Read Online Winds of War by Herman Wouk - Free Book Online Page B

heavy, inexperienced way. Pug liked her gentle manner, her helpless smile when she trod on his foot. “You can’t be enjoying this,” she said.
    “I am. Do you think you’ll be going back to the United States?
    “If Father gets thrown out of Germany, which seems inevitable, I suppose we will. Why?”
    “I have a son about your age with quite a fine record, and unlike me, tall and very handsome.”
    Pamela made a face. “A Navy man? Never. A girl in every port.”
     
    At the captain’s table, on the last night, there were white orchids at every lady’s place; and under these, white gold compacts. Champagne went round, and the topic of international politics finally surfaced. Everybody agreed that in this day and age war was a silly, wasteful way of settling differences, especially among advanced nations like England, France, and Germany. “We’re all of the same stock, all north Europeans,” Tudsbury said. “It’s a sad thing when brothers fall out.”
    The captain nodded happily. “Exactly what I say. If we could only stick together, there would never be another war. The Bolsheviks would never move against so much power. And who else wants war?” All through the saloon people were wearing paper hats and tossing streamers, and Pug observed that the four Jews, whose table was not far away, were having as gay a time as everybody else, under the polite ministrations of smiling German waiters. The captain followed Henry’s glance, and a genial superior grin relaxed his stern fat face. “You see, Commander? They are as welcome aboard the Bremen as anybody else, and get the same service. The exaggerations on that subject are fantastic.” He turned to Tudsbury. “Between us, aren’t you journalists a wee bit responsible for making matters worse?”
    “Well, Captain,” Tudsbury said, “journalism always looks for a theme, you know. One of the novel things about your government, to people outside Germany, is its policy toward the Jews. And so it keeps turning up.”
    Tudsbury is not entirely wrong, Captain,” Grobke broke in, draining his wineglass. “Outsiders think of nothing but the Jews nowadays when Germany is mentioned. That policy has been mishandled. I’ve said so many times. That and plenty of other things.” He turned to Henry. “Still, they’re so unimportant, Victor, compared to what the Führer has achieved: Germany has come back to life. That’s God’s truth. The people have work, they have food and houses, and they have spirit. What Hitler has done for our youth alone is just incredible.” (The captain’s eyes lit up and he emphatically nodded, exclaiming, “Ja, Ja!”) Under the Weimar they were rioting, they were becoming Communists, they were going in for sex perversions and drugs, it was just horrible. Now they’re working, or training, or serving , all of them. They’re happy! My crews are happy. You can’t imagine what navy morale was like under the Republic - I tell you what,” He struck the table. “You come visit our squadron, at the sub base in Swinemünde. You do that! You’re a man that can look at a navy yard or a ship’s crew and see what’s going on! It’ll open your eyes. Will you?”
    Henry took a moment to reply, with everybody at the table turning expectantly to him. An invitation like this, if accepted, made mandatory a similar offer to the German naval attaché in Washington. Did the Navy want to trade glimpses of submarine bases with the Nazi regime? The decision was beyond Pug’s power. He had to report the invitation to Washington and act on the dictated answer.
    He said, “I’d like that. Perhaps we can work it out.”
    “Say yes. Forget the formalities!” Grobke waved both arms in the air. “It’s a personal invitation from me to you, from one seaman to another. The U-boat command gets damn small budgets, and we’re pretty independent chaps. You can visit us with no strings. I’ll see to that.”
    “This invitation wouldn’t include me,