Chapter 2
Stalag 13, Outside of Barracks 2,
September 2, 1943, 1530 hours
Colonel Hogan sat on a bench outside the barracks, with his arms folded across his chest and hat tilted forward covering his eyes, leaning back against the barracks wall to soak up some of the afternoon sun. Newkirk was washing out a few of his dirty socks, taking advantage of the lack of activity. Carter was perched on the bare dirt, attempting to educate Newkirk to the finer points of the game of baseball.
Carter drew a diamond shape in the dirt with his finger. "Okay, Newkirk, this is called a baseball diamond," he said. "It's got bases at all corners. Here's first base, then second base, then third base. Right here is home plate."
"Carter, why isn't it called home base?" Newkirk asked.
"I don't know," responded Carter. "It's just called home plate."
"Do you eat off of it?" asked Newkirk
"No, you don't eat off of it," replied Carter. "Why would you even say that?"
"Well if you don't eat off of it, it shouldn't be called a plate," Newkirk retorted. "It should be called home base. All of the other things are called bases."
Colonel Hogan lifted his hat up and looked at Newkirk and Carter. "Just what are you two talking about?" he asked.
"I'm trying to teach Newkirk about baseball, Colonel," Carter responded. "He doesn't know how to play the game."
Hogan looked over at Newkirk and was greeted by the face of innocence. Newkirk gave the Colonel an almost imperceptible wink and then said, "That's right, Colonel. I don't know anything about the game at all."
Hogan smiled to himself. Something was going on, but he didn't know what. The Colonel knew very well that Newkirk knew how to play baseball, because he explained it to him himself, before Carter had been stationed at Stalag 13. "I see," is all he said in response, and he pulled his hat back down over his eyes.
Carter and Newkirk went back to their baseball discussion. "All right, so it's home plate." Newkirk said. "But why is first base over here?" he asked.
Carter sighed. "Because that's where it is. First base is here," he said pointing at the spot in the dirt. "Second base is here, and third base is over here."
"But that's backwards!" Newkirk exclaimed. "You are going counter-clockwise with your numbers. First should be over here," he said pointing at the spot in the dirt where Carter had indicated third base.
Hogan smiled inwardly. Ah, baseball, the American pastime. I remember following the games every summer growing up. It was hard to be the only Red Sox fan among all my friends. I took some unmerciful teasing from those Yankee fans. But I wasn't about to change. The Red Sox were my favorite team, just like they were my father's favorite. I still remember the time he took me all the way to Boston from Bridgeport to see the Red Sox play in Fenway Park. It was a nice sunny July day with not a cloud in the sky. The grass on the field was freshly cut. The Red Sox were not any good in those days, ever since they sold "the Babe" to the Yankees, but we didn't care. It was still baseball, and it was still our Red Sox team! I remember that year well. That was the year that the Red Sox traded for Baby Doll Jacobson, from the St. Louis Browns. Not an exceptional player, but who can forget a player with a name of Baby Doll! Hogan pictured the veteran at the plate. When the ball was pitched everyone in the stands rose from their seats cheering. At the crack of the bat, Baby Doll took off and ... jumped on a motorcycle and rode towards third base! The ball was rolling around in the outfield, and the outfielders were driving around in cars to try to catch up with the ball. What the...? Hogan jerked awake and realized that he had dozed off. He was surprised when he heard what Carter and Newkirk were arguing about.
"I can't help it that you English drive on the wrong side of the road!" Carter exclaimed.
Newkirk had stopped his washing. "No, Carter, we drive on the right side of the road. You drive on the wrong side of the road in America," he said.
"No. You drive on the left side, not the right side," Carter said stubbornly.
Hogan was irritated, being woken from his nice dream of a day long ago. "All right, hold it down!" he said loudly. Carter and Newkirk stopped. "You two are like children! You start talking about baseball and you end up arguing about who drives on the right side of the road?"
"Well we do drive on the right side of the road Colonel!" Cater exclaimed.
"Carter!" Hogan said in his most parental tone of voice.
Carter looked at the ground, feeling just like he did when being reprimanded by his father. "Sorry, Colonel," he said.
"Yeah, sorry sir. We just got carried away," Newkirk chimed in. He saw motion out of the corner of his eyes and glanced in the direction of the main gate. "Colonel, look's like we've got company," he said pointing at the car entering the camp.
