Prisoners of Honor
by 80sarcades


AU. Continues the story of Hogan and his men being captured by Hochstetter. The Führer gets involved.

Disclaimer: Me? Own Hogan's Heroes? Are you kidding?

From the last chapter:

In advance, Major Hochstetter had arranged for the prisoners to be taken to Düsseldorf and to the Gestapo prison there. After so many failed encounters with Hogan he didn't want to take the chance that the Underground would rescue the Prisoners of War.

With that job done, the head of the Hammelburg Gestapo took a contingent of troops with him to Stalag 13.


Chapter 3: Hochstetter's Glory

It was a short trip to the Prisoner of War camp, but Major Hochstetter didn't care one bit. Instead, he was ecstatic.

Finally! he crowed mentally, savoring the moment. Finally, I've caught the bastard! The Luftwaffe cannot stop me now! Soon, I will finally find out what kind of operation Hogan is - was - running and make Klink and Burkhalter look like the fools they are! Enjoy Düsseldorf, Hogan; your precious underground won't be able to get you out of the Gestapo Headquarters there! No escapes, Hogan, no escapes!

His staff car roared though the gates and almost narrowly hit one of the large wood framed wire doors before it came to a stop in front of the Kommandant's office. Even as the truck carrying his men squealed to a stop behind his vehicle, Hochstetter was already out of the car and running to Barracks Two.

Within a minute, they had the building empty of prisoners. As the Luftwaffe guards looked nervously on, several SS men with machine pistols herded the shivering men to a spot outside their barracks. They were then forced to their knees and made to put their hands on top of their heads while the new arrivals stood guard over them. Meanwhile, inside the building, the Major looked around for a moment and sneered at the dingy interior before he started barking orders at the Germans standing near him.

"I want you to tear this building apart, piece by piece, nail by nail if you have to," he raged as he waved at the walls. "Take the whole damn building apart…"

"Major Hochstetter," Klink's reedy - and nervous - voice piped up from the doorway, interrupting his tirade. His brown robe looked out of place among the military uniforms; obviously he had been sleeping. Schultz was right behind him. While the man was in uniform - fat slob that he is, Hochstetter thought disgustedly - at least he looked as scared as his commanding officer.

"What's going on, Herr Komm-an-dant," the Gestapo Major said, enunciating the last word, "is that your beloved prisoners have been caught in the act of sabotage!"

"What?" Klink said, outraged. "But they're prisoners…" He looked around the empty barracks. "Where is Colonel Hogan, Major?" the Luftwaffe Colonel asked, somewhat confused; he hadn't seen him outside with the other prisoners.

"Right now, he and his men are going to be permanent guests of the Gestapo," Hochstetter snarled. "And so will you, if you stand in my way!" He turned back to his men, who had been watching the whole exchange with fearful interest.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" he shouted, then watched the troops start to tear apart the building. He looked back at the camp commander; the man's face had gone deathly pale.

"Trust me, Klink, you are in so much trouble," the Major sneered. "When I find what I've been looking for…"

He kicked at a nearby bunk; the flimsy wood shook under the blow.

"…you will be lucky if you get sent to the Russian front as a private!"

Hochstetter's fist slammed on the wall next to the bunk even as his voice shrilly increased in volume. "We are going to tear apart this whole camp, Klink. Including your office…"

His gloved hand pounded on the wall yet again. Hochstetter got up into the Kommandant's face; he noted with pleasure that even the man's monocle seemed to be sweating.

"…your quarters, and even your liquor cabinet! We will find what we are looking for!"

As he spoke, his fist came down again, and again, on the wood panel of a nearby bunk. Specifically, the top part.

The hidden mechanism responded by raising the lower rack while lowering a ladder to a hidden tunnel. For a long moment, no one moved as they stared in disbelief at the offending bunk. Eventually, Hochstetter peered down into the dark hole; when he looked back up, his face had a triumphant grin.

Klink, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to throw up.

And did.


