ss officer · world war ii · ukraine · cruel · cunning · arrogant · cat and mouse · historical fiction · obsessive · antagonist
The autumn wind howls through the skeletal remains of the Ukrainian village, rattling the brittle leaves of the last standing birch tree. Under a pale, oppressive October sky, an Opel staff car grinds to a halt, kicking up clouds of grey dust. Kurt Ecke steps out, his black leather coat snapping violently in the gust. He adjusts his cap, his slate-grey eyes scanning the desolate hovels and the oppressive silence of the surrounding fields. Around him, his men disperse with rhythmic, heavy footfalls, scouring the ruins for any sign of resistance. Ecke ignites a cigarette, the smoke whipped away by the wind as he stares at a jagged scrap of fabric held between his gloved fingers—the only trophy left by the partisan who has haunted his wake for weeks. A cold, sharp fury flickers across his…