Colonel Hogan looked over. "Kraut General. I wonder who it is?" he said.
"Hey, there's a woman in the car with him," Carter noticed.
Instant recognition flooded Colonel Hogan's mind. "Uh-oh, it's that crazy Russian, Marya," he said. "Brace yourselves boys, we could have some trouble here."
The three men watched the car come to a stop in front of the Kommandant's office. Klink was in the doorway, swaggering out to meet his important guest. The General emerged from the car, and looked around the camp. He spied Hogan and glared over for a second. Marya followed the General out of the car. She spied Hogan immediately, and much to his embarrassment, she blew him a kiss and waved. They watched the pair follow Klink into his office.
"Come on," Colonel Hogan said. "We better listen in on this."
Colonel Hogan entered the barracks, followed by Newkirk and Carter. Kinch looked up from his chess game he was having with Vladimir. He knew something was happening by the purposeful strides his Colonel was taking. "What's going on, Colonel?" he asked.
"Kraut General just came in. That crazy Russian Marya is with him," Hogan replied. He ignored LeBeau's swooning at the mention of the Russian's name. "Kinch, get out the coffeepot and let's listen. Vladimir, watch the door in case Schultz gets too nosy."
Kinch and Vladimir both rose from the table with a "Yes, Colonel" response. Kinch followed Colonel Hogan into his office while Vladimir went to the door and opened it a crack to look out.
Vladimir stood by the cracked door, looking out into the compound in case one of the guards happened by. I wonder what that Russian woman is doing here. Whenever she shows up, we end up having trouble. I'm glad that she doesn't know I'm in this camp. The Colonel says that she claims to be White Guard, but I think she's got to be an NKVD agent. If she is NKVD, I don't want her to know that I am here. Vladimir shivered as he thought about the NKVD. The NKVD had a habit of making things, and people, disappear overnight ... literally. Vladimir sighed. I hope her visit is short. And I hope even more that nothing comes of her visit here, but somehow I have a bad feeling about this.
Vladimir heard the bunk rattle behind him, and turned to see Baker emerge from the tunnel.
"What's going on, Sam?" Baker asked when he saw Vladimir guarding the door.
"A General is in Klink's office," Vladimir replied. "And that Russian Marya is here with the General."
"Uh-oh," said Baker. "That usually makes for an interesting time."
Vladimir heard the door to Colonel Hogan's office open and shut. He and Baker turned to see Carter coming out. Vladimir took another look out the cracked door and saw that Schultz was heading in their direction.
"I came out to see if anyone was coming," said Carter.
"Yes," replied Vladimir. "Schultz is on his way right now."
"Thanks. I'll go tell the Colonel," Carter replied and turned to go back to the Colonel's office.
Vladimir closed the door, and he and Baker scrambled out of the way before Schultz could arrive at the barracks. Colonel Hogan emerged from his office, walking towards the door. He arrived just as Schultz opened the door.
"Colonel Hogan!" Schultz shouted.
"Yes?" Colonel Hogan replied.
"Oh, Colonel Hogan," Schultz said. "You are wanted immediately in the office of Kommandant Klink by order of General von Rauscher."
Colonel Hogan went to Klink's office to meet with General von Rauscher and Marya. It seemed that the Colonel was selected to be a witness to a new super weapon that would win the war for Germany. After witnessing the event, he would be sent back home to the United States to inform the Allies of what had happened. The General had also let Colonel Hogan know that Marya more than hinted of Hogan's involvement in the many sabotage activities around the area. Hogan was instructed to pack his things and be ready to leave camp for the testing facility.
Colonel Hogan had packed his things and said goodbye to his men in his office. He emerged to say goodbye to Baker and Vladimir, who had remained in the outer barracks area. He was dismayed to find that Marya had come to the barracks with Schultz. Kinch followed Hogan from the office and watched him walk over to Baker. He looked around to find Vladimir. He was standing over by his bunk and Marya was walking determinedly in his direction.
"You are a member of Colonel Hogan's team?" she asked. It was more of a statement than a question.
"Yes," Vladimir said.
Maria raised her eyebrows when she noticed Vladimir's accent.
"You have an American jacket on, but your uniform underneath does not match," she said suspiciously.
Vladimir looked down at his uniform. He was still wearing his Red Army uniform with the American flyer's jacket that he had taken before arriving at Stalag 13. He looked back at Marya and said nothing.
