Chapter 7: Working the Night Shift
Carter woke early Sunday morning, nearly an hour ahead of his alarm. The last two days had been fairly routine except for the tunnel they were digging. They were close to breaking through early Saturday, but Carter had called the digging to a halt. If he had any chance of preventing Hogan's crew from finding out about his tunnel, it would be necessary to complete the project at night.
Shortly after midnight, he and Miller had gone down and finished things up. They now had an auxiliary tunnel which joined the main tunnels through a trap door from below. The tunnels joined just past the point where the tunnel system used to branch off towards Barracks 6. Just before this junction, they'd dug up into the tunnel wall itself. They'd hidden a peephole in the wall facing the main tunnel so they could look and listen for activity. The hole was also large enough for them to slip through a long rod with a weighted handkerchief tied to the end. This device would be used to sweep dirt back over the trap door when they returned, thus concealing evidence of their intrusion.
Carter was a little anxious about that night's mission. It would be the first one under his command. He was even more concerned about that morning, however. Miller already knew about his plans and the basics of Hogan's operation. This morning, after roll call, he was going to share some of that information with the rest of his chosen crew. There was no way he could get the okay from London and he was certain that Hogan would be furious if he ever found out. Maybe even court-martial him--Hogan would certainly have the grounds. But he couldn't let that stop him.
He was a patriotic American. He wasn't going to just sit around the POW camp doing nothing. As a member of Hogan's group, he'd enjoyed the thrill of striking a blow to the enemy from inside enemy lines. He wasn't about to stop now.
When he had been at Barracks 2, they had taunted him several times about whose side he was on, even going so far as to tell him that he'd just cost them the war. If they had any doubts, his missions should prove he was still loyal.
Carter lay there, his thoughts churning, until it was time to get up for roll call. Then, he got up to start the day.
- - -
After roll call, Carter order Miller, Nelson, Montgomery and Evans to join him in his quarters. They'd brought some chairs from the main room and were seated around the small table that also served as Carter's desk.
"Remember when I moved in, I talked about our having a mission?" Carter declared. "Well, now that our tunnel is finished, we can begin."
"It's finished?" Nelson asked.
"Miller and I finished it last night."
"But it doesn't go very far," protested Montgomery. "How's it supposed to help any?"
Carter became very serious. "All right, guys. Before I go on, I need you to give me your solemn word that what I'm about to tell you will go no further than this room. You are to discuss it with no one except those currently present here." The men all agreed and Carter continued. "The tunnel we dug connects to a much larger system. It gives us access to several spots throughout the camp as well as an exit outside the fence. The latter will be the one that concerns us. We will use it to perform our missions."
"Which are?" Nelson prompted.
"As you may have heard, the Underground and other sabotage units have been blowing up several key sites in this area. We don't want to call attention to ourselves. Therefore, we're going to use a different tactic. We're going to infiltrate the facility, then create a disaster that will look like an accident. It will cripple their operation but will arouse no suspicion. And we will be helping the Allied war effort."
"Very ingenious," Montgomery complemented him. The others voiced their agreement.
"Thanks, guys," Carter acknowledged. "Now there's one more thing you need to be aware of. Even though we're not using dynamite, the missions are going to be very dangerous. If we're caught, we won't be protected by the Geneva Convention. We will likely be executed as spies. Now, would anyone like to opt out?" The men all shook their heads no. "Okay, then we'll discuss tonight's mission. Our target is going to be the new research lab they're building east of Hammelburg. Evans, you were majoring in electrical engineering before you were drafted, right?"
"Yes, Sir," Evans answered.
"You think you could cause some electrical fires, make it appear accidental?"
"I think so."
"Good. Then, you're with me tonight. Now, we have to figure out how to get inside without arousing suspicion."
"I might have a suggestion, Sir," stated Evans. "When I was in town the other day getting the food for our cookout, they were hiring civilian laborers. They needed them for cleaning, moving heavy loads, that sort of thing. They were hiring all shifts but I don't think they were having much luck hiring for nights. They may still have some openings."
"Then, that's how we'll do it. We'll have to get some fake papers. I know where. Can you speak German?"
"No, Sir," replied Evans.
"All right, then. If there's any situation where we have to speak German, let me do all the talking. Today, I want you to practice speaking English with a German accent. In fact, that's something all of you could do. And first chance you get, everyone needs to learn basic German. It might come in handy."
"What about civilian clothes?"
Carter smiled. "I know where to get those, too. I guess that covers it for now. You're dismissed."
- - -
Late that night, Evans followed Carter through the tunnel they'd dug. Just before they reached the trap door, Carter went up and looked through their peephole. He could see no one nearby in the main system and everything seemed quiet. Carter went back down and the two proceeded to their trap door exit.
