Chapter 14 – Courage Lies in Every Heart

LeBeau paused briefly to consider how he would answer Roberts' question. He took a deep breath and went on to explain that they had been on what turned out to be their last mission of the war, namely, to ensure that the rebuilt Adolph Hitler bridge came crashing down before the remnants of the Heer and Panzerkorps could cross to relative safety. They had just completed mining the bridge with timed explosives and were headed back to camp when an SS patrol cut across their path extremely too close for comfort. Newkirk ordered all of them to return to camp whilst he diverted the patrol away from them. LeBeau, Carter and Baker had all protested vigorously to no avail. LeBeau still remembered Newkirk's parting words before he dashed back into the woods. The gov'nor put me in charge and 'e expects me to get you lot back safe Louis. That's what I'm doin'. Now go on. Go! His tone changed from command to pleading. Please go mates! If they catch you, they'll shoot you! And don't lag about in this cold! Get back to camp and I'll see you there. And then he was gone.

LeBeau glanced over at Hogan. "I remember what you told Pierre before we left mon Colonel. You told him that you trusted him to bring us back safely. And...and he did."

Hogan nodded sadly. "Yes. I'll remember that night for the rest of my life." He looked over at Peter as LeBeau resumed his narrative.

After Newkirk took off, the three men had rushed as quietly as they could towards the camp, oddly grateful for the distraction of the blizzard and cold. Carter kept looking back and LeBeau pushed him forward.

"He will return André. How many times has he led a Boche patrol on a merry chase and then shown up back at camp boasting and grinning like a fool?"

Carter didn't look convinced but he nodded and pushed on. They were just about to the tree stump entrance to the tunnel when the unmistakable sound of gunshots rang out above the blustery wind. Both Baker and Carter stopped and turned around to go back. Even though it nearly tore him apart to do so, LeBeau moved quickly to stand in front of them. "No mes amis! We are nearly home! Pierre is giving the patrol something to throw them off his track! Trust me! He is a clever one, our Pierre! Now come! Here is the tree stump. We cannot risk being discovered now so close to the end!" He fervently prayed he was right as he watched first Carter, then Baker descend inside the tree stump.

Carter and Baker also hoped against all hope that LeBeau was right as they clambered down the ladder. LeBeau brought up the rear and they found the Colonel in the tunnel, anxiously awaiting their arrival. He began pacing as they reported what happened on the way back from the bridge. The four of them remained underground for the rest of the night, listening and waiting for their Englishman. Unfortunately, something had gone very wrong for Newkirk did not return.

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Just before next morning's roll call, the men of Barracks Two heard the rumble of vehicles entering the camp, followed after a moment by a shout of sheer panic. "Colonel Hogan! Komm Schnell!" Schultz' voice rang out uncharacteristically high and thin, sharpened by naked fear.

Everyone rushed out the door and followed Schultz' horrified gaze towards the compound; both Carter and LeBeau cried out at the sight meeting their eyes.

A battered and bloodied Newkirk was being mercilessly dragged out of the back of a truck. His black clothing was torn and muddy. He was shackled and chained with heavy manacles not only on his arms and legs, but also around his neck like a dog's collar. He staggered and stumbled, falling several times. The chains clanked together noisily, producing a discordant metallic jangling that echoed unceasingly as the Englishman was roughly jerked along by an SS guard.

Hogan moved to charge over but halted when Hochstetter exited the staff car and hailed the guard holding Newkirk. "Station him in front of Barracks Two. Make him stand at attention. If he disobeys, shoot him! If he falls, shoot him! We shall see how long he lasts."

The men watched in horror as the guard yanked Newkirk over to stand in front of their barracks. He slowly raised his head to reveal blackened, puffy eyes, a bloody nose and a split, swollen lip. God only knew what further damage was concealed beneath his ripped clothing.

"Mon Dieu! Pierre!" LeBeau moved to run to his friend; Hogan grabbed him and restrained him with an arm across his chest.

"Not now Louis," the Colonel whispered, his eyes locked on his English Corporal.

Newkirk painfully turned his head to look at both LeBeau and Hogan dead in the eyes. The harsh clanking of the chains was the only sound as he sent a silent message. No lil' mate! Forget about me! Go back! Save yourselves!

LeBeau gasped as he met his friend's anguished yet determined green eyes. He turned away, his own eyes filling with tears at his English friend's sacrifice.

Hochstetter ordered several more SS guards to herd the prisoners back into the barracks. He glanced disdainfully in Hogan's direction and called out to the guards. "If they do not obey, shoot the Englander!"

"Colonel?" Carter looked desperately at his commanding officer.