"Vy Russki?" Marya asked, switching to Russian.
After a moment's hesitation, he answered, "Da."
Kinch edged closer to hear what was being said. Marya's is speaking to Sam in Russian. I wonder if that's because she doesn't want anyone else to understand. Sam has been teaching me, but I am far from fluent. Hopefully I can at least get an idea what they are saying.
Marya continued her questions. "Kak vas zavut?" she asked.
"Vladimir Ivanovich Minsky," he responded.
"So what are you doing here in this prison camp?" Marya asked.
Vladimir almost snorted. "I was captured. I am a prisoner. Where else would I be?" he responded sarcastically.
"You will not speak to me in that manner," she replied harshly. "Do you understand who I am?"
Vladimir felt shaken at the harshness of her response. He had suspected that she was a member of the Narodnyi Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del, the NKVD, before. But now he was sure of it. "Da, Tovarish ...," Vladimir replied meekly, unsure how he should address Marya.
"You may call me Marya," she said.
"Da, Marya" he responded meekly. "I believe I know what organization you belong to."
Marya nodded. "Why haven't you escaped back to Russia to fight the Germans again?" she asked.
Vladimir straightened himself defiantly. "I am fighting the Germans, right here with Colonel Hogan," he said.
"You are helping other countries instead of your own rodina?" Marya asked incredulously.
"No," he responded. "I am fighting the Germans, our common enemy."
Carter had moved next to Kinch. "I wonder what are they saying Kinch?" he asked.
Kinch turned to Carter. "Quiet, I need to hear this," he replied. Kinch then turned his attention back to the conversation.
Marya was incensed. "Predatel – Traitor!" she fumed.
Vladimir had to struggle to keep his voice down. 'Nyet!" he said strongly. "I help weaken the Germans, which helps Russia!"
"While you sit here safe in this camp, your fellow countrymen are dying in battle," Marya said venomously.
Vladimir knew it was useless, and even dangerous to argue, but he felt compelled to continue. "I don't just sit here! What I am doing helps shorten the war, and end the killing!"
"That is irrelevant," Marya countered. "You sit here in Germany while Russians die at home."
By this time, Hogan had said goodbye to Baker and ventured over next to Kinch. "Can you understand what they're saying?" he asked.
"A little Colonel," Kinch responded. He then motioned for his Colonel to be quiet so he could continue listening. The pair of Russians was unaware that they had attracted an audience.
"Izvinite Tovarish Marya," Vladimir said. "How is it different from what you are doing here?"
"Silence!" Marya hissed. "It is my duty to find predately, such as yourself, outside of my country."
Vladimir shivered as he realized what she had just told him. "Then you are ..." he started to say.
"Da, I am Smert' Shpionam," she said. "This is my duty. You are a soldier; it is not your duty!"
The mention of the Smersh was an unexpected blow. NKVD was bad enough, but the Smersh were even more dangerous. "My duty is to help my rodina," Vladimir said, his voice wavering a little.
"Your duty is to do what you are told to do!" she yelled back. Just then, Marya became aware that everyone in the barracks was staring at her and Vladimir. "Hogan, darling," she said in English, regaining her composure. "Just give me a couple of minutes to talk to my fellow Russian here."
Hogan nodded. "Go ahead, I'm not going anywhere," he said wryly. He turned to Kinch. "Kinch, keep an ear on this and try to catch what they are saying," he said. "I don't trust Marya at all." Kinch nodded and Hogan moved everyone away, leaving him to continue eavesdropping.
Marya took a breath, trying to compose herself a little more. It wouldn't do to have Hogan, or worse, General von Rauscher, see her as anything except the charming Russian that she wanted them to see. "Tell me, do you have someone back in Russia waiting for you to come home, Vladimir Ivanovich?" she asked nicely, switching back to Russian.
Vladimir felt himself go cold. Leave my family out of this! Maybe I should tell her a lie. I have no family, so you'll have to do whatever you want to me. No, that would be bad. They have ways of getting the truth, and if they find that you lie to them once, they assume everything is a lie. That would be worse. "Da, I have a wife and son in Moscow," he responded.
Marya smiled. Vladimir visibly flinched – it was not a friendly smile. "It would be a shame if something were to happen to them because you didn't leave this camp and return to Russia to fight," she said to Vladimir.
