Re: Blood and Iron - Chapter 916: The Ghosts of Belgrade
Chapter 916: The Ghosts of Belgrade
Claire, Maria, and Theresa walked through the streets of Innsbruck, still dressed in their school uniforms, their long skirts flowing past their knees as the early autumn breeze swept them by.
Today was a day they had agreed to go out into the city together. They had received their parents’ and guardians’ permission well in advance for this little outing.
Together they walked through the streets of Innsbruck, all the while chatting about their upcoming plans.
Maria and Theresa walked at a brisk and excited pace, but Claire sat slightly back between them.
She sighed heavily and shook her head while listening to the twins speak.
“I can’t wait to watch this film! From the reviews I have read, they say it’s a masterpiece!”
“You know I asked grandfather about the movie, he said he had not seen it, but he knows the director, and they went through great lengths to ensure it was as accurate as a film could reasonably be.”
Claire finally put their foot down, as the girls entered the line in front of their destination. Slowly trudging towards the front.
“I just want to say… In hindsight agreeing to a voting system between the three of us to decide what film to see was a bad idea… I don’t know why I agreed to this.”
Maria and Theresa looked back at Claire at precisely the same second ,and in the exact same motion. The looks on their faces were indistinguishable as they said one simple phrase.
“Shut up, Claire…”
Then broke out into laughter as they dragged her forward to buy their tickets. At the ticket counter, Maria pulled out her purse and handed over the money.
“Three tickets to the Ghosts of Belgrade, please!”
The employee at the booth looked at the three girls as if they were crazy.
“This is a war film… you know that, right?”
Claire stepped forward and intervened.
“Trust me, they understand. Please, just give us our tickets and we will be on our way.”
The booth employee shook his head before handing over the tickets. His voice still filled with disbelief.
“Enjoy the show… I guess…”
Maria and Theresa didn’t think twice about it, instead they walked through the luxurious theater plaza and headed to the line for the concessions stand.
The cinema itself was not some post-modern concrete and steel abomination designed for mass consumerism. It was a testament to the prestige of German architecture and art.
Fashioned to resemble the grand opera houses and theater venues of the 19th century. The Innsbruck Cinema Hall was renowned for its size, scale, and grandeur.
After a brief wait, they got in line and ordered their snacks, carrying off bags of popcorn and drinks into the theater where they sat down in an elevated position surrounded by all the other attendees.
Claire noticed now why the employee at the ticket booth looked at them strangely. The theater was filled with older men. Many of them wearing medals, and orders earned through valor in combat.
They were the only group of schoolgirls that could be spotted in the entire venue. But before she could speak to her friend about this, the lights began to dim, and the movie began.
The colored film was something that Claire’s eyes immediately widened to as the movie started in Belgrade, the year was 1903, and the camera focused on a gathering of the Serbian Military intelligence.
Among them stood an officer whose appearance, specifically his mustache was a dead giveaway to Claire who leaned over and whispered something to Maria who was sitting next to her.
“That’s Dragutin Dimitrijević, better known as Apis. He was responsible for forming the Black Hand… and by extension….”
She suddenly stopped mid sentence after realizing who she was speaking to. Shrinking back in her chair, she watched as Apis orchestrated the May Coup and the assassination of the House of Obrenović.
Apis and his fellow conspirators entered the royal bedchamber, where the Serbian King and his wife were hiding in their wardrobe. King Alexander called out to the intruders, demanding they reaffirm their oath of loyalty. And Apis lied…
One the King had thought he was safe the door was opened and his fate was sealed. Claire burst into tears as she watched his wife, Queen Draga try to shield her husband’s body with her own, only for the both of them to end up butchered and tossed over the balcony.
The subsequent events showed the Serbian Parliament vote for the return of the House of Karađorđević, and the rise of the Black Hand.
This was the opening scene to the film, gritty, brutal, and as accurate a depiction of the May Coup as the film could devise.
Truth be told the exact details of that night were unknown, with many differing reports to how it played out.
But the filmmakers had chosen one they felt was a far more idealistic depiction of the slain Serbian King and Queen, and was still arguably true.
The movie, however, shifted abruptly after the initial scene to a field outside Serbia. A young Serbian man, barely old enough to be considered an adult was in the act of performing work on his family’s farm.
However, his peace didn’t last for long, as his younger brother ran up to him screaming his name.
“Petar! Petar! Petar! He’s dead! He’s dead! The Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife are dead! Gunned down in the streets of Sarajevo!”
Maria and Theresa winced when they heard those words. Unconsciously reaching for each other’s support across the armrest between them.
Meanwhile, the film continued as the boy ran over and handed a newspaper to his older brother who quickly read its contents in shock.
Petar did not seem nearly as enthusiastic as his brother. And the reason was simple… Later that night, Petar was seen discussing the news with his family. His father spoke ill of the Austro-Hungarians and said it was every man’s pride to defend Serbia’s honor.
His mother however, feared sending her sons off to die in the war. Petar seemed interested in signing up for the war.
He was planning to get married in the fall. And had no desire to go die in some war that existed between the House of Habsburg and the House of Karađorđevac.
However, his younger brother had other ideas. And it was soon found that the boy had run off to join the Royal Serbian Army. Forcing Petar to inform his fiancée that he too would be taking up the rifle.
She handed him a keepsake, a promise between the two of them that when he returned from the war, they would be married. And the next thing the movie showed was Petar riding in carriage off to Belgrade to sign up.
The next few scenes showed a brief military training before Petar was issued a rifle and sent to his unit. He barely had time to become acquainted with the men by his side before news of the war’s declaration arrived.
Petar was forced to march, not knowing where his brother was, or what unit he was a part of it. He was lucky, insofar as his unit was spared the opening battle. But reports were utterly terrified.
The Germans, despite being vastly outnumbered had encircled and annihilated the Serbian host to the last man.
This only caused Petar to become more distressed, as he, like many others, was forced to hold the line.
In the next battle, Petar and his unit were battered heavily by the German forces. He had witnessed firsthand how inferior his own rifle was compared to the firepower the Germans possessed.
Broken, battered, and wounded, he, like the others that had survived the chaos, was forced to retreat back to Belgrade.
There they dug into the city. Where a Serbian general stepped forward and tried his best to increase morale.
“You are the only thing standing between the barbarians at our gates and the people of this city! You are to do everything in your power to defend these walls! If you are wounded, you are expected to crawl! And if you can no longer crawl, you are expected to die where you lie, taking as many of the enemy with you! This is it! This is our last stand!”
The next few nights, Petar found himself exchanging fire with the besieging Germans below. A shot nearly took his head off. But by the grace of God he had survived.
And as he sat on watch that night he began to write a letter home to his family. To his fiancée. Saying how he hadn’t seen or heard about his brother since the war began. And that he had failed to save him. He ended the letter with a grim prophecy.
“I must confess that after all I have witnessed, I now believe I too will not live to see this war’s end.”
The scene cut to the next day. Ghastly smoke filled the city, which was now devoid of life. And the film ended with the letter in Petar’s lifeless hand, crumpling under the hobnail boots of a German soldier wearing a gas mask.
