The Ukrainian Connection

Merv Straus

Description

An original adult novel about how one American teamed up with a diverse group of Ukrainians during the WW II-Cold War era to defeat fascist antagonists.

Sujets

• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 02 mars 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9798823001670
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Ukrainian Connection
 
 
An original adult novel about how one American teamed up with a diverse group of Ukrainians during the WW II-Cold War era to defeat fascist antagonists.
 
 
MERV STRAUS
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: [phone]
 
 
 
 
© 2023 Merv Straus. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the author or his heirs.
 
Published by AuthorHouse  03/01/2023
 
ISBN: 979-8-8230-0168-7 (sc)
ISBN: 979-8-8230-0167-0 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023903289
 
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
 
 
To Pat, my wife and soul-mate,
whose love, patience, and courage,
have sustained me for over fifty-five years.
This book is dedicated to my ladies;
Lynn,
Randee, and
Carol.
All of me loves all of you.
And to
Katy,
and the people of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Connection is an original adult novel about how one American teamed up with a diverse group of Ukrainians during the WW II Cold War era to defeat fascist antagonists.
The author greatly appreciates Ms. Peggy Sue Towner for her many contributions, including editing, of the original manuscript of The Ukrainian Connection.
Contents
Chapter 1 Good Morning Class
Chapter 2 The World is about to change
Chapter 3 Diplomacy Prevails
Chapter 4 The Nurse
Chapter 5 The Anschluss Baby
Chapter 6 The Faculty Dinner and Decision Time
Chapter 7 The Artful Dodgers
Chapter 8 The First Protégé
Chapter 9 First Assignment
Chapter 10 The Second Protégé
Chapter 11 An Old Threat Resurfaces
Chapter 12 The Zürich Fiasco
Chapter 13 A Mission Full Of Surprises
Chapter 14 A Dinner Date to Remember
Chapter 15 The Accident
Chapter 16 The Good Samaritans
Chapter 17 A Look-See
Chapter 18 A Fatal Confrontation
Chapter 19 Sorting Things Out
Chapter 20 Making a New Start
Chapter 21 Shanghaied
Chapter 22 Down to Business
Chapter 23 The Rendezvous; Past, Present & Future
Chapter 24 Schnured
Epilogue
Chapter One
Good Morning Class
“Guten Morgan meine damen und herrin. Mein name ist Professor Reinhart. Ich gehe davon aus, dass sie an dieser Kurs teilnehmen, um mehr über die Feinheiten des menschlichen verhaltens zu erfahren.” (Good Morning ladies and gentlemen. My name is Professor Reinhart. I assume that you are taking this class to learn about the intricacies of neuroscience and human behavior.) Professor Reinhart has started every one of his classes for the last ten years with this very same opening statement.
It was a respectable 10 a.m. on a typically clear sunny fall morning when the class assembled in the large stone-faced building within the prestigious Ludwig Maximillian Universität, in Munich, Germany. The professor stood straight as an arrow. He exuded confidence; confidence strengthened by his title as a tenured and learned professor. His well-manicured beard, as well as his hair sprinkled with flecks of white contrasting with the natural color of his coal black hair further confirmed his position. His half-lens spectacles sat comfortably on his broad nose. His bushy black-white eyebrows added to his professorial looks. He wore a grey multi-pocketed tweed jacket with color coordinated darker grey slacks. Under the jacket he wore an unstarched, off-white shirt with a subdued multi-colored linen tie. His shoes, though a bit scuffed, still displayed a reasonable shine. All in all, he was dressed in a more forward outfit for a teacher in a very established and world-known conservative university.
The professor continued his introduction while he scanned the faces of the students that composed the class. The seating arrangement was in the form of a tiered semi-circle which made it easy for the person at the podium to see every person seated before him/ her. This morning, while scanning the faces of those assembled in the lecture auditorium before him, his eyes faltered, though fleetingly, and he quickly looked down at his lecture notes. The students that attended his classes were usually the brightest and most advanced members of the senior ranks of this prestigious university and even included several foreign graduate students. They wore the usual clothing fit for this genre. But this morning, the professor spotted two persons sitting in chairs directly in front of him who were dressed differently. They were dressed identically in starched brown shirts and darker brown ties. A dark brown leather strap attached to the front belt and came across the left shoulder under the epaulet and attached at the back of the waist belt. Professor Reinhart knew immediately who they were. They were the dreaded Braunhemden (brownshirts). They were part of Adolph Hitler’s Nazi Party’s original paramilitary wing. They were the muscle that sought out and disrupted any meetings or activities which the party did not approve. And, Professor Reinhart quickly surmised why they were sitting in his class. The professor composed himself, continued speaking and looking at his students. He followed his notes and after each topic, the students asked questions that brought out multiple discussions. It was turning out to be a typical session at one of Professor Reinhart’s classes.
At the conclusion of the one hour and fifty minute session, it was common for students to approach the podium to further inquire about this point or that subject of the lecture. The professor freely responded to all questions and comments. Slowly, the students began to file out of the auditorium and the professor began shuffling his notes and returning them to his ever present briefcase. As he was about to close the briefcase, he noticed the two brownshirts remained standing in front of him. He looked at them, faceto-face without saying a word. The taller man opened the conversation by stating that he was impressed with the freedom in which the students could interact with the professor. He went on by stating in a most challenging tone,
“What my colleague and I did not hear was the fact that there are certain races which have superior intellect and therefore should be exemplified when examining the complexities of the mental processes. Do you not agree Herr Professor Reinhart?”
Professor Reinhart response was to look down at a sheet of paper that was on the podium. It was a list of his students names. He ran his finger down the list then raised his head and with a slight frown, blandly stated,
“I make a habit of knowing all my students. I don’t believe either of you are listed as students in this class!”
The taller man replied with an obvious degree of indignation,
“That is because we have been authorized by the Bildungskanzler (Chancellor of Education) to audit this class, Herr Professor.”
Professor Reinhart surmised so since the newly installed Chancellor was a puppet of the Nazi Party. He was well aware that he was being pushed into a discussion which the brownshirts would use to report on his views of the superiority of the Aryan Race! However, the Professor’s views were widely known to be more closely aligned with those of Rudolph von Jhering, particularly the thoughts espoused in his work, Geist des Römischen Rechts (Spirit of Roman Rights). He surmised that whatever his comments were they would be unfavorably reported to party officials. He had to disengage from this conversation. And the sooner the better!
Professor Reinhart immediately changed his demeanor stating,
“Yes, of course! Dean Schrader. How thoughtless of me. He usually informs me of people selected to audit my classes. Which, by the way happens quite often! Oh, I do hope he is doing well. Especially after his heart issues.”
The professor paused to see how his statements were taken by the two men. He could see that they looked at each other and were mentally evaluating what to do next. The Professor pulled out his pocket watch and flipped the cover to reveal the time. He quickly added,
“Oh heavens, it’s almost noon. Gentlemen, you must excuse me, I have a faculty luncheon to attend. Perhaps we can take up the conversation when we have more time.”
The professor returned the watch to its pocket, scooped up the rest of his notes and the attendance list. He put them in his briefcase and walked toward the exit door leaving the two brownshirts to their quandary.
Professor Reinhart just made it to the other side of the campus in time for the faculty luncheon. The luncheon is an important quarterly event whereby the deans and department heads sit at the head of each table and are surrounded by their teaching staff. And, there is no pecking order for seating which further promotes Gemütlich and esprit de corps! Reinhart was fortunate in that he sat directly across the table from his department head, Professor Wagner, whom he thought very highly of. The talk among the faculty, at all levels, was the uncertainty of the near future. Still, all managed to sip their l