No ownership of the Hogan's Heroes characters is implied or inferred. Copyright belongs to others and no infringement is intended.
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
"I didn't expect to see you here, Major," Burkhalter said, not bothering to hide his dislike for the Gestapo officer.
"Ja, well, I am in charge of security for General Werden until his troops head for France," Major Wolfgang Hochstetter answered, saluting Burkhalter. "And since these Panzers were heading to Stalag 13, I thought it would be most important that I be here in person to make sure nothing goes wrong." He glared at Hogan, who was standing quietly nearby. "What is this man doing here?" he hissed.
Hogan stepped forward. "Good afternoon, Major," he said cheerfully. "All due respect, but this is where I'm supposed to be, isn't it? Being a prisoner and all."
"Quite frankly, Hogan, I suspect that makes very little difference to you." Hochstetter turned to General Werden as Hogan shrugged. "Herr General, my men will be here shortly to surround this camp and guard your tanks and yourself, sir."
Werden shook his head impatiently. "Since when does a tank need protection, Hochstetter? This is not the Russian front!" he rebuked.
"Sir, in my experience, anything that comes in contact with Stalag 13 needs special attention," Hochstetter insisted, staring at Hogan, who purposefully sighed and turned back toward the podium.
"Let us get this show on the road!" Burkhalter said irritably. "Herr Oppenheimer, are you ready to begin?"
"Quite ready, Herr General."
"Then let's get this over with."
The German officers took their seats on the platform as Schultz called the camp to attention. Hogan tried to look comfortable sitting amongst them, but his acting skills were being distracted by other things: mainly, that when Tiger became involved now, the Gestapo was already on hand. He had been counting on a gap between the time she was discovered, and the time one of Hochstetter's goons showed up.
Oppenheimer signaled that all was ready, and Burkhalter made his way up to the podium. "Gentlemen. Today I have been asked to present a special award from Berlin…" Burkhalter paused, as though it were painful for him to speak. "…to the Kommandant of Stalag 13, Wilhelm Klink. Unusual as it may seem, despite everything happening around him, Colonel Klink has managed to keep this camp escape-free…."
As Burkhalter finished speaking and asked Klink to come forward, Hogan and his men were scanning the fence line. Nothing. Carter shrugged as he looked back from the wooded area, and Kinch subtly shook his head as he shouldered his way back through the crowd. Hogan squinted his eyes to have a good look himself, but also saw nothing. Perhaps Tiger had changed her mind about going along with the plan at the last minute. He was debating whether this was a good thing, after all, when Newkirk caught his eye. The RAF Corporal was stretching hugely, arms over his head, arching his back. Watching him carefully, Hogan noticed the man was gesturing with his head toward a section of woods about fifteen yards from the fence. Hogan nodded almost imperceptibly, and Newkirk's arms fell back to his sides.
"…has never been a successful escape from Stalag 13," Klink was saying. "Of course, I am gracious enough to acknowledge that such a record would not exist if not for the men under my command here at the camp. My Sergeant of the Guard Hans Schultz—" Schultz's chest started to expand with pride, "—may not be the most alert soldier we have ever had—" Schultz's chest deflated. Hogan shook his head. Figures Klink couldn't give the poor guy credit for something. "—but I like to think that under my direction he has been able to stop these cowed, broken men from foolishly trying to get out of camp."
Cowed, broken men, Hogan mocked to himself, not really paying attention to Klink. He was now checking the fence line himself, looking for any indication that Tiger was really there. Part of him was relieved that there wasn't one. With a touch of self-rebuke, he noted that he had been avoiding getting another agent involved, especially Tiger, and that his reticence could now get in the way of what absolutely needed to be done. You can't let feelings get in the way. Let her do her job; she knows the risks. Hogan looked over at Kinch, who was edging his way toward Newkirk, then over at Hochstetter, who was impatiently watching the proceedings. But you promised her she'd be safe. Maybe this time you've bitten off more than you can chew, Papa Bear.
"…such a marvelous honor. I am truly touched by this recognition, and humbled by the way the Fuhrer has chosen to commemorate…" Klink was still blathering. Hogan rubbed his eyes, tired and hurting. He was relieved when Burkhalter broke in.
"And we are grateful that the Fuhrer has allowed General Jens Werden to demonstrate the newest Panzer tanks today as well," Burkhalter cut in, standing beside Klink, who looked slightly put off by the abrupt ending to his speech. "Gentlemen," Burkhalter said, addressing the less-than-impressed prisoners, "you are about to be among the first to witness what will spell the end of the war, in favor of the Third Reich." There was some shouting from the prisoners, rankling the General and the guests. "I believe, men, that you are aware of the power of the German tanks. Nearly invincible, they say. Nearly perfect, they say. All of this an impotent cry of the Allies in the face of German superiority." More grumbling. "Well, the nearly invincible, the nearly perfect, has been made even better. With increased maneuverability and an even better weapon range, these tanks are going to be death to all those who oppose us. Look well, gentlemen; this is the future."
Hogan swallowed the bad taste rising in his throat and saw many of his men seeming to do the same, as their sour faces reflected back at the German brass on the platform. He looked at Le Beau, who seemed about to break into tears. Damn the Germans, he thought. We'll find a way to stop it, Louis.
Burkhalter introduced General Werden, who made a few terse comments to the prisoners gathered before him, saying very little about the tanks themselves, and offering only a pasted smile to Oppenheimer when he asked for the two Generals to pose together shaking hands, joined by Klink, who refused to move out of the camera shot by trying to organize the photo shoot.
