sprang to action, firing, charging at the Soviet infantry and engaging in hand to hand combat. Jaques threw aside the Panzerfaust, and spanked a Soviet soldier to death with his spade. Another Soviet artillery barrage came down, tearing up the wrecked Soviet tanks, and tore up many men. Jacques screamed with the blood on his face “War is hell!” Meanwhile, the barrage destroys the “Charlemagne” HQ. Fenet ran across the street towards the new HQ, in a bookstore, firing at the Soviets with his Luger pistol. By the third day, Jaques could hardly take any more. He said to himself “What is night in Berlin? There is none, as the lights of fires and screams keeps one awake.”
Jaques that night went up to the Soviet lines. He pulled out a knife, and saw a Soviet Ukrainian soldier sleeping. He slowly put the knife to the Ukrainian’s throat, and whispered to him “You’re a prisoner, come with me or you are dead.” With that, Jaques dragged the Ukrainian to Fenet’s command post.
The Ukrainian proudly announced “Our attack will level off you fascists tomorrow, the first of May, the day of out communist international celebrations!” Jaques had no responses – he knew that the next day would be a day like any other in Berlin, perhaps worst. Columns of black smoke rose into the air, as another Soviet assault came. Jaques this time just blindly fired his MP44, not looking, just firing non stop at the Soviets without aiming. Soviet tanks were destroyed many metres behind the French lines. A Soviet tank personally ran over Jaques’s sandbag, but Jaques jumped into the Soviet tank, and shot all of the crew to death, and disabled the mechanism of the tank. Fenet screamed “withdraw to the other position!” When about night sets in, Jaques manages after non stop combat to reach the new position. The Soivets launch yet another attack. The first Soviet tank approaches a sandbag position which is was by Jaques and 2 comrades with MG42s. The Soviet tank blew away the position, sending blood everywhere, killing the 2, and Jaques ran into the nearby position, a building, and observed the fighting, however still firing his MP44. He saw a neighboring group of German soldiers led by an officer attacking a Soviet tank with Panzerfausts. The tank was destroyed, but another Soviet tank came up, and blew (EDITED), Jaques relishing at the sight. The remaining German soldiers of that group swore revenge, and charged at the Soviet tank, all of them being shot dead. As the Soviet tank rolled over their dead bodies, one of the dead German soldiers holding a time bomb twitched as his body was crushed, and triggered the firing mechanism, which sent the tank flying into the air, along with the remains of the soldier. Jaques screamed at the sight, and charged fanatically into the Soviet soldiers which ran inside the building, beating several to death with his MP44, before being overpowered. As a Soviet prepared to riddle him up with a machine gun, Jaques kicked him in the groin, wrestled with him, and threw him to his death onto the street, by throwing him out of the window. Jaques was the last to leave the building, which was being set on fire by Soviet soldiers with flamethrowers. As Jaques left the building, he personally turned on a fan, which turned the fire on the building to several Soviet soldiers who were charging into the building, engulfing them in fire. It seemed that the Soviets had a never ending number of tanks and men to throw in. The new position was 10 meters away.
That night, May 1st, Brigadefuehrer Krukenberg came up to the position, and awarded many Iron Crosses of the 1st class, including Jacques. But, Krukenberg had another surprise. 3 Frenchmen of this horrific battle fought well enough to attain the highest medal of the German armed forces, the shiny Knight’s Cross! The award went to Henri Fenet, and Jaques embraced him in the traditional French manner as congratulations. Krukenberg then made a speech. “You Frenchmen defending Europe in this utmost courageous manner will never be forgotten! It is the epitome of bravery of French soldiers around the world!” Jaques felt deeply moved, not by the German propaganda part, but by the bravery of the Frenchmen in this battle. After that, Fenet had a talk with Jaques. “Jaques, you have a wife you love, we might all die here, I will let you have a try to get out of this hell.” Jaques and Fenet both had tears in their eyes, and Jaques put on his equipment, saluted Fenet, said goodbye to many of his comrades and joined this desperate attempt to break out of Berlin.
May 1st, 1945, Berlin, Germany.