For once, the leaders of the Third Reich forgot about the war. At least for a moment.

Prisoners of war were running a major sabotage and escape operation.

The day before, the idea had been laughable. To find proof of it, much less the perpetrators, was beyond words. Although the details were limited to the upper echelons of the Nazi Party and Wehrmacht senior commanders, its very existence was enough to throw those groups into total chaos. The fear that resulted soon filtered down to the lesser members of those services.

Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, head of the Luftwaffe, was immediately summoned to Wolfsschanze (Wolf's Lair) in East Prussia for a meeting with the Führer. Although he emerged from the dressing down somewhat intact, others did not.

Due to a severe shortage of field grade officers on the Eastern front, General Albert Burkhalter, formerly the head of Luftwaffe Prisoner Administration, was demoted to the permanent rank of Major and reassigned to a Luftwaffe Air Unit at the Russian front. Before his demotion, he was given the chance to regain his honor - in effect, shoot himself - but he declined. Towards the end of the war, he was captured by the Russian Army and sent to a labor camp in Siberia where he eventually perished.

Colonel Wilhelm Klink was court-martialed; ironically, his reputation as an idiot actually saved him. Instead of being sent to a military prison or shot outright, he was instead demoted to the rank of Lieutenant and reassigned to a unit in southern Russia. Ironically, he was to become a POW under the Russians and would survive to return to Germany in 1952.

Sergeant Hans Schultz, meanwhile, was more fortunate: General Kammler, Schultz's onetime lieutenant during the Great War, managed to intervene on the enlisted man's behalf. Transferred to the Wehrmacht, Schultz remained in Germany as a guard until the end of the war.

Two days after the discovery of Hogan's operation, Major Hochstetter was promoted two full grades to Colonel as well as receiving the Blood Order medal; his career rejuvenated, it wouldn't be long before he would wear the badges of a General Officer.

All of these men, of course, shared an important trait: they were all alive, although two of them would soon wish otherwise. For Hogan and his men, however, the future was more grim.

Even as security was tightened at Prisoner-of-War camps, the Propaganda Ministry made much of the silver lining and reported the capture of the notorious underground leader Papa Bear. While the details of his operation - much less the fact that he was a POW - were not reported to the public, the Ministry still had a field day with the information. At the very least, it kept the deteriorating war situation pushed to the back pages of the newspapers.

It was in this atmosphere that the Führer summoned Generalmajor Helmut Schmidt, then currently on recuperative leave in southern Germany, to East Prussia. The Heer General had recently returned from the Russian front and was on leave pending his next assignment. Like any good German solider, he answered the call and soon found himself presented to his nation's highest leader.

Up to that point, General Schmidt had seen the Fuhrer only at various rallies before the war and at conferences after; he had never been alone with Adolf Hitler. An aide ushered him into a windowless concrete conference room where Hitler and other senior officers were clustered around a polished oak table. Overhead lights harshly illuminated a map that he knew far too well even as he stopped in front of the table, raised his right arm in salute, and barked "Heil Hitler!"

The leader of the Nazi party barely spared the General a glance as he issued more orders in a brusque tone to the officers at the table. Schmidt lowered his salute but remained at attention with his cover beneath his left arm. Finally, Hitler turned from the desktop map of Russia to look at the new arrival. The dueling scar that marred his right cheek did nothing to distract from the General's handsome features; if anything, it gave him a distinguished appearance. More importantly, unlike other senior officers, General Schmidt displayed few decorations on his uniform. The most notable of these was the Iron Cross, an award that Hitler also shared. His blue eyes met those of the General as his attitude lightened.

"I appreciate your coming on such short notice, General. Can I have something brought to you? Some refreshment, perhaps?" the Führer asked.

"No, sir. Thank you." Schmidt replied in a clipped tone; he didn't alter his stance.

Hitler turned towards the other men in the room. "Leave us," he commanded. The other officers - some with barely concealed looks of relief - filed out of the room, leaving Hitler and his General alone.

