Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Personal Debriefing

Shortly after the events of Top Hat, White Tie and Bomb Sights...*

Hogan was annoyed. Klink was relieved. Burkhalter was intrigued.

Shortly after Hogan dumped all the listening devices in front of Klink, he retreated to his office for some alone time. He was annoyed. Annoyed that he had to dress up in a German uniform in order to complete his primary goal of getting into town to get a message to an underground agent. Annoyed that he had to convince Klink that he was actually pro-German. Annoyed that he had to use his four main operatives in this ridiculous ruse; although he had to admit, their ability to carry a tune more than made up for their lack of talent in reading scripts. Annoyed that the Kommandant was so stupid and gullible that he fell for the ruse. Who was he dealing with? Could Klink literally be that dumb?

Hogan's dismay, depression, and terror at recently being shot down and imprisoned was mitigated when he discovered that somehow he had landed in a prison camp masquerading as a center of operations for rescuing escaped prisoners and stranded fliers. In the process of taking over as the new Senior POW officer, the colonel became the defacto head of this complex operation. Putting any thoughts of escape aside, he readily accepted the responsibility. Complex planning, thinking outside of the box as well as on the fly were his biggest strengths, and he assumed he would be calling on all of his skills to keep this operation going.

He knew that Klink was vital to this operation, and that no matter what, he had to make sure that the Kommandant remained in charge. Yeah, he was annoyed that he had to play the cowed prisoner, but perhaps Klink would now think twice before again trying to bug the barracks. At any rate, Hogan made a mental note to order all barracks chiefs to conduct daily sweeps for listening devices and to remind all prisoners not to underestimate any of their jailers. And that was not being annoyed. That was just being smart.

Klink was relieved. To his utter surprise, he was still at his post. He was sure by now he would have been on a train to the Russian Front, or worse.

Shortly after he watched Hogan pull one over on him, Klink retreated to his quarters and sulked. He would not underestimate Hogan again. The man was obviously smarter and more vindictive than he appeared. Klink gulped down some aspirin with some water and like many insecure men, rehashed what occurred earlier over and over again.

His electrification plan failed. His eavesdropping led to a catastrophe. And Hogan was the cause. He had discovered the bugs. Wait one minute! Klink got up from the couch. It was not his fault after all. Hogan spotted the guard leaving the barracks. That in turn led Hogan and his men back to the barracks to search for the listening devices. That led Hogan and his men to create their little play. This in turn led Klink to believe Hogan had pro-German tendencies plus information on the Norden Bombsight. Which led to Klink calling General Burkhalter. Yes, Klink was relieved. It was not his fault after all. The careless guard was to blame. He decided to transfer him to another Stalag and gleefully realized he could continue his plans to get Hogan and his men to cooperate, hereby worming his way into General Burkhalter's good graces.

Burkhalter was intrigued by Stalag 13's new senior POW officer. He was initially skeptical when Klink called and told him that Hogan, a volunteer with the Eagle Squadron, seemed to show pro-German tendencies, but thought it best to have Klink continue to wine and dine the American officer and press for more information. The cowardly Kommandant's assertion that Hogan knew about plans for the Norden Bombsight tickled Burkhalter's radar and he was most curious as to how this would play out. He was not sorry that Hogan was humiliated by wearing a German uniform to the Haussnerhof. After all, he needed to know he was still considered the enemy, and who was in charge.

Except, Burkhalter admitted, it was now obvious that Hogan was in charge from the get-go. Klink was easily fooled and manipulated. That was no secret, but he was a useful stooge, and surprisingly good at his job when it came to administrative tasks. It would do no one any good to transfer him out as a punishment. Burkhalter was not one to be hasty or to shoot someone out of spite.

Was it Hogan's goal to get to the Haussnerhoff? And if so, why? Was the entire incident a means to an end, or was it just a way to get back at the Kommandant for bugging the colonel's quarters?

Considering the embarrassment-Burkhalter chuckled as he recalled Klink's face when the engineer announced Hogan was drawing a vacuum cleaner-the general suspected the latter. But it wouldn't do anyone any good to discount Hogan's intelligence.

He read over the copies of Hogan's files again. Nothing, except his strategic talent, stood out. He was young and, so far, apparently well-liked and respected by the other prisoners and the Stalag staff. The colonel did not cooperate nor did he divulge anything of any interest while under interrogation.

It would be most advantageous to visit Luft-Stalag 13 more frequently, Burkhalter decided, as he realized that Hogan deserved further attention and some respect as well. He had chutzpah, that's for sure. After all, it wasn't every day that a prisoner would take such a chance. Less civilized officers would have had the colonel shot. And the intrigued Burkhalter was nothing, if not civilized.

*S01E10

It appears to me that based on the demeanor of the characters in this episode, that Hogan was a fairly new prisoner. To see my take on how the operation started (before Hogan's arrival) and why they tunnel system was so extensive, please read my story, "What's in a Name."