Jacques, Krukenberg, a few other French SS soldiers, and thousands of other German soldiers, Volksturm, and German civilian refuges prepared for the assault to break out of Berlin, in the North West area. Among this was the last Tiger tank, the famous, yet useless and brutal Nazi party bigwig Martin Bormann, and SS Brigadefuehrer Wilhelm Mohnke, the commander of the governmental district fighting in Berlin. The assault began, with the group breaking onto the outskirts of Berlin, crossing a bridge on the river Spree. It was a desperate massacre, with the thousands of soldiers and civilians charging in a mad rush. The Soviet artillery tore down thousands. There was no time to stop. It was life or death. The Soviets had erected a barricade on the other side of the bridge. The Tiger tank fired a shot at the position, covering it in flames, and ran it over, crushing the Soviet soldiers, with the sounds of bones being grinded up. A Soviet anti tank gun was rushed up, and struck the Tiger. Many soldiers and civilians on it were killed, and many wounded. Jaques ran to the damaged Tiger, and pulled out an injured German soldier, carried him on his back, and continued. Just as the German soldier was about to say thanks, a bullet struck him in the head. Jaques had no time to spare; He put down the dead German, and continued running. It was all confusion, and Jaques had lost contact with his fellow Frenchman and Krukenberg. There were several German anti aircraft self propelled FLAK vehicles, and they moved up to support the retreat, with their 20 mm guns hammering away in a steady “tat tat” at the Soviets, tearing them to pieces and making them keep their heads down. Using this valuable time, Jaques wanted to buy more time for the retreat to finish. More time for soldiers and refugees to escape. More time, no matter how small, for Europe’s protection from Bolshevism. A small group of German paratroops were storming up the FLAK tower nearby to take out Soviet machine guns there, and Jaques joined them. A squad of 3 paratroops, along with Jaques, climbed up. But however, the Soviet machine guns tore down all 3 paratroops, which fell to their deaths. However, Jaques got in, and screamed “Merde!” as he shot down all the Soviet machine gunners in the cramped area, blood staining the walls. In the nearby buildings, long columns of charging Soviet infantry emerged. Jaques grabbed control of one of the captured Soviet machine guns, and fired away, screaming, the gun barrels steaming from the non stop firing. Soviet soldiers dropped dead all around the FLAK tower, cut down with ribbons of blood all over. However, they still came on. Jaques abandoned the machine gun, and joined the continuing wave of retreating German soldiers and civilians. However, suddenly, he felt a bullet graze into him. He fell down, wounded, blood streaming from his shoulder. Soviet
soldiers quickly came. Jacques prepared for the worst. However, as these Soviet soldiers prepared to put their bayonets into Jaques, an Old Russian officer came and saved Jaques. Jaques gave his thanks to the old officer. Jaques soon found himself trudging the long, hard, road to Siberia, and possible death. He wept as he thought of Marie and his son, and mumbled “Marie, I have failed you, I cannot be together with you now!
Chapter 4
May 8th, 1945, Dresden, Germany
The Soviet soldiers came toward Marie. Marie screamed, and ran, but was caught. Christian came forward with a club, and outright courageously clubbed one of the Soviet soldiers to death, However, the other Soviet soldiers sprayed him with gunfire, killing him. Marie screamed “No!” as she was about to be raped. But fortunately, just in time, a group of 3 German soldiers in hiding appeared, and quickly shot down the Soviet soldiers. Marie, now crying desperately, just exclaimed “thank you.. thank you! But my son… my son!” One of the German soldiers went up to her and said “Lady, I know how it feels, I have lost my family to the Reds, but come on please! We must get out of this place, you can pretend to be out girlfriend our something as we pretend to be Reds! Reluctantly Marie followed the 3 German soldiers, who put on the uniforms of the dead Soviet soldiers on top of their German uniforms, and got on a nearby deserted Soviet army car with the 3 Germans. The car drove at top speed through the burnt remains of the city, with the cries of tortured men and raped women all over the place, and reached Western Allied lines.
