Die rote Kapelle Page #4

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also in the camp.Looking after someone gave me some dignity...

So it went there it is.

You remained human by helping others.

My mother sat with her and she whistled out the window and said ..

"Thoughts are free."

Hearing that made them happy.

Every Saturday Heilwig and I went

to the prison.

We made small packets

with some goodies in them.

We went through lots of corridors

and they locked the door behind you

But we could not approach him inside.

- I did not see, but they did pass them on.

They poked it with their knives to check ...

.... if there something wrong in it.

So mean.Then it was sealed ...

... and delivered to Spandau.

If I lay there in bed at night and tried to sleep...

... of course I thought about what

I had done.

But I never thought that I had

done the wrong thing.

Well the idea came to me ...

... that they wanted to murder me in any case.

Harro Schulze-Boysen, Erwin Gehrts

and others were soldiers.

The Nazi regime decided to

court martial them.

This also applied to citizens and women.

Then I thought I really ought to

get in contact with Himpel...

... to know what he said.

So I wrote him a letter, in which I

pretended to blame him ..

Dear Herr Himpel,

how can you say...

... that we talked about politics

together?

.. when we only played music together?

He knew what i was doing

because it was not right about the music

Once a day the prisoners were

allowed to walk in the courtyard.

We walked in the order of

our cell doors.

Therefore Himpel and I walked

a long way away from each other.

I stepped out of line...

... and pretended that something

was wrong with my shoe.

I fumbled a bit and waited until

Himpel caught up

Then I go walking with him

I waited until Himpel

was even closer to me...

... and pressed my letter in his hand.

I remember, when I gave

him that letter...

... I felt my heart skip.

He destroyed everything.

The letters were never found,

not even the one he sent me.

He wrote me:

Exactly as I have explained to you.

Those words he had clipped from a newspaper.

"And MT."

That was Marie Terwiel.

That was a relief for me.

Maybe I would not be

executed immediately.

Added to that, in the court martial

sat a young senior officer ...

... who was very ambitious:

Manfred Roeder.

He was not satisfied with the

research of the Gestapo.

He interrogated the group yet again,

and also their family members.

Himpel then wrote to him about me:

He appeared to be sympathetic towards me

Later, of course, it was the opposite.

I was also pleasantly surprised by him,

but I did not trust those people

I have just said about Himpel:

It amazes me what you said about him.

He was an excellent student.

He would not hear.

If I said something, he thought I was stupid.

I really wanted him to believe me

My mother went to the Ministry...

... to talk to him about Cato.

Later she said:
When I saw that man,

his face, and that smile of his...

...it was clear to me that I could

expect nothing from him ...

... that man will never sign a pardon.

The ruling was on December 19,

the execution took place on 22 December.

It couldn't have been done faster

It had nothing to do with due process.

Mildred Harnack (An American married to Arvid Harnack) was not allowed any witnesses

... there were people who testified after torture ...

... they could not speak to their lawyer

They were then assigned a lawyer...

... but that often was not until the day before or on the day of trial itself...

... who could talk for five minutes

with his clients

One sentence has particularly touched me:

'Schulze-Boysen has never honestly served the

National Socialist state. "

Thats why I'm very proud of my brother.

The first death sentences

were pronounced in December

Of course that was terrible to hear.

You were locked in your cell

and then you heard something.

Dear Rainer. Yes, that was a blow

this demand of the prosecuting officer.

But I believe that in life

there have been people so infinitely sweet ...

that ...I think it is not true

When she wrote to me:

Now that the judgment has been pronounced

The Chief Prosecutor is demanding ...

... that children be executed also ...

... that's just madness ...

... because they had stuck up posters

and opposed the war.

Liane Berkowitz was 18

when she was arrested...

... and three months pregnant

She was just pregnant while Hilde Coppi

was in her 8th month, I believe.

Even the court advised

Hitler to grant these people a pardon ...

... as had happened in a few other cases.

He rejected those requests at once, in one stroke.

Probably out of anger for some military defeat...

... he had just had. He rejected

a pardon instantly.

On August 5, 1943

these women...

... including my mother,

were executed.

Hilde Coppi and Liane Berkowitz

had their children in their cells.

They had six weeks respite

and then were killed

... by the guillotine of Pletzensee.

Liane Berkowitz's child went

to a hospital and died there.

We do not know whether ..

... it was because Liane was malnourished

or becasue of prison beatings.

She was a victim ...

... of the murderess actions by the

sick Nazis.

Himpel had a meeting in January,

if I remember correctly.

When he came back, he was

immediately handcuffed.

For those who had received the death penalty,

they were handcuffed.

Dear Cato,

it is impossible for me to write everything I feel for you

Yesterday was a terrible day for me.

After the verdict.

I almost had a tantrum,

but when I heard your voice ...

... I was quiet again.

As tranquil as a little boy

hearing the voice of his mother.

Dear Rainer, you're such

a very fine, dear boy.

Your letter makes me so happy.

I want to always carry it with me...

... like the farewell letter from Heinz.

Should I really die, do not be too sad.

Remember me.

A request yet:
Be wise and do not

get involved with bad things

I do mean that you have to be a martyr.

That is meaningless.

You are badly needed here.

You have so many good qualities.

There is such a wealth of in love in you.

Which is the highest and most beautiful thing man possesses.

I love you like you're my brother.

Maybe you will see my brother Tim again also .

Go to my mother.

That you must promise me, Dear Rainer.

I love life and people infinitely

I leave this life therefore

without any resentment, let alone hate.

Maybe Heinz and I will die

at the same time. That would be nice.

For the two of us go together,

therefore, these three days were so good

I still hope for a miracle,

that will see us live.

Think of your father, dear Rainer,

and avoid unnecessarily risk.

I do not know why I must die,

but everything makes sense if we can find it.

You know I do not like men crying.

That's all.

Heinz also cried.

At the end we still laugh, because we are so happy together.

Rainier, Live by the beauty

in art and in every person...

... and learn to think with your heart.

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