Friends & Enemies (Promise for Tomorrow Book 1) Read online

  What people are saying about Friends & Enemies

  Brimming with excellent research, Friends & Enemies gives an interesting look into life in Nazi Germany and the experiences of B-17 bomber crewmen. World War II fiction buffs will truly enjoy this story!

  Sarah Sundin, award-winning author of Through Waters Deep

  Friends & Enemies hooked me from the first moment. Terri does a masterful job of creating deep, rich characters. You want to cheer – and yes, cry – for Heidi and Paul. She crafts scenes so realistic you forget you aren’t really there. Throw in a bit of suspense and mystery, and it’s a book you don’t want to put down! Bravo on a compelling debut novel.

  Liz Tolsma, author of Remember the Lilies

  Terri Wangard has written an extraordinary debut novel. Friends & Enemies is rich in history with characters you won't soon forget. This is a name to watch in historical fiction. Well done!

  Mary Ellis, author of Midnight on the Mississippi

  Terri Wangard writes a poignant story of loss and love that crosses enemy lines during World War II. Never before have I been brought to tears in the first chapter, and it only gets better.

  Mary L. Hamilton, author of ‘Rustic Knoll Bible Camp’ Series

  Through the eyes of Heidi Wetzel, a young German widow, and widower, Paul Braedel, an American Air Force navigator, Terri Wangard spins a tale of fated romance during World War II. Terri keeps the action moving forward and the reader turning pages in this suspenseful World War II romance.

  Betty Thomason Owens, author of Annabelle’s Ruth, Book 1 ‘Kinsman Redeemer’ Series

  I was amazed and thrilled by this WWII novel—Amazed by the hours of research Terri Wangard must have put into this story, and thrilled by the expertise with which she wove together this beautiful tale of grief, faith, and love.

  Anne Baxter Campbell, author of The Truth Trilogy

  Friends & Enemies

  Books by Terri Wangard

  Promise for Tomorrow series:

  Friends & Enemies (Book 1)

  No Neutral Ground (Book 2)

  Soar Like Eagles (Book 3)

  Friends & Enemies

  Promise for Tomorrow

  Book 1

  By Terri Wangard

  Friends & Enemies Copyright © 2016 by Celebrate Lit.

  All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations em- bodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organiza- tions, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For information contact;

  Celebrate Lit

  29078 Whitegate Lane

  Highland, CA, 92346

  www.celebratelitpublishing.com

  Book and Cover design by Roseanna M. White

  First Edition: November 2016

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Glossary

  Arbeitsdienst = Compulsory “labor service” or “labor battalion” for men in Nazi Germany upon reaching the age of 18.

  Ausweis der Deutschen Volksliste = “German People’s List” identification for the “racially pure.”

  Burgermeister = Town Mayor.

  Drei Käse Hoch = Tiny tot.

  Flugzeugabwehrkanone – Air defense cannon.

  Frau = Married woman.

  Gnadige frau = Madam.

  Guten morgen = Good morning.

  Herr Leutnant = Lieutenant.

  Jungvolk = Short for Deutsches Jungvolk; “German Youth” organization, a section of the Nazi Hitler Youth indoctrination program for boys aged 10-14.

  Kriegsmarine = Navy.

  Lebensborn = “Fount of Life” program to create more Aryan children.

  Luftwaffe = Air force.

  Liebchen = Sweetheart or dear.

  Mein Kampf = “My Struggle,” a book written by Adolf Hitler.

  Soldbuch = Military passbook.

  Terrorhandlungen – Terrorist tactics / activities.

  Unteroffizier = Noncommissioned officer like Sergeant.

  Wehrmacht = Armed forces.

  Wie geht es Ihnen = “How are you?”

  Woher kommen Sie = “Where are you from?”

  Zwieback = Toast.

  Part 1

  Be still, my soul; the Lord is on your side.

  Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;

  Leave to your God to order and provide;

  In every change God faithful will remain.

