This
work is fictitious, and any similarities to any persons, alive or dead, are
purely coincidental. Mention is made of persons in public life only for the
purposes of realism and for that reason alone. Certain licence is taken in
respect of medical procedures, terms and conditions, and the author does not
claim to be the fount of all knowledge.
The
author accepts the right of the individual to hold his/her (or whatever) own
political, religious and social views, and there is no intention to
deliberately offend anyone. If you wish to take offence, that is your problem.
This is only a story, and it contains adult material, which includes
sex and intimate descriptive details pertaining to genitalia. If this is
likely to offend, then don’t read it.
Unfortunately,
no politicians, estate agents or lawyers were injured or killed in the writing
of this story, and no one else was either.
If
you enjoyed it, then please Email me and tell me. If you hated it, Email me
and lie.
I
will always welcome contact.
tanya_jaya@yahoo.co.uk
The
legal stuff.
This
work is the property of the author, and the author retains full copyright, in
relation to printed material, whether on paper or electronically. Any
adaptation of the whole or part of the material for broadcast by radio, TV, or
for stage plays or film, is the right of the author unless negotiated through
legal contract. Permission is granted for it to be copied and read by
individuals, and for no other purpose. Any commercial use by anyone other than
the author is strictly prohibited, and may only be posted to free sites with
the express permission of the author.
Fortune’s Soldier
by Tanya J. Allan , © 2004
Chapter Six A Coming together of Friends.
Major General William Cameron
was summoned to the War Office in London,
prior to returning into mainland Europe.
The Russians were on the fringes of Berlin,
so it was universally understood that it was now a matter of a few weeks.
Approaches had been made by
the German Command through diverse diplomatic, and other channels, without
Hitler’s knowledge, concerning the future of Germany and its people.
Churchill, that student of
history, already knew that the Russian menace was about to become a thorn in
the side of the free post-war world, so he was seeking to minimise damage and
optimise that single resource that the Germans had to offer - Its people and
their skills!
William now had the task of
finding those Germans who had something to offer the free world and who, with
no allegations of war crimes against them, could be recruited to help rebuild a
war torn continent and build a future for the children yet to be born.
Many Germans had families in
the eastern regions of Germany, so Churchill recognised that
a divided Germany was soon to be a reality. He
wanted to take advantage of the brief period of lull after hostilities ceased
to affect the release and relocation of those personnel and their dependants to
areas that would be controlled by the Americans, the British, or even the
French. The latter were hardly flavour of the month, due to De Gaulle’s
parochial attitude. He had upset nearly everyone over the last few years, and
despite the French, or some of the French, thinking he was a god, the other
allies had had enough of the man!
Thus, Will arrived back in France with a very attractive female
French Captain as his ADC. Strings had been pulled, so Will found himself
overseeing the whole POW relocation programme for those held in France and Belgium.
Strangely, those Americans
involved in the same process, knew of the French captain, but not the British
General. Janine came with a reputation and a good one at that.
Such was the closeness of the
relationship between the General and the young woman, that tongues started to
wag, with many believing her to be his mistress.
Major Chuck Brewster looked up,
as there was a knock on his door. It had been three weeks since he had been
back at work, he fought hard not to be sent home now, just at the end!
A familiar face peeked round
his door, looking rather better fed and healthier than the last time.
“Janine! Come in girl, you’re
looking great,” he said, standing up.
He was right, as she looked
radiant.
Her hair was a little longer
than the last time he’d seen her, having been shaped properly by a decent
hairdresser in Paris, it looked wonderful. Her
uniform, still her mix and match of American, British and those German boots,
was tailored and showed her superbly feminine figure off as best as a uniform
could. However, her eyes seemed to say the most. They sparkled. She was
relaxed and a lot more settled. She no longer looked like that scared little
rabbit that had screamed in the dark all those months ago.
“How’s the leg?” she asked, as
she sat in the other chair in his office. She crossed her legs and smiled as
she watched Chuck’s eyes follow the movement.
