book: Escape From Konigstein

book: Escape From Konigstein | Anonymous

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Escape From Konigs...

	Escape From Konigstein Anonymous Hayne Press, 2007 - 316 pages view larger image
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Bscape ANONYMOUS NEW YORK Ctuules Setibners Sons 1944 COPYRIGHT, 1944, BY PRESS ALLIANCE INC. Printed m the United States of America All nghts reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the permission of Charles Scnbners Sons THIS BOOK IS MANUFACTURED UNDER WARTIME CONDITIONS IN CONFORMITY WITH ALL GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS CONTROLLING THE USE OF PAPER AND OTHER MATERIALS The background information about I Ldnigstein r and life in this fortress camp usas supplied by Michel Bernin f usho was a prisoner there - Any similarity in names used in this story to those of high-ranging officers of the French Army is coincidental All the characters in this boot are fictitious. Contents CHAPTER PAGE I Twenty Minutes i II Crooked Crosses 6 III Caravan 9 IV Object Lesson 16 V No Escape 21 VI Regulations 26 VII Traitor 31 VIII Suspicion 39 IX Poisoned Air 45 X Relief 50 XI Trial in Prison 56 XII Schism 59 XIII Musical Interlude 65 XIV Maria 74 XV A New Arrival 85 XVI Hope 93 XVII Tea Party 98 XVIII Herr Machiavelli 105 XIX Subtle Pressure in XX TiieCode 116 XXI Blackmail 123 vii Vlll CONTENTS XXII Kiewitz XXIII News from Home XXIV Special Section XXV Ingenuity XXVI Christmas XXVII A Personal Gift XXVIII None Shall Help Him XXIX Maria Comes Home XXX Confidences XXXI Jealousy XXXII Offer of Freedom XXXIII Dental Care XXXIV Release XXXV The Real France XXXVI A Letter XXXVII Returning Prisoners XXXVIII New Plans XXXIX Growing a Moustache XL An Abscess XLI In Readiness XLII Improvisation XLIII Escape XLIV The Price of Freedom PAGE 129 137 143 149 155 162 168 179 189 199 210 2l8 226 231 238 244 251 257 263 272 279 289 3OO I Twenty Minutes AT DAWN on June 19, 1940 I was awakened by the familiar roar of the engines of diving airplanes and the rattle of their machine guns, while our own anti-aircraft barked back. Thats funny I thought. I hadnt expected that today. It wasnt that strafing from the German planes was anything un usual though this sounded like a particularly sharp attack. We had been getting it every day. I was secretary to the admiral in command of the Northern Naval District of France, centered at Cherbourg, and it seemed to me that the Boches took particular pleasure in shoot ing us up possibly because we had no planes to speak of with which to fight back. But yesterday I had heard the voice of Marshal Petain over the radio, announcing from Bordeaux that he had asked the Ger mans for an armistice. We all supposed that meant no more fight ing. I hadnt found it easy to get to sleep that night. The thought that we had been defeated tormented me. My heart was heavy as I thought of what the future might hold for France. With my sober forebodings, there alternated impossible half-dreams, fantastic schemes for organizing renewed resistance, armistice or no armistice, throwing the invaders out of the country, and marching triumph antly on to Berlin. It was in the middle of one such reverie that I drifted off into genuine sleep only to be awakened by the German air raid. Perhaps the Germans wouldnt grant an armistice I said to myself, as I groped for my shoes. So much the better. We will go 2 ESCAPE FROM KQNIGSTEIN on fighting, then. Or perhaps the broadcast was a fake. Or Petain has been removed, and the government is still resisting . . 95 At two P. M. I was on duty at our headquarters, which had been established in the historic chateau of Tourlaville, near Cherbourg. There had been little news. The last report had placed the Germans not far from our retreat but we hoped either that they might have halted while armistice negotiations were undertaken, or that, if hos tilities were continuing. Marshal Petain and General Weygand would succeed in stopping them by force. After all a young lieutenant said, in answer to a pessimistic opinion expressed ia the dispirited discussion in which he was en gaged, it looked almost as bad at the Marne, but we stopped them before Paris...

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