Some Murders in Berlin

by Karen Robards

“some murders in Berlin.”

Pervitin, as Schneider’s expression told her he knew, was the secret fuel that kept the German army going. Passed out by the handful to soldiers from privates all the way up to commanders, the pills made them able to function for days at a time without sleep or food. It also made them incalculably cruel. The kind of cruel that might result in the vicious killings of innocent young women.

But they were just that—whispers—easy to question, to disbelieve. Please God they were just that.

As a people, they had for three years now collectively walked a tightrope—mouths shut, eyes straight ahead, no stepping out of line. Whatever they might privately think or feel, the consensus was that outward compliance was their best chance at survival.

plenipotentiary

bête noire

Lebensborn Society.”

“Himmler instituted a project that encourages the birth of racially pure Aryan children. Young, single women that are verifiably Aryan back through several generations are recruited and matched with selected SS or Wehrmacht officers for the purpose of breeding a secret child for the Fatherland. The conception takes place inside a Lebensborn facility, the expectant mother is cared for inside a Lebensborn facility, and the birth happens inside a Lebensborn facility. After the birth the child is taken from the mother and becomes the property of the state. The mother, having done her patriotic duty, leaves and goes about her life with no one the wiser. The program’s existence is a closely guarded secret, but word has spread throughout certain government and military circles.”