Part X

After morning roll call, Hogan had Banks get started on his drawing with the warning to have something to hide it under in case one of the guards walked in without warning. He poured himself some of the coffee LeBeau had ready and then montioned what he now considered to be his core group into his office.

"Alright - to really get a feel for what we have to work with, I need as much history as I can get. Fetherston wasn't exactly a fountain of information. Let's start with Colonel Klink."

"The Kommandant has not been here for too terribly long, mon Colonel. General Burkhalter brought him in to replace Kommandant Lange after the l'incident with the surprise visit from the Red Cross. I had only been here perhaps four months when that occured."

"I hadn't even been here a month at that point myself. In fact, I think Peter was already in the Cooler when I got here."

"Mais oui - it was just after when you arrived. But that is beside the point. When the Red Cross gave the Stalag such a bad rating, Lange was gone as quickly as Burkhalter could draw enough breath to scream at him. Colonel Klink was traveling with le general and was assigned as his replacement on the spot."

Kinchloe took up the story from there.

"What we've found out from his own mini-speeches and from the guards is that he's single, used to be a pilot nicknamed 'the Iron Eagle'. He had to quit piloting due to bad vision in one eye, so the monocle isn't just for show in his case."

Newkirk just smirked and then launched into a credible imitation of Klink.

"No prisoner ever escapes from Stalag 13. Not last night, not tonight, not never!"

The other three laughed, but that was another little item Hogan filed away in his mind for later. Especially seeing as there had not been a trace of the Cockney tones in Newkirk's voice while doing it.

"That reminds me - any of the three of you know German?'

"I do, Colonel. It was part of my training for covering and translating broadcasts."

"Excellent. I know it as well - LeBeau and Newkirk, get ready for a crash course. If we're going to move around, we're going to need to be able to read and speak the local lingo. Now, Sergeant Schultz?"

The others immediately deferred that to Newkirk.

"Ol' Schultzie in th' wrong line o' work, but not like he'd been given better options. 'e's got a wife named Gretchen an' five children, 'as a married sister who's got a son they call Wolfie. Short for Wolfgang, if memory serves, sir. Schultz's been 'ere since they opened th' camp. Camp 'ad only just opened when I got 'ere."

"Decided to get in on the grand opening?"

"Well, they made me an offer I 'ad trouble refusin', Guv. Any way, our Schultzie just wants t' get through this war with as little grief as possible an' get back t' 'is ol' civilian life with 'is wife an' kiddies."

"His English is pretty good, so don't assume he can't understand what your saying. He might decide it's better to pretend he doesn't understand though."

"He does not like to get us into trouble, so if we can offer him a way to not get us into trouble and keep him out of trouble as well? Il est pour le mieux."

Listening to the three of them, Hogan just chuckled again.

"It's hard for me to believe how short a time you guys have known one another."

"War an' politics, Guv. They both make for strange bedfellows."

"Sergeant Kinchloe?"

"Just Kinch is fine, sir."

"Alright, Kinch. Any other talents of yours I should know about?"

"Well, I also know French, sir. I'm good with basic radio and telegraph. Did some plumbing work back in Detroit. Peter and I both can mimic voices pretty well after we've heard them a time or two."

"Kinch 'ere can do a mean Burkhalter."

"How about you, LeBeau?"

"I can cook, naturellement. Before the war, I did la photographie as a hobby. I can sew as well. I am good with animals..."

The small Frenchman's voice trailed off, then he shrugged.

"Whatever there is that needs to be done to shorten this war, I will do to the best of my ability."

"Photography could come in very handy in the line of work we're going in. Newkirk?"

"This might take awhile, Guv. Could we get us some refills on our coffee?"

At Hogan's nod, LeBeau went out and brought the pot back in.

"Well, I'm what some might call a jack o' all trades, sir. I've done a bit o' everything from tailorin' t' safe crackin'. Worked with a circus for a time an' as a stage magician. I can throw knives, know 'ow t' use a bow an' arrow an' I've done a mite o' forgery now an' again. Rest I think we've already covered, sir."

"Klink the only one you can mimic?"

"Oh no sir."

Brushing himself off a bit, Newkirk quoted Winston Churchill using the statesman's distinctive voice - smoothly altering his voice to that of a cultured radio announcer at the end.

"'I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.' This is BBC radio reporting to you live from London."

Newkirk paused, then gave the Colonel an appraising look.

"Mind if we turn that question your direction, Colonel? I mean, I've already seen that yer a bit o' a flim-flam artist."

Hogan just grinned and shrugged.

"Fair enough. I was a bomber pilot but I got to thinking that my 'talents' might be made better use of elsewhere. I did gain a little bit of a reputation as a troublemaker in my youth, but I also got the reputation for being able to get myself out of trouble as well as into it. My commanding officer was one of the ones behind this little scheme and he sounded me out on it. I volunteered and - here I am."

"Newkirk, I'll be going one on one with you to teach you German - Kinch, since you speak both French and German, you teach LeBeau. I need to see progress fast, men. In addition? Newkirk, I want you to get me a layout of the compound including the buildings. On the buildings you can't access the inside of currently, I at least want the outer dimensions and what's supposed to be inside of them. Kinch, I want you and Banks to see if you can get that entrance fixed to where it will be both hidden and accessable. LeBeau, I'd like you to inventory what we have to work with including things that are usuable or fixable downstairs."

Hogan glanced at his watch.

"Let's divide into our little study groups from now until lunch. After that, hit your individual projects. I want a tunnel headed for beyond the fence started by the end of the week. We'll need to get out to get our supply drops and to contact the Underground."