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Unnamed Generaloberst Blog Entry |
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June 20, 2025, 12:00:37 AM 6/20/25: r/SketchDaily theme, "Movie Scenes." (I did Free Draw Friday.) This week's character from my anthro WWII storyline is Unnamed Generaloberst. He shows up occasionally to act all snooty and important, though he does end up breaking the prohibition on Klemper receiving a promotion. There'll be more about him later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se. TUMBLR EDIT: Yes, that's a monocle. This guy has no complicated backstory to get into (yet). He shows up occasionally throughout the story, always only briefly, so doesn't really warrant a load of development. He has this really pompous, aloof, full-of-himself demeanor and is a complete stickler for military rules and laws; for this reason I suspect he's Prussian, and likely served in the Great War, though I'm unsure if he's a Junker or just regular upper class. I considered giving him a dueling scar but didn't; still, seems he'd be likely to have one, so either it's on the other side of his face (lefthanded opponent maybe?) (also you see I play fast and loose regarding what side of the face certain features are on, due to portrait constraints), or I may add one in a future update. This guy has been lurking in the background in my head for a while and I've always pictured him with eyewear; spectacles weren't pompous enough, so I went with a monocle, seems fitting. I also imagine him with a swagger stick, a piece of equipment that an early incarnation of Inspector Dobermann carried in ye olden days of this story's development. Funnily, despite all his...hm, blowhardiness...I don't picture him as a particularly big or imposing guy, like fellow general Schavitz; he's rather on the short side. Small man syndrome, maybe. As I said, he shows up only briefly at various points, usually with a group of underlings (he's more of an order-people-around sort than an active combat sort), to puff out his chest and talk loud. He's technically not an antagonist like Schavitz is, though I imagine him frequently complicating things for the other characters, usually unintentionally, as he really doesn't think about or even care about the effects his actions have on "trivial matters." He's simply a bit of an unwitting chaos agent, although, ironically, he fully believes in the rule of law. For example, it hadn't occurred to me at first, but I now believe he's involved in the incident where Lt. Ratdog ends up detained and briefly jailed, as it turns out Schavitz didn't follow proper procedure in obtaining him an officer's commission in the Wehrmacht. (Schavitz likely did this on purpose, to keep Ratdog in line--just the sort of backstabber he is.) Unnamed Generaloberst is probably the one to confront Ratdog and inform him--quite loudly and arrogantly and surrounded by his gaggle of underlings--of his violation of the law, and order one of said underlings to arrest Ratdog and take him into custody; of course no amount of protesting on Ratdog's part that he had no idea about any violations makes any difference, the law is the law, and Unnamed Generaloberst is immovable. Ratdog spends a few days in jail, nobody on the outside having any idea where he is; SS-Captain Himmel (aided by SS-Major Jäger) is the one to finally show up and cow the jailers into releasing him. Ratdog hurries off to the countryside to try to find PFC Klemper, who'd previously resigned himself to never seeing Ratdog again; he's spent the past three days convinced that Ratdog is just another jerk who used him and left him. Needless to say, when Ratdog returns, Klemper pledges his undying loyalty and promises to follow him to the ends of the earth. (Klemper's, uh, a little intense. And usually on drugs.) This bit--and Unnamed Generaloberst's usual insistence on following the rules--lends some poignancy to the main appearance of Unnamed Generaloberst toward the end of the story. For context (and keep in mind this is still heavily a WIP so the order of things may change), Ratdog, Schavitz, and American Trench Rat Sergeant Gold Rat confront each other atop a train; Schavitz is ready and willing to execute Gold, the way he previously executed Gold's predecessor Black Rat, and tries roping Ratdog into it by blaming Gold for the motorcycle hit-and-run death of Ratdog's son Hans (Ratdog's motivation for becoming a sniper and getting recruited by Schavitz). He probably would prefer Ratdog to do the deed so he can then claim clean hands and pin any fallout on him, who knows. Gold often rides around on a motorcycle, so Ratdog is glad for the chance to finally kill him. Gold doesn't speak German, and claims he has no idea what's going on. Ratdog has no reason to believe him, and the two get into a brief scuffle during which Gold is disarmed; Ratdog gestures for him to retrieve his gun, but something (I'm not sure what yet) happens to remind him of an earlier incident, where he witnessed, in passing, Schavitz's chauffeur and fixer, Sergeant Eisen, trying to start his motorcycle; it made a protesting sputtering sound which drew Ratdog's attention, though he wasn't sure why. He was additionally puzzled by the stricken look Eisen got before driving away. Ratdog finally remembers where he'd previously heard that sputtering noise, right before Hans was killed. Gold's motorcycle is relatively new and well maintained; Schavitz's motorcycle is old and noisy. He also remembers how, when first meeting Eisen at Schavitz's castle, Eisen had said, "You don't remember me, do you?"