  Katharina von Schlegel

  Chapter One

  Hagen, Germany

  Monday, May 31, 1943

  She was too late.

  Heidi Wetzel paused at the corner to catch her breath. A line stretched out of the greengrocer’s market and snaked halfway down the block, ending four feet in front of her. She’d hurried for nothing. Deflating with a sigh, she took her place at the end.

  The clerk at the creamery had mentioned a delivery of fresh strawberries, her first chance of the year for the tasty treat. Her mouth had watered at the thought of biting into a plump red berry, its juice dribbling down her hand. She shook her head to dislodge the craving. With a line like this, by the time she got inside they’d likely be gone.

  A small bottle of milk and a wedge of cheese resided in her shopping net. She needed to get them home, but she’d wait. Wait and hope. At least she could get the one egg allowed her during this ration period.

  As her mother often admonished, she must be grateful for what she had. The war threatened to drag on a lot longer; these shortages would get worse.

  The woman ahead of her raised a baby to her shoulder. Big blue eyes blinked at Heidi, prompting her smile. A tiny hand clutched his mother’s sleeve. Heidi stroked a gentle finger on the soft skin. The baby giggled.

  Tears sprang to her eyes. The happy sound slashed at her soul like knives. If only he was her child. Motherhood threatened to remain an elusive dream as long as the war raged. She rarely saw her husband these days. Erich served aboard a submarine, deployed for months at a time. And wartime seemed too hazardous to bring a new life into the world.

  The baby reached for her finger, and she allowed him to grasp it. She tapped her thumb on his knuckles and elicited another chortle.

  His mother twisted around. “Are you making a new friend, Wilhelm?”

  Dark smudges below the woman’s eyes bore witness to sleepless nights. Besides her child, she also grappled with a large purse and a laden shopping net.

  “May I hold him for a while?” Heidi reached for him before his young mother could shift her armload to surrender him. He was a perfect fit in her arms. “What is he? Six months?”

  “Seven months. He was born a month after my husband, Wilhelm, disappeared somewhere on the Eastern Front.”

  Heidi stilled her hand smoothing Wilhelm’s downy hair. “I’m so sorry.”

  “My mother-in-law insists missing doesn’t mean dead.” The woman’s voice dropped to a whisper. “But I don’t believe I’ll see Wilhelm again. I’ve heard reports that Russian soldiers are executed if they display cowardice. If they kill their own people, I doubt they will treat German prisoners well. If Wilhelm lived long enough to become a prisoner.”

  Shivers wracked Heidi, and she cuddled baby Wilhelm close. As if she could protect him from the horrors of war. She sucked in a ragged breath. “My husband serves in a U-boat.”

  Pity washed over the woman’
s face. Heidi stiffened her spine. She ought to be used to this reaction by now. People always assumed the worst. They had good reason, of course. So many submarines had been lost in recent months. U-boat service had become so dangerous. Erich hadn’t been eager to go back out on patrol after his last leave, but what could he do? He had to play his part in this horrible war.

  “Haaa.” Wilhelm’s joyful cry punctured her gloom. She held up her hand and the little guy pressed his tiny hand against hers.

  “What a strong boy you are.” She tickled his tummy. His giggles rippled through her like fizzy soda.

  She’d almost reached the door to the market when a voice tugged her attention away from Wilhelm.

  “Where’d you get the baby?”

  Her friend, Adele Hardkopf, stood alongside her. She wore unhappiness like a coat, but whenever Heidi tried to probe, Adele insisted everything was fine. No one close to her had been killed in the war, as far as Heidi knew, but something remained amiss.

  Wilhelm tucked his head against her shoulder and peered up at Adele. Heidi slipped her finger under his palm for him to grip.

  “This is Wilhelm. We’ve been getting acquainted as we wait to shop.”

  “He’s cute.” No smile brightened Adele’s countenance. She stepped aside to wait while Heidi entered the market.

