Opening Moves

For Von Arnesen and Knocke there was no news at all.

Each day the group had gathered and gone through everything in the minutest detail, or at least everything that could be so examined. The intangibles of ability, personality, and character they were unable to predict.

Initially Knocke had carried the group with him because of who he was and their faith in him. Certainly now each man, in his own right, was full of enthusiasm for the task and actually relishing the challenges ahead.

No one had any doubt that there would be challenges.

So it was that Monday morning, 16th July 1945, arrived in the superb early morning sunshine of a promising European summer’s day. The symposium members gathered for breakfast at the agreed hour of seven, avoiding the dining hall and instead being served in a room in the Grand Bastion converted into their private offices. Alone for a change, as De Walle was elsewhere tying up some loose ends with Capitaine de Frégate Dubois. The conversation was light and easy, although they were always status conscious in some way, despite the fact that this morning all wore civilian clothes.

At Knocke’s suggestion, they avoided wearing their full uniforms as, and with unusually direct humour for Knocke, DerBo’s track record with egg yolk would ensure the visiting officers would think they were attending a chicken farming course. Humour aside, it was a fair point, and in any case, a shirt was just fine and nicely comfortable as the sun’s rays streamed in through the open windows bringing the sun’s warmth to all as they ate.

The plan for the immediate morning had been agreed and rehearsed previously, as everyone was conscious that first impressions would be everything and much of how the week went would be determined by those first few minutes.

In front of each man was a list of the candidates on this first symposium, complete with a synopsis of his life and service. The mix of arms of service seemed just right and there were some veteran soldiers in the group. The inclusion of the two American and two British Officers had been a surprise at first. De Walle had explained the existence of the two other similar Colloques, the British one at Hamburg and the American facility just outside of Paderborn, and how there would be officers exchanged between national groups. This was done partially on a goodwill basis but also to try to ensure symposiums did not slip into one specific national mindset, a point that Knocke conceded had not occurred to any of them.

It was at this time that the group learned of the existence of a special symposium at Frankfurt for General Staff and higher formation commanders, run by the Americans. De Walle had verbally run through a list of German officers attending that one and it was like a who’s who of the Wehrmacht’s best generals, although it was obvious that no SS senior commanders were named.

The list of officers in front of the symposium was less impressive but, as coffee arrived, conversation focussed on one name in particular, that of an American Major. In honesty, few American officers became well known to the German soldier, in the way that a Zhukov, Montgomery, or Rommel did to their foes. This officer was no exception, but they were still all drawn to the American by the name of Hardegen, a Major in an American armoured division. They would test his mettle and see how well he compared to his namesake.

Breakfast over, the group stood almost as one and instinctively turned to Knocke for some final words, but he merely clicked to attention, nodded, and proceeded out to his bedroom, to dress and prepare for the first meeting.

0957 hrs Monday, 16th July 1945, The Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg, French Alsace.

The Armoury buzzed with conversation. The suits of armour were now slid back against the walls, standing silent witness to what was to come. It had been decided that this was the most suitable place in which to undertake the difficult task of introducing the pupils and teachers.

Officers from France and Britain mixed well from the start, the two Americans keeping more of their own company initially but soon drawn into the group of fellow professionals. sixteen officers from Major to full Colonel were on display, with experience of combat from the Middle East through to the icy waters of Norway. Much of the small talk turned to the weapons on display and how much more effective the art of dealing death had now become.

At 0957 precisely, a group of six immaculately turned out French commandos marched noisily into the room and took post, one on each quarter and the remaining two either side of the entrance. Their equally smart officer waited for them to finish their dressing before taking post in front of the small podium that had been erected at the far end of the armoury hall. Standing there at the attention position, flanked as he was by armoured men-at-arms from centuries past, he cut an impressive figure.