After following Carter up out of the exit, Evans took a moment to survey what he could see of the main tunnel system. "I had no idea it was this huge," he gasped.
"This is only a small part of it," Carter informed him.
"And Hogan's unit uses this? Does anyone else know?"
In a serious tone, Carter said, "Look, Evans, I hope you don't mind, but the less you know about the operation, the safer it is for you and them."
"I understand, Sir," Evans acknowledged.
"All right, follow me and we'll go get our civilian clothes. We'll proceed with caution, though. We need to make sure no one else is down here."
Carefully, they made their way to the room which held the racks of clothing. They each picked out some civilian clothes that would fit and put them on. When they were finished, Carter ordered, "Wait, here."
Carter went on alone to the room where the printing press was stored. There were also various blank forms that they had printed and hidden there. He took two of the blank civilian ID forms and quickly filled them out to match his and Evans descriptions. For himself, he chose the name Andreas Becker. He identified Evans as Ludwig Strauss.
Once he had finished, Carter rejoined Evans. "Okay, we're out of here," declared Carter as they headed for the tree stump exit.
- - -
Once outside the camp, Carter led Evans to an area a short distance away. Behind some bushes, Carter revealed a sidecar motorcycle that was hidden there. He had spoken with their contact in the motor pool that afternoon and arranged it. In addition to the usual fee, he paid the guy an extra ten dollars to keep it their secret. He didn't want Hogan or the others to learn of it.
"You're in the sidecar," he told Evans.
"Yes, Sir," Evans agreed.
Carter took his seat on the motorcycle while Evans climbed into the sidecar. When they were ready, Carter sped off in the direction of Hammelburg.
- - -
They hid the motorcycle just outside Hammelburg and Carter and Evans continued on foot. Arriving in town, they discovered that the lab was in desperate of night help. One of the supervisors was in town seeking recruits. Once they had shown him their papers, they were hired on the spot. A short time later, they and several other workers were loaded into the back of a truck and driven to the lab.
When they reached the lab, the employees were assigned their duties. Most of the workers were sent to unload supplies or work on the final construction. As the newcomers, Carter and Evans were assigned janitorial duty. They were secretly thrilled with this unexpected advantage. They would have the excuse to travel throughout the building.
The supervisor led Carter and Evans to the janitorial closet. "Get what you need," he ordered. "Then, start cleaning the rooms down this hall. When you're through here, you can move to the next section, and then the next. I expect this building cleaned by morning. Understand?"
"Jawohl," Carter and Evans both answered.
"Then, I'll leave you to it. I'll check back later and see how you're doing."
The supervisor left. Carter and Evans promptly got their supplies together and headed for the first room. They quickly checked the room for bugs. It was okay. "Any idea on how you're going to cause the fires?" Carter asked, as he picked up a rag and began dusting.
Evans emptied the trash and replied, "They seem to be abundantly furnished with the latest electrical equipment. While we're cleaning, I'll rewire the circuits in some of them so they'll get too much current and overheat. With time, it should catch fire. We're just ordinary civilians. We wouldn't know anything about electrical circuits. Therefore, if the machines are isolated as the cause of the fire, the inspectors should believe they were assembled wrong at the factory. We need to concentrate on the machines in close proximity to the janitor closet, Bunsen burners, oxygen tanks and other flammable or potentially explosive material. That way, if the machine catches fire, it will cause extensive damage."
"Okay, Evans. This room is next to the janitor closet. You get started working on that machine in the corner and I'll clean."
"Yes, Sir."
- - -
Carter and Evans were making their way down the hall. They had cleaned several rooms and Evans had just finished "fixing" the second machine when they heard a noise in the hall. The door opened and the supervisor walked in. "How's it going?" the supervisor asked.
"Sehr gut," answered Carter.
"I've been checking the rooms you've finished cleaning. I am pleased with your work."
"Danke."
"Well, I've got others to check on. I'll let you get back to work."
The supervisor left and they continued with their work.
- - -
By morning, Carter and Evans had cleaned all the rooms they'd been assigned, tampering with several machines in the process. It was nearly five o'clock when the supervisor ordered the men back into the truck and they were driven back to Hammelburg. Once there, they hurried towards the motorcycle, even running once they were out of town. They quickly took their seats on the motorcycle and Carter sped off towards camp.
The rest of the men in Barracks 6 were lined up at the door when Carter and Evans opened the trap door and entered the room. Less than two minutes later, Shultz was calling everyone outside for roll call. Carter and Evans took their places in line and filed out with the rest. Standing at attention, Carter let his eyes wander in the direction of the research lab. He could only hope their mission proved successful.