“Doing okay, thanks. I’ll
never play for the Giants again, but, what the heck, I could be dog meat.”
She smiled and took her cap
off, shaking her hair free.
“So, where’s your General, I
hear he never lets you go far away from him?”
She smiled, appearing totally
unconcerned, which surprised him a little. The rumours were rife, so he knew
her well enough to be frank with her.
“Not you too?”
“Sorry,” he said and smiled.
“Actually, and this is for you
alone, he’s not my lover, he’s my dad.”
Chuck stared at her, knowing
her humour and waiting for her giveaway smile. It never came.
“For real?”
“Yup. I am part French and
part Scottish. It is very complicated, but this must never go further than
this room, okay?”
“Have you always known?”
“Oh yes. My mother died when
I was quite young so I lived with my grandparents because Daddy was off on his
various overseas postings. He was married to my mother, and so she was
Cameron, as was I. When I was taken by the Germans, I just knew that if they
found out they had the child of a British General, then they would try to use
it. So I used my Grandmother’s surname and became all French.”
“Why not use the Cameron name
now?”
“No. We’ve agreed that I will
just carry on as Chavanay. Everyone knows me as Janine Chavanay, so it is less
complicated, particularly as we are supposed to be working together now.
Otherwise, everyone will think I got the job because of whom he is. In reality
I got him the job,” she said with a cheeky grin.
“You are right, it’s sure
complicated. That’s fine, I respect your telling me, but what can I do for
you?”
“I need to trace some German
officers, so I came to have access to your files.”
“Sure, of course. Can I ask
why?”
She told him, omitting that
she was after one officer in particular.
It was April 30th 1945.
The news of Hitler’s suicide
came a day later, by which time Janine had discovered where they were holding
Otto. She was ready to go and find him when her father called her into his
office.
She stood waiting as he spoke
to three senior British officers. When he had finished with them, they all
turned and left, they saw the attractive French girl who seemed to follow the
General everywhere he went, and acknowledged her with nods and small smiles.
They had all heard the
rumours, but there was a new one circulating, the one that said she was
actually his illegitimate daughter.
She closed the door behind the
last Major.
“Morning sir,” she said.
“Stop that nonsense and came
and give your old dad a kiss.”
She smiled and did as she was
told.
“Now, news is just in. The
German high command in Berlin has just surrendered. General
Alfred Jodl is being escorted to Reims
to sign the instrument of unconditional surrender at Ike’s HQ. That is
anticipated to happen on the 7th May. The end of the European
theatre of war will be officially declared over on the 8th May at
2300, Central European time.”
She stood quite still for a
moment.
“Just like that?” she said.
He smiled.
“It is a bit of an anticlimax,
isn’t it?”
“I don’t know. I’m a bit
numb. What happens now?”
“We have to really start
working. Churchill thinks we might have a few months grace before the bloody
Russians start playing silly buggers. They will all be trying to show how
inhuman and dastardly the Huns have been, so we can work to try and snatch the
key people needed to rebuild our sector of Germany. There is no doubt that the Russians
will annex their portion, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t cut it off
from the rest with barbed wire, fences and dogs!”
Janine immediately thought of
Otto and his family near Dresden.
Her father saw her expression
and smiled gently.
“Now, I am going to need efficient
German officers to assist with the relocation programme. Would you happen to
know of any?”
Janine grinned.
“Oh, I think I could find you
a few.”
“Best you do. I want you to
come to Reims with me on the 7th.
It is an historic occasion, so I am sure you will want to be able to tell my
grandchildren that you were there.”
Janine almost cried and gave
her father a hug.
She almost ran out of the
office and looked for a vehicle.
Otto was bored. Rumours were
rife in the camp. Conditions were basically good, but the over crowding was
beginning to tell. On the morning of the 3rd May, the were all out
in the spring sunshine for roll call, when the US camp commander, a Lieutenant
Colonel, came to address them. A German Captain was used as an interpreter, so
the message was clear.