"Back in the barracks Carter." Hogan frowned; he didn't like what he saw in Hochstetter's eyes. "They mean business this time."

"But Colonel! Peter! He's…" Carter couldn't finish.

"I know Andrew. I know. C'mon let's get back inside." Hogan herded his distraught men back into the barracks as an SS guard took up a post outside the door.

Once inside, Hogan gestured to one of the other men. "Goldman watch the door." Goldman jumped up to obey the Colonel's order. He then turned to Carter, "Andrew, go get Wilson right now. Peter's going to need him." Carter jumped down into the tunnel, grateful for the distraction of a task.

Hogan turned when LeBeau grabbed his arm. The Frenchman spoke in a low whisper, mindful of the SS standing guard outside the door. "Colonel, Pierre put himself in harm's way to save us! We cannot let these filthy Boche kill him!"

"I know, Louis, I know. But we have to consider the bigger picture here. We can't let anything jeopardize that bridge blowing. Too much depends on that. It's vital that those panzers remain stranded on the west side of the river. Plus the game's changed. The Krauts have absolutely nothing to lose now. Look at Hochstetter - he's crazy dangerous. One wrong move and Peter's dead." Hogan didn't have to mention what they all already knew; namely, that an evacuation of the operation was not an option this late in the game. London had mandated a stay in place order pending the Allied liberation of the stalag.

"But Colonel, if we don't do something quick he'll die out there in that cold!" Baker murmured.

"I know, I know," Hogan muttered to himself. He paced back and forth across the room for several long minutes before he came to a decision. He flung the barracks door open and strode outside, intent on confronting Hochstetter regardless of the danger to himself. The SS guard immediately blocked his path.

"Nein! Verboten!" The guard raised his rifle. Hogan stopped but did not retreat. He stood firm, directing a withering glare at the guard. The guard glanced over his shoulder at Hochstetter, who nodded gleefully. Instantly the guard brought the butt of his rifle up to connect with the Colonel's chin. Stunned by the glancing blow, Hogan fell to his knees and would have done a face plant in the snow were it not for his men, who had rushed outside to retrieve him.

Newkirk saw what happened and automatically moved to help his CO. He gasped and closed his eyes as he felt the business end of a rifle jabbed roughly against the back of his head. He slowly straightened back to attention (or as close as he could get in his condition) and stood motionless as he waited for the bullet to blast through his skull. The guard held the gun's muzzle against his head for a moment longer and then suddenly stood back with a grunt. Newkirk swallowed hard and tried to stop his legs from shaking. Why didn't 'e shoot me?

Hochstetter strolled over. "Let that be a lesson to you Hogan. I will not tolerate any more interference from you!" He looked up at the sound of footsteps approaching behind him and turned around. "Or anyone else!"

Schultz had gone to the Kommandantur to fetch Klink and they both rushed over. Klink raised his arm and gestured at Hochstetter as he came near.

"Major Hochstetter! I protest! The Englander is my prisoner! You have no right to..to…" Klink stopped in shock as he noticed Hogan being carried into the barracks by his men. His voice rose a full octave in fear. "You assaulted Colonel Hogan?"

"Bah!" Hochstetter moved intimidatingly close to Klink and brandished his Luger. "Klink do not dare to push me! I will prove once and for all that your precious Colonel Hogan is none other than the notorious Papa Bear! This man…" he gestured savagely at Newkirk. "This Englander was captured several kilometers from here. He was not in uniform so he will be considered a spy. He is no longer your prisoner and he can no longer hide behind the Geneva Convention!" Hochstetter's voice gradually rose in pitch as he grew angrier. "He is more than a spy! He is a saboteur against the Third Reich and he will be punished accordingly!"

Klink shrank back from the tirade. To his credit, he tried to stand up to the Gestapo Major, though his voice shook mightily as he spoke. "Major, I have just placed several calls to General Burkhalter's office! We shall see what he says!"

Hochstetter snorted contemptuously as he holstered his gun. "General Burkhalter has not been seen or heard from since the last Allied air raid on Berlin earlier this month, Herr Kommandant." He growled the last two words menacingly. "I would not expect any help from him if I were you."

"We will see Major!" Klink bustled past Hochstetter to enter Barracks Two, with Schultz right behind him.

Hochstetter strolled back over to inspect Newkirk as he stood shivering and shaking in the brutal cold. "Well Corporal? Perhaps you will tell me why you were outside of this camp dressed in these clothes, eh?"

Newkirk merely glared at the Gestapo major. He didn't care what happened to himself as long as the mission proved successful and his mates were safe.

"I am waiting Englander." Hochstetter stopped pacing and stood right in front of Newkirk. He pulled his Luger from its holster and brandished it menacingly. "Answer me now!"