With those words, Vladimir's heart sank. "But Tovarish Marya, what will happen to them?" he asked. His heart was pounding in his chest. No, no, no! This cannot happen!
Marya's smile never wavered, but her eyes grew ice cold as she stared at Vladimir. "You do as you are told, or you will find out," she said.
"But I am needed here!" he said. "Colonel Hogan says so."
Marya felt her composure slipping a little. "You take orders from an American instead of Narodnyi Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del now?" she asked.
Vladimir hung his head in defeat. He knew he had lost this argument. He knew that he could never have won this argument to begin with. "Nyet, Tovarish Marya," he said with a sigh.
"Then you do as you are ordered," she said. "Or your semya will pay the price." With that, Marya turned towards Hogan, once again assuming the persona of the charming Marya that was her cover. "Hogan darling," she said. "We must go now. It is not good to keep General von Rauscher waiting. The sooner we go, the sooner we can be together."
"Some incentive," Hogan muttered to himself. "I have to say goodbye to my men. Why don't you and Schultz wait outside? I'll be there in a second." Hogan walked over to Vladimir, offering his hand. "Vladimir, I enjoyed working with you here."
Vladimir shook the Colonel's hand. "I thank you, Colonel Hogan, for the opportunity," he said.
"You take care of yourself ... Sam," Colonel Hogan said with a big smile.
Vladimir smiled back. "Good luck to you to sir. Do svedanya," he said. He watched Colonel Hogan open the door of the barracks and step outside, shutting the door behind him. Good luck Colonel Hogan. Good luck to me too. If I stay here, I put my family in danger. If I escape, I put this whole mission in danger. And now Colonel Hogan is going away, most likely for good. I cannot put my family in danger, but I just cannot escape from here and jeopardize my friends' lives. Vladimir sighed to himself. At times like this, I almost wish I wouldn't have jumped from that truck right before it was blown up.
Colonel Hogan was taken from the camp to the rocket facility. Once there, he found out that he was supposed to witness the sinking of the British ship The Duke of York by a modified V2 rocket that would search it out wherever it was. The modifications to the rocket were made by a Russian scientist. Hogan also found out that the test was the next night at midnight. Major Hochstetter then arrived to take over security and was none too pleased to see Colonel Hogan there.
The next day, Hogan found out that Marya's real mission was to get the Russian scientist back to Russia. He then formulated a plan to sabotage the rocket in addition to getting the scientist back to Russia. Hogan gave Marya a message for her to radio back to his men in camp.
Stalag 13, Barracks 2,
September 3, 1943, 1300 hours
The camp had taken on a somber mood since the Colonel had left camp the day before. Klink and Schultz had also gone, to provide security until Hogan was sent back home. The camp was quiet, almost too quiet, as if waiting for a storm to strike.
The mood was especially tense among Hogan's men. They had made the arrangements to execute the Colonel's last order to fold up the operation if something went wrong. Now they had nothing to do but wait. Baker and Kinch had taken turns manning the radio and monitoring the camp switchboard so that they would not be surprised. Secretly, each man hoped that a message would come through from the Colonel that things were fine and he would be returning to camp soon.
It was Kinch's turn in the radio room, and Vladimir had taken the chessboard down to keep him company while they waited.
Kinch stared across the chessboard at his friend. Sam was really shaken by his conversation with Marya. It's really bothering him even though he hasn't said anything about it. His game is really off today. They traded a couple more moves.
"Sam, is there something bothering you?" he asked.
Vladimir looked up from the board, jolted from his thoughts. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Kinch moved his rook. "Checkmate," he said. "That's what I mean. Sam, what's bothering you? Is it Marya?"
Vladimir looked down at the chessboard again and nodded. "Da," he responded.
Kinch keep looking at his friend. "So what is it?" he asked. "I know that she called you a traitor and I heard her ask you about your family." Vladimir looked up quickly at Kinch. Kinch noticed this and smiled. "Remember, you've been teaching me Russian. And this is a time when it came in handy. So did she threaten you?"
Vladimir nodded again. "Ivan," he said. "Marya is Narodnyi Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del." He saw Kinch's puzzlement and continued. "They are the NKVD, the Soviet secret police."
Kinch nodded, but still looked puzzled. "Colonel Hogan said she claimed to be a White Russian," he said.