May 9th, 1945, Western Germany
A British army officer stopped the car. The 3 Germans ripped off the Soviet uniforms, revealed their German uniforms underneath and surrendered. At least with the British, the treatment was far more humane. The British officer went over and said to Marie “Well, my bloody hell, if it isn’t you, Marie!?” Marie had no answer, and was sobbing. The British officer was her brother, named Mark. Mark bent down to Marie, and asked “What happened, something seems wrong?” Marie broke down in tears, and told Mark everything. “My husband, my precious Jaques…. Was conscripted to fight in the French Waffen SS… he might be dead by now, or in a Soviet prison.. my son… killed by the Red beasts… I was nearly raped… but these 3 Germans…. Saved my life, please let them go…” Marie totally emotionally collapsed, and almost fainted. “All right, rest now, Marie, I will try to help you find Jaques, he seems to be a nice chap when I knew him before the war.” Mark said in a sympathetic tone. “The Soviets are proving to be a threat now, I know some secret agency contacts, maybe in one of their later missions they can pick up Jaques.” He then turned to the German soldiers, shook their hands, and told them “Thank you for saving my sister, you are free to go.” The German soldiers also had tears in their eyes, and told in a gentle tone to Marie “I will help you find our French comrade, our names are Fritz, Hans, and Wilhelm.” Mark then shook their hands and said “Allright, we have to give you 3 chaps special training now.”
Chapter 5
1st January, 1946, Moscow, the Soviet Union.
Jaques, in his Field Gray uniform devoid of insignia, was thrown into the courtroom. The Soviet Commissar in his Khaki uniform screamed “You… imbecile! I sentence you to 10 years in Siberia for destroying tanks, the property of the USSR!” Jaques wanted to die. He could not stand that separation with Marie. It was the beginning of the descent into hell.
30th January, 1946, somewhere in Siberia, the Soviet Union.
The train, full of freezing and dying German prisoners of war, pulled in. Jaques mumbled “we are there.” “Don’t worry comrade, one day we will be liberated from these Bolshevik scum.” Jaques felt his heart warm at that comment. In 1940, Germans and French had regarded each other as enemies. Now, they were comrades. The Soviet soldiers in fur caps and greatcoats flung open the great doors. “Quick, quick!” they screamed, and brandished their whips non stop. As the exhausted prisoners with nothing more than their old threadbare field gray uniform tunics stepped out into the freezing hell of Siberia, the Soviets unleashed their dogs, which were biting prisoners, who screamed. Jaques felt himself being bitten, and had to beat the aggressive animal non stop for hours until it died. After that, the long column of prisoners marched toward the Soviet prison camp, the Soviet guards harassing non stop. As they were walking along a frozen lake, a German soldier slipped into a hole, which cracked, Half of the lake cracked open. 3 Soviet soldiers fell in, but 20 other German prisoners also fell in. They were all struggling, and Jaques struggled to save the prisoners, but couldn’t as he could not go into the frozen water, which killed in minutes. Soon, all those who fell in drowned. Jaques and all the other prisoners had tears in their eyes. As the column finished leaving the lake, they were assembled in a forest clearing. The Soviet officer, Colonel Kadowsky, walked along the prisoners, counting off each one in 10. Jaques felt a great relief for himself, as the man next to him was chosen. The 30 or so chosen prisoners were all marched forward a few meters, and were made to kneel at the edge of the lake. Kadowsky sadistically shot each of the 30 prisoners in the arm, creating great pain, then kicked them into the lake, were they slowly drowned in the freezing water, their wounds being frozen horrifically. Kadowsky exclaimed “That’s what happens when 3 of our guards die!” Jaques felt an intense hatred, yet a longing for Marie…. would they be together again, despite all this?
1st February, 1946, a Gulag Soviet POW camp, somewhere in Siberia, the Soviet Union.
The frostbitten prisoners arrived at the GULAG POW camp, after spending the whole night marching there. More than a quarter had died. Jaques stood in the cold, shivering. Kadowsky walked by, warm in his fur coat. “Prisoners! I’m sure, after your nice little walk, you would like a bit of the forced slave labor?” Jaques’muth dropped.
