Lyon
September 7, 1942
Klaus Barbie was furious. A leaflet declaring open opposition to the Germans was circulating throughout Lyon. Cardinal Gerlier and his minions had challenged the occupiers, and Klaus would see that they paid dearly.
He cursed as he read the small paper again.
YOU WON’T GET THE CHILDREN
Following German orders, Prefect Angeli demanded that 160 Jewish children aged two to sixteen be handed over to him.
These children were entrusted to Cardinal Gerlier by their parents, who Vichy had already handed over to Hitler.
The cardinal declared to the prefect:
“You won’t get the children.”
This conflict is open and public.
The Church of France stands against the ignoble racist Tartar.
French people of all persuasions, of all beliefs, listen to the call of your conscience; don’t let the innocent be handed over to the executioners.
The Resistance Movements
The captain had sent his men to round up all Resistance members who had collaborated in the Vénissieux operation, but they were nowhere to be found. It would not be easy to bring a people as proud as the French into submission. Yet Klaus was set on doing so.
He wrote to the Gestapo offices in Berlin requesting more men, materials, and resources. Klaus still had time to curb the Resistance, but if he did not act soon, the nuisance would spread throughout the Reich’s territories. Anyone and everyone would think they could stand up to the Germans without suffering the consequences. The Aryans were much more than simple mortals; they were the race chosen to rule the world. He would let no one dare to stop them.
Klaus ordered that anyone implicated in the Vénissieux operation be brought to his secret jail. It was a pity that Gilbert Lesage had escaped and that Alexandre Glasberg could not be found, but at least he knew where Father Chaillet was. If he patiently followed the string, he would end up capturing them all and dismantling the Resistance in Lyon. This would no doubt lead to a promotion, and perhaps Klaus could return home to his family, where he would be received as a true hero, the guarantor of the purity of the Aryan race.