All of this was quickly brought to an end, much to everyone's relief on both sides of the war, and Werden signaled to the soldier whose head was sticking out of the tank nearby. The soldier disappeared and the tank suddenly roared back to life. Hogan watched as the gun turret was raised quickly, and, to his surprise, the tank seemed to turn on a dime toward the assembly and then away. A maneuver like that would have, in the past, taken much more space and much more time. Hogan felt that tightening in his stomach again. But this time it had nothing to do with his personal fears. This time it was a fear that the Allies were in for more than they could handle.
Werden started explaining to Burkhalter that the new Panzer had a special component installed underneath it that allowed it to be lifted up and spun around at a much faster pace than any normal machine. This would mean the tank would be less vulnerable to attacks from the rear or the right flank, where it tended to be blind in spots and required protection from other tanks. And it would mean faster focus on enemy targets, making the Allies more susceptible to losses.
Hogan was trying to listen over the roar of the equipment and transform the information as quickly as possible into a plan of counter attack. It was clear to him that to disable the tanks, they were going to have to get underneath them. But how were they to manage that? He looked back toward his men. Many of them were standing, hands in pockets, heads down. They were seeing this as a defeat already, Hogan knew. It was hard enough to be away from the fighting, to know that some of your friends, even your brothers, were out there risking their lives every day; to see something that was bound to make it easier for one of those dear ones to be killed was a kind of torture that Hogan knew was harsher than most physical punishments. They had to fight back.
As the tank finally shut down and Werden looked smugly at him, Hogan yawned, a gesture that turned the look of triumph on the German's face into a scowl. "What's the matter, Hogan? Does this little demonstration bore you?" Werden asked bitterly.
"Not at all, General," Hogan answered, loudly enough for his men to hear. "I find it quite interesting that the Germans have to keep working on tank improvements. Must mean that somewhere things aren't going entirely well for them." Hogan smiled benignly.
"The improvements are merely the sign of a superior race constantly looking for perfection," Werden said. Were his teeth starting to clench? Hogan wondered.
"A search they'll be on for a long time," Hogan retorted. "Can't think of anything less perfect than a world run by a Corporal with an over-inflated opinion of himself. Of course, this could just be a sign that things are getting a little bit chillier in Stalingrad?" he mused. "What's next on these babies—earmuffs?"
Hogan heard the snickers from the prisoners gathered nearby and mentally ticked off a small victory as some of the lowered heads raised up in defiance and triumph. That's one for the good guys, he thought. He took every opportunity he could to harass and irritate the Germans, especially in view of his men; it was necessary in order to preserve a bit of their sanity, and a bit of their morale.
It was Klink himself who burst in to stop what he could see was going to be an ugly exchange. "Gentlemen, I think our Herr Oppenheimer would like to have a closer look at the new Panzer. And perhaps you'd like some more pictures?" he asked. "Perhaps one of me in front of the tank?"
"Only if it is moving, Klink," Burkhalter said.
Klink laughed nervously. "Ah, the General has such a fine sense of humor!" he chattered.
Hogan smiled to himself. Though he disliked Burkhalter immensely, he had to admit the man's sarcasm was hard to match when it came to putting down Stalag 13's Kommandant.
A scuffle near the fence drew Hogan's attention. Carter was kneeling down, facing the wires, with Newkirk hovering over him. He stood up and looked at the commotion. "Don't, Andrew!" he heard Newkirk saying. "Everyone will see!"
Hochstetter bolted for the pair. Hogan stood up and watched. "What is this? What are you doing near the fence?" Hochstetter asked, waving his men into position. Two of them immediately followed him to Newkirk and Carter.
"Oh, uh—nothing, Major. Nothing," Newkirk said, swallowing hard. "Um—we just saw a bird, a—uh—a rare bird."
"You are bird watching in a POW camp?" Hochstetter raved. "Why do you not want everyone to see?"
Klink and Burkhalter approached, and Hogan hopped off the platform and joined them. "Well, you don't want just anyone looking, Major," Carter stammered. "He's afraid too many people would scare it off!" Hogan rolled his eyes.
"Where is this bird?" Burkhalter asked.
"Well, it was there on the road before, but you've gone and frightened it away now," Carter said, gesturing toward a patch of ground near the road. "It's run farther into the woods."
Hochstetter, Burkhalter, and Klink all peered closely through the wire. "I don't see anything," Klink said. Hogan looked at Carter and Newkirk, who shrugged and pointed to a darkened area. Hogan could just make out the outline of Tiger.
"Aw, you're not looking hard enough," Hogan chided, coming up beside Hochstetter. "Look!" he said, pointing straight at Tiger. He wished she could see his eyes, wished he could tell her that somehow it would all work out okay. But he could not, and so he simply continued. "Look, it's there… no, it's—hey!"
"Hey? Hey, what?" Burkhalter asked, turning to the American.
"Oh, uh—nothing," Hogan said, straightening up and turning away from the fence.
"What is it, Hogan?" Klink asked, trying to sound threatening. "What are you hiding?"
"I'm not hiding anything; you guys are the ones with all the military secrets, right?" Hogan refused to turn back.
"There!" Hochstetter suddenly cried. Hogan tensed. "There—there is a woman out there! Get her!" he called to his guards. "Stop, fraulein! Stop, or we will shoot!" he cried, drawing his gun. Hogan whirled back at the sound of the pistol being primed. The guards burst away and signaled to the others standing near the gate, who ran quickly toward Tiger's hiding spot. Hogan clenched and unclenched his fists, unable to keep himself from watching as two guards grabbed Tiger when she attempted to pull away, and practically dragged her back toward the camp. "Bring her inside," Hochstetter growled.
Hogan looked at Tiger's pale face and trembling figure, and closed his eyes.
"I thought you said you saw a bird!" Klink said.
Newkirk shrugged, then answered in his most Cockney voice, "Well, that's a rare bird if I ever saw one."