Jaques smashed the mines out with his spade. Only one thing kept him going – to survive, so he could be with Marie. All the nearby German prisoners, in similar situations, offered support. A prisoner nearby was crushed to death by the falling coal, but Jaques continued smashing, undaunted. This sort of thing would go on with Jaques for many more years.
Chapter 6
March 15, 1950, Wisebaden, West Germany.
Mark, now a British army intelligence Colonel, walked in with Fritz, Hans and Wilhelm, into Marie’s home, to explain the rescue plan. Marie was silent, as Mark and the 3 explained the plan in detail, over a map of Siberia. “Well, the basic plan is this. Russian Anti communist informers inform us that there is a large POW camp in this heaven forbid place in Siberia. We have a spare stolen Soviet transport plane to come by…. Fritz, Hans, and Wilhelm will dress up as Soviet soldiers, drop down onto the camp, and create chaos in conjunction with the Russian anti communist informers, and help Jaques out… however comes the difficult bit. The 4 will then have to make their way out of the Soviet Union by foot or god forbid what. You 3 chaps… are you sure you want to do this?” Fritz, the leader of the 3, nodded. “We need to help the husband of the woman we saved. After all, out families are gone, killed by the Soviets, and we have nothing to live for, so we might as well die helping someone.” Marie was deeply moved, and collapsed in tears. Mark asked Marie “Are you sure that you really want this operation?” Marie replied “I want to be with Jaques, no matter how difficult it is.”
March 16th, 1950, Jaques’s POW Camp in Siberia, the Soviet Union.
Above the air circled the plane. Fritz, Hans and Wilhelm, clad in Soviet uniforms, jumped out, and parachuted into the nearby forest. They were met by 7 anti communist Russians, armed with weapons. They communicated through sign language, and were told where they would assault the POW camp. The small group of 10 men approached the guard tower. The Soviet guard was asleep, as it was night. The 10 climbed up through a rope ladder, and Fritz slit the throat of the guard, warm blood gushing out. The 10 then used the rope ladder to climb down the tower, and were inside the POW camp. Wilhelm then moved to the main gate, and opened it for the escape, him and 2 other Russians guarding it. Fritz, Hans, and the remaining Russians ran to the POW barracks, and instantly shot down, with a British Sten silencer machine gun, the guard there. No one heard the sound. So far, so good. They opened the door. All the prisoners were at work, except one. It was Jaques, who had been granted special rest for 1 day, for working hard non stop for 4 years. Fritz whispered “Do you happen to be Jaques Grenier, of the 33. Waffen Grenadier Division der SS ‘Charlemagne’? Jaques instantly turned. “Who are you?” “I am a friend, look, I’ve got to get you out of here and back to Germany. Your wife, and the British secret service sent us.” Jaques instantly got up, and joined them, and was given a Luger pistol. Jaques and the group ran back to the main gate, without being spotted. But, suddenly, as a Soviet guard discovered the dead body of one of their comrades, the Soviets raised the alarm. From the forest emerged many Soviet soldiers, who sealed off the POW camp. The group was trapped. Fritz said with a heavy voice “I guess, this is the end. Most of us have nothing to live for. Death with honour!” The Soviets charged, and the group unleashed the gun fire. All around, quite a few Soviets fell dead, but there were too many of them, and were fighting hand to hand with the group. Jaques shot one to death point blank, and shot at the nest one, but the bullet didn’t come out, as the Luger was suddenly jammed. Instead, Jaques used it as a weapon, and beat the Soviet to death with it. The combat lasted for more than 30 minutes, with 30 Soviets being killed, and the whole group killed, other than Jaques, who was recaptured.
Jaques struggled to get up in the deep hole in the muddy ground. It was raining heavily. On top, Colonel Kadowsky sadistically looked on, and said “Get up. Looks like you have earned 3 more years in here.” Jaques, with superhuman effort, managed to. Kadowsky signaled for the Soviet guards to pull out Jaques. Kadowsky then said “Your comrades are waiting for you.”