--he'd run back to check on Hans after the accident, and had started the story that a Trench Rat was responsible. Gold wasn't the one who ran down Hans, Schavitz and Eisen were. Ratdog, stunned mute at first, turns his gun on Schavitz, stammering, "Du hast meinen Sohn getötet!" Realizing his initial plan is foiled, Schavitz does something that looks utterly insane to Gold, setting down his own gun and turning his back on the two, hands raised. He speaks in English so Gold can understand, mentioning Ratdog's "ridiculous code of honor" that he unsuccessfully tried to drill out of him; he won't shoot an unarmed or badly wounded person, thus why he gestured for Gold to retrieve his gun. Ratdog shouts something in German several times, then, to Gold's surprise, starts yelling, "Pick it up! Pick it up!" The Trench Rats had no idea Ratdog understands, and can speak, broken English. Schavitz glances over his shoulder a bit, grinning, and laughs derisively, "You'd never shoot somebody in the back!" Then--Ratdog flinches when a gunshot sounds, a hole appears in Schavitz's head, and he topples like a sack of bricks. Slowly peering to the side, he sees that Gold had retrieved a concealed gun: "I would, stupid," Gold mutters. (Additional significance here: Gold is dyslexic, and was ridiculed as "slow" and "stupid" throughout his childhood; result, he never, ever calls anyone "stupid" himself, such as when he meets the intellectually challenged Kolten. So when he calls Schavitz, who murdered Black, stupid, you know he really means it.) Ratdog just stares at him, blinking and confused. Gold slowly lowers his gun, exhausted. Then watches as Ratdog stomps toward Schavitz's body and starts screaming and kicking him. He grabs Gold's discarded gun and stomps toward him next, yet when he reaches him, he doesn't aim to shoot but holds the gun out to him instead; Gold takes it, then hesitantly takes Ratdog's hand when he holds it out, and Ratdog helps him up. Ratdog returns to Schavitz and starts pushing on him; Gold approaches and joins him, and the two of them shove Schavitz's body from the train, watching him fall to the ground and go tumbling away as the train speeds on. They stare after him for a moment or so, then Ratdog starts gasping and his shoulders shake; he turns to Gold, tears welling up in his eyes. "Er tötete meinen Sohn," he says; Gold just stares at him, not understanding. Ratdog seems to struggle for the words, before saying, "He...he killed my son," and the tears spill down his face. "I'm sorry," says Gold. The hatch in the top of the train car flies open then, and a young Wehrmacht soldier, bristling with an absurd amount of weaponry, pops out, spots them, and rushes forward--he aims his Tommy gun at Gold's head, yelling incoherently in German the entire time. Gold reaches for his own gun again but Ratdog puts himself between them, spreading his arms and raising his voice; one doesn't have to understand German to know that he's explaining the situation, and trying to say that Gold isn't a threat. He gestures toward Schavitz's abandoned gun, then to the side of the train. The private looks confused, but lowers his gun; Ratdog's shoulders start shaking and he says, "Schavitz tötete Hans. Er tötete meinen Sohn," and then wraps his arms around the soldier and starts sobbing. The private blinks, wide eyed, over Ratdog's shoulder; Gold can tell the two of them are unusually close, so averts his eyes to give them a moment. (Hey my guys. I did my best with Google Translate but verbs are hard. For some reason it first gave me "He HAS killed" but then "He killed" as well, yet also "You HAVE killed," doesn't seem to be any phrasing for just plain "You killed," and I have no way to figure out what's right or not, if the verb changes based on "I/you/he/they" or what. I just tried to say you killed, he killed, etc., past tense, one act at one point in time, not ongoing, already done. Simple phrasing doesn't mean simple translations, I guess? If I borked it up feel free to correct me, I'm open to learning.) After Ratdog collects himself (and the private collects Schavitz's gun), Gold says, "I don't know how well you understand me, but I think we should get off this train." Ratdog translates; the private says something, then turns and goes running toward the front end of the car, and jumps. "WAIT--!" Gold yells, just as he lands in a cluttered heap on the car ahead. He cumbersomely pushes himself to his feet, shakes himself, and goes running again, weapons clattering. It hardly looks possible for him to make such a jump weighed down the way he is, yet he keeps on going. "He