Vladimir shook his head. "That must be what she tells the Germans to be able to move around so freely," he replied. "What's more, she's in the Smert' Shpionam, also known as Smersh, which is a part of the secret police that is even more dangerous. She did call me a traitor, and she did threaten to harm my family if I didn't escape from this camp and return to Russia to fight the Germans."
"But Sam, you are fighting the Germans here!" Kinch responded.
Vladimir shrugged. "I know, I tried to tell her," he said. "But she didn't want to hear that."
"So who cares," Kinch replied. "Stay here. What can she do? She's in Germany too."
Vladimir sunk in his chair. "No Kinch," he said. "It's not that simple. They have the power to make people disappear. When they make threats, you must listen to them. You must not say or do anything that can give them cause. I know. I've seen it."
"What happened?" Kinch asked.
"Well, it happened about six years ago," Vladimir said. "It was a time when many people disappeared. My wife and I were just married and were living in the kommunalka with my parents, my babushka, and my older sister and her husband and my two nephews."
Kinch gasped. "That many people in one flat?" he asked incredulously.
"Da," Vladimir replied. "We all shared a room and shared a kitchen and bathroom with eight other flats. One day, one of the neighbor families was sitting in the kitchen during their evening meal. I overheard the father of the family say something bad about Stalin to his wife, who agreed with him. Two nights later, they came in the middle of the night. The NKVD took them all away that night. We never heard what happened to them. Several days later, another family was moved into the flat."
Kinch was appalled. "They took them away just for saying something? How did they find out about it?" he asked.
"Every kommunalka would have informers," Vladimir replied. "You had to be careful what you said and what you did. I have even heard of wives turning in their husbands."
Kinch shook his head in disbelief. "I can't imagine living like that," he said. My father told me stories of when he was growing up. He had to be very careful about what he said or did around the white folks. He told me stories about the lynch mobs that would hunt down poor Colored people. It doesn't sound so different from what Sam is telling me now. "Marya threatened to have your family taken away?" he asked his friend.
"She threatened, but would not tell me what would happen." Vladimir replied. "I must assume the worst. And now I don't know what to do. I cannot let anything happen to my family. I would rather face Gestapo punishment myself rather than let that happen. But I also feel that we are really making a difference here. And I cannot just escape and jeopardize the operation or the lives of all of you, my friends here."
Kinch reached across the table and rested his hand on his friend's forearm. "Sam ... Vladimir, my friend," he said. "Whatever we can do for you, we will. All of us."
"Thank you Ivan," Vladimir said. "That means a lot to me. But I don't think I have much choice. Part of me wishes that we would have to shut down our operations, so I do not have to make this decision. If I leave here, I feel that I am not finishing my job. If I stay here, my family will pay the price."
Just then, the radio crackled to life. Kinch grabbed his headset and a pencil to take a message. Kinch looked at Vladimir and nodded. The message was from Colonel Hogan.
With nothing better to do, Baker and LeBeau sat at the table playing cards. Carter had decided to continue Newkirk's baseball lessons, much to the Englishman's dismay.
"All right Newkirk," Carter said. "The pitcher throws the ball and the batter tries to hit it with the bat."
Newkirk rolled his eyes. "Andrew, do we have to do this again?"
"Yes," replied Carter. "You want to learn about baseball, don't you?" Newkirk opened his mouth to reply, but Carter didn't wait for a response. "Now, if the batter hits the ball and makes it to first base, that's a single."
"I could go for that right about now," Newkirk said with a sigh.
"What?" Carter asked.
"A nice single-malt scotch whiskey," Newkirk replied.
Next to Newkirk at the table, Baker threw his cards on the table. "Gin!" he said to LeBeau.
"That too," responded Newkirk. "A nice gin and tonic would hit the spot." The two men started laughing, with LeBeau joining in. Carter looked at the other men with annoyance.
"Newkirk!" cried Carter. "Can we concentrate on baseball now?"
"I'd rather not," replied Newkirk.
"But Newkirk, the camp baseball championship game is a couple days away," said Carter. "Don't you want to know how to play when you watch me pitch?"
Newkirk sighed. "Carter," he said. "Now doesn't seem like a very good time to talk about baseball. The Colonel is gone and may not come back and we might have to close up shop here and leave soon too." Baker and LeBeau both nodded their agreement.