Jaques walked along the lines of fellow prisoners. Suddenly, the prisoners lashed out at him with stones, and beat Jaques non stop, until he was bleeding heavily. Almost all the prisoners had tears in their eyes – they didn’t want to beat a comrade who tried to escape. This had happened all the time when a prisoner escaped and was recaptured.. in Kadowsky’s rules, if fellow prisoners did not beat the recaptured prisoners, 20 other prisoners would be executed. Kadowsky walked by, smiling cynically. The leader of the German prisoners, Hoffmann walked forward, and knelt down at Kadowsky. “We will never beat our comrades again, we may die but we shall never follow Bolshevism.” Kadowsky was grinning, pulled out his pistol and put it at Hoffmann’s head. “Is that so?” Hoffmann then directly placed his head onto the pistol barrel and said “yes. Shoot me, you Bolshevik swine.” The shot rang out, and blood squirted everywhere, Hoffmann lay dead. Kadowsky exclaimed “Well, I guess, as your friend Hoffmann has proved so defiant, you will have to pay for Hoffmann’s mistake with the lives of 20 of your comrades!” Outside, all the prisoners were assembled. There were 20 sick German prisoners of war in the hospital building. Kadowsky walked towards it, doused some gasoline on the walls, and chucked in a match. As the hospital was engulfed in flames, there came out the screams of the sick German prisoners being roasted alive. Kadowsky merely smiled. Jaques watched with hatred, and wanted to attack Kadowsky, and tear him into a million pieces, as did most of the German prisoners. But Jaques said to himself “No. I can’t. I have to live for Marie.”
Chapter 7
March 20th, 1950, Wisebaden, Germany
Mark came inside Marie’s room. Marie had shortened her beautiful large brown eyes, out of her insomnia. Mark told her “I’m afraid that the news isn’t good, my dearest sister…. The attempt has failed, and it is probably that Jaques has died.” Marie screamed “Speak no more!” Mark, by now also in tears, left the room.
That night, Marie pulled out the poison, and ate it. She would die in hours, she was committing suicide. As she lay in bed preparing for her final sleep, she said sobbing to Jaques, who was not there. “Jaques, I don’t know where you are right now, but I simply cannot live without you. In a few hours I shall cross over to the afterlife, I do not know if I will be together with you or separated for eternity, but across whatever distance, existence, and space there is, I send you my love.”
January 1st, 1958, Jaques’s POW camp in Siberia, the Soviet Union.
Jaques stumbled into Kadowsky’s office. Kadowsky said “You are herby released, and board the train to Germany. I wish you death.” Jaques boarded the train as it sped towards old Western Europe and freedom, and Jaques’s thoughts raced back to Marie. Alas! Despite all the years of suffering and hardship, he and her could be together again! Or so he thought.
February 1st, 1958, Wisebaden, West Germany.
Jaques walked to Marie’s house at Wisebaden, and was full of excitement at seeing here again. However, the door was open, as Jaques walked in. Inside was Henri Fenet, fully expecting him. “Henri – is that really you? Long time no see, buddy!” The 2 old friends shook hands, but Fenet remained quiet, as they sat down. “Where is Marie?” asked Jaques eagerly. Fenet replied in an emotional voice, tears were running down his cheeks; “listen, Jaques, you have to go through something very hard right now. Maybe even harder than the battle in Berlin or the time in Siberia. She’s killed herself, Jaques.” Jaques had a stunned silence, and a river of tears, tears of a pure heart in grief, streamed down his face. Jaques slowly said “And suicides go to.. a certain place, the opposite of heaven, right?” Fenet hesitated for a long time, then nodded. Jaques quietly said “but I have to join her. She is my soul mate, both me and her are not anything without each other. Henri… please understand. And when you cross over in heaven in many years time, please tell my son, Christian, that I love him, but I cannot leave his mother.” Fenet remained silent, and looked grave, for a long time. ‘I understand….. I will.” Fenet quietly commented, as he could no longer control his flow of tears. The 2 got up, and embraced each other in the traditional French military way. “Goodbye, Henri.” “Goodbye, Jaques”, they said to each other. Jaques went into the kitchen, and closed the door. He pulled out a pistol from the drawers. Henri waited. 10 minutes later, after non stop sobbing by Jaques, the shot occurred. Jaques was dead.
