My Fearless Love

        My Fearless Love

Suzanne Marsh

March 1943

Karl Bartz, drove his yellow 1935 Duesenberg Convertible Coupe slowly toward Sachsenhausen where he would begin training as a Captain in the Schutzstaffel (SS). He coveted the death skull of the SS; this, he thought would be life’s calling. The closer he got to Sachsenhausen, the more he noticed: guard towers, guard dogs, a crematorium, and a great many starving prisoners. Those were not his problem he told himself. He stood tall as he bounded out of the Duesenburg toward the Commandant's office; here he would begin his training as an SS officer. He found the Commandant, a short squat little man, raging at a helpless prisoner. The Commandant gave a nod of his; the guard took the Jew out back; shot him in the head leaving him where he fell.

“Ah, you must be Karl Bartz, I know your father, Hans. I understand you are to be trained here.

then sent to Buchenwald.”

“Jowl, those are my orders.”

“You will report to Major Heinz Basch.”

Karl saluted, turned smartly striding out of the office. Major Heinz Basch was at the moment occupied with several prisoners; one of which was a young woman of nineteen. Karl stared at the beauty of her nakedness. He could not fathom what such a beautiful girl was doing in this hell hole he found himself in. He saluted the Major waiting until he spoke:

“Ja, you will be training with me for several months we will talk after I have taken these

inmates to various places in the camp. My office is in the white building two kilometers

from here.”

Karl strode slowly toward the white building the major had pointed to. He heard screams as he waited. There was a part of him that wanted to rush to the dirty grayish window; the humane part of him sat quietly hoping the screams would subside. The door flew open; the major came in with a prisoner who he promptly beat into oblivion. The prisoner was then shot in the back of the head. Karl was ordered to drag him out back of the building; told to dump the body in the pit. He would later learn that the pit was dug by prisoners and then used by said prisoners. He wondered what had happened to the beautiful girl he had seen that morning.

The following morning, after Karl had tossed and turned all night, he and the major began their rounds of the camp. The major pointing out various locations:

“Karl, over there near the trees are the gas chambers. That building right next to it is the

crematorium. The wooden buildings are the barracks the women are the next two

rows. You must learn to ignore the pleading and the bribing; especially the bribing, that

will get you hung taking a bribe from a Jew prisoner. Do you have any questions?”

“Yes sir, what are my duties while I study under you?”

“Your duties include marching prisoners to the gas chambers, executing prisoners,

watching as gold from teeth are removed. Valuables must be cataloged.”

Karl felt as if he were somewhere he definitely did not belong. He hated the thought of hurting any human being. However, if he did not make the SS Captaincy, the SS would murder his family. He would do what was demanded of him and hope for the best.

Rivka Amberg, stood silently behind the steel bars of Sachsenhausen, hoping for freedom. Her city of Dusetos, in Lithuania, had been invaded by the Nazi’s just prior to her nineteenth birthday. She and the other 704 Jews had been deported to various camps. She had thought more than once about charging the electric fence and ending her suffering; but she could not bring herself to do that. She traversed the camp, noting the “ovens” as the prisoners referred to the crematorium. Thus far, she had been spared the ovens; she was forced to haul rocks from one area to another. Rivka would not lose faith in Her God; she would endure and prevail. She touched the top of her head, her beautiful blond hair had all been shaved off. She stood to her full height of five feet, tossed her head then returned to her barracks.

Karl noted her beauty from the start; he wanted to help her somehow. The question was how and not be caught doing so. The punishment for help a Jewish prisoner was immediate execution by hanging or firing squad depending on the Commandant’s mood. He approached her:

“Good afternoon Frauline, why were you so close to gate, they will shoot you if you

are not more cautious.”

Rivka, gave him a half smile; it lit up his heart in a way he had never felt before:

“I thought maybe I wanted to die but I don’t. I am hungry, filthy, cold and miserable.”

“Do you have a name?”

“Yes, my name is Rivka Amberg.”

“My name is Karl Bartz. I wish we were meeting under different circumstances.”

“Yes, I know I do also.”

He took her hand for a moment then motioned her to go to her barracks. He noticed a group of Jews slowly walking to building “Z”; the ovens and crematorium. When he had first arrived, he had toured the entire facility including building “Z”. It had made him ill; he knew why now. The thought of Rivka going to be gassed was too horrible for him to imagine. He began to think of a way to get her out of Sachsenhausen before she was murdered. He would have to be very cautious; keep his plans to himself until he was ready.

Rivka, was just returning to the barracks after dusk when Karl approached her:

“Rivka, you must absolutely nothing just nod your head yes or no. I have a plan

to get you out of here but you are going to have to be very cautious for the next

few days. There are rumors about sending more and more to the ovens. When

there is a search for victims hide yourself in the kitchens under a sink, no one will

look there. Please be careful Rivak, I love you.”

Rivka blanched, why was he willing to risk his life for her? Could he possibly have meant that he did love her? Here in this hell hole? Her body began to shake uncontrollably; she was frightened but she had to trust Karl:

“My plan is to sneak you out in the truck of my car. Meet me in back of building “Z” and be

very quiet, stay in the shadows. I will open the trunk before I pull around to the back. No

one would willing go to the back of “Z” so you should be safe there.”

He kissed her quickly and went about his daily routine.

December 1944

Rivka, waited until darkness overwhelmed the sky, no moon tonight. Karl kept his word; he brought the Duesenberg around the back. The trunk was opened barely. He killed the headlights as Rivka climbed into the truck. Once in there he drove to the exit of the camp; his pass was presented to the guard. He drove out of Sachsenhausen, heading for a holiday in the Swiss Alps. Karl drove for miles before he stopped; he just hoped the SS never found either of them. He wanted to marry Rivka; they loved each other but how could she marry someone who had killed so many Jewish relatives of hers? She couldn’t:

“Karl, I can’t marry you, we are just too different.”

Karl hung his head, but he also knew Rivka was correct, they were just too different.