Chapter 5

Stalag 13, Tunnels under the camp,
September 4, 1943, 1410 hours

Hogan was staring at the map of the area around the camp, studying the location where they would stop the truck. Right here at the fork in the road near the camp. One road leads to Hammelburg and the other leads to the main road to Berlin. We can stop the truck at the fork, and then be seen taking the road towards Berlin. If we make the Gestapo men walk to Hammelburg, we should have plenty of time to get back to camp before Hochstetter finds out.

Hogan was studying the map so intently that he did not hear Marya enter the small room in the tunnel. He was startled when she spoke.

"You have found the place for the ambush?" she asked.

He nodded and pointed to the location on the map. Marya studied the map quickly, noticing the fork and the directions in which the roads led. "Yes, a very good choice," she said. "If we head towards the Berlin road, it would lend credence to our story." Hogan was impressed at how quickly she had worked that out.

Marya kept looking at the map for a moment. "This is a lot of effort because of my mistake," she said without looking up.

Hogan looked at her. He knew that he shouldn't feel sympathetic towards her. It was her mistake that caused this, and one of the men who had been on his team for over a year could pay for this mistake with his life. Yet he felt sincerity in her actions. She wanted to help rescue Vladimir. "Yes it is," he finally said. "And this mistake can be fatal if we cannot pull this off."

Marya moved away from the map table and stared at the tunnel wall. "In my job, mistakes are usually fatal, either for someone else or, ..." she gave a humorless laugh, "or for me. After which I suppose I won't make any more mistakes."

She turned back to Hogan. "But usually the victim of these mistakes would not have the kind of friends that can help correct the mistake," she said. "This is one mistake that I feel I need to correct."

Hogan nodded. After a short pause, he said, "You'll just have to stop making mistakes," he said.

Marya laughed. "In this job you sometimes have to follow orders, Hogan," she said. "Even when you know it would be a mistake. The consequences of not following orders ..." She trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished, though Hogan thought he knew what the consequences were.

"So you want to correct this mistake to ease your conscience," Hogan said.

"Partly," Marya replied. "But also because Tovarish Vladimir is a good man, and can continue to help Russia fight this war."

"What will happen to Vladimir once he leaves Stalag 13?" he asked her. "I've heard that Russian prisoners are not regarded kindly once they make it back." Then he added quickly "If they make it back."

"Don't worry Colonel," she replied. "Like you, I am good at what I do. I have a great many connections and will make sure that his work here is recognized."

Hogan paused. A great many connections – in Abwher, in the Gestapo, and it so seems also back in Russia. She must be a more formidable agent than I originally gave her credit for. "So how is it that you can waltz around Germany in the middle of this war?" he finally asked. "You're obviously Russian, and you don't try to hide it. I would think that the Germans wouldn't trust you."

Marya chuckled. "I may speak English with an accent, Hogan" she said. "But I speak German flawlessly and have been operating in this country since before Hitler was in power." Seeing Hogan's surprise, she continued with a sarcastic tone in her voice, "White Russian in exile, wanting to topple the dreaded Communist regime that stole my county from the Tsars." She stopped and shook her head. "Believe me, Colonel; I would be dead by now if the story were not credible."

They were both silent for several moments. "I've noticed something else," he said finally. "You seem to slip in and out of some sort of ..." he said, pausing to find the right word. "Personality," he finally said.

Marya turned to Hogan, wearing a seductive smile on her face. "You mean this, Hogan darling," she said demurely, walking over to stand next to Hogan.

"Yeah, that's the one. It reminds me of a dog in heat," he said with a smirk.

Marya let out a loud laugh. "It should not surprise you to know that I have orders to seduce and sleep with anyone necessary to accomplish my missions," she said.

"What a tough assignment," Hogan said sarcastically.

Marya felt an involuntary shudder move down her spine as she remembered some of her encounters. "Yes, Hogan, it sometimes is," she said in a serious tone.

When she said it, Hogan realized what an unpleasant assignment it could be. He was not adverse to a little seduction of the female agents that had crossed his path since he had been at Stalag 13. And let's not forget the German civilians, such as Helga and Hilda. Neither of them fell into the category of unpleasant to look at. But then he tried imagining what it would be like if London would order him to seduce someone like Gertrude Linkmeyer. Could he follow through with that? He cringed inwardly thinking that a firing squad would be a better form of punishment.

Marya was watching Hogan as he was thinking. She saw a little wince and laughed. "I see you understand," she said.

Hogan nodded. "Yes, I can see where it wouldn't always be pleasant," he said. "But now what happens after you leave here? Hochstetter would still love to get hold of you. Would it be safe for you to continue operating?"

