Upfall

Shapira kept the Bulls and Bears behind for a few minutes. They had less distance to travel, and needed to make a more deliberate approach. He used the time to encourage the Jewish men, as best he could, shaking each man's hand, and importuning them to be brave, control their fears, and steel themselves for a lot of noise and confusion. He hoped his German was up to the task. Shapira ended with a little speech. It was not quite Henry V but he was soldier, not a poet, and at the limits of his German language ability. "This is your chance to pay the Germans back for what they did to you, to your families, to our people" he intoned. "Your life is a gifi. Spend it wisely, but spend it if you have to. The mission is the most important thing. Always remember that. And the mission is to kill the enemy, to take that death camp, so nobody else will have to endure what you have endured." It seemed to work. The men looked at him closely, some with fear, most with gritted teeth and a few with, maybe, with tearful eyes.

Shapira then left the men to their own leaders, Fliegel and Sander, and sought out Perchensky near the vehicle park. He didn't care whether Bolander had a thing for her or not, or whether the feelings were returned. He felt afraid for her.

Shapira greeted Perchensky as she stood over Mueller. The German lay against a large tree trunk, his hands bound with flexcuffs to his front and his feet bound with rope. Without explanation, Shapira forced the German to his feet and pushed him awkwardly toward a smaller tree. Perchensky started to say something, but Shapira waved her off. He undid Mueller's flexcuffs, but before the German could stretch his arms out he pressed Mueller's back against the tree. Shapira told the German to extend his arms backward, which Mueller‘ did reluctantly, forcing Shapira to poke him with his rifle.

Shapira reapplied the cuffs so that Mueller's hands were bound behind his back and around the trunk of the tree. The German shifted his body uncomfortably and looked over to Perchansky like he was a caged puppy. Shapira looked over to her too.

"Well, be careful" said Shapira.

"You too lieutenant" said Perchansky, avoiding Shapira's gaze and looking instead toward the tree where Mueller stood, tightly bound. Shapira left her there. The Bulls and Bears moved out.

Chapter 23

Wirth spent most of the evening with Erbel, trying to convince the commandant to use the new reinforcements in a sensible manner. But Erbel would have none of it. He ordered the Ukranian company to set up camp in the western field without tents or barbed wire. He sent the new SS platoon into the Jewish barracks, thus displacing several hundred Jews for the convenience of less than thirty men. The Jews were forced out onto the deportation square where victims were assembled before their last journey to the gas chambers. There the Jewish workers were made to stand at attention, believing that their own passage to the extermination camp was imminent. But they were not ordered to proceed down the Himmelgang, but rather to just stand, until after many hours, they were finally allowed to collapse in place. Wirth cared nothing for the Jews' suffering, but worried that they would unnecessarily spread fear and dissention.

Wirth noted that almost everything Erbel did was haphazard and thoughtless. The Ukranians in the western field were practically defenseless and added little to Treblinka's protection. Forcing the Jews into the deportation square put extra pressure on the garrison.

Wirth realized that this was simply the way Treblinka was run on a daily basis, and the reason for its inefficiency. Erbel told Wirth that it was too late to mount patrols, and that integrating the new troops into his own garrison could be done in the morning. Evidently, the Commandant didn't like to work in the evening hours.

The only activity in the death camp that evening was in the extermination lager. There the Sonderkommondo was still at work burying the dead from the last transport. A full platoon of Ukranians guarded the Jewish workers, supervised by several SS men. Otherwise, despite Wirth's warnings, the Germans and Ukranians in the camp kept to their barracks, with the exception of the regular posted guard.

Shortly before 23:00 Erbel announced that he had had enough and was retiring to bed. He offered Wirth a place in the officer's barrack, but Wirth decided to go check up on the SS platoon he'd brought with him. Not particularly cared about them, but because he wanted to separate himself from the Commandant. Wirth had a feeling that getting away from Erbel would be safer in the long run.