Newkirk's thin voice shook with the cold. "Y-you..g-go to..hell…Major!"

Hochstetter smashed Newkirk across the face with the butt of his Luger and then screamed at him, "You will tell me what you were doing outside of this camp and you will tell me now!"

Newkirk managed not to fall, though just barely. He slowly drew himself back up to impassively stare down onto Hochstetter, as if he were examining some inconsequential insect. He deliberately tried to keep his voice from shaking this time and succeeded somewhat.

"If..you…must…know…I…was….tryin'..to…contact…our…boys….they're…gettin'….closer….you…know…" The cold was beginning to scramble his thoughts and his speech began to slur. "And…they'll….wanta….wanta…uh…know…why…I'm….bein'…uh…bein'…uh…." he suddenly found he couldn't put the words together.

"Bah!" shouted Hochstetter. "You will stand at attention until you tell me what I want to know!"

Newkirk stared blankly at the screaming man, desperately trying to stay awake. A wave of weariness suddenly washed over him and he stumbled a bit, seeking to keep his balance. The guard raised his rifle and stepped forward in anticipation.

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Klink and Schultz entered Hogan's quarters to find Wilson already tending to the Colonel, who was lying on his bottom bunk. Surprisingly enough he was awake, although a bit dazed. "Who's there?" he mumbled despite Wilson's ministrations to his jaw.

Wilson glanced behind his shoulder without skipping a beat. "It's Kommandant Klink and Sergeant Schultz sir."

Klink came near. "Colonel Hogan? I cannot believe what just happened. Are you all right?"

Hogan spoke slowly and with some difficulty. "I will be. You've got eyewitnesses to what just happened Kommandant." He gestured at Schultz. "Sergeant Schultz and Corporal Langenscheidt saw everything, didn't you?"

The German guard stepped forward, nodding nervously. "Ja Colonel. Karl and I saw what happened while we were standing in front of the Kommandant's office waiting for him."

"Colonel, it would help if you wouldn't try to talk." Wilson was growing increasingly frustrated.

Hogan was as well and he rolled his eyes in response. "Well, at least I found out what I wanted to know."

"What was that?" asked Klink.

"Hochstetter's state of mind."

Wilson spoke sotto voce out of the side of his mouth. "Wish you coulda found a less painful method sir."

Hogan tried to hold in a chuckle but was unsuccessful, wincing at the resultant pain. "Ow…"

"Please hold still sir. I need to bandage your chin. You're fortunate he only hit you a glancing blow. We could've been dealing with a broken jaw here, instead of a badly bruised one."

"Just call me Mr. Lucky." Hogan motioned for Klink to sit at his desk. "Kommandant, what are you going to do about Newkirk?"

Klink reacted to Hogan's question by instantly sitting up ramrod straight. He stared at Hogan in shock. "What can I do, other than try to reach General Burkhalter? Hochstetter said the General hasn't been seen since that last massive Allied air raid on Berlin. I hope for all our sakes it isn't true."

Hogan nodded, prompting another protest from Wilson that he please keep still. The Colonel knew exactly which raid Klink referred to. Operation Thunderclap, part of the Eighth Air Force's final drive to destroy the Nazi capital's infrastructure. The mission before their current one had been to provide background intelligence for London in preparation for Thunderclap. Apparently the raid had been successful. Unfortunately for Newkirk, Burkhalter may have been part of the collateral damage. It didn't matter anyway. There simply wasn't time for any phone calls to Berlin.

Hogan glanced at Wilson. "Almost finished Joe?"

Wilson knew that tone and tried to adopt one of his own. "Yes sir, and I'm going to have to insist that you lie there for at least half an hour and rest. From what I was told, you lost consciousness for a few moments."

"Sorry Joe. No can do. I'll rest when Newkirk is out of the hands of that madman out there. Just give me something for this headache. We don't have the luxury of time right now."

Wilson sighed heavily. He knew his commanding officer was right. The priority now was to get Newkirk indoors before he froze to death. "Right sir. I know."

Hogan smiled sadly in commiseration and edged off the bunk. He accepted Wilson's offer of a hand to help him to his feet and once up, he slowly moved over to prop himself against his desk across from Klink.

"Colonel Klink, I'm going to level with you." Hogan put both hands on his desk and leaned in to stare the Kommandant directly in the face. "The U.S. 14th Armored Division is currently 225 kilometers southwest of here and they are on the move. They're headed straight for Stalag 13."

Hogan glanced at Schultz; there was no mistaking the big man's shudder of fear at his words.

"Hogan! How do you know this?" Klink had to at least make a pretense of being shocked.

