From Darkness

Chapter 24: Peace

"It is my personal belief that you are all ready to call yourselves pilots. You will be graduating very soon." Those had been the unexpected words of Sergeant Eichel. Uli and the other cadets that had been training for over a year graduated six months ahead of time. They had all been ecstatic to hear such news, but when Uli told Peter, a look of concern darkened his face.

"I'm afraid the time has come, you need to know now, but don't tell Ivy, she must not know yet. Civilians mustn't know yet. I shouldn't be telling you this, but soon you will be risking your life for us; thus, you deserve to know.

We are going to attack Poland, Ulrich. I am convinced now that the reason they rushed your graduation is because you will be part of the attack," Peter told him one night after dinner.

"Why Poland? What do we gain from attacking them?" Uli asked.

"Territory. Land that will be ours. Lebensraum, and we want Danzig back, remember? We must fight for Danzig," Peter replied.

"Well, good! I can't wait for some action! Shooting at old crates in the fields is getting boring, and the Germans of Danzig deserve to be part of our Reich," Uli said.

"Son, you don't understand. This attack on Poland... This attack will bring on a war. Poland will be left weak, devastated, we all believe that Britain and France will not simply stand by this time. They will fight us.

Did you know, our country has been on a war economy for half a decade now? We've been building weapons, vehicles, and aircraft and submarines, it's the reason our country has thrived so much. We think it's what the Führer wants," Peter lit up a cigarette. He had taken up smoking. He offered Uli one and he took it.

"When you say 'we', who do you mean?"

"Nearly all the high-ranking officers in the military and the SS,"

"Do you believe it too? Do you think there's going to be a war?"

"The Führer is drunken with power, he doesn't see it. He thinks we're ready, but we're far from ready. We need at least three more years. He... he lied to Mussolini, you know, Italy's Führer, and that's how Italy is on our side. If you get the order to attack Poland, yes. I believe we are going to be entering another war. Another war to lose," Peter said.

"We're not going to lose this one, Herr Köhler. You should see our hangars, our pilots. My squadron alone could take down a small country. We may be young and inexperienced, we may have graduated early, but we are more than capable. I will fight for my country and my Führer. War economy or not, he has brought our country to our former glory and beyond. I am ready!" Uli said proudly.

Peter chuckled, "What I'd give to be so young and innocent again... Do you love my daughter?"

The question took Uli by surprise. "Uh... yes sir. I do love her," he said.

"Then you have my blessing to marry her, whenever the time should come," Peter told him.

Those words came as a relief to Uli. He had been wanting to ask Peter for such a blessing, but could never find the right words or the right moment.

He wondered if perhaps Peter was correct about an impending war. He wondered if they were ready like he believed, or if it was true that another three years were necessary before they could fight.

~

Ivy came out of the twins room, she had just finished singing them all the lullabies she knew. "They're asleep now, Heidi fell like a rock," Ivy smiled.

Uli was sitting on an armchair by the small fireplace. Ivy walked over to him and caressed his hair. "I should go now, you can stay. I have money for a taxi," she told him.