Febuary 2nd, 1950, a Church in Wisebaden, West Germany.
Jaques’s body lay in a coffin, draped by the French flag. The priest, a former chaplain in the German army during the war, gave the speech. Many people were there, including neighbours, Henri Fenet, and Mark. “Here is the soul of a man, who has been forced to fight for his life during the most terrible of wars. He has survived, but has been separated immeasurably from his wife, whom he loved so dearly, through this war. His wife, who had lost her only child to inhuman, devils only a few short years before, took her life, out of sadness. However, when this man returned, to be with his wife, he has taken his life. We all know that these endings of one’s life leave the person at the opposite of heaven, but we shall all pray for these 2 souls, and for his almighty, in the name of the father, the sun, and the holy spirit, to be merciful.” As the speech was ended, a choir sang the old soldiers’s mourning song “Ich Hatt Einen Kameraden.” It brought the whole audience to tears, and the prayers of the congregation traveled up to heaven… and hell.
Chapter 8
Hell.
Jaques walked into the damning darkness of hell, he could not see a thing. Everywhere there were screams of lost souls, and the vanquished. Somehow, he gathered all his thoughts, and thought of Marie. This helped him travel through hell to where Marie was, very slowly. All around hell was getting lighter, Jaques could see the sheer horror of it. All the horror of it, was from the minds of the people in hell. It was worse than anything he saw in Pommerina, Berlin, and Siberia. In fact, it is too horrific to describe. As Jaques thought of this comparison, suddenly his thoughts left Marie. Jaques struggled to get them back and screamed “Marie! help me be with you, help!” It was too late, Jaques was sucked into the hell of other less enlightened beings of hell. He saw several zombies with white flesh hanging, about to pull out a giant knife to put into him. “No!” screamed Jaques.
Suddenly, everything, the horrors, the knife, the zombies, vanished. All that was there was a rotting old house, the old house of Jaques and Marie’s time in their home town in France. Jaques walked in, and asked “Marie?” There was no answer. Jaques creaked the door open. Inside, the house was all rotten, just a remnant of the old house in France. All the books were old and dusty. The wood looked rotting away. The Chairs broke when Jaques touched them. All the old photographs of Jaques and Marie together, were looking worn away, and Jaques tried to shield his eyes from them, as it emotionally broke him. He walked towards the garden of the house. It was dreadful, with all the grass dying. Marie sat down there, with their dog, named Karl. Jaques was overjoyed to see her. Despite all the years, she still looked beautiful with her long, smooth, brown hair, although threaded with small gray hairs, and her large beautiful eyes.
Marie turned around and asked “Who are you?” in a hostile tone. Jaques was stunned that Marie did not recognize him, and was saddened by the hostile tone. He suddenly realized that Marie was living in a state of denial, and did not recognize him, and because of the house, thought she was still alive, surviving the poison, in her imagination. “I am… a new neighbor, and my name is Jack.” Jaques felt guilty by lying, but he felt he must do it in order to make Marie recognize him. “oh, that’s similar to my husband’s name…. you somehow look like him.” Replied Marie. Jaques was encouraged by this, and said “Who was your husband?” Marie started sobbing, and asked “Why do you want to know?” Jaques thought of nothing more to say than” I was just curious, it was just better for neighbors to know each other.” Marie, now in tears, explained “my husband was conscripted to join the Waffen SS, and was captured by the Soviets in Berlin. They tortured him in Sibera, and…… he died there I guess..” then she completely broke down. Jaques now too was crying, that Marie thought he was dead before he came back from Siberia. It was of no avail. Jaques was now afraid – he would spend eternity going back and forth with questions like these, trying to make Marie know who he was? “Did you have any children then?” Marie screamed. “Why do you want to hurt me emotionally like this!?, then sobbed again. “he… died saving me from a few Soviet soldiers…” “Was the name of your son Christian? That is the name of my son too.” Said Jaques, in another attempt. “Very nice….” Replied Marie sarcastically. ‘Why do you tell me