stops the train," Ratdog says; when Gold furrows his brow and asks, "How...?" Ratdog just shrugs, and says, "He has ways...?" Not too long after Klemper has disappeared from sight, the train whistle sounds and sparks start flying from the tracks when it starts to brake. "We better hold on," Gold suggests, and they grab on to a bar atop the train car and brace themselves. After it comes to a complete stop they follow Klemper's path (Ratdog's first jump isn't nearly as successful, and he has to pull himself the rest of the way up, rubbing his bruised ribs) and climb down to the ground; Klemper exits the engine, gun still drawn, the engineer visible inside with his hands up and a petrified look. ("I saw nothing! I swear!" he babbles.) Ratdog gestures and they leave the train behind; he and Gold share a tense look, but he says, "I am not interested to kill you." He nods in the direction they came from; "He was my enemy," he adds, eyes growing wet again. Gold replies, "He killed someone I cared about, too." Ratdog nods, and Gold can tell that he's done targeting Trench Rats. The three part ways. Ratdog and Klemper return to Lt. Dasch's unit and radio a message that General Schavitz is dead. Unnamed Generaloberst receives the notice, and he and a group of soldiers head for Castle Schavitz. The castle inhabitants are startled by their arrival, murmuring and whispering among themselves; Sgt. Eisen appears, asking what's going on. Unnamed Generaloberst demands to know, "Who are all these people?" "These are the castle staff, they've been here even longer than Herr Generaloberst Schavitz," Eisen insists, and again demands to know what's up. "Herr Generaloberst Schavitz is deceased," Unnamed Generaloberst says curtly, and orders his men to start taking control of the castle. "Deceased...?" Eisen echoes, stunned. The news spreads quickly through the castle; Schavitz was a bully, a rapist, a murderer, and a war criminal, so nobody is going to miss him, though they all wonder what's going to happen to them now. Ratdog, Klemper, and Dasch arrive and it soon becomes clear the former two were present when Schavitz was killed; Ratdog claims that Schavitz was the one who turned and betrayed the Wehrmacht, and Klemper willingly goes along with the lie. The look on Eisen's face makes it clear he's easily guessed at the truth, but he offers no protest, and nobody else on the castle staff defends Schavitz; he has a long history of corruption, even Unnamed Generaloberst knows it, so there's little to defend. Ratdog basically did the Reich a favor dispatching him. Unnamed Generaloberst mutters to himself a bit and then orders Klemper and Dasch forward. Everyone figures that some sort of punishment is incoming; Ratdog himself can't be touched this time (there's possibly still fallout from the last time the Wehrmacht tried to punish him and the SS got involved), but the other two are fair game, and Klemper's already been punished for previous misbehavior, having been demoted and had a prohibition placed on him to prevent future promotion. (He got off easy, yet it still rankles.) Dasch steps forward nervously and Unnamed Generaloberst pompously says, "Herr Leutnant Dasch, due to today's actions, you are hereby promoted to Oberleutnant." As Dasch is still blinking in surprise, he then turns to the extremely anxious Klemper and says, "Herr Oberschütze Klemper, you are hereby promoted to Feldwebel." Now Klemper blinks. His previous rank before demotion was Unteroffizier (Sergeant); Feldwebel (First Sergeant) isn't only a higher rank than what he'd previously achieved, it also skips several ranks. In effect, he'd be made even better off than he was before. "But...Herr Generaloberst, per agreement with the Wehrmacht, I'm not allowed to be promoted," he stammers, finding it far too good to be true; Unnamed Generaloberst just raises his nose and sniffs, replying, "Disregard previous agreements. I am the Wehrmacht." Klemper and Dasch don't get a lot of time to feel pleased with their promotions; as his men start returning, Unnamed Generaloberst makes motions to leave, when Eisen abruptly steps forward, wringing his hands--"Herr Generaloberst! I have a statement to make!" he exclaims. Unnamed Generaloberst impatiently waves for him to speak and get it over with. Eisen swallows and after a brief pause, draws himself up, states his rank and name and professional role for Schavitz, and then pours out a rambling confession--and accusation--summarizing all the awful things he did at Schavitz's command. Everyone--Wehrmacht soldiers, castle staff, Ratdog and Klemper and Dasch, Unnamed Generaloberst--falls silent and listens, eyes wide, mouths gaping; Eisen's account of Schavitz's activities is no real surprise, yet to hear it all laid out so plainly, and openly, really makes the horror hit home. Eisen describes how they might be able to find skeletal remains of a girl or two Schavitz killed in the river behind the castle, how the disappearances of several other people might be explained, and where they can find proof--while he did what he could to help conceal Schavitz's crimes, still, he