Later – Late Afternoon
The Barracks – 1740 Hours

Priority one until it is destroyed: oil refinery, heavily guarded in Dessau. Usual packages are there – use local 4 to reconnoiter the area tonight at 2030. Too hot to handle for birds; they have been dropping like flies. Fight back from crows is about evening-time D+7. Get the information about it and ship it off with package to be picked up with 4.

That was the coded message from London. All six of us (me, Rob, Kinch, LeBeau, Carter and Newkirk) were down in the tunnels as Kinch read and re-read the message from its code for it was almost unbelievable to me and the three other enlisted men that sat around Kinch. Rob appeared thoughtful, thinking about another outlandish idea. He had on that usual face that got my wheels rolling too, for I knew that he was mapping out another insane Colonel Hogan scheme.

Rob started to pace the small radio room. I knew this infuriated his men, for Newkirk asked, "Sir, what does the 'essage mean? Some of it is easy to decipher, but some isn't." I thought that Newkirk made a point, obvious as it was: some of it was a bit mysterious. We have the location and what they want destroyed (priority one) and to use Underground Unit 4 for the job and to meet them tonight at a meeting spot, at 2030 hours, which is too early for us to go anyway, but we can handle something. "Too hot to handle for the birds" means that our planes can't reach it without being shot down and that the major offensive date from the Krauts, in using this oil refinery, would be…D+7…and we need the information about it from the person we're supposed to ship back to England…but D+7 means something…

"What about D+7, Mad'm?" Carter asked me.

I spun to face Carter. Oops…I must have been thinking out loud. "I was just thinking about the message," I said, "and Newkirk's right. Some of this message makes a lot of sense, but that last part, D+7, worries, and even baffles me. Obviously, the seven represents a day because it indicates a time, but D…D…" I trialed out with thought, and then Rob suddenly stopped his pacing and faced us.

"That's it, Colonel!" Rob said. "D means D-Day, D+7 means seven days plus or after D-Day, June 13. They want is to destroy the oil refinery in Dessau…" Rob pulled out a rolled-up map of Germany from the shelves on the wall behind him, went in the opposite direction and opened it on the table next to our radio. Rob searched the map for this mysterious city until he excitedly found it using the compass. "There! Dessau is towards the middle of Germany, in the east, about…thirty miles away from Hammelburg. The Underground must have an approximate location of the oil refinery."

Rob rolled the map back together and sighed, putting the map back where it was before on the shelves. He started to pace again, except he stopped when he reached the radio about the fifth or sixth time. Aware that we were all watching him, Rob continued. "We have to have somebody go meet with Unit 4's main agent and survey the area. If the Allied planes are being shot down so quickly, then the area must be secure and loaded. In that case, we need something good in order to get through those gates."

"Colonel," Carter began, "I have some g-good ones in my supply if –"

"That's just gonna get us into deeper trouble, Andrew," Kinch interjected. Somebody always has to remind Carter that this war can't always be about his explosives. It can't be as easy as blowing up something and running off to be innocent prisoners of war. It's more complicated than that, sadly.

"Right," Rob said, "and we'd land ourselves in front of a firing squad. In any case, we need a few good diversions and a plan on how to destroy it because it's guarded very well. If we find some weakness in the Krauts' plans, then we can use it to our advantage. This could be stalling our troopers and can also be the offensive plans against us. If so, this could have been developing since the beginning of the war and we haven't really heard of it until now. We don't destroy it and then those plans for D-Day will go down the drain. Oil refineries can really finish off this war for everyone. And if those plans for D-Day and the offensive are destroyed and the Krauts start winning the war again –"

"Then we'd be in a bloody sticky wicket with the Krauts," Newkirk finished.

"And then we'd all be goners, Colonel Hogan," LeBeau added with some tinge of anger to his voice. He hates the Krauts more so than anybody else and nobody knows why. I sense that it has to do with the Nazis going something to him and/or his family.

"And that won't be the least of our worries," Rob said. "With the Krauts winning the war again, our operation could get tricky and those fighting can get into deeper trouble than we are in. With the latest weapons and the oil refinery in running order, they could be newer weapons from the Krauts and more of our boys getting killed because there is no way to defend the lines or will there be the incapability to. On our side, one hint of us sabotaging their war efforts or even another escape or prisoner switch noticed, Klink could be finished. Klink is finished and then we get a new kommandant who would be tougher and check us out more often. Then, our operation's found out and finished and so are we. Either that or they find the tunnel while they're digging and maybe, we'll find ourselves up against the wall or have a noose around our necks. And I think we are in total agreement that we want to go home at the end of the war."