"That's not important Kommandant. What's important is that it's true and nothing is going to stop them. What do you plan to do when those Sherman tanks come crashing through the front gate? What are you going to say when I tell them you allowed the Gestapo to torture and murder one of my men?"

Klink blanched and shakily came to his feet. He pointed at the door. "Hogan, what would you have me do? That's Hochstetter out there! He's insane!"

Hogan stood back and nodded. "I've known that for a long time Kommandant. All I'm asking for is your cooperation. I have a plan to get rid of Hochstetter and his goons and I'll need your help." He held up his hand to forestall any questions. "And I need you to not question what you see. I guarantee that it'll go a lot easier for you when the GI's storm this place if I can tell them you helped me save the life of one of my men."

Klink sat back down and dropped his head into his hands. "I'm not under any ideals of misguided loyalty to the Reich, Hogan. I know all is lost. I simply do not know what we can do to help Newkirk. It may be too late."

Hogan leaned down. "Let me take care of that Kommandant. If you're willing to listen, I'll tell you exactly what I need you to do, as well as what I need you not to do."

Klink sighed heavily and looked up. "Go ahead. I will cooperate fully with whatever you have in mind. What have I got to lose?"

"Exactly Kommandant. I promise that you won't regret this." Hogan sat down and outlined his plan.

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"I am disappointed in you Corporal. You have not been very cooperative." Hochstetter slowly paced around the freezing Englishman as he spoke.

Even though Newkirk could barely see through his throbbing, swollen eyes, he tried to focus a scornful glare in the Gestapo Major's direction.

Hochstetter came to a stop in front of Newkirk. "So you still refuse to talk, eh?"

Newkirk tried to oblige him. Name, rank and serial number only. "N-N-New-k-kirk, P-Peter..." He stopped; his name was all that he could remember right now.

Hochstetter leaned into the Englishman's face and bellowed, "Have you not heard? All is not lost! We are the children of the gods and they are merciful!"

Newkirk blinked in as much surprise as he could muster in his condition. The man was truly mad!

Hochstetter's eyes bulged menacingly as he continued, "The world will not forget that we are the Master Race!" He took a few more steps around the RAF Corporal and gestured hysterically with a fisted hand. "Tell me what I want to know or I will shoot every prisoner in this camp!"

It was obvious to the Englishman that the Gestapo Major was using his suffering to try to force his mates to reveal their operation. Newkirk gathered his thoughts as best he could and determined to stand firm until the bridge blew. Afterwards, he would confess to being the sole perpetrator of a rogue act of sabotage in an attempt to take suspicion off his friends. In the meantime he played for time by calling Hochstetter's bluff with a barely coherent, "G-get st-st-stuffed Major!"

Hochstetter jabbed his arm out at a nearby guard, who ran over and came to attention. "Remove the Englander's clothing!" he screamed. The guard nodded as he shouldered his rifle and began roughly stripping Newkirk of his clothes.

Hochstetter moved to stand in front of the barracks door as the guard literally ripped Newkirk's clothes off his body. He deliberately spoke loud enough for his words to be heard inside the barracks, as he knew Hogan's men would be listening. "Since the Englander's clothing was decidedly non-regulation, we have relieved him of them. Since he would not tell us why he was clothed the way he was, nor where his uniform was, we have confirmed that he is now definitely out of uniform. Therefore, he will be shot as a spy. That is, if he does not freeze to death first."

His task complete, the guard kicked the remnants of Newkirk's coat and blacks on the ground in front of him. The Englishman stood there shaking uncontrollably, clothed with nothing save shackles, chains and underwear in the dangerously bitter cold. His eyes radiated anguish and pain, tempered by defiance.

Carter, LeBeau and Baker were huddled at the barracks door. Wilson had shooed everyone out of the Colonel's quarters after they had carried him in.

Carter had opened the door to the thinnest crack to observe everything. He silently closed it, then sagged against the bunk frame and buried his face in his hands. LeBeau gently gripped Carter's shoulder.

"Hochstetter is using Pierre to try to break us André."

"I know Louis, I know. What are we gonna do? We can't let him die! He let himself get captured so we could get back safely!"

LeBeau nodded sadly. "Oui." He sent a silent message to his English comrade. Pierre do not give up! Please endure mon ami! For our sake, please, do not give up!

The Frenchman's silent pleadings were interrupted by Wilson, who called out to them from the now open door of the Colonel's quarters. "C'mon Louis. Andrew, you and Richard too. The Colonel wants you in his quarters on the double."

They stared at each other in shocked surprise, as that could mean only one thing. They were going to rescue Newkirk!