“Gentlemen. I have to inform
you that Adolf Hitler is dead! He is said to have taken his own life in his
bunker in Berlin on the 30th
April. Berlin is now in allied hands and
the German high command has surrendered. Your General Jodl is expected to
attend General Eisenhower’s Head Quarters in a few days to sign the official
unconditional surrender document.
“Therefore, we are going to
step down the usual security arrangements, so we can begin the long process of
relocation for all of you. Clerks will be required and officers may volunteer
their organisational abilities to facilitate your return to your homes and
families.”
He paused as a group of allied
officers entered the compound and made their way over to the raised dais upon
which the Colonel was making his address.
“These officers will be
supervising the process, so you will come to see a lot of them over the next
few days.”
“Gute, kann, habe ich die
Blondine?” said one single German voice near the group.
There was a laugh that started
from those nearest the group, for someone had recognised that one of the
officers was a very pretty blonde girl with the French tricolour on her
shoulder.
Otto was standing some way away, and he strained to see.
Although they were some sixty metres away, he knew as soon as he saw the way
she stood that it was Janine.
The girl stood up on the dais next.
Her voice rang out clearly in the still morning air.
Her German was excellent, and Otto smiled.
“I am looking for officers who
will help me to make the job easier. There will be no advantages, as if you
join the team, the chances are that you will not be amongst the first to
leave. However, you do get to work with me, so what more can you ask for?”
She paused as general laughter
spread through the assembled men.
“Some clerks will be available
to collate names of willing officers. The fact you are in this camp means that
you are not under investigation for war crimes. Therefore, there is no reason
for you to suspect we have any other ulterior motives other than assisting you
to go home. I hope in peace we can find a new future in cooperation.”
She stood down and Otto wiped
a tear from his eye surreptitiously.
“If she is the face of the
future, then sign me up!” said an artillery captain.
Otto smiled and watched with
amusement as the officers moved forward as one to sign up to help.
Lieutenant Colonel Jack
Greenbaum watched and turned to the girl.
“Okay, I was wrong, you were
right,” he said with a grin.
“I cheated, sir. I used those
assets I know I have and you guys don’t have.”
He handed her a glass of
bourbon.
“Here’s the drink I owe you.
Cheers!”
Janine was eager to see Otto
again, but knew she was on dangerous ground. It took all her will power to
keep away from the initial process, and waited to see whether his name was on
the list.
That evening as she scanned
the long list of names, she found his near the end. She smiled, as he had not
rushed forward either. They had both learned patience. Good things come to
those who wait.
The next day, she had split
the names into six lists and divided them amongst the other officers. Needless
to say - Otto was on her list.
One by one, she interviewed
the twenty officers on her list. She kept one until last.
Finally, feeling weary, the
NCO showed Otto into her room.
As soon as the door shut, she
was in his arms. They fused into one almost immediately.
“About time. I was going
mad,” he said, when they came up for air.
She just smiled, and kissed
his cheek.
“I had to tell my father,” she
admitted.
“Everything?”
“Oh yes. He guessed you were
German, even though I was vague.”
“He doesn’t mind?”
“Of course he minds. He’s a
bloody Major General, for God’s sake!”
Otto frowned.
“Your father is a Major
General in the French army?”
Janine giggled, which was an
incongruous sight for a captain.
“No, he’s in the British
army.”
Otto shook his head.
“Perhaps it is time for you to
tell me those secrets I didn’t want to hear.”
She looked a little downcast
suddenly. He instantly felt sorry he suggested it, so was about to tell her
not to.
“I suppose I must. I hadn’t
really planned to, yet. Which is silly, because I may as well get it over and
done with.”
She let go of him, walked to
the far end of the room and looked out of the small window.
Without turning round, she
started to talk.
“Otto, just let me speak
without interruption. Ask me what you like at the end, but just don’t judge me
too harshly. I have tried to plan how to say this, and no matter how I try,
there is no way to say this easily. If, at the end you no longer want to know
me, I will understand. I won’t be happy, but I recognise that your happiness
is more important to me than my own.”
