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"No bells and whistles this time, fellas, just an ordinary escape attempt. Hochstetter seems to think we'll find a way around the barbed wire without the help of a blackout." Hogan was going through the night's work with the men after evening roll call. He had woken only as sunset descended on the camp, annoyed at himself for being oblivious for that long, yet grateful for the respite it had provided. Though still infinitely sore, the rest had given him the stamina to carry on a bit longer. Just get through this; then you can collapse, he kept promising himself, almost like a mantra. "You know what to do."
The men nodded solemnly. This mission was quickly reaching critical stage. Going outside the wire in full view of the guards went hand in hand with the possibility of being shot. Hogan surveyed his men carefully, looking for signs of hesitation or confusion. He found furrowed brows and obvious concern, but no indication that they would not follow through. "Let's hope this does the trick. If it does, we'll be free to get that bridge on our own tomorrow. If it doesn't, I might just be tempted to take him up on his offer to get rid of it with him."
"Do you think Klink will be ready for you, Colonel?" asked Kinch.
"After Newkirk's award-winning performance today? I wouldn't be surprised if Klink's standing guard himself tonight."
Newkirk grinned as the others applauded his work in the Kommandant's office. "Thank you, gentlemen, thank you. I would like to thank my mother…" he began, only to be teased into jovial silence.
"If this goes off tonight, I'll let you thank her personally," Hogan promised, not sure himself if he was joking.
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Hogan, Newkirk, and Carter squeezed through the same gap in the barbed wire fence that Hogan had been furnished with by Hochstetter. Though Klink had ordered the damaged fence repaired after Hogan's first failed escape attempt, the fix had only been for show, and the original gap still existed. Crouching to keep out of the spotlight beams waving above them, the men started towards a quieter spot in the dense undergrowth where they could wait for the camp's guard dogs to come find them.
A low voice and the sound of a gun's safety catch being removed stopped them in their tracks as they began to settle in. "So you made it at last."
A quick look made them realize they had been observed by Hochstetter, who was squatting nearby, gun at the ready. Even in the dim light, Newkirk was sure he saw a flash of fear in Hogan's eyes, which disappeared as the senior POW spoke. "We got out, but it was a close one. These are the men who can help us."
It took all of Newkirk's willpower not to spit in Hochstetter's face. Carter was uncharacteristically still, and just stared at Hogan. "The phony dynamite is hidden under the bridge. It is about a mile's hike from here. My men are ordered to go there in forty-five minutes. We can get there and have the bridge wired with the false explosives by then," Hochstetter said. "When we find you, we will present you to Klink. And his so-called perfect record will no longer exist."
Suddenly the sirens started blaring at Stalag 13. The sound of dogs barking and men shouting reached their ears. "Come, we must hurry," Hochstetter urged.
Hogan nodded to his men and they all started away from the underbrush. Carter suddenly stumbled and fell heavily to the ground. "Carter!" Hogan called in a loud whisper.
"Sorry, Colonel, I tripped!" Carter answered.
Hogan and Newkirk turned and came back to him. Hochstetter stood impatiently. "Hurry, hurry up!" he hissed, as the noises grew closer.
"Hang on, Major; we can't leave him here," Hogan protested. He leaned down to Carter, and whispered, "Keep it up; they're nearly here." Louder, he said, "Can you walk?"
"I don't know, sir; I'll try,"
Carter said. Newkirk hoisted him up by the arm, and Carter took a tentative
step. "That seems okay, sir—" Newkirk thumped him hard in the back. "—Oh—oh, I mean, I can't move very fast on it, sir," he
amended, slumping over.
"Anschlag! Prisoners, anschlag!" came the cry from somewhere close. They could hear the sound of leaves and branches being trampled underfoot, and dogs growling and panting not far off.
"Well it looks like we're beaten again," Hogan sighed, turning towards Hochstetter. "You'd better get out of here. If they find you with us they'll be plenty suspicious." Hochstetter glared at Hogan, who simply shrugged. "Look, I told you this was an impossible task. Klink's got us under his thumb; I don't know why you insist on thinking he's some incompetent who can't run a prison camp. Go on; get out. And give it up. We won't say a thing."
"I will come to get you out tomorrow, Hogan," said Hochstetter. "We will find a way to finish this. One way or the other." And he disappeared stealthily into the trees.
"I'm sure you will," Hogan breathed, his voice shaking. He watched Hochstetter's retreat, then shook himself back to work and turned to the others. "Good work," he said.
"He's not giving up, gov'nor," Newkirk said.
"No," Hogan said grimly. "It sounds like he's not. But he's given us something we can use. Carter, you okay?"
"Oh, gee, yes, sir," Carter grinned. "I was just joshin' ya."
"Great, we've got two hams to deal with. Come on; let's meet the dogs. We've got a new angle to take tonight, thanks to Hochstetter himself."
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"So you think the fake stuff will still be out there, Colonel?" asked Kinch.
"I can't see why he'd take it away. He says it's hidden. If it's fake he won't lose anything by leaving it there. Since we're going to have to continue this charade a little longer," Hogan paused and took a deep breath, "it seems only fair that we use the real thing." He nodded at Carter. "Carter, I want you and Kinch to sneak out later tonight. Go to that bridge and find what's there. You're going to have to make exact copies of the stuff... but loaded. I mean really loaded. Think you can handle it?"
"Gee, you betcha, boy—uh, Colonel," Carter said, bobbing his head excitedly in agreement.
"You'll have to wait awhile, though. There's still too much excitement out there because of us. Speaking of which," he swung his leg off the bench and pulled up his collar, "I'm due in the Kommandant's office. Keep an eye out, just in case I end up in the cooler again. I'm going to try and keep him from sending you fellas there, too." And he sauntered out of the barracks.
"Bloody Hochstetter's coming back tomorrow, 'e says," Newkirk remarked as Hogan left.
"So it didn't work like the Colonel hoped," Kinch said.
"Hardly," Newkirk answered. "And I don't mind tellin' you that the gov'nor looked mighty worried, too."
"So are we all, Newkirk," Kinch agreed. "So are we all."
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What was becoming a pattern to this situation continued: A talk with Klink, followed by a hot shower, followed by a period of waiting for Hochstetter to return. Hogan sent Kinch and Carter out through the emergency exit when the excitement died down, and Carter returned full of ideas and diagrams. Babbling with enthusiasm, he headed down the ladder to his lab, promising to have "the best bombs in the world" in place by the same time tomorrow night.
Hochstetter's arrival the next morning was unheralded. Le Beau saw the car drive into the compound and stop at Klink's office. Hogan, who had been alone in his office at the time, came out quietly, already wearing his jacket and cap. "Make sure the stuff is there," he said to Carter. Carter nodded, his mouth too dry to answer, his eyes full of worry. "Hold the fort till I come back," Hogan said to them. "Then we'll finish this once and for all."
"Be careful, Colonel," Kinch said. He couldn't voice what he really wanted to say, the warning he wanted to give, the protest he wanted to launch.
"Oui, do not let Hochstetter get the best of you, Colonel," Le Beau added, adjusting Hogan's lapel, full of emotion he couldn't express.
Newkirk simply looked at Hogan, his greatest fear showing on his face: that Hogan wouldn't be coming back at all.
"Don't be so worried," Hogan said, forcing some lightheartedness into his voice. "I'll be back tomorrow night, right?"
His remark was met with reluctant agreement. It didn't help in the end that Hogan was wrong.