Otto & Maria (2)

Later they sit down to a hearty meal, and he gives them a brief edited outline of his shady past.
“I worked in the Adlon Hotel in Berlin, and because of my age I knew I’d be conscripted for the Wehrmacht. I was young at the time and volunteered for the SS, as I liked their uniform and felt that it had more prestige.”
Otto and Maria are curious.
“What did you do in the SS, Hans?”
“I was given Infantry training at the beginning. I wasn’t a great soldier and worked in the quartermaster’s stores at Lichterfelde Kaserne, Berlin, which is the HQ of the Leibstandarte – SS ‘Adolf Hitler’.”
“Did you fight?”
“Yes, Otto. I was sent to the Eastern Front as a tanker and was injured. I was in hospital for many months, and was detailed to report to a Concentration Camp, as I was no longer fit for service on the front.”
Otto is fascinated with this big world outside of his farm.
“There has been talk in Saarbrücken about Jews being sent to camps, but we’re not sure, Hans.”
“It’s the truth, and they are being exterminated by gas, shootings and starvation. It’s not only Jews. It consists of many different types of people including Gypsies and misfits. I didn’t want to do this, and that’s why I escaped from Berlin and came here. If the authorities catch me I’ll be executed.”
Otto is impressed with Hans’s character.
“I’m glad you did, Hans. I would have done the same. I understand that someone who fights for his country has to kill the enemy, but killing innocent people is evil, and is against God’s law. Whoever breaks that law will pay the price sometime, and if it’s not in this life it will be in the next one.”
“Yes, Otto. I joined the SS to fight for our Fatherland.”
“We’re so proud of you, Hans. We always knew you were brave.”

(L.Hellmann, When the lights went out. 2006)