Chapter 1

I was among the first of our soldiers to march into Berlin, I didn't expect to be welcomed with open arms, but what we were greeted with was worse, far worse.

It was total apathy, these people had endured everything over twelve years of tyranny, twelve years of being careful of what they said or who they said it to!

Occasionally we saw bodies still hanging from lamp posts where the last few fanatical S.S. men had hanged them or dogs gnawing at the rotting corpses lying in the streets, the dogs were no longer scared of us, if we tried to shoo them away, they bared their fangs and snarled at us, we usually let them feed.

It was hard to imagine how the citizens of Berlin had been living during the last few months of the war, many lived in cellars, even in the ruins, I knew life at home in England had been hard for the folks back there, (2oz of butter a week just as an example) but I never thought I'd see rats being sold for meat! There were no birds either or cats, they'd all gone for meat!

It took our regiment about three days to build our camp on the outskirts of Berlin and then we had to get the Germans out to clear the streets.

Great Britain couldn't pay them, our country was everything but bankrupt, so they were paid in their own almost worthless currency, we used our trucks to help clear the rubble but everything else was done by hand, I saw old men, women and children with hands dripping blood, picking up rubble and carrying it to the trucks. Bricks had to be sorted and stored to be re-used when rebuilding commenced, wood such as what remained unburned had to be stored and guarded.

Nobody smiled, there was no chit chat, no friendliness, just a sea of blank faces,

fraternization was strictly forbidden, it was a thoroughly miserable time, but as the weeks became months things gradually improved, the Germans at first understandably unwilling and unfriendly, slowly came to realise that we were there to help, fraternization laws were relaxed and several soldiers took German girlfriends.

Six months after the surrender the population were still clearing the rubble but at least they were getting paid in real money, it wasn't much, but then we as conquerors weren't getting a lot either.

I met Eva at the first dance the regiment organized, she was standing with another girl just looking around probably wondering when all these foreign troops were going to pounce, the population of Berlin were still terrified that the Russians would spread their evil and just march into the territories belonging to the other three powers.

As the sergeant in charge of the dance, I felt I would try to put them at their ease, so along with my interpretor I asked if they would allow the British army to buy their first drink.

The smallest of the two smiled and introduced herself as Eva and her friend as Anna, we shook hands and I ordered their drinks,

"Your men seem very shy" Eva said with a smile, "They not like to dance?"

"To be honest ma'am, I don't know, they've had very little chance to do any dancing"

"Oh, I'm sorry" she said realising what I meant,

"No" I smiled, "Please don't apologise, we all have to realise, we've been through a war, but it's over now and we must concentrate on building the peace"

Two squaddies walked up to us and asked the girls if they would dance, the translator did his bit and the foursome took to the floor, the ice had been broken!

It wasn't until the mid dance break that I saw her again, I smiled at her and asked if she was enjoying herself,

"Thank you, yes, yes I am"

I bought us another drink and we sat at the bar smoking and chatting comfortably, at nineteen she was three years younger than me and she could hardly remember Germany before the madmen took charge!

"I had two brothers" she said sadly, "My older brother Helmut was in the Luftwaffe, he is a prisoner of war in England"

"Well you'll see him again soon" I said and she smiled, "But my younger brother Manfred, I fear will get into trouble, he's only fifteen and he is dealing with the Americans, black market you understand?"

"If he's caught, he'll certainly get into trouble" I agreed, "Bring him to me and I'll see if I can help"

"What could you do?"

"I'm not sure Eva, the Americans are our allies, our friends too, I have a few friends amongst them, I'll try to find out about him"

"Will you expect me to sleep with you?"

"What?" I was astounded, "No of course not"

"You are the victors, the spoils of war, you know?"

"Eva not all of us are like the Russians. The Yanks, the French, us the English, we like to think we're decent men some of us have wives and families, no Eva I do not expect you to sleep with me"

"Thank you. I think you're a nice man"

"I like to think so Eva, thank you"

"There is just one thing sergeant"

"Yes?"

