The underground ghettos, and even the small enclave where the more trustworthy Jewish labourers lived above ground, stood ablaze. Mobs of armed Jewish gangs had erected barricades, set up sniper posts, and prepared defensive positions in anticipation of the German counterattack. In some cases, ordinary German citizens had been assaulted, which caused the unnerved German civilian population to move from panic to pure outrange. In turn, they demanded action from the government, which remained silent. The mess lay in Seidel’s hands to clean up.
He stood, walked towards the tent flap, and took a step outside. Pulling his leather trench coat tight around him, he looked at the Jewish ghetto ahead and studied the German soldiers massing for an assault. Even with the full Wehrmacht garrison at hi
