ALL MEN ARE
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just warn you, lieutenant, I'm going to kill me a Russian if they
come to our town again."
"Goddamit! It isn't our town! It's your girl friend's town. I
don't give a damn what happens to this town. Another week and
we'll be out of here. We'll never see this town again. They can erase
this town from all the maps in the world and it won't bother me."
"What do you mean we're getting out?"
"Yes, We're getting out. This is Russian territory. We're moving
back to Zwickau. In another week that little Russky sergeant will have
the run of this place."
"We're giving the town to the Russians?"
"I'm giving nothing to nobody. There isn't one inch of Europe,
one handful of Europe, I want to have. The Russians can have the
whole goddam mess so far as I'm concerned."
"They're taking over the town? Like Margaret said?"
"How the hell did she know?"
"And you ain't even telling the people?"
"That's right. And you ain't telling them either, Smitty. Under–
stand? They're not to know. We don't want them moving back with
us. We got enough refugees to handle."
"You're going to leave them here for the Russians? You know
what the Russians are going to do to them? You hear the way these
DPs been talking?"
"Let them talk. They got a right to talk. Let the krauts have
a little of their own medicine. You wanted justice? Well, that's your
justice. And you're going to shut up about it. You're confined to
quarters, understand? I don't want you out of this room. Tomorrow
I'm sending you back to battalion. I'll send you under guard if I
have to. By God, Smitty, you're going to pay some attention to orders
if I have to detail a squad to make you."
"I got your orders. I heard you." Smitty settled back. But both
the lieutenant and I could see he was resolved on a course of action
that had little to do with the orders he'd been given.
"You're confined to quarters. Understand?" He glared at Smitty
whose eyes were sternly fixed on the door. "Do you get me?"
"Yes, sir."
"I want you to watch him, Doc.
If
he so much as goes to the
john without my permission, I want to hear."