She paused and Otto realised
that she was crying.
“It started when I was born….
By the time she finished, tears
were streaming down her cheeks. Otto was stunned.
He was stunned out of complete
surprise. He had tried to think of all the possible secrets she could have.
They ranged from having a child, to being the bastard daughter of a senior
German Officer. Nothing prepared him for the truth, so he sat there completely
wordless.
“You were a man?” he asked,
when he found his tongue again.
“No, it seems I never was, but
I thought I was.”
As the truth filtered through
his brain, his overwhelming feeling was sorrow. He felt sorry for this poor
girl, cheated out of her girlhood, and forced to be something and someone she
should never have been!
“So, you are British, and not
French?”
“I am part French,” she
replied, still facing away from him.
He smiled.
He walked over to where she
stood, her forehead against the cool glass, letting the tears roll down her
face unchecked.
He gently took her by the
shoulder, and pulled her round to face him. As he looked down into those
rather damp blue eyes, he smiled, and using his index finger, he moved a strand
of blonde hair out of her eyes.
She looked so miserable, his
heart melted, as he realised that the past didn’t matter. He loved her now and
so utterly that he would be willing to accept her regardless of anything!
“Okay, now that is out of the
way, when are we getting married?”
She stopped crying for a
second, and stared at him in amazement.
“You still want me?” she
asked, her voice very small.
“Of course, if you’ll have
me?”
She smiled and flung her arms
around his neck, hugging him so hard he thought he’d suffocate.
Otto went back to his hut with
the largest smile on his face he ever had. It was like a fairy tale he had
learned as a child, only he was the handsome prince and his princess had come
to carry him off to live happily ever after.
He was whistling as he went
into the hut. The same officer who had moaned at him for being too happy
several weeks ago, looked at him.
“You’re doing it again.
Anyone would think you didn’t want to go home.”
Otto looked at the man, and thought
about what he had said.
“My friend, where is home?”
“Home? I don’t know about
you, but mine is near Stuttgart.”
“My home is where my heart
is. At the moment, my heart is right here.”
“You’re bonkers.”
Otto smiled as he thought
about the amazing tale that Janine had told him.
“Yes, my friend, I think you
may be right. Then, I have the right to be. I am engaged to the most unusual
girl in the world!”
With that, he eased himself
onto his bunk and shut his eyes. The smile on his face said it all. The other
officer shook his head.
Janine joined her father on
the trip to Reims and stood in the background
as the surrender was signed.
It was quite a formal
occasion, but understated. The Germans looked tired and resigned, the allies
looked pleased and yet eager to pack up and go home. She was only too well
aware that the next few months would be as tough, if not tougher than the last
few.
On her return to the camp, she
found a different atmosphere. Many of the guards had gone, so the gate was no
longer locked. Although some US soldiers were detailed to stand guard, more to
prevent French retribution against the Germans, than prevent escape.
They went to work almost
immediately and started processing the massive logistical requirements to move
thousands of POWs back to their homes.
It was very odd working in
close proximity to each other, but Janine and Otto had to be very careful not
to give into the temptation to touch and smile the other. As the distrust and
animosity between old adversaries slowly died away, so there was a genuine
warming of relations generally.
Part of the job entailed
signing travel permits and orders for service personnel, or for their
families. Gradually, a pattern emerged, of E. German men and their families,
requesting travel permits to locations of obscure relatives in W. Germany.
Janine and her colleagues
assisted these applications whenever possible. One of the first she processed
was for a young nurse called Gretchen Schneider, currently in a camp for
refugees near the Polish border, to be transferred to the military hospital
near Valenciennes, in northern France, to assist with the wounded
German POWs.
She then located a young U-Boat
Lieutenant, Peter Schneider, currently held in a POW camp in Sutherland on the
West Coast of Scotland. She arranged papers for his transportation to France in the first instance, for
onward movement to a destination yet to be decided.
She didn’t tell Otto of either
of these, realising that the wheels of military bureaucracy grind very slowly, so
there was no guarantee that the orders would be expedited in the short term.
