The Odessa File

‘What was the main kind of work done?’

‘Stone-breaking in the quarry, sir. The quarry was also outside the wire, surrounded by barbed wire and watch-towers of its own.’

‘What was the population in late 1944?’

‘Oh, about 16,000 inmates, sir.’

‘Where was the commandant’s office?’

‘Outside the wire, sir, halfway up a slope overlooking the camp.’

‘Who were the successive commandants?’

‘Two were before I got there, sir. The first was SS-Major Karl Kunstler. His successor was SS-Captain Karl Fritsch. The last one was SS-Lieutenant-Colonel Max Koegel.’

‘Which was the number of the political department?’

‘Department Two, sir.’

‘Where was it?’

‘In the commandant’s block.’

‘What were its duties?’

‘To ensure that requirements from Berlin that certain prisoners received special treatment were carried out.’

‘Canaris and the other plotters were so indicated?’

‘Yes, sir. They were all designated for special treatment.’

‘When was this carried out?’

‘April 20th, 1945, sir. The Americans were moving up through Bavaria, so the orders came to finish them off. A group of us was designated to do the job. I was then a newly promoted staff sergeant, although I had arrived at the camp as a private. I headed the detail for Canaris and five others. Then we had a burial party of Jews bury the bodies. Hartstein was one of them, damn his eyes. After that we burned the camp documents. Two days later we were ordered to march the prisoners northwards. On the way we heard the Fuehrer had killed himself. Well, sir, the officers left us then. The prisoners started running off into the woods. We shot a few, us sergeants, but there didn’t seem much point in marching on. I mean the Yanks were all over the place.’

‘One last question about the camp, Staff Sergeant. When you looked up, from anywhere in the camp, what did you see?’

Miller looked puzzled.

‘The sky,’ he said.

‘Fool, I mean what dominated the horizon?’

‘Oh, you mean the hill with the ruined castle keep on it?’

The lawyer nodded and smiled.

‘Fourteenth century, actually,’ he said. ‘All right, Kolb, you were at Flossenburg. Now, how did you get away?’

‘Well, sir, it was on the march. We all broke up. I found an army private wandering around, so I hit him on the head and took his uniform. The Yanks caught me two days later. I did two years in a prisoner-of-war camp, but just told them I was an army private. Well, you know how it was, sir, there were rumours floating about the Yanks were shooting SS men out of hand. So I said I was in the Army.’

The lawyer exhaled a draught of cigar smoke.

‘You weren’t alone in that. Did you change your name?’

‘No, sir. I threw my papers away because they identified me as SS. But I didn’t think to change the name. I didn’t think anyone would look for a staff sergeant. At the time the business with Canaris didn’t seem very important. It was only much later people started to make a fuss of those army officers, and made a shrine out of the place in Berlin where they hanged the ringleaders. But then I had papers from the Federal Republic in the name of Kolb. Anyway, nothing would have happened if that orderly hadn’t spotted me, and after that it wouldn’t have mattered what I called myself.’

‘True. Right, now we’ll go on to a little of the things you were taught. Start by repeating to me the oath of loyalty to the Fuehrer,’ said the lawyer.