  After surrendering Wilhelm to his mother, Heidi looked for the strawberries. An empty bin greeted her. Only a tantalizing aroma lingered.

  Nearby, a woman stood with slumped shoulders, staring at the price tag being whisked away by a clerk. “The woman in front of me grabbed the last berries.” The woman blinked at Heidi. “They’re all gone. Like everything else.”

  Heidi turned away. If the wrong person heard the woman’s defeatist attitude, she could be arrested for the sad remark. After purchasing her egg, Heidi hurried out to Adele.

  “I missed getting strawberries today because I went to my parents’ house first to work in my war garden. My mother wanted me to weed their portion while I was at it.”

  Adele looked up as they walked down the sidewalk. “Where’s your sister?”

  “Gretchen skipped out early. Something about a girls’ league meeting.” Heidi cradled her shopping net in both hands to protect her egg, balanced on top of the wedge of cheese. She should have thought to bring an egg carrier.

  “That’s what I did. Skip out on my mother. She’s gotten impossible to live with.”

  Heidi held her reply as the clickety-clack of an electric street car grew louder. A shower of sparks flew from its overhead cable as it passed. She jumped back, but Adele didn’t flinch. “Isn’t your mother involved with all sorts of committees these days?”

  “Women’s Labor Service, Red Cross, I don’t know what all else.” Adele waved a hand through the air. “Her favorite project right now is getting me married.”

  Heidi jerked her gaze to her friend’s face. Adele had been interested in Martin Schlegel, but he’d been killed in North Africa more than a year ago. “Does she have someone in mind?”

  “Yes.” Adele fairly spat out the word before clamping her lips together.

  Every reply that came to mind sounded too much like sanctimonious sympathy or a trite distraction.

  Adele broke the silence. “Do you expect to see Erich soon?”

  “No, his U-boat just put out to sea last month. I’ll count myself lucky if I see him at all this summer.” Being separated was bad enough, but in these uncertain days with enemy bombers flying over Germany, Erich’s absence left a gaping hole in her sense of security.

  “I wish Martin and I had married three years ago. Mother objected because I was too young. Twenty is not too young.” A spark of defiance glittered momentarily in her eyes. “She planned on someone more prominent than the Schlegels. I see that now.” Adele stopped at a corner and looked north. “I think I’ll head for the park.”

  Heidi bit back an invitation to come home with her for the day. She still needed to stop at the bakery for a loaf of bread, and she had sewing to finish for the Jungvolk. She reached an arm around her friend for a hug. “I’ll be praying for you.”

  Tears glistened in Adele’s eyes as she murmured a thank you. Her head drooped as she crossed the street. Heidi watched her for a moment before continuing on her way. Who could her mother have in mind that would distress Adele so?

  Reaching her apartment house, Heidi fished a handful of letters out of her mailbox and hiked up the stairs. Inside, she tossed the mail on the table. It slid into a spoon. She’d forgotten to put her breakfast dishes in the sink.

  She opened the icebox, but shut the door before putting away her groceries, and pivoted in slow motion back to the table. Still gripping the door handle, she lowered her shopping net to the floor. Five letters splayed across the table’s smooth surface. That big manila envelope came from the U-boat flotilla commander’s headquarters in Brest, France. Erich’s base. Why would headquarters be contacting her?

  Her breath stalled in her throat as a prickling sensation bloomed in her stomach, and she fought a wave of dizziness as she reached for the envelope as though it might bite. It could do worse than bite. It could tear apart her world. Her fingers trembled as she loosened the flap and extracted a document. Standardized words adorned the page.

  true to his oath to the flag

  he died in battle for

  the freedom of greater germany

  No, no. Oh, please God, no.

  Beneath the grandiose announcement, Erich’s name appeared with the date May 12, 1943, followed by, “he died a hero’s death for fÜhrer, folk and fatherland.”

