Page 98 of All We Thought We Knew
When Gunther glanced over, he saw members of the Schlageter, including Wolfgang Schmidt, harassing a new internee. The young man—wasn’t his name Karl?—was a teacher and offered to give classes in English at theSchule, held on the second floor of Building61, where instruction was conducted by qualifiedinternees on subjects ranging from chemistry to philosophy. Many detainees eagerly signed up for Karl’s class, but the group of Nazi supporters did not approve. They declared it traitorous to speak any language other than German, most especially English.
The usual din of conversation in the mess hall grew quiet as the argument escalated.
“You are a disgrace to your family,” one of the Schlageter bellowed, standing face to face with Karl. To that young man’s credit, he remained where he was rather than backing away. “The Führer himself demands that German citizens speak only our mother language. Why do you disobey our esteemed leader?”
Gunther couldn’t hear Karl’s low, calm reply, but it clearly infuriated the other man.
Before anyone could stop it from happening, his balled fist slammed into Karl’s face. Blood spurted from Karl’s nose as he stumbled backwards and landed on his backside.
While the men of the Schlageter laughed and cheered, Dr. Sonnenberg rose from his seat and hurried over to Karl. Gunther followed. Everyone else in the large room stayed where they were, unwilling to put themselves at risk.
“Get away from him, Jew,” the furious man yelled when Dr. Sonnenberg knelt beside Karl.
“He needs medical attention,” the doctor said. Ignoring the sailor, he took a handkerchief from his pocket and applied it to Karl’s bloody nose. That young man seemed dazed by the blow, his eyes unfocused.
“Get your hands off him, Jewish dog.” The sailor took a menacing step toward Dr. Sonnenberg, but Gunther put himself between his friend and the angry man.
“We are taking Karl to the hospital.” He kept his voice firm and his eyes steady on his opponent. When Wolfgang and another man from the Schlageter approached, Gunther didn’t budge.
Dr. Sonnenberg helped Karl to his feet.
The Nazi supporters looked ready to fight, but thankfully Boyd, a border patrolman, arrived on the tense scene, led by one of Karl’s students who’d obviously gone for help.
“What’s going on?” The armed guard eyed the group. He held a rifle in both hands, ready should anyone make a move. “Why is this man bleeding?”
The sailor who’d slugged Karl narrowed his eyes on Gunther, a clear warning to keep silent. Despite the unspoken threat, Gunther was not going to let him get away with his brutality.
“This man attacked Karl for no reason,” Gunther said, identifying the angry sailor. “Everyone here witnessed it.”
Boyd glanced around the circle of men, sizing up the situation.
Finally he turned to Gunther. “Take him to the hospital.” His attention then landed on the sailor. “You, come with me. The rest of you back away.” He raised his rifle, ensuring everyone cooperated.
Gunther and Dr. Sonnenberg got on either side of Karl, with his arms over their shoulders, and carried him from the mess hall. Boyd and the sailor were steps behind. When they turned toward the guardhouse, the sailor shouted at Gunther in German, “You’ll regret this!”
Gunther ignored the remark and continued to the hospital. Dr. Ludwig was just leaving the building when they arrived.
“What happened to him?” he asked, studying Karl’s swollen, bloody nose. When they told him about the brawl, the man looked annoyed. “Dr. Lipp isn’t here, and I am on my way to eat my dinner. Put him in a room. I’ll tend to him when I get back.”
Irritation washed over Gunther. “He needs attention now.”
Dr. Ludwig huffed. “Very well. Sonnenberg, take care of him. If anyone questions why you’re here, tell them I authorized it.” He turned and left the building.
Gunther and Dr. Sonnenberg looked at each other and shook their heads.
“He certainly believes himself important, does he not?” Dr. Sonnenberg said.
“I’d rather have you tend me, sir,” Karl mumbled.
Dr. Sonnenberg nodded. “I am happy to do so, son.”
They cleaned Karl’s face, but unfortunately there wasn’t much Dr. Sonnenberg could do about his broken nose. Only time would heal it.
“Do you want me to try to straighten the bone?” he asked Karl. “It will be painful but will only last a short time.”
The young man frowned. “If you don’t straighten it, will I look deformed for the rest of my life?”
Dr. Sonnenberg offered a gentle smile. “I can’t promise it will look like it did before, but you’re a handsome fellow. The girls will still swoon, no matter if your nose is a bit crooked.”
