Free Brothers Beyond Blood by Don Kafrissen

and outside. After awhile, trucks and jeeps came up the road from the city.” He turned to me again, “The Amis are very well equipped, and very disciplined. They have been fighting here in Europe for a very long time, and yet their uniforms are in good condition and they seem to have plenty of ammunition.”
    “Yes, they came to our camp quickly and took charge most efficiently. However, they did not kill any of our people and seemed to be genuinely helping the prisoners.”
    “Ya, they do bring their medical personnel in right away. I think this is good. Do you agree?” Heinrich asked.
    I nodded, and then reflected, “Do you think they will hang us or shoot us?”
    Heinrich shook his head, “Nein, I do not think so. They could have done it easily by now. I understood one of the Ami soldiers say that we would be tried by a military court.”
    I looked out through the wire. “What is that camp they are building? Another for our people?” I saw a large force of soldiers driving in steel posts, stringing barbed wire and putting up large tents.
    Heinrich frowned and said, “I think that is for Landsmannschaft (displaced persons), you know, refugees, homeless people and,” he leaned toward me and whispered behind his hand, “Jews, former prisoners. Even Gypsies!”
    We stood and I decided to walk about the camp to get my bearings and see if there were any other boys I, perhaps, knew from my school days.
     
     
     
     
     
     

  Chapter 12 - Herschel’s Story
     
    After a long day riding in the truck with several wounded soldiers, we came to a small town. I don’t remember the name. Many of the buildings had been bombed and the American Army officers had taken over what was left of the Rathaus, or city hall. I assisted the wounded soldiers to their medical tent, and then went looking for an officer.
    I found an officer with gold leaf-shaped pins on his collars. “Excuse. Please, sir.” I tapped him on the arm. He was just standing with his hands on his hips, surveying the rubble. This officer had dirty trousers tucked into his boots, a short jacket and a helmet with a red star in the front.
    “Yeah, what?” he muttered without looking at me.
    I tapped him again, tugging on his sleeve. “Sir, I need information, please.” He was taller than me and outweighed me by at least fifty kilos. I held my pass under his nose.
    “Eh? What’s this?” He snatched it and read it quickly. In a second he thrust it back in my hand. “What can I do for you, kid?”
    “Sir, I need ride in vehicle.”
    “Yeah, sure, don’t we all? Where do you want to go, kid? New York?”
    I frowned. New York? Why would I want to go to New York? “No sir, south. Near Austria. There is a camp there called Landesberg.” Now I had to lie to this man. “I think it is for Landsmannschaft, sir.” I had to find Hans, and if I had to lie, I would do it. I felt bad. In fact, I felt terrible, but if I told him that I was going to try to locate a guard from a death camp, he would have me locked up.
    “Landenshafter? What’s that, kid?”
    “It is a camp for refugees, sir. The word means displaced persons.” I thought fast. “I think my brother may be there. He is all I have left in the world.”
    “Yeah? Too bad. We’re still fightin’ a war.”
    Ach, was this where my search would end? I could not give up yet. “Please, sir, don’t you have a Red Cross vehicle going south or a supply truck? I will ride in the rear or even on top.”
    He eyed me from under his helmet. “You wanna get to this here DP camp pretty bad, eh, kid?” He extracted half of a cigar from his breast pocket and lit it with silver lighter. In a moment he moved it to a corner of his mouth.
    “Yes, sir. My brother may be there.” I felt bad lying to this officer, but maybe I wasn’t lying. My brother Isaac could be in that camp. He could still be alive.
    “O.K., I’ll tell you what. We’ve got some ambulances heading south in a couple of hours with wounded.