Chapter 10: A New Home
Compared to what Hogan had just gone through, the two days in the cooler was like staying at the Biltmore. There was a window to the outside. If he stood on the bed, he could see what was going on in the compound. Had all the running water he wanted. Schultz managed to find a razor, soap and extra towel for him to use. He was starting to feel human again. The food Schultz brought him wasn't the best tasting stuff he'd ever eaten, but it beat bread and water.
He had a decent night sleep. He woke up by the sound of the roll call alarm. At least it wasn't a trumpet calling for formation. He lay in the bed, staring at the ceiling with his hands clasped behind his head. A while later, he heard footsteps coming down the hall. It wasn't Schultz's. Who could it be?
"Good morning, Colonel," said the voice from the barred doorway.
Hogan turned his head to see who spoke to him then did a double take. "What on earth are you doing here, Sergeant?"
"The names Kinchloe. You can call me Kinch like everyone else. I was shot down like all the others. You ready to come out of there or would you prefer to stay?"
"The name's Colonel Robert Hogan and saying stuff like that you get you court-martialed. Have the guard open it. "
"Why bother the guard?" asked Kinch.
Hogan was surprised when Kinch pulled a key ring from his pocket and opened the door "All the prisoners go around with keys to the cooler?"
"Nah, I just barrowed them from Schultz. I have to give them back," said Kinch with a smile.
"Isn't he afraid of you removing a key or making a copy of it?" asked Hogan.
"We don't need to do anything like that. We already have our own set," laughed Kinch.
Hogan laughed as well. "You're a funny man, Kinch. You had me going there for a minute."
"Why? It's the truth. I'll explain more later. Let me show you to your new home. When you're ready to tour the camp, let me know," said Kinch.
After talking with Kinch for a few minutes, Hogan was amazed how intelligent Kinch was. He was even more surprised when he spoke perfect German to a guard they passed by. He knew right a way there was something special about him.
Kinch entered the barracks first. "Atten-tion!" All the men came to attention.
"As you were." Hogan glanced around the room at all the men staring at him. He felt he should give a speech, but he hated giving speeches. He noticed how tense and unsure the men appeared. He figured the best way to help put the men at ease was to give them a taste of humor. "I know this may break some of your hearts and if you don't like it, tough. Since I'm the senior officer here, it's my prerogative to change or suspend certain regulations. I've never been much on formality so effective immediately, you don't have to come to attention every time I enter the room or salute whenever you see me. The occasional use of "sir" is fine, but don't over use it or you may find yourself volunteered for a work detail."
The men stared at each other. They weren't use to a commanding officer with a since of humor or who was lacks in military protocol. Kinch spoke up first. "Anything you say. You're the colonel."
Hogan sat at the big table in the center of the room. "So what do you men do around here for fun?"
"Some of us get a card game going. You much of a player?" asked Newkirk as he shuffled his cards.
"I've played a few hands. So what game are we going to play?" asked Hogan.
A grin as large as the English Channel spread across his face. "How about five card with nothing wild?"
Hogan shrugged. "I'm willing to give it a try, but what about betting?"
"Seeing as you just got here, I'll give you a loan. We'll play with cigarettes." Newkirk removed two packs of cigarettes from his locker. He handed one to Hogan. "This is just a loan. You'll pay me back when you get your Red Cross package."
"You have my word, Corporal," said Hogan.
"The name's Newkirk. Peter Newkirk." Newkirk passed out the cards as others joined around the table.
Hogan stared at his cards with no emotion. He put his ante of one cigarette in the center of the table. "I take three." Hogan added his new cards to his hand.
"What's your bet, Colonel?" asked Newkirk.
After thinking a moment, Hogan laid three cigarettes in the pile. "I bet three."
"I'll see your three and raise you two," said Newkirk. The others sitting around the table that'd joined in playing, folded.
Carefully glancing at his cards, Hogan said, "I'll see your two and raise you two more."
The men standing around were shocked. Newkirk started to sweat. "Fine. I'll see your two. Call." Newkirk laid his cards down. "Straight."
Newkirk started raking the cigarettes toward him. "Don't you want to see what I have before you declare yourself the winner?" asked Hogan. He laid one card down at a time face up. "Straight. Only difference is, I'm ten high and you're only nine high."
The men around the table couldn't believe someone beat Newkirk. "Want a chance to win your cigarettes back?" asked Hogan.
