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Chapter 122: The Rhine Camp
🕑 Added 2024-12-30 14:51:34 +0000 UTCAfter spending a night in the barracks, Josh and his team left early the next morning for Hanover to meet Eisenhower.
The whole process went remarkably smoothly.
Had Josh acted alone, there was no way Eisenhower would have agreed to the mass requisition of prisoners from the Rhine camp.
After all, it was Eisenhower himself who ordered the establishment of the Rhine Camp after World War II and strictly prohibited any contact between the prisoners and the outside world.
Moreover, given Eisenhower's status, he was under no obligation to grant Josh's request.
However, the situation was different because Josh had the backing of the five largest American conglomerates.
Eisenhower, though a soldier, was also a shrewd politician with a keen sense of political importance—qualities that later helped him to become the President. He fully understood what this support meant.
Thus, after verifying the authenticity of Josh's series of clearance documents, Eisenhower, in his capacity as Supreme Commander of the European Operations, decisively issued a series of orders and passes. He even granted Josh the authority to mobilize units below the regimental level and assigned several logistics officers to assist him.
Such is the power of money and its influence.
Of course, this was largely because Eisenhower was in charge of the European Operations.
Had it been the Pacific Operations under General MacArthur, the outcome might have been very different. MacArthur's arrogance and overconfidence, stemming from his triumph over the Japanese, often led him to completely disregard others. His arrogance ultimately caused him significant setbacks in his later years.
With Eisenhower's approval, the highest authority in the European Allied Forces, Josh wasted no time. He promptly borrowed a reinforced transport battalion from Brigadier General Ross, specifically requesting field rain shelters and loading supplies such as clothing, food, and soap. Then he headed to Rhine Camp to pick up personnel.
Although Josh hadn't yet visited the camp, Ophelia had already gathered enough information about the conditions there.
The situation was horrible. Prisoners had no clothes to change into other than the clothes they wore when they arrived. Despite the camp's location near the Rhine River, the American guards strictly forbade anyone from leaving the barracks area, leaving the prisoners with barely enough drinking water, let alone opportunities to bathe or wash.
The only slightly better aspect compared to the original timeline was that in this current winter climate, the prisoners had makeshift shelters instead of being exposed to the weather. In the original timeline, when the camp was established in April, the warmer weather caused the Americans to neglect providing barracks altogether.
Now, with winter in full swing and temperatures plummeting, it was unthinkable to leave the prisoners outside, or they would have frozen to death en masse. (TL/N: en masse means Al-together)
In all other aspects, however, conditions remained miserable.
Josh, preparing to transport the prisoners, couldn't just bring back a group of unkempt, beggarly individuals.
His first destination wasn't the men's camp, but the women's camp.
Yes, the Rhine Camp housed not only male prisoners of war but also a diverse group of individuals, including civilians who had resisted the American forces, government clerks, Nazi Party members, female aides to the Wehrmacht, hospital staff, and others. While these groups were smaller in number compared to the male prisoners of war, their presence was still significant.
The decision to prioritize the women's camp wasn't based on ulterior motives. Instead, Josh recognized that the incoming American personnel would most urgently require support in basic daily life.
Sanitation workers, medical personnel, and kitchen staff were critical, and women were undoubtedly better suited for these roles.
In addition, women of this era were generally more obedient and less likely to be disruptive.
As for later demands for engineers or laborers, Josh planned to let the American workers make their own choices once the transport team arrived. He didn't want to handle every task personally—that was what the staff was there for.
The transport team soon arrived at one of the camps, which happened to be the only women's camp of all the Rhine camps.
While most of the inmates were male, the number of women, while smaller in comparison, still exceeded 100,000.
After verifying the necessary documents, the transport convoy entered the camp.
The American officer in charge, a colonel, quickly approached with his staff to greet them.
"Sorry for the inconvenience, Colonel Ward. The five vehicles carrying supplies are for your regiment’s morale boost. I would appreciate it if you could arrange for your men to help unload and distribute them," Josh said, his tone polite yet firm.
While Josh's status was exceptional, allowing him to disregard a mere colonel, he understood the importance of social etiquette. Therefore, even when addressing a low-ranking soldier, he would adopt a tone that was approachable and polite. Furthermore, when it came to matters that required cooperation, Josh always made sure to offer small tokens of appreciation. After all, such gestures cost little but yielded great returns in gratitude.
At first, Colonel Ward had been displeased with Josh's request to transport prisoners. As commanding officer of the women's camp, Ward lived in what could only be described as a position of immense power. He could have any female prisoner he wanted, and if not for the potential consequences, he could easily host lavish parties in his quarters.
To him, Josh's request seemed like an invasion of his private domain.
Although Josh's request wasn't large—only two thousand prisoners—his criteria were quite specific. He wanted women between the ages of 18 and 40, with particular requirements for medical staff, clerks, and sanitation workers, as well as a few literate women who could serve as translators. These were the crème de la crème of female prisoners—the most capable and likely to come from urban backgrounds.
But when Ward heard that Josh had sent five vehicles loaded with morale-boosting supplies, his annoyance vanished instantly. His face lit up even more when he saw the fresh vegetables, fruit, cigarettes, and even a few cases of liquor being unloaded from the trucks.
"Mr. Kahn, you are too kind! We will certainly help you choose the right people for your needs!" Colonel Ward said as he shook Josh's hand warmly.
It was the dead of winter, and even the well-supplied American forces rarely saw fresh vegetables or fruit. Canned fruit was more common, but fresh produce was a rare luxury. Alcohol, too, had become a rare commodity in the aftermath of the war, and worldwide food shortages made alcohol even more of a luxury. As for cigarettes, each soldier received his weekly ration of seven packs, but in post-war Germany, cigarettes had become more valuable than money, making them an essential form of trade.
To the stationed American soldiers, each of these supplies was worth far more than the female prisoners in their camp.
"Ophelia, it's up to you. After you select the prisoners, take them to the river to wash and then distribute the clothing," Josh instructed, nodding to Ophelia, who had brought a group of medical personnel, including doctors and nurses.
Even though they were free labor, Josh only wanted healthy people—there was no use for the sick.
Josh was not cold-hearted, but in this era, life was cheap, especially for the defeated Germans. He had no desire to sympathize with them, nor did he want to be seen as an outsider.
Ophelia nodded in agreement, then began selecting individuals with the help of the camp guards. She also coordinated the setup of the field showers and arranged for the water to be heated.
Meanwhile, Josh and Colonel Ward sat at a table under the eaves of a nearby barracks, sipping wine and smoking cigars while watching the unusual selection unfold.
The sight of the selected female prisoners stripping and entering the shower tents was a spectacle in itself, one that stirred a mixture of intrigue and discomfort in Josh.
It was these scenes that made Josh realize why prisons and prison camps had so often been the source of scandal throughout history. In such an environment, where one could easily dominate and control the lives of others, it was undoubtedly a difficult task to maintain one's humanity.
