"The airlift to Berlin", a high-voltage thriller in a city divided by the Cold War

Commissioner Oppenheimer , a character created by the German crime writer Harald Gilbers , has always been a stubborn man, unable to accept surrender. Even when the Nazis began to persecute Jews, he, despite his Jewish origins, decided to stay in Berlin , ready to accept his fate rather than give it to Hitler's henchmen. Of course, Oppenheimer had to hide, he had to leave for years the only job he knows how to do, which is the policeman. Indeed, he has sometimes had to put his intelligence as an investigator at the service of his worst enemies in order to avoid reprisals on his wife, who is also not Jewish. After the war, defeated the Nazis, Oppenheimer resumed doing the thing he does best: hunting down assassins.

Not for this his life has returned to flow linear. Our commissioner, in fact, finds himself operating in a Berlin made ghostly by years of destruction due to the conflict. Furthermore, the former capital of Germany is now divided into sectors, controlled by the four powers that defeated Nazism: the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain and France. Four allied powers as long as Hitler had to fight, but who are now frowning at each other, ready to tear themselves apart, first of all for the possession of Berlin. Thus, in June 1948 , the balances established at the end of the war having been broken, two opposing blocs are taking shape in the heart of Europe. After the introduction of a new currency in the western sector, the Soviets close the entrances to the city and West Berlin finds itself completely isolated. The United States, Great Britain and France then decide to supply the area under their control by sending dozens of planes every day, loaded with everything that can be used for the survival of the Berliners.

In this climate of undeclared war, Oppenheimer's new investigation begins, not surprisingly entitled "The airlift to Berlin" (Emons: yellow German, 2022, pp. 392, also e-book) in which our commissioner finds himself in the throes of an elusive serial killer.

In fact, summer has arrived and some kids are playing on the banks of the Spree. In the shallow water they notice something strange. It's a severed leg. A few days later, human entrails rain down on a barge from a bridge. In both cases, witnesses claim to have seen a suspicious person in a blue overalls. Oppenheimer begins the hunt but has to deal with the deep political divisions that are now making their weight felt in every aspect of the life of Berliners. Even the police force is, in fact, divided between East and West, and being caught investigating outside one's sector risks arrest. The killer, however, does not respect borders. Under the incessant roar of the planes supplying the western sector, Commissioner Oppenheimer will soon find himself operating in the shadows, between old friends and new enemies. He will have to move again on mined land, as he did during the Nazi regime, to avoid being considered a traitor in league with the Communist enemy or an American spy who sneaks into the Soviet sector.

Now in the sixth volume of the series dedicated to Oppenheimer, Harald Gilbers shows once again his ability not only in weaving compelling and convincing detective intrigues, but also in the historical reconstruction , the strong point of his novels together with the “yellow” plot. Berlin, with its social and political tensions, its fears for a new war that appears imminent, thus becomes a real co-star of the book. Oppenheimer, in fact, lives in harmony with his city and as she always appears on a razor's edge, one step away from the abyss.

The commissioner chases a killer who continues to strike, Berlin a peace and a newfound normality that appears to be a chimera. Oppenheimer perceives this anxiety for quiet everyday life that pervades his city and decides to make his own contribution, a contribution of order, common sense and logic in the midst of the madness that surrounds him. At whatever cost he will continue his investigation, despite having to do with the schizophrenias of politics and ideology.

In the end, for Oppenheimer, the important thing is to show that in the face of chaos, you don't give up: you fight.