December 19, 1944
Introduction to the content
In the first poem of this edition, Curt Bloch comments on the death of a highly decorated German Air Force pilot. Night Fighter Helmuth Lent (1918–1944) crashed his combat aircraft on October 5th due to engine failure. Hermann Göring delivered the eulogy at the state funeral held at the Reich Chancellery. Bloch says with relief, this fellow went to meet the Creator: “This Lent has ended his hunting.” And even before spring (In Dutch: Lente), Adolf Hitler will receive the reckoning for his misdeeds.
The poem In Memoriam “Tirpitz” comments on a valuable loss for the German Navy: the battleship “Tirpitz” was so heavily damaged in September 1944 that it could no longer be used for naval operations. It capsized southwest of Tromsøya Island on November 12th, 1944, after an air raid by the Royal Air Force. Curt Bloch lists the German ships which the “Tirpitz” now joins on the seabed, as the last remnant of Admiral von Dönitz’s fleet. “Our dream of power at sea and dominance in the skies is dreamed out and is past.”
The swearing-in of Dutch SS grenadiers to Adolf Hitler prompts a response from Curt Bloch. He considers them a “Miserable piece of Nazi” to be despised for their violent deeds. He, Bloch, is ready to resist the Nazi Huns. “I fight the battle of this time and I know: I will win it!”
The fourth poem tells the story of a young woman named Annemie – see the cover picture. She had once loved the Führer and now must work in a munitions factory from early morning till late at night. Annemie hopes for the end of the war, the return of her father from the front, and the death of Adolf Hitler. “Then the distress would be over, and I, Annemie, would be as happy as never before.”
Curt Bloch considers his situation as a fugitive with the humorous poem I wish I were a Fakir. Thanks to magical powers, he could disappear into thin air, and the Gestapo would not find him. Bloch could also allow himself to be buried alive in a coffin and hibernate through the war until it is over. But sadly, as the author ultimately concedes, he is not a fakir. So, he must continue to bear his heavy burden.