"I don't know your name"

"Sorry" I laughed, "That lot" I indicated the soldiers, "Call me sergeant Burton, but to you, I'm Jack"

"Thank you Jack" she smiled, "Do you have a wife?"

"No" I laughed, "I had a girl once, but she got tired of waiting"

"I'm sorry"

"Don't be, I'm not"

"The band started up then and her friend dragged her away, I saw her only once more before it ended, she was leaving arm in arm with her friend Anna and waved to me.

The following morning, I was eating breakfast in the sergeant's mess when I was ordered to go before the C.O.

"You wanted to see me sir" I stood at attention before him in his office

"Ah yes Jack, sit down man"

Jack? I didn't even know that he was aware of me! But I took a seat,

"Er Jack, I hear you've made a friend"

"A friend sir?"

"Yes a young German girl"

"Yes sir, Eva, a very pleasant young lady"

"Yes quite, I gather she speaks rather good English"

"She does sir"

"Can you bring her in to me for a chat?"

"Is there a problem sir?"

"Only in as much as we need more interpretors, does she have a job?"

"Only rubble clearing sir"

"Oh God" he sighed, "What a bloody awful job, however it needs to be done"

"Yes sir" I agreed.

"Oh by the way Jack" he said almost as an afterthought, "The regiments promotions and recommendations board have finally caught up with us, I gather you have a few medals coming your way"

"Thank you sir"

"Oh and you've missed a few promotions, you've been a captain for the last six months, congratulations Jack"

"A Captain?"

"Yes congratulations Jack"

"Fuck me, er, sorry sir I meant ... well I don't know what I meant"

The colonel laughed heartily and shook my hand, this is the British army Jack, any promotions are well deserved, you know that.

"Yes sir, thank you"

I have your service record in front of me Jack, it makes interesting reading, joined up in '39 as a volunteer, May 1940 evacuated wounded from Dunkirk, two months in hospital for two bullets in your right arm, discharged

and made corporal, went then to North Africa as part of the 70th Infantry brigade where you and two mates captured a German patrol who were lost, from there you were sent to Sicily, then Greece, wounded again there, more hospital time and then D. day as a sergeant.

He closed the folder and sat back thoughtfully, "On your next leave home Jack, I've been ordered to tell you, you will be presented with a few medals, at the palace no less, a military cross, a military medal, etc, etc, etc"

I sat back feeling very embarrassed but he went on,

"I nearly forgot, the French want to give you a couple as well"

"Wow"

"Yes wow, you'll cut quite a dash wearing all the ribbons Jack"

"Yes sir"

"Right, down to the job in hand, I've been given the task of organizing the rebuilding of this section here" He pointed to a map on the wall, we're going to renovate these three blocks of flats and I'm putting you and the delectable Eva in charge of labour, German labour Jack, so off you go and find her, oh stop off at the camp tailor and pick up your new uniform first, pips and all Jack" he laughed.

"Sir" I saluted and walked out,

Half an hour later I walked out of the tailors feeling very self conscious in my new uniform, three pips on each shoulder and a peaked cap,

"All right sarge?" Private Jones said cheerily and then stopped in amazement, "Cor fucking hell, er sorry Captain, they've made you a toff"

"Piss off Charlie, I'm still me, what are you doing?"

"Fuck all, I mean nothing sir"

"Take this to the motor pool and get me a Jeep" I handed him a requisition slip and less than five minutes later I was sat next to him as he drove rather badly into the city in search of Eva.

We found her sorting bricks and she needed no persuading to join us as my interpretor,

"There's just one snag Eva, you have to join the staff, uniform and all"

She thought that was hilarious and laughed all the way back to camp,

The next few days were among the happiest I could remember, a team of our own engineers converted an old railway carriage for me as living quarters, so that I could be on site, I used my new rank to have another one bought up and sited next to mine for Eva and her brother, together we begged, stole and borrowed enough furniture to furnish them both.