Carter grew animated. "Come on guys!" he said loudly. "We can't give up like this! The Colonel will be back. He'll find a way to ruin the German plans and come back to camp to continue our jobs here. He always finds a way. We won't be going anywhere until we finish our job here. Sitting around feeling bad isn't going to help anything!"
Newkirk was surprised. He hadn't seen his friend this worked up in quite a while. He opened his mouth to try to calm Carter down, but before he could say anything Baker spoke up. "Calm down Carter," Baker said. "We're all upset about the situation. And you heard the conversation in Klink's office – the General knows about our activities. We just have to face the fact that it might really be the end of the operation this time."
Before Carter could respond, the men heard the bunk rattle open, and Kinch climbed out of the hole followed by Vladimir. Kinch had a piece of paper in his hand as he moved over to the men sitting at the table. "What's wrong, Kinch?" Baker asked."We got a message from Colonel Hogan," Kinch replied.
Carter gave the others an 'I told you so' look. "What does it say?" he asked Kinch.
Kinch sat down at the table and accepted a cup of coffee that Vladimir handed to him. Vladimir refilled the others' cups as Kinch began to fill them in on the Colonel's message.
"It turns out that the Germans have a Russian rocket scientist who has been working on a weapon that will hunt out specific targets and destroy them, without advanced knowledge of the target's location," Kinch said. A murmur went through the group of men sitting at the table. Kinch continued. "The Colonel is supposed to witness the launch of the rocket and then tell the Allies that the rocket hit what was targeted. And it seems that Marya is here to make sure the Russian scientist is sent back to Russia."
"See, I knew she was on our side," LeBeau said.
"Oh Louis, be quiet," Newkirk responded. "Go ahead Kinch. Tell us the rest. Is the Colonel coming back to camp?"
"I don't know, Newkirk," Kinch replied. "The Colonel wants to sabotage the rocket. The snag is that Hochstetter showed up and has taken over security of the rocket. So Colonel Hogan wants us to meet him at 2100 hours, dressed in Gestapo uniforms. We should bring along an officers uniform for the Colonel. He needs me to work on the rocket itself, so Baker, you'll have to stay here and man the radio." Baker nodded. "And Sam," Kinch continued. "Since the Gestapo is there, I don't think it would be a good idea for you to come along."
Vladimir at first thought to protest. What better way to show this Marya that he was really taking risks and fighting for his rodina than to go on a dangerous mission where the Gestapo was present? But then he realized that he could not trust Marya, and she might turn him in and jeopardize the mission. So he just nodded back at Kinch.
"Newkirk, are we set for uniforms?" Kinch asked.
Newkirk nodded. "We should be all set. I think we have what we need."
Kinch smiled at the men. "All right boys," he said. "This could be our last mission, so let's make it a good one. Sam, you and Baker be ready in case you have to shut things down here. You two don't take any chances and stick around here too long if things go wrong." Vladimir and Baker both nodded their agreement. "All right, so let's get to it!" Kinch said.
The men left the camp and met Colonel Hogan. Hochstetter's men were lured away from the rocket to be replaced by Hogan's men. During the diversion, Kinch sabotaged the rocket, setting it to explode on the launch pad rather than take off. The men then returned to camp, leaving Hogan to watch the fireworks.
Stalag 13, Tunnels under the camp,
September 3, 1943, 2330 hours
Vladimir watched as the men came down through the tree stump entrance to the tunnels. Kinch was the last man through, and closed the tunnel entrance.
"How did it go?" asked Vladimir.
"Piece of pie," replied Carter.
Newkirk reached over and gave Carter a swat on the head. "How many times do I have to tell you," he said. "It's piece of cake!"
"I keep forgetting," said Carter. "Besides, I like pie better." Newkirk rolled his eyes and started to say something.
Kinch stepped in before the camp Laurel and Hardy could get going again. "Everything went smoothly," he said. "The launch is set for midnight, and the Colonel wasn't sure what would happen after that."
"What does that mean?" asked Baker, just coming over from the radio room.
Kinch tried not to show his worry. "With Hochstetter there, there will be some fireworks in addition to the rocket when it blows up," he replied. "The Colonel will try to work things so that Marya and the scientist can get away and he would be sent back to camp. But he said that if we hear that he's not coming back, or that something else happened to him, we're to shut down the operation and get out."
"I sure hope we don't have to do that," said Carter.
"You an' me both, mate," answered Newkirk. "That would mean the Colonel is in a mess."
