Chapter 23
Empty Jaws
September 6, 1942
Warsaw, Poland
“You’ve done well,” said Colonel Wagner, reviewing the records. “Two hundred thousand units shipped out of the Jewish Quarter in only seven weeks.”
“Everything is proceeding according to plan on our end. It’s the other part of the operation I’m concerned about.”
“Yes,” said the colonel, shaking his head. “We read your report. We’ve conducted our own surprise visit. It was worse than you suspected. Don’t worry. We are replacing him with a true professional. Treblinka will run like a factory from now on.”
“That’s excellent news.”
“How much longer will your operation last?” the colonel asked.
“If we could take six thousand a day every day without any issues, we’d be done in two more months at the most. But you must anticipate that things will get harder. Rumors have hit the ghetto about Treblinka, about what is really happening. We do everything we can to dispel this information, but not everyone believes us. However, we have other incentives. We are just starting a new program to offer jam and bread to everyone who will show up at the platform for relocation. The response so far has been tremendous. We had to turn people away. So many of them are starving.”
The colonel selected a pastry from a plate at the table and took a bite. “I wonder what it’s like to go without food.”
“Hunger is a powerful motivator.”
The colonel nodded. “So, two months then?”
Klaus shook his head. “Better figure more like four. There will remain a hard core of people who will not come voluntarily. The smugglers, their little resistance movement. They will take a little more time to ferret out.”
“I suppose that’s to be expected.” He rose and shook Klaus’s hand. “Everything looks good,” he said. “I’ll report back to Herr Frank.” The colonel turned to leave. Klaus moved back toward the mound of paperwork on his desk. “Just one more thing,” the colonel said.
Klaus turned back. The colonel stood at the door. “What are you doing about all these Jews escaping into Aryan Warsaw?”
“I don’t know what you mean by all these Jews. A handful have made it out. That’s to be expected.”
“Our intelligence tells us it is quite a few more than that.”
Klaus was furious, but he held his emotions in check. Where was the colonel getting his information? Who was the leak? “We’re aware of the situation and taking steps.”
“What steps?”
“We conducted a raid tonight. There was a plot to take some children out of the hospital on Leszno Street. The escape was planned for tomorrow. Even as we speak, my men are at the hospital. We will resettle these children to the east tonight. They will never see Aryan Warsaw.”
“I’d like to see that,” said the colonel.
“We are getting ready to go there now. The children should already be rounded up. If you’d like, I can show you the rest of the operation, and we could tour the Umschlagplatz.”
The colonel nodded. “I would enjoy that immensely.”
* * *
An hour later, Klaus stood in the wreckage of the hospital with Peter and the colonel. Screams echoed down the hallway from the wounded. The soldiers were wrapping up the operation. There were blood and bodies everywhere.
“Where are the children?” the colonel asked.
“We’re still looking for them,” said Klaus. “My men are combing the hospital.”
Another hour passed. Report after report returned. The children were missing.
“They are probably hiding somewhere,” said Klaus.
“Sick children?” said the colonel with sarcasm in his voice. “Who didn’t know you were coming? Let’s face it, your operation was compromised, Klaus. The children are gone.” The colonel scribbled notes into his notebook, shaking his head as he did so. “This is precisely what we’ve been concerned about. It looks like you not only have a Jewish escape problem, but you have a spy in your own department working for the Poles! And you were concerned about the problems in Treblinka.”
Klaus turned to Peter. “Collect the staff. I want them all questioned until we know what happened.”
“What do we do with the rest of the patients?” Peter asked.
“Liquidate them.” Klaus turned back to the colonel. “Don’t worry. We will get to the bottom of this.”
“You had better. And quick.”