"It should be safe," she replied. "Major Wagner will continue to operate. But if pressed by Hochstetter, I am sure that your man Teppel will back him in his story. As I said before, we believe that Teppel knows about Wagner and I think he would be willing to corroborate his story."

"But we are also prepared if things get out of hand," she continued. "Major Kurt Wagner in the Abwher can have a fatal accident which would prevent further investigation as to why he sent a squad here." She saw Hogan's alarmed glance and continued, "The man will not be killed, only reassigned. It is only the identity that must perish. An agent such as him is too valuable to lose, although none of us are indispensable," she said smiling grimly.

Hogan smiled back at her. "Yes, I am also aware of that," he said.

"And as for Hochstetter," she continued. "I am friendly with men higher up than him," she said, putting special emphasis on the word 'friendly,' and Hogan knew what that implied. "He is not as big a fish as he thinks he is in this German ocean. I can handle him." She then slipped back into her seductive persona. "And then Hogan darling, we can have many more missions together," she cooed, wrapping her arms around the surprised American Colonel. "We could become very close."

Hogan squirmed. "All in the line of duty, I'll bet," Hogan responded, struggling against and finally breaking free of her grasp.

Marya laughed and started to leave the room. At the entrance, she stopped and turned to face Hogan. "Hogan darling," she said seductively. "With you it would be personal. Very personal." She smiled as she left Hogan standing in the room.

Colonel Hogan was still staring at the map a few minutes later when his men arrived. The small room in the tunnel was cramped with everyone inside it. He showed them the spot where the ambush would take place and filled them in on the details of the plan.

When he was sure that they all knew the details, he said, "All right men, it's almost show time. Kinch, head over to the cooler and fill Vladimir in on the details he needs to know. If I know Klink, he's probably keeping him in the solitary confinement cell." Hogan paused, with a twinkle in his eye. "And Kinch ... no need to hurry back. We have the time."

Kinch smiled. "Yes sir!" he said.

As Kinch walked away, Hogan continued, "The rest of you, you know what you have to do. No slip-ups tonight, boys. There's a lot at stake!" he said.

With that, everyone scattered to perform the preparations that each was assigned. Each man wanted to make sure that this mission went perfectly.

Stalag 13, Solitary confinement cell,
September 4, 1943, 1420 hours

Kinch slowly pushed open the block that covered the entrance to the tunnel from the solitary confinement cell in the cooler. When he poked his head inside, he noticed that Vladimir had been expecting him. Vladimir had his ear to the door and was holding his hand up for Kinch to wait where he was. After a moment, he motioned that it was safe for Kinch to come into the cell. Kinch crawled through the opening and stood up. He left the tunnel entrance open in case he had to make a quick exit.

Vladimir stepped away from the door and walked over to Kinch. "Privyet, Ivan," he whispered. With the guards outside the door, both men knew that they would have to talk in whispers or risk being overheard.

"Privyet, Sam," Kinch responded quietly. "I came to fill you in on the plans for tonight, so that you are prepared." Vladimir nodded and Kinch proceeded to tell him the plans for the ambush.

When he was finished, Kinch looked at his friend. He could see the worry wearing away at Vladimir. His friend looked tired, scared and resigned to what might happen to him. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Vladimir shrugged. "I am as ready as I will ever be," he responded. "I'm worried about everything that can go wrong. I don't want to see any of you get hurt."

"None of us are looking to get hurt, but we cannot let you be taken back to Hochstetter," Kinch said. "And I think I speak for everyone when I say that we'll do whatever it takes to make sure that happens." Kinch paused for a moment, and then continued, "Even Marya seems to be prepared to risk everything on this rescue."

Vladimir smiled a wry smile. "Atonement for misjudging me," Vladimir said. "Kinch, do not underestimate the contribution she can make to help. She works for a very resourceful organization."

Kinch nodded. "After some of her surprises in the planning, I can believe it," Kinch replied. "She seems to have a lot of connections."

"Da," Vladimir replied. "I wouldn't be surprised if she wouldn't have tried to use me as one of those connections for information in the future, had I stayed in camp."

Kinch hadn't thought of that. I wonder what kind of information she could get from our operation that she couldn't get elsewhere. It's not like we are privy to the German General Staff in Berlin. But then again, we do pass information along to London, and they may not be sharing with the Russians. Kinch realized he had been silent for a few moments and finally said, "So what will you do after tonight?"

Vladimir sighed. "I have to leave the camp now," he replied. Then he said with a small chuckle, "Unless I want to live in the tunnels like a mole for the rest of the war."

Kinch smiled. He was glad that Vladimir could still make jokes. "I feel like I live in the tunnels sometimes," he said. Vladimir stifled a laugh as Kinch continued, "Do you know what you'll do after you leave camp?"

