Author's Note: The 365 Project is an experimental project to write and post at least one short every day for the next year, not including my semi-regular bi-weekly updates. Whether or not that goal can be reached, we'll see... This is The 365 Project, 14 January.
Disclaimer: Hogan's Heroes is the property of CBS, used for entertainment purposes without permission or intent to profit. Other situations are borrowed from the 'Fox' alternate history duology by Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson and are also used without permission or intent to profit. An explanation of those situations will follow the story.
"Cashiered"
By J.T. Magnus, 'Turbo'
Oberst Wilhelm Klink was facing a fear of any officer as he was marched from the Kommandantur flanked by a pair of guards - not Schultz or Langenschidt, these were fine physical specimens who were a credit to their people, there would be no escape from their custody - into middle of the compound, face to face with another officer and surrounded by his command. Off to the side, drummers began beating out a series of sharp beats as the other officer took a step forward, reached out and plucked Klink's peaked cap from his head. If he hadn't been flanked by guards, Klink would've shouted at the other officer as they frowned at Klink's cap and then threw it over the fence into the dog pen, where the camp's guard dogs quickly attacked and destroyed it. That insult was only compounded as the medals and insignia pinned to the chest of Klink's uniform jacket were plucked from it one by one and left to drop into the dirt before the other officer moved on to adding the buttons from Klink's uniform to the pile in the same manner. Then the officer held out his hand and a soldier stepped forward to place a knife in it, a knife that they used to cut Klink's collar tabs away before handing the knife back to the soldier, who returned to the ranks, and dropping the rank insignia into the dirt as well.
Wilhelm Klink was left standing in the middle of Stalag 13, dressed in what was effectively the uniform of the new German Republican Army as the other officer extended his hand.
"Welcome to the Allies, Colonel," Colonel Hogan said with a grin.
"Welcome to the start of a new Germany," Klink retorted as he took Hogan's hand and shook it as their men, of all nationalities, began to cheer.
Author's Note: This story takes place in the alternate universe created by Niles and Dobson's 'Fox' duology of books; 'Fox On The Rhine' and 'Fox At The Front' where the Valkyrie plot to assassinate Hitler - referenced in the Hogan's Heroes episode "Operation Briefcase" - was successful... for a while. Unfortunately, Hitler's death brought Himmler to power with his own plans for how to fight the war; he negotiated a temporary peace with Soviet Russia to reduce Germany to a one-front war, held back fighters and increased production of the Me-262 Jets - which were put into service as fighters since Hitler wasn't there to insist they be made fighter-bombers to attack England - until a critical point was reached to deal a crippling blow to the Allied bombing missions, then put Field Marshall Rommel in charge of a massive armored breakthrough, supported by those same jet fighters, intended to capture Allied supplies and split the Allied offensive in two. This 'Fuchs am Rhein', or 'Fox on the Rhine' offensive was almost successful until a United States armored division succeeded in destroying the bridges crossing the Meuse River in Dinant and effectively trapping four German Panzer divisions west of the Meuse.
Faced with defeat, Rommel had three options... one, surrender; two, retreat and hope that the forces remaining to him would be enough to save Germany; or three, change the situation into one where Germany had a chance of surviving. He took the third option and sacrificed his personal honor for his country by turning two of his three Panzer-armies (later to be joined by a second full Army Group) around and attacking into Germany alongside General Patton's Third Army against the Nazi SS units and, regrettably, other units of the Germany army who sided with the SS units. Eventually, all Nazi resistance broke down and the Allies and the newly-formed German Republic took Berlin just before the Soviets - who had re-entered the war on their own side, turning it into a three-way free-for-all - leading to conflict between the AEF and their German allies against the Soviet army and a seige of Berlin that ended with the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Soviet forces' headquarters in Potsdam.
This author's note has actually been longer than the piece itself, so I'll simply close with recommending anyone who enjoys World War II history or alternate histories to find and read the 'Fox' books for themselves. And yes, I'll probably come back to this little Hogan's Heroes/'Fox' crossover; after all, there's always Hochstetter to consider...