kept records in a personal diary, and he kept evidence--a piece of jewelry here, a shoe or a button there. He may have been loyal to Schavitz but his first thought was for himself--if Schavitz ever threatened to rat him out, he was going to return the favor. Eisen glances at Ratdog and his breath catches, eyes going glassy, as he adds that the dead general was responsible for his son's death, though he too played a role, as he was the motorcycle driver (Schavitz had been threatening him to go faster, and had seized the handlebars), plus he came up with the story that a Trench Rat had been the culprit. "I could tell you didn't remember me," he says, "so I said nothing. And I know it means absolutely nothing and I don't ask your forgiveness but I still see that boy's face every time I close my eyes. Of all the things I've done, for that I'm the most sorry." Then, before Ratdog can think of anything to say in response, he turns back to Unnamed Generaloberst. "One more thing," he says a bit hurriedly, as if he thinks he's running out of time. "Herr Generaloberst Schavitz had applied to join the SS and was turned down. This infuriated him more than anything. He insists--insisted they made their decision based on lies and slander but I found the documentation he provided, and the documentation they sent him, family records, genealogical records. Herr Generaloberst Schavitz's personal family records had been altered. Based on his reaction I do not believe he knew, he fully believed the SS had maligned him. Yet I did my best to find out which set of records was accurate and I believe the SS has the correct information. Herr Generaloberst Schavitz's biological father and mother--deceased--are both marked in the family records, full-blooded Jews. Given the discretion the SS granted him I have no reason to believe this information is a lie. Herr Generaloberst Schavitz is--was--a full-blooded Jew under German law, and this is why he was turned down. You can find all the records, along with the other evidence I collected of his crimes, in a safe concealed behind a cabinet in my room. The combination is taped beneath my desk drawer. My name is Udo Eisen and I declare that every word I have spoken here today is the complete truth before Herr Gott. And now I'm done." He draws himself up again, unholsters his pistol, and puts it to his head. "Nein--!" Unnamed Generaloberst exclaims, just as a BANG sounds and Eisen topples to the floor, dead. Everyone gawks, unable to believe everything that just happened. Unnamed Generaloberst blinks, then--"Scheiße! Scheiße, Scheiße, Scheiße!" He throws up his hands, shakes his fists, makes an enraged growling sound, then forces himself to take a breath and let it out. He starts barking out orders--for several of his men to deal with Eisen, the rest to find the safe and see if what he said was true. Ratdog, Klemper, and Dasch just stand there mutely, still trying to process everything, as Unnamed Generaloberst paces back and forth muttering; two soldiers pick up Eisen, his head lolling, and carry him out of the room, leaving a pool of blood behind; a third retrieves his pistol and hurries after. Another soldier comes hurrying down the steps, salutes, and hands Unnamed Generaloberst some papers, breathlessly exclaiming that Eisen's claims appear to be true: They've not only located the safe and found its contents exactly as described, but Eisen left behind directions to other hidden caches in the castle, places where Schavitz kept his trophies, as well as lists of which items in the castle--artwork, jewelry, crafts, money--were confiscated or outright stolen from other victims, both Jews and Germans. Eisen was a meticulous record keeper, and all this evidence is pretty damning. Unnamed Generaloberst unfolds the papers, sees the official SS seal stamped on the page, and the family tree in ornate Fraktur. Next to Schavitz's mother's and father's names are the designations Jüdin and Jude. Unnamed Generaloberst's face blanches; "Oh this is going to be such a mess to deal with," he says under his breath, and, "Morally bankrupt Sohn einer Hündin! I don't care that I'm glad he's done! Wash our hands of this stain once and for all!" He snaps for his men to finish up, he'll have the proper authorities show up to take command of the castle and get everything sorted out. He assures the anxious staff--who Eisen previously looked out for and did his best to protect from Schavitz's predations--that they have nothing to worry about, they can keep going about things as usual, for now; they'll simply have a different boss. "A much more fitting one!" he adds, before gesturing haughtily and stomping out, his underlings following. There isn't much else to be said regarding Unnamed Generaloberst; as I mentioned, he's a recurring bit character, a racist and a bad guy definitely, yet nowhere near a major antagonist. And he does end up correcting a wrong committed against Klemper, even though it isn't a victory Klemper gets to take pride in for long. That's in another entry. [Unnamed Generaloberst 2025 [Friday, June 20, 2025, 12:00:37 AM]] |