  Heidi’s hands flew to her mouth, and the document fluttered to the floor. He died a hero’s death for Hitler? No, not Erich. Shouldn’t she intuitively know if something had happened to her husband?

  A second letter caught her eye, also from Brest. It bore the sender’s name as Helmut Keller, Erich’s good friend. Her heart beat stuttered, and she fought another wave of dizziness. Helmut had no reason to write to her. Stealing a glance at the vile document lying on the floor, she picked up Helmut’s letter. Tears filled her eyes as she prayed he wrote to inform her of a mistake. Erich’s U-boat had returned to port after all.

  But then why didn’t Erich write to her himself? Unless he was wounded. She ripped open the envelope.

  Dear Heidi, I am so sorry to tell you…

  She sank to the cold hardwood floor, a moan escaping from deep within her. Pain squeezed her like a python. Her lungs struggled to inhale. Erich, oh, Erich, come home. Please come back home to me. How can I go on without you?

  She focused tear-filled eyes on the letter.

  We heard U-456’s radio messages. They weren’t clear for diving, but an enemy aircraft kept them in sight. They reported a leak in the after compartment and urgently requested help. Then came U-456’s final message: ‘Diving. Cannot stop. Heil Hitler.’

  Erich was an excellent friend.

  Was an excellent friend. Past tense. Helmut believed Erich dead. She crumpled the letter. How terrible had it been for him? The wounded U-boat diving straight down, unstoppable. When it reached crush depth, it imploded, crumpling like a tin can. And the men in it? Bile rose in her throat, choking her. Hunching over, she rocked back and forth while tears streamed down her cheeks. Her heart picked up its pace, but she still couldn’t breathe. No, God, no. Don’t let it be true. Please. No.

  Erich would never walk in the door again? Never again hold her close? No, it couldn’t be true.

  Someone entered her apartment and appeared in the archway leading into the kitchen.

  “Heidi, why have you left perishables sitting out on the floor?” Scolding words chipped away at her fog. “Where are you? Milk spoils…” Her mother stopped short. “Heidi, whatever are you doing on the floor?” With a harsh intake of breath, Mama snatched up the official document. A moment later her arms came around Heidi. “My dear, dear girl.”

  Mama’s hand ran up and down Heidi’s arm as she’d done throughout the
years when Heidi experienced disappointments. But this wasn’t like losing out on a role in the school play. This time she’d lost her husband. Erich was dead. She might be sick.

  Mama urged her up onto a chair, taking a seat beside her and pushing aside the breakfast dishes. Heidi pressed her hands flat on the table. In front of her sat the Meissen tea pot they’d received as a wedding gift from Erich’s grandmother. A family heirloom, it needed to go back to the Wetzel family.

  Erich wouldn’t have children to pass it down to. If only she had a little Wilhelm of her own now, no matter how hard the war would make their lives. A part of her and a part of Erich. She slumped against Mama’s shoulder. How could she care about anything but Erich’s absence?

  A knock came at the door, followed by the click of the latch. “Hello. Anyone home?”

  Heidi shook her head. A visitor was not welcome.

  “Good day, ladies. The front door hadn’t been shut tight, so I assumed I’d find someone here.” Framed in the archway stood a man wearing a swastika armband and lapel pin. A Nazi Party official. His brushed-back hair gleamed under a thick coat of pomade. “Have I come at a bad time?” Advancing into the room, he fingered the death document. “How unfortunate. I’d hoped to arrive before that.”

  Heidi clenched her fingers as icy chills swept through her. Then a wave of hot anger scorched her. How dare he strut into her home without invitation! He didn’t care that Erich died. He regretted that he didn’t get to spring the news on her himself. She lurched to her feet. “I don’t need condolences from the National Socialist Party. Please leave.”

  He set his briefcase on the table and pulled out a chair, as though settling in for a visit. “We’ll plan an inspiring funeral for him. Perhaps at the gymnasium he attended. It’ll be impressive. Worthy of your noble sacrifice.”