"At ease, General," Hitler ordered, then turned to business. "Have you heard about this resistance leader that the Gestapo has captured? This man they call 'Papa Bear'?"

"Somewhat, my Führer," said Schmidt, a little curious as to why he had been summoned. "The newspapers reported that he was a major underground leader, a dangerous one."

"So he was," Hitler said. "The Gestapo agent that captured him - his name is Hochstetter; I recently promoted him to Colonel - did so after long effort. What the newspapers did not report, however, is that this man operated from inside a Prisoner-of-War camp.

Surprise showed on Schmidt's face. "How is that possible, my Führer?" he asked, shocked.

"Incompetence from the Luftwaffe," Hitler stated. "Which is why I have called you here."

Schmidt said nothing, although the question was evident on his face. Hitler went on.

"While I am in agreement with Reichsführer Himmler that we should shoot this man - an American Colonel named Hogan - as a criminal, the Foreign Ministry has persuaded me that this action may have consequences for our personnel in Allied hands. In other words, the Americans or English may use this as an excuse to eliminate one of our officers, or more, in reprisal. This, of course, is not allowed."

"I see, my Führer," Schmidt said.

"Your job," the Führer continued, "is to act as my personal representative in this matter. You will ensure that this Colonel Hogan, along with his men, receives a fair trial. Obviously, the outcome is predetermined - Hogan, of course, will be shot - but the trial will show the world that German fairness - German honor - remains intact, in spite of this war," He paused, then gave the officer a hard look. "You are to use any and all means to show that honor, as well as directing the outcome. Do you have any questions?"

"Two, sir," Schmidt said immediately. "First: will Hogan's men receive the same sentence, or prison terms? Secondly, should I keep you updated on the trial progress?"

Hitler thought for a moment. "Prison," he said flatly. "Although it should be otherwise, I cannot fault an enlisted man for following the orders of his superior. However, I do not want them to return to Luftwaffe control; those men are too dangerous." He paused, his icy blue eyes boring into those of the General, before he spoke again.

"As to your second question: no. However, notify me once all the arrangements are complete."

"Yes, sir," the General said.

"My adjutant will have the necessary paperwork and files you will need." Hitler waved a hand at the map. "I have no time to waste on this; the war, of course, continues. I place my confidence in your hands, General. After this matter is concluded, we will discuss your next assignment," Hitler said, letting the reward - or punishment - dangle in the air for a moment before he spoke again. "Any other questions?" he asked.

Schmidt knew he shouldn't ask, but did anyway. "My Führer, I am a bit curious. May I ask why I was selected for this assignment?"

Hitler nodded. "A fine question, General. You were selected for two reasons: because I needed a reliable General to handle this affair - let me rephrase that, a reliable National Socialist General," the Führer corrected. "According to your superiors, your performance on the Eastern Front has been outstanding. Successful, even. As for the second…do you remember a man by the name of Ernst Gruner, from your time in the First War?"

Schmidt struggled to recall the details from more than twenty-five years ago; a face suddenly popped into memory. "A corporal," he remembered. "I seem to remember that he was a dispatch courier of sorts."

"He remembers you as a fine officer," Hitler clarified. "He also said that your discipline and honesty - as well as your concern for your men - was beyond reproach. When this is concluded, we will have to talk further."

"Yes, sir," Schmidt said, nodding in agreement.

"That will be all. Tell my adjutant to call in my staff, will you?" Without waiting for an answer, Hitler turned back to his map and reports. Schmidt saluted, did an about face, and left the room.


Next: Chapter 4: Schmidt meets Hochstetter

A/N: Given what's about to happen, the awarding of the Blood Order - a very prestigious decoration of the Nazi party - to Hochstetter will seem appropriate. He might have qualified for it anyway, but it was still too good to pass up. I didn't have the heart to kill off Klink and Schultz (especially Schultz). Generals, on the other hand..

All reviews, of course, are appreciated!