Hogan and his crew - Carter, Kinch, LeBeau and Marya (the latter two were getting along) - arrived at Stalag 13 shortly after noon. They entered through their favourite stump and found that Newkirk had been updated by London. Stalag 13 was not to be evacuated but would serve as a hiding place instead.
Thousands of people had left Germany's concentration camps when Carter pardoned them. Hours later, Göring rescinded the pardon and launched the largest fugitive hunt of modern times. Göring also sacked Gestapo chief Heinrich Müller and reinstated its first chief Rudolf Diels, effective immediately. That, Hogan hoped, would hamper the hunt.
42 fugitives were known to be in the Hammelburg area. Hiding them in Stalag 13 would not be simple ... and would require the cooperation of Klink's command. Hogan went straight to the Kommandantur.
Klink said, "Colonel Hogan. Why am I not surprised that you're back." He pulled out a handkerchief and mopped sweat from his forehead.
"I'm glad to see you're ready to receive extra guests. Those people the Gestapo are looking for, you're going to capture them first."
"Hogan, this is ... irregular." Klink blushed and a sheen reappeared above his eyes.
"Gruber will need to be briefed. He'll head a convoy and find the people. The cover story will be that an American missed roll call but he'll turn up in that other cooler - the water tower."
By 1430, Gruber's convoy was back. Hogan and Klink went to the compound, ready to greet the new arrivals.
Hogan smelled them before they stepped in view. Many of the men, women and children were emaciated and ill; more than a few showed evidence of physical injury. Hogan knew from his first time how horrible the KZ system was; even so, he wept.
Klink was in tears, too. "Mein Gott ... we do not deserve to win, treating people like that." Suddenly his eyes widened and he covered his mouth.
A black Mercedes, Hochstetter's, slid near the ex-inmates and sprayed dust on them.