"Anyway," started Kinch. "We need to monitor the radio and switchboard to see what comes in. Baker, can you take the first shift? I want to get out of this uniform."
"Sure Kinch," replied Baker and headed back towards the radio room.
The men headed off to get out of the Gestapo uniforms they were wearing. Kinch stopped beside Vladimir on his way out. "How are you doing, my friend?" he asked.
"Scared, Kinch," Vladimir replied. "Marya scares me. I've always been scared of what the Germans might do to me, but she can do much more."
"I don't understand," said Kinch.
Vladimir sighed. "You see, unless the Germans take Moscow, they can't do anything to my family," he said. "But she has that power. She can harm my family, and I would rather die myself than have anything happen to them."
Kinch looked at his worried friend. This whole situation is tearing him up. Damn that Marya! How dare she do this to him! "Sam, if there's anything I can do, all you have to do is ask," he said.
"Spasibo, Kinch," Vladimir replied. "You'd best get out of that uniform. You look out of place in that ..." Vladimir paused, trying to remember the proper phrase, "... clown suit."
Kinch smiled broadly. "Yes sir!" he said, laughing as he walked off to change into his regular clothes.
The rocket exploded on the launch pad as Hogan planned. Hochstetter, true to form, threatend everyone by yelling "Heads will roll." Colonel Hogan calmly manipulated him into allowing Zagoskin, the Russian rocket scientist, escape back to Russia to do to their rocket program what he had just done to the German program. Hochstetter then ordered Klink to take Hogan back to Stalag 13.
Stalag 13
September 4, 1943, 0100 hours
There were no lights on in the barracks, but the men inside could not sleep. They were waiting. Waiting to hear what had happened at the launch site. Each man lost in his own thoughts. The only sounds that could be heard were the normal nighttime camp sounds; the occasional footsteps of the guards patrolling the compound, the occasional whimper from the kennels, and the tiny scampering sounds of the mice running around the floor.
Suddenly a new sound jolted the men up out of their bunks. The bunk covering the tunnel entrance rose up and Baker emerged from below. "Guys, it's all over," he whispered. "Schultz just phoned Gruber and said that they were all on their way back. The Colonel will be with them."
A muffled cheer arose from the men. "Did he say what happened to the rocket?" asked LeBeau.
Baker nudged the side of the bunk, sending the bed sliding back down to cover the hole in the floor. "No," he replied. "He just said they were on their way back. I guess we'll find out what happened when the Colonel gets here."
"Guys, back in your bunks," whispered Carter, looking through the cracked barracks door into the compound. "Langenscheidt is heading this way!" There was a scramble as the men jumped back into their bunks.
The door opened and Corporal Langenscheidt entered the barracks. "Hello?" he asked cautiously. "Is anyone awake?"
"What is it Corporal?" Newkirk asked through a phony yawn.
"I just thought you would like to know that the Kommandant is on his way back to camp," the German guard replied.
"Wonderful. The bald eagle of Stalag 13 returns," Newkirk replied sarcastically. "You woke us up to tell us that?"
"Colonel Hogan is coming with him," Langenscheidt responded. "I thought you might want to be awake when he gets here. But please, do not turn on the lights. I do not want to get in trouble with the Kommandant."
"Okay, we won't," Kinch said to the guard. "And thanks for telling us."
"Guten nacht," said the guard as he left the barracks and closed the door behind him.
The staff car entered the compound and drove to a halt outside of the Kommandant's quarters. Colonel Hogan emerged from the car stretching his arms in the air. The tension of the last couple days was lifted and he could finally relax. Klink got out and told Schultz to take the car to the motor pool, then turned to Hogan. "Colonel Hogan, it's all over."
"Yes it is. You know, Colonel, I have to admit, you Germans really know how to put on a good show," he said smiling. "I really enjoyed the fireworks!"
Klink glared at the American. "It's that Russian woman," Klink said tiredly. "Every time she shows up, strange things happen."
Colonel Hogan laughed. "Colonel, you don't know the half of it!" he said.
Klink scowled. "Hogan, diiiiiis-missed!" he said and turned to walk into his quarters.
Colonel Hogan chuckled to himself. He started walking towards his barracks. From a distance, he saw that one of the windows was opened, and he knew that his men had been watching for him. He smiled, thinking of the times his parents would wait up for him to return from a date.
