I did my duty

by cd11

I did my duty: a Valkyrie short story; This story is based on the point of view of Friedrich Fromm, German General watching from the balcony when Stauffenburg and the others were shot in the courtyard.

I did my duty: a Valkyrie short story;

This story is based on the point of view of Friedrich Fromm, German General watching from the balcony when Stauffenburg and the others were shot in the courtyard.

He looked down from the balcony, cigarette in hand watching his orders carried out. The four condemned men waited for their deaths with silence. The firing squad officer shouted "Olbricht" as the general was led to the sand pile.

Poor fool, Fromm thought. You should have thought better of this plot old boy.

I could have been part of this, they wanted me too. As the shots rang out, Olbricht fell to the ground. Not me gentlemen.

I did my duty; I remembered my oath to Hitler. "Mertz" the officer shouts. The bald officer steps forward with dignity to his death. Fromm considered saving him for a moment. No, he thought that one knows too much. While I did not actually join them.

I did show my support. But I'm safe; I did my duty after all. And that is the mark for a good officer. The shots rang out, Mertz fell.

The officer shouted again "Stauffenburg!" This peaked Fromm's interest. The wounded hero who almost killed Hitler. The fool, Fromm thought. You never had a chance! I'm glad I did not join with you. "Ready, Aim," the officer commanded.

Then Von Haeften walked up to Stauffenburg and both men looked at each other for the last time. Several members of the firing squad fired and shot the lieutenant in the back.

This will be the end of it, as Stauffenburg waited for his turn. Fromm watched as Stauffenburg straighten his tunic. Stared at his excocutiners and shouted "Long Live Sacred Germany!" as the command was given to fire. He was hit in the chest and fell to the ground.

Fromm just stared from the balcony, took a last drag of his cigarette, tossed it to the ground and spoke to himself softly "I did my duty, and I saved myself."

However, Fromm was wrong. As events would show, he was in too much of a hurry to get any witnesses out of the way to preserve his own life. In the end it did not matter. On September 14, 1944, he was discharged from the German Army. He was later sentenced to death by firing squad on March 7, 1945. As Fromm looked out at his execution squad, did he think I only did my duty?