“What I’m about to talk to you about,” said Lockhart, “is our future. I know that you’re all worried about what’s going to happen to us, now that the Allies and the Russians seem to be closing in. Well, it’s very simple. If we’re caught, then we’ll get tried. And we’ll be found guilty, even those of us who aren’t fascists. And if we’re found guilty, then some of us may well be sentenced to death. The lucky ones will get a mere twenty-five years breaking rocks on Dartmoor. Believe you me, we are traitors, men, every single one of us, even though each one of us thinks that he’s not.

“We’ve all joined this unit for different reasons. Some of you, like Maclaren and Pugh, seem to have a lot of sympathy for the Nazis. Others, like you, Hull, and you, Andreae, are in it because you wanted out of your POW camp, wanted an easier life. And there are those such as you, Malcolm, who’re here in order to get out of trouble, to avoid an unpleasant punishment.

“But these reasons no longer matter. There are many ways into this corps, and as I see it, there are many ways out. We can go to Dresden, and end up fighting the Russians, who are, let’s not forget, our allies….”

“Not mine,” mumbled Prain surlily.

Lockhart ignored the comment.

“…and more than likely get killed as cannon fodder on the Eastern Front. Way out number two is to mutiny. I don’t fancy that either—we’d be put in an SS punishment camp and wouldn’t last the winter. Way out number three is to go back to our stalags, for those of us who came from one. No thanks once again. Way out number four is to escape. Again, even more unappealing—if you’re caught, you’ll get shot as a deserter. So what does that leave us with?”

Lockhart paused and looked at the men. They stayed silent, all waiting eagerly for what he was about to say.

“We’ve all made mistakes, men,” Lockhart continued. “I’ll be the first to admit that I have. As you know, I joined this unit because I wanted to save my wife. Well, now I’ve found out that she’s dead, and that she’s probably been dead for ages.”

A murmur went through the men.

“That’s right,” said Lockhart. “I allowed myself to be tricked—that’s my mistake. Don’t ask me how I was tricked, or who did it, because I won’t tell you. Anyway, I want to make up for my mistake, make up for the fact that I’ve betrayed my country. I don’t deny that I want to do something that may even get me off the hook when the Allies eventually get here, as I have no doubt that they will.