She simply attached a memo to the permits for both individuals to contact her
on arrival at Valenciennes.
Although the war in Europe was over, the Japanese were
still fighting, but it almost became a forgotten war. The shortages of war
still existed, but there was a mood of change in the air.
Janine went to see the
American General who was her father’s immediate superior. She wanted to obtain
permission to settle in the US once she was demobbed. She
had compiled a report stating that as she had been forced to work for the
Nazis, she could be seen as a collaborator in the eyes of some, and she wanted
to make a clean start with her fiancé.
She was honest and stated that
she had formed an attachment with a German officer, and she needed assurances
that they would be able to start afresh in the USA and provide their chosen country with
two honest and dependable citizens.
General Harold G. Maddox had
seen the report and asked around for background of the girl, before speaking to
her. He was surprised at how many knew of her and had heard nothing but
positive reports.
He found William Cameron in
the mess one morning, and went over to him.
“Morning Will.”
“Harry.”
“Got a minute?”
“Of course, what’s the
problem?”
“No problem. I’ve been sent
an application by your little French captain, Janine Chavanay, and I wanted to
ask your opinion.”
“Oh yes?”
Harry looked around.
“Look Will, between the pair
of us, are you screwing the girl?”
Will laughed long and hard.
“Dear me, no. Heaven forbid.
What gave you that idea?” he finally said.
“Well, you seem inordinately
close.”
“My dear chap, that’s because
she’s my daughter. We couldn’t tell anyone, so she uses her French
grandmother’s maiden name!”
“Your daughter?”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t
heard the rumours?”
“Well, I heard them and
discounted them. Your daughter?”
“It’s long and complicated.
What’s the report about?”
“She’s applied for permission
to live in the US as a US citizen.”
“Good, she’ll do you proud!”
“You knew?”
“It was my idea. Her
boyfriend is a German, so they would find settling down over here rather
awkward, wouldn’t they?”
“Shit, she told you that as
well?”
“Harry, she is the love of my
life. She has gone through a really rough time in this damn war. She is
completely honest with me and as discrete as the day is long.”
Harry scratched his head, and
shook it.
“Boy, this is a really fucked
up world,” he said and wandered away muttering.
Janine was summoned to see
him.
She stood at attention in
front of his desk.
“Relax Captain Chavanay, or is
it Cameron?”
Janine swallowed and looked at
him.
“Sir?”
“I’ve spoken to your father.
I have to confess to being more than a little surprised, but it is preferable
to the other rumour,” the general said.
Janine had the grace to blush.
“So, you want to settle in the
USA. Any idea where?”
“Some where warm and near the
sea. I want to go to university and my fiancé wants to finish his engineering
degree he started before the war.”
“He’s a Kraut, right?”
“He is a German Officer, yes
sir.”
It was the General’s turn to
blush.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think for
a moment.”
“We will have to get used to it. So far, I have only
told my father. You are the second to know.”
“I’m flattered. I appreciate
your honesty. Now, answer me one thing. When did you meet?”
“We met just after Operation
Market Garden. I worked with him as an interpreter.”
“That was last year.”
“September, yes sir.”
“So, he was an enemy at that
time?”
“Yes sir, and I told him that
a relationship was impossible. He had been very kind to me and I could see he
was attracted to me. I liked him but was very confused. He believed me to be
French, and understood. The French are not very kind to women who collaborate,
or fraternise with the enemy.”
“So what happened?”
“We went our separate ways. I
met up with the US army and he was posted to a
tank division. The Americans captured him after the Battle of the Bulge, by which time I was
working as an interpreter with the MPs. We found each other again, and I
realised that I loved him.
“There was nothing I could do
about it as he was sent to a POW camp. After the surrender, he has been working
with me on the resettlement programme. We see each other every day, but we can’t
even show each other affection. It is driving us both mad. That is why we
want to try America, sir.”
“How the hell did you get into
Holland in the first place?”