"You bet I do." Newkirk snatched the cards and shuffled them. For the next hour, the two men did nothing but play cards and talk. Sometimes Hogan won a few hands and sometimes Newkirk won a few hands. By the end of the game, they each had the same amount of cigarettes they started with plus a few extra from the others who weren't so lucky.
After the game was over, Kinch showed Hogan around the camp. "Over there are the guards barracks. Prisoners are not allowed over there. See this wire here. This is the warning wire. Do not cross it without a guards say so. There's Klink's private quarters. Prisoners are not allowed to be in there unless instructed to do so and always with an armed guard. The cooler you already know and in the back is the motor pool. The prisoners Mess Hall, Infirmary and the Rec Hall are over there with the delousing station and showers behind them. That pretty much covers it."
"Why would prisoners be in Klink's private quarters?" asked Hogan.
"We have cleaning work details. The prisoners on work details are rewarded with extra writing paper, white bread or hot showers. Klink uses them to clean his office and his quarters. On an occasion, because of LeBeau's cooking, Klink has bartered for his services. Sometimes some of the prisoners serve as waiters," answered Kinch.
"Hummm. Always under guard you say. Interesting." It was obvious Hogan's mind was cooking up something.
"No worries though. The guard is usually Schultz. What are you thinking, Colonel?" asked Kinch.
"Huh? I wasn't thinking of anything. Just curious." Hogan went back to thinking.
"You mind telling me what you're curious about?" asked Kinch.
"Where to start? One thing that has been bugging me is you. Don't take this the wrong way, but why are you here? Don't tell me shot down like everyone else. Negro's aren't flying over Germany yet. The other part is why are you in charge? Yes, you have the knowledge and talent to be a leader, but I can't imagine a Kraut letting that happen not to mention some of the other prisoners," asked Hogan.
"Let's just say I'm here as a reward for disobeying orders. The men in Barracks 2, many other barracks, a few guards and Klink don't have a problem with me, but there are a few in camp who do. I know who they are and try to avoid them. So what's your story? You seem fairly young to be a full colonel and a squadron leader," asked Kinch.
"How did you know?" asked Hogan.
"Word gets around," said Kinch. "And until yesterday, there was a man here who knew you from West Point. Klink had him transferred because he was causing trouble."
"Connections. I wasn't supposed to be flying on the mission I got shot down on. I did my fifty and was to go home. The person taking over had an accident and couldn't lead the mission. The mission was going to be canceled. I felt it was too important to let happen. I took his place. I guess you can say I'm here as well for disobeying orders. When I knew my plane was going down, I ordered everyone out then headed it for an armored battalion I saw headed toward France. That's the last thing I remember. I don't remember jumping out of the plane and have no idea how I ended up at Dulag Luft," said Hogan.
"You were flying that plane!" exclaimed Kinch. "We heard about that. Wait until the guys hear this."
"Let's not. I don't know what happened to everyone on board, but I know a couple of the men never made it out of Dulag Luft alive. Those men died because of me. I'd appreciate it if you never mentioned this again," ordered Hogan.
"Of course not, Sir. It's almost lunch time. Let's get back," said Kinch.
HH HH HH
"Smells good, LeBeau. How much longer until chow?" asked Kinch.
"About thirty minutes. Plenty of time for le Colonel to get some rest in his quarters," said LeBeau.
"A rest does sound nice, but isn't it against the rules to be resting on your bed during the day or cooking in the barracks?" asked Hogan.
"Not around here, mate." Newkirk stood next to Hogan with his hand on his shoulder. "You see, the guards here don't mind. As long as we're being good little prisoners, Klink doesn't mind." Newkirk patted Hogan's chest. "So you see, it is perfectly fine. Someone will get you when the food is ready." His hand went to Hogan's back before he walked away.
"Um, Newkirk? Give me back my wallet," said Hogan holding out his hand.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Hogan reached into Newkirk's inside pocket. With a nervous laugh Newkirk asked, "Now how do you suppose that got in there?"
"I wonder. Now hand over my watch." Again Hogan held out his hand for the item requested.
"It's a nice looking watch. I just wanted to get a closer look at it." Newkirk handed Hogan is watch back.
"You can keep the cigarettes. I prefer cigars. No more pick pocketing or else you'll force me to take drastic measures," threatened Hogan as he went into his room for a nice rest.
After Hogan's door was shut, Newkirk stared at Kinch. "Kinch, you've talked to the Colonel quite a bit, what's with him?"
