A Man Without Breath

‘And yet the corporal also mentions the presence of the jerrycan before the rape actually commenced. That looks bad for him. I ask you, captain, what purpose did he think the gasoline was there to serve? A prophylactic, perhaps? I have actually heard of such a thing – soldiers are very stupid, there’s no end to what they will do to themselves to avoid a dose of jelly, or what they’ll do to women to avoid a pregnancy – no, he must have known that Sergeant Kuhr intended something more lethal as part of the whole disgusting enterprise. He must have suspected that Sergeant Kuhr was intent on the disposal of the bodies. Which means he still managed to carry out the rape in the full knowledge of that fact. Which takes some doing.’

Von Kluge turned to his Russian jester. ‘Have you ever raped a woman, Alok?’

Dyakov stopped lighting his pipe and grinned. ‘Sometimes, possibly,’ he said, ‘perhaps I have gained the wrong impression from a girl and went too far, too soon. Maybe this is rape, maybe this isn’t, I don’t know. What I can say is that for me this would be a cause of some regret.’

‘We’ll take that as a yes,’ said Von Kluge. ‘Rape and consent, I think it’s all the same with Ivans like Dyakov. But that’s no reason our men should behave in this fashion. Rape is terribly bad for discipline, you know.’

‘But you understand I never did such a thing with other men,’ protested Dyakov. ‘As part of an enterprise, as your lordship says. And as for killing a girl afterwards, this is without any excuse.’ Dyakov shook his head. ‘Such a man is not a man at all, and deserves to be severely punished.’

Von Kluge turned to me. ‘You see? Even my pet pig can’t excuse such appalling behaviour. Even Dyakov thinks they should both hang.’

Dyakov stood up. ‘Excuse me, but I didn’t say that, your lordship. Not exactly, no. Personally I would spare the sergeant, and if you spare him you must also spare the other, too.’

‘But why?’ asked Von Kluge.

‘I know this sergeant, too, like you, sir. He is a very good fighter. Very brave. The best. He has killed many Bolsheviks, and if you spare his life he will kill many more of the bastards. Can Germany afford to lose such an experienced fighting man as this? A respected combat sergeant with a first-class Iron Cross? I don’t think so.’ He shrugged. ‘To my mind, it is unrealistic to expect a soldier to kill your enemies one day and then to behave like a gentleman towards them the next. It makes no sense.’

‘Nevertheless, that is what I do expect,’ said Von Kluge. ‘But perhaps you’re right, Alok. We shall see.’

‘I don’t know about Sergeant Kuhr,’ I said, ‘but there’s still another argument in favour of sparing Corporal Hermichen from the rope.’

As Von Kluge raised an eyebrow at me the telephone rang. He picked up the receiver, listened for a moment, said ‘Yes’ and then replaced the receiver.

‘Well, what is it?’ he asked me. ‘Your other argument, captain?’

‘It’s this. I think he has some information that might be valuable, sir.’

I hesitated for a moment as I heard the small voice of the operator still on the line. Von Kluge heard it too and picked it up angrily. ‘For two weeks now I’ve been telling your people that this telephone isn’t working properly,’ he said to the operator. ‘I want it fixed today or I shall want to know why.’ He banged the receiver down. ‘I’m surrounded by idiots.’ He looked at me as if I might have been another idiot.

‘You were saying?’

‘If you remember sir, a couple of weeks ago there were two murders in Smolensk. A couple of off-duty soldiers had their throats cut.’

‘I thought that was partisans,’ said Von Kluge. ‘I distinctly remember it was partisans. And the Gestapo hanging five people for it, the day after Hitler visited Smolensk. As an example to the city.’

‘It was six people,’ I said. ‘And the ones they hanged didn’t kill our men.’

‘I do appreciate that, captain,’ said Von Kluge. ‘I’m not a complete fool. Naturally, they meant the executions to serve as a message to the partisans – an eloquent message of the kind that Voltaire mentions in his play Candide.’

‘I don’t know the play. But I think I know the message.’

‘And I thought you were an educated man, Gunther. Pity.’

‘And I do know a possible lead when I hear one, sir. It’s my belief that another German soldier murdered those two men and that Corporal Hermichen might be able to provide some information that could lead to the killer’s apprehension. That is, if the corporal’s life was spared.’

‘Are you suggesting that we do a deal with Corporal Hermichen: that he tells you what you want to know in return for a more lenient sentence?’

‘That’s exactly what I’m suggesting.’

‘And what about Sergeant Kuhr? Does he have any information pertinent to this other inquiry?’

‘No sir.’

‘But if he did have any useful information would you be recommending that the court spares his life, too?’