Roses for the Prosecutor

Rudi was actually charged with Wehrkraftzersetzung (undermining military morale) and aiding the enemy for purchasing chocolate on the black market. While he claimed he bought it legitimately, the judge Wilhelm Schramm treated this minor infraction as a serious political crime during the desperate final days of WWII, using it to demonstrate judicial toughness. The chocolate itself was labeled as 'air force chocolate,' making the theft appear as a direct offense against military supplies.

An Allied air raid interrupted Rudi's execution at the military court. In the chaos that followed, Rudi managed to break free and escaped. More importantly, he seized the execution warrant that had been signed by Judge Schramm, which later became crucial evidence of Schramm's role in sentencing him to death.

Schramm, now a successful prosecutor, recognizes Rudi as the soldier he sentenced to death and fears exposure of his Nazi past. He presents himself as someone who resisted the regime, but Rudi possesses the signed execution warrant that proves Schramm ordered his death. Schramm uses police harassment and a temporary arrest hoping to recover that warrant and silence Rudi permanently.

After considering leaving town to escape Schramm's pressure, Rudi decides instead to confront his persecutor directly. He smashes a shop window and steals two boxes of the same 'air force chocolate' that originally sparked his downfall. This deliberate act provokes a new arrest and trial, forcing Schramm into the uncomfortable position of facing him in court rather than silencing him through backroom tactics.

Schramm appears as prosecutor in Rudi's new case but unexpectedly switches to defending him, likely hoping to control the outcome and prevent any revelations about his past. However, his defense is calculated rather than genuine, he wants to keep the trial quiet and avoid scrutiny of his own wartime actions while maintaining his public image as a reformer.

During the trial, Schramm's buried true nature resurfaces when he absentmindedly demands that Rudi be sentenced to death, the same outcome he sought fifteen years earlier. This revealing moment exposes his underlying desire to have Rudi eliminated, showing that despite his public transformation into a respectable prosecutor, his fundamental character remains unchanged.

After the dramatic courtroom confrontation where Schramm's true self is exposed, Rudi decides to start a new life with Lissy Flemming rather than pursue further legal action. Rather than remain trapped by the past and its injustices, he chooses hope and renewal, leaving Schramm to face whatever consequences come from his exposed character without demanding further reckoning.

Wehrkraftzersetzung was a Nazi-era charge for 'undermining military morale,' essentially any action deemed to weaken the army's fighting spirit. In Rudi's case, purchasing chocolate on the black market was twisted into an accusation of aiding the enemy. The charge was frequently abused in late WWII to make examples of soldiers and project toughness, regardless of the actual severity of the offense.

The execution warrant bears Schramm's signature ordering Rudi's death, serving as concrete evidence of his role in the wartime judicial process. As a prosecutor who now presents himself as someone who resisted the Nazis, this document could expose his true past and destroy his carefully constructed reputation. Recovering it would eliminate the primary threat to his present success.

After escaping execution in 1945, Rudi spends fifteen years living as a street peddler, eking out a meager existence in postwar Germany. His survival represents the struggles faced by many who emerged from the war with few resources and compromised histories, living on the margins while the country rebuilt around them.

When Rudi encounters Schramm at Lissy's town, Schramm initially doesn't recognize him, likely because Rudi, as a sentenced prisoner, made less of an impression than Schramm made on Rudi. Additionally, fifteen years have passed, and Rudi's circumstances and appearance have changed dramatically from soldier to peddler. The recognition comes later, triggering Schramm's fear of exposure.

Initially, the police pressure and temporary arrest make Rudi consider leaving town to escape the harassment. However, after further reflection, he decides not to run. Instead, he chooses to fight back by provoking a new trial, reasoning that confronting Schramm directly in a legal setting is preferable to living as a fugitive from his own past.