Hogan Saves Berlin
A story where the Military Governor of Germany needs the services of rather unorthodox officer to save the Free World
This will be part of a larger story incorporating the events of the Berlin Airlift.
Reviews welcome-this won't be one of my more outrageous stories.
Final Approach, Tempelhof Airport, Berlin-June 1948
Major General Robert Hogan was gazing out of the cockpit window of the C-54 as it made its final approach towards the runway at Tempelhof Airport. As a VIP, he was allowed to sit in the cockpit.
Berlin was still a pile of rubble in many parts. The Trümmerfrauen were doing their best to clean up in a city where most of the men were in prisoner of war camps or buried in an unknown land.
Hogan saw a sad sight from the plane.
The spire of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche was gone. It was brought down in an air raid in 1943. On his way to Abwehr headquarters with Major Teppel, he noticed the damage from the ground, but it looked worse from the plane.
In wartime, the churches are the victims of the stupidity of man. Coventry Cathedral, the Frauenkirche in Dresden, and the Gedächtniskirche were reminders of this.
"First time in Berlin, sir?" The pilot asked the General.
No Captain, this is my second time. But it's my first time flying over Berlin. I always dreamed of leading my squadron of B-17s over Berlin. Who would have thought that I would be flying in as a guest of General Clay?"
"Sir, if you want to take the controls and touch down in Tempelhof, it would be an honor."
Hogan grinned. It was a while since he flew a plane this large and he was out of practice.
"Well Louis, so I guess this is your first time in Berlin. Teppel didn't take you and Kinch here that time."
"Mon General, my heart is swelling with pride! A Frenchman walking through the streets of the capital city of the enemy as a victor."
"I understand how you feel, but these are civilians now. The Soviets treated them like dirt. And they are up to no good again, from the reports I saw."
"Remember, a good soldier is magnanimous in victory."
HQ of the Commandant of the American Sector of Berlin
General Lucius Clay was waiting for Hogan. He handed over the file to Colonel Frank Howley.
"Frank, take some time to read this. Major General Robert Hogan is quite a personality."
Hogan's personnel file made for some very interesting reading.
Major General Robert E. Hogan. Medal of Honor winner and awarded medals from all the victorious Allied powers. He even had the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner, and the Order of Suvurov from the Soviet Union.
Graduated 3rd in his class at West Point and flight school. He was assistant air attache to the Court of St. James before the American entry in the war and flew missions with the Eagle Squadron. Unofficially of course.
Speaks fluent German and French. Has a working knowledge of Russian as well.
Married to the most famous French woman scientist who was not named Marie Curie.
Commander of a secret operation which was still classified. The reason for his being awarded the Medal of Honor.
Only known vice was that he used to enjoy the company of attractive single women. No longer true because of the fact that he had 2 daughters by his wife, the French chemist. Who was his commanding officer at one time.
A man revered by the men who served under him. He even had 2 black officers on his personal staff.
General Lucius Clay mulled over that last detail. He was a son of the South, but if Hogan trusted those 2 officers, then they must have known what they were doing. Since Hogan chose only the best and must trustworthy men to be on his staff.
"Well Frank, this is the man that will save Berlin. Hopefully he can figure something out."
Colonel Frank Howley, the Commandant of the American Sector of Berlin, replied,
"Yes sir, I have had a lot of headaches dealing with the Russians recently. They have been harassing my patrols if we come anywhere close to Friedrichshain, Mitte, or Treptow. My British and French counterparts report trouble with them as well when we have our weekly meetings."
"Oberburgermeister Reuter has been having trouble with them too. They blocked him from entering Berlin City Hall."
"What do you think General Hogan can do? The Russians can cut us off at any time. It's just one road and railroad line keeping us and the civilians in the Western sectors supplied."
"Frank, when I became military governor of Germany, I took some time to read up on the officers under my command."
"Robert Hogan is extremely unorthodox, but we need his advice. The rumor has it that he just about single handedly won the war in the West. A lot of what he did is still classified, but what little I know will knock your socks off."
A knock on the door. General Clay told his aide to enter.
"Sir, Major General Robert Hogan, United States Air Force and his aide Lieutenant Louis LeBeau, United States Army, are here to see you per your orders."
Notes
Until its closing in 2008, Tempelhof Airport was one of the oldest continuously operating airports in the world. Its obvious claim to fame was the role it played in the Berlin Airlift.
Tempelhof was virtually in the center of Berlin making it a vital point in the operations to keep West Berlin supplied.
Its disadvantage was that there were only 2 runways and could not handle the air traffic. Gatow Airport was built in the French Sector to take the excess flow.
The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche is a well known landmark of Berlin. It is located on the Ku'damm.
Trümmerfrauen-rubble ladies in German. The female workforce who cleaned up the ruins of German cities and not just in Berlin.
In 'A Bad Day in Berlin,' Hans Teppel did not take either Kinch or LeBeau to Berlin for the mission to snatch Decker aka Robin Hood.
Frank Howley was the Military Commandant of the American Sector of Berlin and Lucius Clay was the last US Military Governor of Germany.
Friedrichshain, Berlin-Mitte, and Treptow were the 3 Berlin districts in the Soviet sector bordering the US sector. Obviously the Russians would harass US military patrols.
General Clay was an able administrator and if it wasn't for him, the Berlin Airlift would not have been successful.
Of course in this story, Lucius Clay is soliciting Hogan's advice for what to do in Berlin.
Lucius Clay was born in Georgia-I don't know what his views were concerning the integration of the US armed forces. So Hogan has his faithful Cockroach with him instead of Kinch. In a story I plan to write in the future, Hogan appoints LeBeau as an Acting Lieutenant in the United States Army.
Ernst Reuter was the Lord Mayor of West Berlin from 1947-1953.
He was actually elected as Lord Mayor of the entire city, but the Soviets refused to recognize his election (the seat of the Government of Berlin and City Hall was located in Berlin-Mitte in the Soviet Sector).
Mayor Reuter had his offices in the American Sector.
The mayor of West Berlin until German reunification was always acknowledged as the mayor of a united Berlin by the American, British, and French Military Commandants.