There were nods all around the table. The men wanted to live out the war, although the operation puts them in danger every single day.

This cynical conversation, however, was starting to depress me. So, an oil refinery in Dessau has to be destroyed or else we're all doomed. How are we going to pull it all off though? "Colonel," I said with the most respect I could muster up (I'll tell you, it was hard calling Rob that sometimes for recently, I have been disenchanted with authority), "if the bombers could at least access it, then it must not be on a hill or even in a valley at least. The bombers could reach it then, but because of the added security they're shot down. So, how do you think we'd get in just the same?"

I was more referring to if he had any plans yet or not. All the same, I thought Rob should have something that's getting his wheels going in his head, but alas, I was wrong this time. I was in for a surprise and when I somehow thought about it later, it was then that I remembered how Rob likes to set up people when they ask questions such as those.

"Well, Colonel," Rob began, "since your wings aren't broken anymore, I suggest you go out and meet with the Underground tonight. Thanks for volunteering. We should have a diversion ready when you head out. I can talk Klink into anything. Kinch, contact Unit 4 and ask where exactly they want us to meet them or if they want our people to head straight to Dessau. Make sure to ask for Maeve, he'll know who we are."

"Right, Colonel," Kinch said as he swiveled back to the radio and started using a different frequency to contact Maeve.

I was, meanwhile, shocked as ever. Volunteer for something like this? I really thought that Rob was out of his mind this time. "But, C-C-Colonel," I was stuttering like Carter, "what if I run into some danger on the way and not get to the contact?" That, in and out of itself, was a stupid question and there are such things as those. As for running into danger, it was always a good idea to have another come along.

At least Newkirk was on my side this time and not giving me the usual eye. "Aye, gov'nor, she's right. What if she ran into some danger?"

"Well, thanks for volunteering too, Newkirk," Rob said cheerfully. "I know you'd do a good job in watching the Colonel." Newkirk, of course, was just as flabbergasted as I was. The two of us on a mission together? Oh, good G-d, no!

LeBeau and Carter were, of course, laughing at us. Both patted Newkirk on the back and reassured him that everything will be ok. Meanwhile, I saw that Kinch relayed the message and in turn, wrote down another which was full of uncertainty to me. When he was finished, he ripped the paper off the board and handed the note to Rob (the code was deciphered already, so we didn't need the codebook). Rob was, of course, wrinkling his forehead in frustration and rubbing his temples. "They reminded us about the package for us to pick up and transfer to London when we meet them at Dessau, codename Scarlett O'Hara. This one's loaded on information for the oil refinery, so with some work from Newkirk and the Colonel, we could get something working."

"So," Rob continued as he rubbed his forehead once more, "you both have a long journey to and from this paradise and I've got some developments to put into play." This, of course, meant me and Newkirk should get ready to go as they tried to think this unusual mission out. We were dismissed.

The five of us all stared at Rob as he moved away from the group and went towards the ladder. He started for the ladder to go back to the barracks when a voice was heard as the entranceway collapsed. Rob jumped back down and hid behind a table quickly, in case it was the Gestapo, but it was only one of our men from the barracks and not the Krauts, thank G-d. "Colonel," the man, Corporal Newmann (the last prisoners processed here, who is on our side), called, "new prisoner coming in! Looks like an officer! Krauts have some top security on this one. They won't let us see him!"

"Coming, Newmann," Rob called back as he headed back for the ladder. I heard the report about the officer and started for the ladder too, following Rob up the steps as I started to hear the usual talk behind me from the men. Words came through my ears, such as "losing his rocker" and "rest camp." The remaining comments aren't worth mentioning, for I already know Rob too well to know that he isn't sane, but whacked.

Meanwhile, we need to see who we have this time and if we need to get this person back to England and get some prisoner exchange, if we can manage that too. If there is extra security on this officer, then we might have a harder time exchanging.

"Why do I have a feeling of impending disaster?" Rob asked aimlessly as we jumped back into the barracks. My neck wasn't prickling, so this was just Rob talking, I guessed.