Mila 18 - Leon Uris [220]
“Halt!”
The SS, Wehrmacht, and Auxiliaries broke ranks and scattered at the corner of Zamenhof and Gensia streets under the eyes and guns of Ana Grinspan’s company.
With the enemy three blocks away, Andrei shifted his position, risking a little more exposure to get a better view. He saw the Germans surrounding the Civil Authority building and the Jewish Militia barracks. SS men smashed into the abandoned Civil Authority. In a few minutes Andrei watched a confused command meeting in the middle of Zamenhof Street. Stutze pointed and ranted.
“Hello, what’s this?” Andrei whispered.
Jewish militiamen appeared in the streets for the first time since they had been terrorized into their barracks, but now they came at the end of Wehrmacht bayonets. Several Jewish militiamen, obviously of rank, were pulled from the herd and beaten into the Civil Authority building.
The sounds of machine pistol shots split the air.
“Runner!” Andrei snapped. Stephan crawled alongside him.
“Get a message to Simon. The Germans are rounding up the Jewish Militia. Some of them are being executed in the Civil Authority building. Apparently the Germans don’t know that the Civil Authority has defected. We can anticipate the Germans taking the Militia straight up Zamenhof to the Stawki Gate and the Umschlagplatz. We want instructions.”
Stephan repeated the message, then scooted down the middle of the roof for the short run through the skylight of Mila 18 and down the stairs to the bunker. Stephan appeared at the same moment that Ana Grinspan’s runner appeared with an identical message.
Simon looked to Tolek and Alex.
“Andrei wants instructions,” Stephan said.
The Germans would march the Jewish Militia under the massed guns of Andrei’s companies and a company of Wolf’s Fighters near the Stawki Gate. There were a thousand Germans in the street. They would be sitting pigeons. Should the rebellion begin on a note of saving Jewish traitors? Would it not be poetic and historic justice to see those ghouls marched off to the Umschlagplatz just as they had taken their own blood and flesh? An outburst which would give these bastards a chance to spread and hide would all but deplete the ammunition stores of the Joint Forces.
Command decision! God. If only Andrei were down here to knock me on my back. Tolek and Alex continued to watch him in the dim light. Simon sucked in a deep breath, then another. The Germans were in a box such as they might never be caught in again. But ... did it not take just as much courage to make the decision to let them pass out of the ghetto to give his Fighters a day, a week, ten days to find more ammunition?
“Tell Andrei ... to keep absolute discipline. Let them pass.” He spun the cranks of the phone to confirm his opinion, to assure himself. “This is Jerusalem. Atlas speaking. The Rhine Maidens are at Herod’s Palace and are taking Korah and Absalom to Egypt. Let them pass.”
In the bunker of the Revisionists at Nalewki 37, Samson Ben Horin faced the commander of his Chayal group who were spread along the roofs over Zamenhof near Ana Grinspan’s company. The Chayal officer, Emanuel, snorted at Ben Horin.
“We will not let them pass!”
Samson Ben Horin stroked his newly grown beard. He liked it. The liaison runner from Eden’s headquarters looked from Ben Horin to his officer.
“We are not obliged to carry out orders from Eden,” the officer prodded.
“You are obligated to take my orders,” Ben Horin answered. “By coincidence they are exactly the same. Let the Germans pass through.”
Emanuel was enraged. “The Germans are in a box!”
Ben Horin shrugged.
“You are a flunky of the Labor Zionists,” Emanuel cried.
“I shall relieve you of your command this instant if you cannot obey,” Ben Horin threatened angrily.
Emanuel sulked, simmered, calmed, and was returned to his post, distressed that Ben Horin had taken a position concurrent with that of the Joint Forces.
Clump! Clump! Clump! Clump!
Andrei crawled as close to the roofs edge as he dared. He looked over his people. Their sweaty hands tightened around their weapons.