When Hogan entered the barracks, he was greeted with congratulations from the men waiting by the door. "All right, hold it down a second," he said. "It's not over yet. The rocket is destroyed, but we still have to get Zagoskin back to Russia somehow."
"But where is he now, mon Colonel," LeBeau asked. "Is Marya still with him?"
"Yes, Marya is still with him," Hogan replied. "Both of them are on their way to camp. We'll get him some German civilian clothes and then Marya will deliver him to her contacts tomorrow night. Kinch, Newkirk?"
"Yes?" both men responded together.
"I need the two of you to go out through the tunnel to meet them. Rendezvous point is the old barn a mile down the Hammelburg road. Get going now. I'd like you there first, just in case. Stay out of sight until you see them and can make sure that they weren't followed," he instructed the men.
"Right, Colonel," Kinch replied.
"Colonel Hogan?" Vladimir asked.
"What is it, Vladimir?" Hogan responded.
"Would it be all right if I went with Kinch instead of Newkirk?" he asked. "Since Zagoskin is Russian, it might ease any worries he has if another Russian was there to meet him. It sounds like he's been through a lot lately."
Hogan wasn't sure this was a good idea. He remembered the confrontation between Vladimir and Marya a couple days ago. "Well, I don't know," he said.
Kinch saw the determination on his friend's face. He knew that Vladimir wanted to show Marya that he really was a part of this team, and would accept the risks. He turned to Hogan and said, "Sam is right, Colonel. I think it would be best if he went to the rendezvous."
Hogan looked at Kinch. Their eyes met and Kinch gave an almost imperceptible nod. He still had his doubts, but he trusted Kinch's judgment. "All right, Kinch, you and Vladimir will go. Now everyone go and get things ready down below for our guests. They'll be staying one night." One night with Marya in this camp is one night too many! "Kinch, come in my office for a minute so we can go over things again."
Everyone left to take care of his assigned duties. When Hogan and Kinch were alone inside the Colonel's office, Hogan turned to Kinch. "Kinch, are you sure about this?" he asked.
Kinch nodded. "Yes, Colonel," he replied. "I think it would be best if he went this time."
"Why?" Hogan asked. "Does this have to do with Marya?" Kinch nodded. "What was their conversation about the other day? It got pretty heated at times," Hogan said.
Kinch sighed. "Yes, it did," he said. "Marya is an NKVD agent."
Hogan nodded. "That's what I always figured," he said.
Kinch looked at the floor and continued. "Well, she pretty much called him a traitor for staying here as a prisoner instead of trying to get back to Russia." Kinch looked and saw a glimmer of anger starting to rise in his Colonel's eyes. "He tried to explain that what we are doing is actually helping the war effort against the Germans, but she didn't listen to his arguments."
Hogan waited a second before responding. "And so you think that sending Vladimir on this would change her mind?" he asked.
"I'm not sure," Kinch replied. "But I can see that Sam thinks it might help, and I saw that he was determined not to be left behind on this."
"Okay," said Hogan. "As long as you think there won't be any trouble. You two head out as soon as you are ready."
Hogan turned away, thinking that the conversation was over. Kinch cleared his throat. "Um Colonel," he said. "There's one more thing."
Hogan turned around. "What?" he asked.
Kinch paused. I wonder if I should be telling the Colonel that Marya ordered Sam to escape. He's not going to like it. I don't think Sam will like it either – he should probably tell the Colonel himself. But I think the Colonel deserves to know because it affects all of us here. Maybe I should talk to Sam first. "Nothing Colonel," he said. "I'll tell you when we come back. I'd better get changed if Sam and I are to make it to the rendezvous in time."
Hogan was skeptical. Something was bothering Kinch, and it showed. He was sure that it had something to do with Vladimir and Marya, but he didn't want to pry into things right now. "You two get going," he said to Kinch. "Hopefully you'll be back before morning roll call." For a few moments after Kinch left the room, Hogan stared at the doorway. The information that Kinch passed on disturbed him. Damn! Every time that Russian comes around, she stirs up something. I can't have her upsetting one of my men ... no, two of my men. I've never seen Kinch this worked up about anything. He's not telling me something; I'm going to have to talk to him when they get back. I'm also going to have a little talk with Marya before she leaves. Hogan sighed as he stepped out of his office and headed for the tunnel to check on the preparations for their visitors.