As the new arrival lowered itself to the ground, a small group of men disembarked and the pair of escorts banked away to land off in the distance by the construction area for the new airstrip. Four of the men wore the grey uniform of army grenadiers while the other two were officers: army staff officers. A chill ran through Ritter as he realised who the first of the approaching men was: Reichsmarschall Kurt Reuters, the highest-ranking officer in the entire Wehrmacht.
“Herr Reichsmarschall!” He snapped, smartly coming to attention and saluting.
“You’re Oberstleutnant Ritter, I presume?” Reuters inquired as he returned the salute, in fact fully aware of that fact already. Taking the pilot’s silence as appropriate confirmation, the Reichsmarschall added: “This is my assistant, Generalleutnant Albert Schiller. We’ve come to observe this matter you’ve speedily brought to the attention of OKW.”
“I’m honoured to have such recognition, sir, although I regret the situation that has arisen, of course,” Ritter informed, taken aback. “I was beginning to think the SS would be handling the matter alone.” He frowned as he regarded the Reichsmarschall with an inquisitive gaze. There was something undefinably odd about the man that Ritter couldn’t quite determine.
“And where is Generalmajor Barkmann?” Reuters’ purposefully incorrect usage of army rank for the SS officer didn’t go unnoticed by Ritter or Meier — the intentional slight was a significant one coming from the Reichsmarschall himself.
“The brigadier is interviewing the prisoner as we speak, Herr Reichsmarschall. Shall I take you to them?” Reuters nodded and Ritter led them away just as he had the SS officers ten minutes earlier. Only Schiller accompanied them as Reuters’ guards remained by the helicopters.
As thy all entered the infirmary once more they found Barkmann and Stahl stepping from the records room.
“My deliberations are complete,” The brigadier growled, apparently only slightly perturbed by Reuters’ appearance. “You’ve come to investigate this matter also, Herr Reichsmarschall?”
“Merely to observe at this point, Herr Barkmann… what conclusion have you reached?”
“Of course,” Barkmann replied sourly with little obvious respect for the man’s supreme rank, although the fact that Reuters knew already his name was somewhat unnerving. “Hauptsturmführer Stahl here was engaged in the pursuit of members of the French resistance, although it might be argued that his methods were — shall we say — slightly ‘overzealous’? In any case, he was involved with the interrogation of a prisoner when obstructed by this Luftwaffe officer. In the resulting confrontation, Obersturmbannführer Ritter murdered the senior NCO present. I’ll be recommending to the OKW that this ‘officer’…” he indicated an almost speechless Ritter, “…be tried by court-martial as quickly as one might be convened.”
“You must be joking!” Ritter was incredulous. “This is–!”
“This is no joke, Herr Obersturmbannführer!” Barkmann snarled, cutting him off. “I hope for your sake that no connections are uncovered concerning yourself and the resistance members at that farmhouse.”
“‘Connections’…? I will not have my–!”
“Enough…!” Reuters snapped, ending an exchange that was degenerating rapidly into rage on both sides. He turned to the SS officer. “I’ll speak with you alone…now!” He immediately guided the man back into the records room, closing the door behind them. The smug Stahl merely stood there, smiling in serene confidence.
“You were warned…” he observed with a sneer.
“You’ve not won yet, mark my words…” Ritter returned icily, refusing to be baited as he forced his fury back under control.
Although it was impossible to understand what was being said within that room, the volume and heated nature of the conversation was distinctly audible to all standing outside… something that went a long way in tainting Stahl’s self-confident expression with just a hint of concern. Within three minutes the door opened once more, the SS officer obviously infuriated but under control. The Reichsmarschall appeared a little red-faced also but to nowhere near the same extent, and Ritter rather wryly deduced that rank on occasion carried the benefit of relieving stress, if only in the ability to pass it on to subordinates.
“You’ll allow Hauptsturmführer Stahl to leave with these men. You’ll proceed no further with any of the charges you’ve laid regarding this matter.” The Reichsmarschall commanded, staring unflinchingly at an incredulous Ritter. “You’ll do as I order.” With the Schutzstaffeln group staring on, he added: “And I’ll speak with you alone also.” As the reluctant pilot stepped into the small room, Reuters turned to the retreating Barkmann. “Take that ‘man’ of yours and get the hell out of here — I don’t want to see either of you when I leave this room!”
“You’ve my permission to speak with complete candour,” Reuters remarked as he closed the door, turning to face an infuriated Carl Ritter.
“How can you allow them to get away with that?” The pilot snarled wildly, deciding in his rage to hold the Reichsmarschall to his word. “Did you read my report? Do you realise what occurred at that house?” The manner in which he addressed the highest officer in the Wehrmacht, normally unthinkable, was drawn out of anger and indignation he’d never before experienced.
“I’ve a clear understanding of the situation,” the Reichsmarschall replied, attempting to remain detached from the emotion of it.
“He raped a twelve-year old girl!” Ritter hissed vehemently. “What they did to the woman I could perhaps understand from soldiers in the field, although it remains a vile act nevertheless, but they raped and murdered a child, for God’s sake! That fucking sergeant I’m supposed to have ‘murdered’ slit her delicate little throat from ear to fucking ear and he’d have done me too if I hadn’t put a bullet in him…and that bastard, Barkmann has the unmitigated audacity to threaten me with a court-martial! Are we not officers of the Wehrmacht? Where’s the ‘honour’ of the Officer Corps gone?”
“Do not presume to question me on my honour!” Reuters snarled back, knowing full well at whom that last question was directed. “Didn’t you think for a moment what you were getting yourself into? You assaulted an officer of the Reich — of the SS! Did you actually think the SS or the OKW or anyone else is going to care about a couple of French civilians on the eve of our greatest triumph? They’re not even a drop in the fucking ocean! Someone will remember it if a Luftwaffe commander assaults an SS officer and shoots his NCO though — they’re sure to remember that! Did you actually think I enjoyed letting those SS shits walk out of here free as a bird? I came close to strangling the vile son of a bitch myself!”