Janine looked at the general.
“It’s a long story, and I must
ask you never to repeat this to anyone.”
Intrigued, the General nodded.
“Agreed, go on.”
Janine told him.
Harold Maddox had rarely been
lost for words, but her story succeeded in completely silencing him.
He stared at this attractive
young woman, who stared back with fearless proud eyes.
He tried to imagine her as a
tough young paratrooper.
He failed.
“That’s the truth?”
“Absolutely. Now do you see
why we have to be given a fresh start?”
“Your German major, he knows?”
“Of course, do you think I’d
keep that a secret between us?”
Harry shook his head. He didn’t
know what to think.
“And all the time, you were a
girl?”
She smiled.
“So it seems. It was a pity
no one told me. But if they had, I would never have had all this excitement,
would I?”
He chuckled and scrawled his
approval on the application.
“I’ll have this processed as a
matter of urgency.”
She rewarded him with a huge
delightful smile.
“Thank you General. Will you
come to the wedding?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the
world!”
A few days after that meeting,
Janine was working late in her office, double-checking the progress done that
day. There was a knock on the door.
It was open and she saw an
American PFC.
“Yes?”
The man saluted.
“Excuse me, ma’am, this lady
has orders to report to you.”
Janine looked and just behind
the soldier was a small fair-haired girl, much the same age as she.
“Fraulein Schneider?” she
asked.
“Ja,” the girl said, confused.
Janine turned to the soldier.
“Thank you, you may go.”
“Ma’am.”
The soldier saluted and left.
“Ich bin Hauptman Janine
Chavanay,” she said and waved the girl into her office.
Gretchen was about five foot
four. She was wearing a drab brown coat and was carrying a beaten up suitcase.
It was so similar to the one Janine had lugged about Holland that she had to smile.
She was a pretty girl, but
looked very tired and thin. Huge dark rings were around her eyes and she
trembled a little. She had been whisked out of a refugee camp, with no
explanation. She now found herself in the office of a very attractive and
confident female French officer, who spoke excellent German.
She had been terrified that
the Russians would come and rape all the females in the camp. Terrible stories
had circulated, so as she was so alone, she had cried herself to sleep for the
last month.
“Sit please. I need to
explain why you are here,” Janine said.
The girl sat.
“Firstly, I am delighted to
tell you that your brothers Otto and Peter are both alive and well. Peter was
captured a year ago after his U-Boat was sunk and is Scotland. Otto is here in France. He was captured just after
the Ardennes offensive in December last
year.”
The girl went through an
amazing transformation.
“Otto and Peter, alive?” she
asked, breathlessly.
Janine smiled.
“Yes, and there is a little
more. I have arranged for Peter to be shipped here too. I expect his arrival
any day.”
Gretchen started to cry.
These tears were tears of relief and joy. For so long she had believed herself
to be totally alone, so had even thought of suicide many times. Now this
pretty lady was telling her that her brothers were alive and that she would see
them soon.
“But, I don’t understand, why
am I here?”
“You are here so that you and
your brothers can find somewhere to live, away from the Russians.”
The tears flowed even more
heartily now and she grabbed Janine’s hand and kissed it.
“Thank you, thank you. But,
why do you do this for us?”
Janine smiled.
“I could hardly let my future
sister-in-law live under Russian rule, now could I? I mean, how could she be a
proper aunty if she was stuck all the way over there?”
Gretchen blinked and stared at
this girl.
“Sister-in-law?”
“Otto and I are to be
married,” she explained.
“Mein Gott!”
Janine just smiled.
“There is one more thing,”
Janine said.
“There’s more?”
Janine laughed at the girl’s
expression.
“Neither Otto, nor Peter know
about each other, so neither do they know about you. I have arranged for you
to be attached to the military hospital here and also I have booked in your
stubborn brother to have his bad leg looked at. I think it would be a nice
surprise that the nurse who looks after him is his lovely sister, don’t you?”
Gretchen started to smile and
she seemed to have lost that haunted look she had had at first.