Vladimir shrugged again. "I will be at the mercy of others," he replied. "My government is not known to look too kindly towards prisoners of war. They feel that you should fight to the death rather than be captured."

"But you still want to fight," Kinch replied. It was more of a statement than a question.

Vladimir slowly nodded his head. "Yes, I do," he said. He paused, trying to think of how to phrase what he wanted to say without offending his friend. "I think that it is hard for Americans to fully understand. You are here, fighting and yes, dying, in this war. But it is different for you. For me, and for Louis, this is more than just a war. This is a fight for our homeland. These barbarians have invaded our countries. If America loses the war, you've just lost a war. If my country loses the war, or France loses the war, we've lost our country. So it is the duty of every Russian to defend their rodina."

Kinch thought about what his friend had just said. Finally, he said, "Intellectually, I can see what you are saying. But you are right, I do not fully understand what it's like to have my country invaded." He paused, thinking. Finally, he said, "I suppose that if I was fighting an enemy that had invaded my country, I would do whatever I could to defeat that enemy."

Vladimir nodded. "And you would look very unkindly towards those that either collaborated or treated the situation with indifference or cowardice," he said.

That thought had not occurred to Kinch. How would he treat a fellow American who wouldn't fight to defend the United States against a foreign invader? "Do you think that you will be allowed to return to a unit on the front lines on the Eastern Front?" Kinch asked his friend.

"I don't know," Vladimir replied. "But I doubt it."

Kinch couldn't keep the look of surprise from his face. "Why do you doubt it?" he asked.

Vladimir gave a half-hearted shrug. "As I said, I will be at the mercy of others," he said. "I could simply be shot because I was captured and spent over a year in a prison camp without attempting to escape."

Kinch was flabbergasted. "But you stayed here for a reason, and we have hindered the German war effort greatly with what we've done," he countered.

"I know that, and you know that," Vladimir replied. "But those making the decisions back in Moscow might not believe the truth." He paused, wondering if the decision makers in the Kremlin actually knew of the operation at Stalag 13. Marya had been involved with Colonel Hogan before, and surely she reported the information to her superiors. "On the other hand," he continued. "I could be sent to the Gulag as punishment, which is almost as bad." Vladimir stopped and thought about that. It was not a pleasant alternative to spend several years in the Siberian wasteland in a work camp.

Kinch shook his head. "Doesn't sound like either option is very pleasant," he said.

"Nyet. But if I am really lucky, I suppose they can keep me in the military in a support role nowhere near the front," Vladimir responded. "That would be the best case I could hope for."

"Let's hope for the best case then," Kinch replied.

"Da," Vladimir said. He looked at Kinch for a second and said, "Vanya, if they are not successful in stopping the truck, please do whatever you can to destroy it."

Kinch was shocked at the request. "But Sam ... Volodya, you will be in that truck," he said, using the more familiar form of Vladimir's name for one of the few times since he learned it. "We will be there to get you out of the truck, not to blow it and you to millions of pieces."

Vladimir kept looking at Kinch. "Yes I know," he replied. "But if something goes wrong, it is better that I be millions of little pieces than alive and in Gestapo hands."

Kinch shook his head. "Better to be alive and free than dead," he said firmly.

Vladimir sighed. "Vanya, if I am kept by the Gestapo, you will have an almost impossible time getting me out," he said. Seeing Kinch start to reply, he cut him off. "This will not be like the other times. You must trust me on this. I know first hand how those animals treat those of us who they refer to as sub-human."

Kinch looked back at Vladimir. "Then we will just make sure that you are not kept by the Gestapo," he said finally.

The two men were silent for several moments. Then Kinch looked over at Vladimir and smiled. "Since we have a few more hours with nothing to do, would you care for a game of chess?" he asked.

Vladimir smiled back. "Da," he replied.

Vladimir was not surprised when Kinch reached back into the tunnel entrance and pulled out the chess set. He knew Kinch had planned to play a game all along.

As they set up the board on the stone that was the cover to the tunnel entrance, both men were thinking that this would probably be the last game they would share together.

Stalag 13, Barracks 2, Colonel Hogan's Office
September 4, 1943, 1900 hours

Everyone was already gathered in Colonel Hogan's office when Kinch opened the door and entered. Kinch looked at everyone and nodded his head. "Sam is ready," he said. "I've filled him in on the details of the plan."

"Very good," said Hogan. "Now does everyone know what they are supposed to do?" Everyone nodded as Hogan looked from man to man. He looked at Marya last. "This plan hinges on your people being convincing. Is everything ready?"

Marya smiled briefly before slipping back into her seductive persona. "You still do not trust me, Hogan Darling," she cooed.

Hogan felt the anger rise in him. He tried to avoid getting too flustered. