III
The fifteen days were much more than fifteen days. The few months were dull and disgusting. Dr. Braudenhoff only had common things to do as a physician. He used to treat officers with diseases, tired Jewish workers and some victims of atrocities, like shot, poisoned, infected on purpose and beaten Jews and Gypsies. He forcedly got in touch with the reality in the concentration camps. And he was so irritated to waste his work there that he almost left. His irritation increased as he knew how the camp was organized. Many Jews gassed, others shot by the pleasure of the SS officers, or spanked till the death. Handicapped people were brought from other places and immediately gassed. Many times the officers forbade him to help a prisoner, saying “He is a stupid Jew or stupid Gypsy”. Many times they asked him to do atrocities with other people or participate of the recreational activities . The rage was so great that he sent a telegram to Histlenheimer, complaining about the new occupation. He had no answer. And the days were becoming worse. The smell of burned flesh almost everyday made Dr. Braudenhoff stop eating but at night; otherwise he would throw up every day. The continuous stream of wounded people, victim of atrocities, made him despaired, mainly when the officers denied his help to those suffering. He was accustomed to see wasted lives everyday in battlefields, but there they were at least fighting for their country, for a reason, even if the war was not fair.
Then Commander Histlenheimer arrived with the long expected orders. After a brief talking, Dr. Braudenhoff started to complain:
"Excuse me, Commander, but what am I doing here? I am supposed to help people, mainly our soldiers that are dying everyday, but I’m here wasting my time, taking care of a person that was shot by an officer that simply didn’t like his face."
Histlenheimer started to talk with an artificial voice:
"Sorry, doc, but now I have a glorious task for you!" – more ironic than this would be impossible…
"I hope so." Dr. Braudenhoff heart started to beat faster, as he became anxious to know the orders given to him.
"Well, it is no secret that your emergency surgeries at the battlefield saved the life of hundreds."
"You are exaggerating!"
"Maybe, but I have heard of your impressive work saving lives of at least three soldiers that the other physicians said they would certainly die."
Dr. Braudenhoff started to remember such occasions. It was true. He more than once received wounded soldiers with great limb wounds and carefully sewed their veins in order to stop the hemorrhage and prevent the gangrene. He also made some work to construct a path with the other veins in order to blood reach the inferior parts of the limbs making it possible to keep the limbs functional. No other field doctor he has ever worked with could do this with his success rate and they would consider the doctor crazy, but his method was successful.
"So" continued the commander "it would be good if you could develop you technique. We have many soldiers dying of wounds in the chest or abdomen. If you master your technique in the whole body and teach other doctors, we can save many soldiers."
"Yes, it would be good. My greatest concern is with our wounded men at the battlefields. But how can I do this here?"
Dr. Histlenheimer was nervous because he knew that it wouldn't be easier to explain his friend what he should do, but he was ordered by his superiors, so he couldn't avoid.
"Wilfred, Wilfred, my friend. Look around you. You have here thousands of subhuman beings to experiment on. You can try what you want with them and if something works fine, we can use it to save our people."
"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?" Dr. Braudenhoff became furious "You say I should pick a healthy person and begin to play with his body?"
"Dr. Braudenhoff!" The commander has become irritated "First, you will not use people, but subhuman beings. Second, you MUST do this. You must collaborate with our main goal, our final solution." Dr. Histlenheimer said that confidently, but he was not assured himself that it was the right thing to do. "It would be a pity if the Third Reich lost a great physician for disobeying orders and helping the sub humans."
Braudenhoff swallowed hard. Many thoughts passed in few seconds. He had to choose if he preferred to be assassinated immediately or to collaborate. But before he could say anything, Commander Histlenheimer said:
"I have something already prepared to you, and sixteen new subjects for experiments will arrive in two days. I will go to Dachau and I return in a week or two. So do your job and then I'LL SEE." And smiling again "I know my fellow will do best than I ever thought."
"Alright, Commander, I’ll do my best."
Then Commander Histlenheimer left, but not before giving instructions to the officers to keep an eye in the doctor, as he was afraid of Dr. Braudenhoff refusing to help. Though he admired much the talent of the young doctor and understood the feelings of his friend, he was ordered to put him to work. So he did.
Dr. Braudenhoff left to the hospital very altered. He was between mad and upset. "HOW CAN THEY DO THIS TO ME?" was the recurrent thought. He was feeling so bad. When he became a doctor, he vowed to Hippocrates´ Oath. And his task was to help people not suffer diseases, not to inflict diseases. He never agreed with the arguments of subhuman, pure races, and he was mad, absolutely mad, mainly with his longtime friend. He knew that although Commander Histlenheimer was under orders of his superiors.
In fact, Histlenheimer's considerable authority was given in a hurry when some SS officers and Wehrmacht high officials of his company were killed or arrested in some serious combats, a superior decided to give him higher responsibilities, which meant to a new high officer Do your job well or die. Dr. Braudenhoff thought that Histlenheimer could be at least more friendly to him and not charge him with those kind of horrific obligations.
Dr. Braudenhoff rushed and was willing to go straight to his particular room in the hospital (or to kick everything in front of him) when an assistant came to him:
"Dr. Braudenhoff, they ordered me to show you something."
"I don’t want to see anything now." He was disturbed with the orders received. "Talk to me later."
"I can’t. They said YOU MUST SEE IT NOW."
Dr. Braudenhoff almost kicked a table that was in front of him. He was so mad that his will was to burn the whole place to ashes. "Now my life will be this inferno? They will oblige me to do everything? NO. I will not accept!'" So he turned back in rage to shout and curse everything and everyone, including the Führer, but he became voiceless as he saw the thing the assistant wanted to show him. In a moment, his heart seemed to stop and the time seemed to be infinite.
He saw a short woman, with her head shaved, but little blonde hair could be seen growing again. She had very beautiful blue eyes and was looking at him with mixed feelings as fear, submission and a little admiration. Although she was not an innocent girl and she knew more or less what was happening in the camp, it was like she saw that the doctor in front of her disagreed with the others (she was also impressed because Dr. Braudenhoff was handsome, with black hair, green eyes, somewhat athletic body). He could see, despite of her uniform, that she had an attractive body. An angelic aura enveloped her figure.
Then the assistant threw her towards the floor and she fell on her knees, weeping, in front of Dr. Braudenhoff. His natural reaction was to touch gently her face and try to comfort her, but if he did so, the others would report him to the officers. So he just picked her arm and pulled her to stand up. He almost fell over her because he trembled when he touched her arm. And he stared at her thinking things that would cause his arrest and execution if someone knew: "This girl is an angel. I will marry her". He started to remember of his sister when a nurse knocked down his castles in the air handing him a paper and asking:
"This is the information about. I don’t know if this can help."
"Oh, thanks.", replied the doctor. The change of moods was so fast that he was somewhat stunned.
"What will we do with it?"
"Give her a room. I have to think about what I will do."
The nurse was not happy with the answer, because all of them knew that the doctor was being observed by the SS officers. She did so, but reported to the officers.
Dr. Braudenhoff entered his room and he didn’t have time to open the document. Someone knocked at the door.
"Dr. Braudenhoff?"
"Yes?"
"I’m officer Hommler. Commander Histlenheimer ordered me to grant that you accomplish your tasks."
"Damn! They will never leave me in peace!"...
"Ok, but you can go, I have something to prepare…"
"Dr. Braudenhoff, you were supposed to be working now, but you gave a room to the guinea-pig. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I SHOULD DO?"
"ARE YOU A PHYSICIAN?" He shouted back "No, of course, so let me study, plan and prepare my work." Then he slammed the door.
"Who do they think I am? They be hanged! If he kills me here, I don’t care; I don’t care for anything else! It is better to die than to live this way."
"The officer knocked the door again, and Dr. Braudenhoff was assured he would be either arrested or shot. But he was not afraid. He had enough in that machine of making mad people. But for his surprise, before he could open the door, the officer said:
"You are right. Be prepared for tomorrow."
And he turned away.
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