this?” Jaques had had enough – it was either now or never. “Marie, I have to tell you who I am, because I love you. I am doing all of this for you.” Marie turned around, and laughed cynically. “love me? Why, you don’t even know me! And how do you know my name?” Jaques, shocked, replied “let me try to explain.” Jaques thought of another. “Does your dog happen to be named Karl?” Marie now looked totally angry, and sad. “you must leave.” She said. “Is it?” Jaques insisted. “And what if it is!?” screamed Marie. she then put her head in her hands again, sobbed, and said in a heartbroken voice “Jaques, I need you… where are you, Jaques!?” Jaques felt heartbroken that he was emotionally breaking Marie this way. He approached her, and said “You will see the person you love.. if you close your eyes….. please try.” Jaques requested in an understanding voice. Marie, her eyes wet from crying, closed her eyelids. Jacques now directly looked at her very closely, and told Marie “You may open your eyes now, it’s me, Jaques.” However, Marie screamed. “You are not Jaques! He would not hurt me this way! Whoever you are… whatever you are, go away!” Marie then stomped off into the bedroom of the broken house, and totally emotionally and psychologically broken, she lay on the bed. The first phase was over. Jaques felt he had nothing left in his heart – other than what he had to say.
Jaques walked into the dark bedroom, with the dog Karl barking at him. He knelt down next to Marie, who was sobbing, and gently talked, even though he knew it was to no avail. “Dearest Marie…. I am sorry for not giving you the respect and understanding you deserved on many occasions. I am sorry for not having shared many experiences. I am sorry for the things I will never give you. I am sorry for all the time we did not spend together, and for every time I failed you. I thank you for helping me mature throughout our marriage. I thank you for helping me realize what is right and wrong, and for helping me realize that I am a human being with responsibilities. I thank you for our child, Christian, born on January 1st, 1939. I thank you, for not being only my wife and lover, but also the best friend I had in life. I thank you for your understanding of me, and for being tolerant of my failings. I thank you for your kindness, your sweetness, but above all, these 2, for adding the sweet measure of your soul to my existence, and for being so wonderful that I chose hell over heaven just to be with you. I thank you, love, for everything.” By now, Marie was totally speechless, and expressions of understanding and recognition of the situation finally emerged on her beautiful face. Jaques wanted to say more, but restrained himself. The dog Karl was no longer barking, but started licking Jaques’s hand. “Is… is that really you? And you came here, hell, just to be together with me?” whispered Marie. “Yes, yes, my love.” Replied Jaques. Tears of joy rolled down both of their cheeks. For those few dramatic moments, they were reunited despite the 14 year separation. Jaques held Marie in his arms, and Marie held him, both in warm embrace. Jaques cried as he felt how much he loved this beautiful woman pressed against him. For the last time in hell, Jaques spoke the words “Let Hell be our heaven.”
At that moment, a envelopment of light occurred round the 2. The prayers of Mark, Fenet, and the congregation at Wisebaden had reached god, and had been sent here. There was total blindness in the light, then all was darkness for both of them.
Chapter 9
Heaven.
Jaques, in his old French police uniform, woke up. All around him was beautiful sunlight, sky, and natural surroundings. Behind him was his old house, more beautiful than ever. However, one thing was missing. Jaques stumbled up, and sobbed. “Marie, where are you!?” he screamed. Marie walked out of the house and said in a loving voice “remember me”? Jaques turned around, and Marie smiled. Both of them embraced each other again. Fritz walked by, in his old wartime German uniform. “ah hem. I have a surpirise for you, Herr and Frau Grenier.” Fritz smiled, and out came Christian, their son. Christian exclaimed delightfully “Dad, mum!” and embraced Jaques and Marie. The day was beautiful, as would the eternity of days in heaven will be. That day Jaques met all his old comrades who died at Pommerina and Berlin, invited them to his house, and had a nice dinner. Forever, Jaques and Marie would be happily together, soul mates. God had been merciful.
The End.
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