Episode 20. 2-3 August 1936.
Scene 1. The office of Sturmbannführer Horst von Hassel, 16:00 Sunday afternoon, 2 August (Horst)
I could see where this was going and hastened away from that farce of a court scene. Judge Braun was just one of Brunhilde's flunkies; she scares him to death. I had no doubt he would have Barbara and Katrin packed off to Plötzensee to be executed with the first transport on Monday morning.
On reaching my office, I locked the door, sat down at my desk, lit a cigarette and poured myself a schnapps, then another and another. Nerves calmed, somewhat, I set about doing the honorable thing. I picked up the phone, and dialed Klaus' number. He answered on the third ring.
"Klaus! Thank God you are there! Listen carefully. I have lost control of the situation. A colleague has Barbara and Katrin in her clutches. Barbara confessed under torture, and unless we do something they will both be swinging by their necks out at Plötzensee by noon tomorrow. So listen carefully, here is what I want you to do!"
I dictated detailed instructions, and on the other end of the line, I could hear a pencil scratching on paper. I had Klaus repeat everything to me, then ended the conversation, saying: "Remember, now ... Volkspark Rehberg in Wedding, 0730! ... Be there! Don't be late!"
Replacing the receiver, I poured myself another schnapps, then opened a drawer and placed a bottle of glue, a knife, and a black ink pen on the desktop, reached into my pocket and withdrew the passports and papers of Fräuleins Moore and Klein.
An hour later, satisfied with my forgeries. I pushed my chair back, took a long drag on my cigarette, picked up the phone again and dictated terse instructions, this time to my driver, Gerd.
Then I left my office, headed out of the building, pausing just outside my door to observe Brunhilde and her crew hustling a distressed-looking Barbara and Katrin down to the cells below.
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Scene 2. Klaus Erbe in Frau Kranke's parlor, 16;15 Sunday afternoon, 2 August (Klaus)
It was an obvious source of irritation, but I paid her off well, and Frau Kranke seemed to accept grudgingly my need to sit in her parlor to wait for an important phone call. Yet she was obviously both curious and suspicious, and sallied through the room every so often on one pretense or another.
Finally, my vigil was rewarded. The phone rang. I jumped up from Frau Kranke's favorite cushioned settee, crossed the parlor floor and picked up the receiver on the third ring. It was Horst. He sounded shaken, but in command. I pulled out a notebook and wrote down his instructions, and then repeated them back, holding my hand over the mouthpiece, turning my back to Frau Kranke who had appeared out of nowhere, and speaking in hushed tones.
I rang off, and sprinted upstairs to my room, where I took down a suitcase and packed my things. Then I stole down to Barbara's room, let myself in, and busied myself filling her bag with two dresses, underthings, and toiletries. Opening her door slowly, I checked the hallway. The coast was clear. I scampered back to my own room, closed the door, and flopped down on the bed, hoping to get some rest, but knowing full well sleep would never come easily that night.
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Scene 3. 8 Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse, Detention Cell D, 06.30 Monday morning, 3 August (Barbara Moore)
I awoke with a start at the sound of a jangling ring of keys outside our cell door. Gently, I pushed Katrin aside, and felt the immediate cold on my bare flesh where Katrin's warmth had been a moment ago. I sat up, looking through the internal blackness of our cell at the door and the thin sliver of light from the corridor outside around its edges. The lock tumbled and the door creaked open. I blinked and shielded my eyes as the bare light bulb was switched on. Katrin moaned and rolled over.
"On your feet lovebirds! The gallows await you!" shouted Brunhilde as she burst into the cell, followed by her minions.
I rose slowly, reaching for my gray shift which lay on the floor behind me.
"Forget that!" Brunhilde barked, kicking my outstretched hand away from the garment. "You won't be needing that where you are going. Now face the wall, both of you! .. hands behind your backs!"
As Katrin and I stood, side-by-side, foreheads touching the cold stone wall, we were put in wrist and leg irons. Wincing as my arms were pulled roughly behind my back, I decided to ask about some breakfast. No response.
Once they had us in chains, we were pulled away from the wall, shoved through the cell door, led to the far end of the corridor and up a stairway leading to the courtyard behind the building.
A lorry was waiting, its engine running. We were lifted into the tarpaulin-covered rear area, and dumped on the hard metal decking. The tailgate was slammed shut. A guard clambered in after us. Katrin and I edged away, seating ourselves on the decking, backed up against the cab, facing him. The driver put the lorry in gear and the vehicle lurched off.
The guard tilted his helmet back to light a cigarette. I looked at him, started, recognizing him as Horst's driver!
He nodded and put his finger to his lips in a hushing motion. I looked back at him, perplexed.
"Stay calm," he said, taking a long drag on his cigarette. Leaning forward conspiratorially he added, "And call me Gerd."
As the lorry pulled out into Berlin morning traffic, I looked through the gap between the tarpaulin canopy and lorry frame, and watched the city slip by. We were headed north along the Tiergarten, and soon crossed the Spree River into Wedding, where we turned left onto a street signposted Seestrasse. Traffic was still light this early in the morning.
After a distance, a large wooded park appeared on our right. The lorry slowed, then pulled over to the side of the road. I saw an officer, with a red disc on a wand in his hand, step off the curb to talk to the driver.
There was a conversation that was difficult to hear. When it was over, we began to move again ... but rather than continuing on, the lorry turned right, entered the park, drove on for a while and then came to a halt. I heard voices, followed by commotion in the front of the lorry, and then silence.
We waited. Gerd grinned reassuringly. Then the flap on the rear of the lorry was raised, and none other than Horst von Hassel climbed aboard ... followed by Klaus Erbe, carrying two suitcases. I gasped in amazement. I was speechless.
Gerd promptly jumped out and disappeared. Horst produced a key from his pocket and began removing our wrist and leg irons, while Klaus opened one of the suitcases. I recognized two dresses from my wardrobe, and all my underwear.
I started to say something slightly indignant, but Klaus stopped me.
"Don't talk. Get dressed!" he ordered.
Without a word, Katlin and I reached into the suitcase and pulled out what we needed. We began dressing as both men watched. I didn't care. When we had finished, Horst and Klaus helped us out of the lorry. A short distance away Gerd was waiting, now in civilian clothes, sitting behind the wheel of an older model touring car.
Horst led us away from the idling lorry to the touring car. Opening the door to the passenger car, he ushered Katrin, Klaus and me inside. Through the rolled down window he handed us a packet containing passports and papers.
"These are your traveling identities," he informed us. "Memorize the information in them while Gerd drives you to Anhalter Bahnhof. Here are your train tickets. It's platform 6. You are on your way out of Germany to Prague. Good luck to you all!"
He saluted, stepped back, and Gerd pulled away. As we passed the lorry, I looked into its cab through its open door. The driver was hunched over the steering wheel, his head turned toward us. His throat was cut! I turned to look out the rear window. Horst was dragging a second dead man from behind some bushes toward the rear of the lorry.
"There will be hell to pay for those reds in Wedding who did this," chuckled Gerd grimly.
Klaus blanched.
We rode the rest of the way to Anhalter Bahnhof in silence.