"He's a private person. He's got a lot to get use to," said Kinch. Then in a low voice, "Newkirk, you and Foster clean Klink's office. I want you to copy his file. If he checks out, I'll let him know what's going on."
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"I thought I said I wanted a copy of it, not bring it to me," said Kinch.
"You did, but it's too large to copy. You'll have to skim through it and I'll replace it," said Newkirk.
Upon hearing Hogan's door opening, Kinch quickly hid the file under his jacket. "I was just coming to get you, Colonel. Lunch is ready."
Hogan sat at the head of the table. He cocked his head from one side to the other as he stared at the soup. "What's in it?"
Kinch raised his hand as LeBeau mumbled a string of French. "Just answer the question, LeBeau."
"Turnips, parsnips, mushrooms and potatoes. I couldn't get Schultz to go shopping for other ingredients," LeBeau said as he grumbled under his breath.
"Just as long as there isn't any eel or snails in it, I'm fine." Hogan took a bite. "Not bad. Has a nice flavor."
"Eels! Snails!" Was all anyone could understand. The rest came in rapid fire French. Immediately, Kinch spoke French back to him to calm him down.
Hogan didn't have to understand French to know it had to do with his comment. "I'm sorry LeBeau. It's just the last time I was in Paris; I ordered an omelet surprise. The surprise was there was eel and snails mixed in a clam sauce in it. I haven't been able to eat French food since."
"I'm not that cruel. Do not offend the cook before you taste the food," said LeBeau.
"Deal." Hogan observed the men eating their food. As he stared at the assortment of men, something struck him as odd. The camp wasn't segregated. He didn't know why he didn't notice it before. The Geneva Convention specifies POW camps be segregated by nationality and religion. Yet in this one barrack there were American, English, Russian and French. It appeared they got along with each other just fine. Maybe he can overlook this infraction of the Geneva Convention.
HH HH HH
That evening, Hogan stood in his first formation at Camp 13. After Schultz counted the men, Klink stood in the compound giving a speech and formally introducing Hogan as their new SPO.
Hogan's hat was pulled down low on his face. With a grin, he lifted his hand to push it back. However, he didn't grab the hat with his hand; he only extended his middle finger, then pushed his hat back on his head.
The men standing near him, who saw the jester, snickered. Klink, for whom the jester was meant, was oblivious to what Hogan did. As Klink walked back to his office, it dawned on him what Hogan did. "Hogan! I want to see you in my office. Now!"
With a shrug to his men, he waltzed into Klink's office. He stood in a relaxed position with his thumbs hooked in his pockets before Klink. "You will stand at attention and give me a proper military salute."
With a grin, Hogan stood a little straighter then flipped him a casual military salute. "Now what can I do you for, Kommanant?"
"I've been patient with you since it's your first day. My patience is wearing thin. Any more jesters from you like the one during roll call will be punished. Let's get one thing straight. I run this camp with an iron fist. If you insist on testing me, you will find the cooler to be your new home until the end of the war. Maybe even after the war. Have I made myself clear, Colonel?" asked Klink.
"Yes, Sir. Am I dismissed?" asked Hogan.
Klink toyed with a piece of paper in his hand. "I was going to give this to you, but after your little stunt, I think I'll hold on to it for a while."
"What's on it?" asked Hogan.
"Two names and some information about them. But bad behavior doesn't deserve rewarded," said Klink.
"I'm sorry, Kommandant. It was just a little fun to help boost moral around here. I didn't mean any harm by it," said Hogan as innocently as he could.
Klink handed the paper to Hogan. A small grin appeared on his face when he read Flynn had escaped and has not been recaptured. Hill was sent to Stalag 9. "Anything on Carr?"
There was true sadness in Klink's eyes. "I'm sorry," was all Klink said. Klink gave Hogan a moment. Klink went to the cupboard and poured two glasses of schnapps. He handed one to Hogan. "To fallen friends," Klink toasted.
Hogan lifted his glass. "To fallen friends." He gulped it down in one shot.
Klink did the same. "You realize you are not supposed to know that information, especially about Corporal Flynn. For both our sakes, I hope you keep it to your self." Klink took the paper back from Hogan. He lit the silver lighter on his desk, holding the paper over the flame. After the paper caught on fire, Klink threw it in the trash can. "I did something you wanted and I expect you to return the favor by stop causing trouble. Dissssmisssed."