Chapter 26, Bebra's Theater at the Front Summary

In January, there is much talk of Stalingrad, but to Oskar, the name means as little as previous names like Dunkirk and Pearl Harbor. He is more concerned that Maria has the grippe. Outside the Pestalozzi School, Oskar again meets the dwarf entertainer Bebra and his diminutive companion, Signora Roswitha. Oskar agrees to join their troupe, entertaining the German soldiers abroad.

Oskar travels on papers forged by Felix, one of the midgets.. The entire group wears field-grey Army uniforms tailored to their diminutive sizes. Oskar's uniform has the insignia of a corporal, while Bebra is a captain. The troupe travels by train through Berlin, Hanover and Cologne. In Berlin, they perform for the soldiers in an air-raid shelter. Oskar plays his drum, Signora Roswitha reads the soldiers minds and predicts their futures, and...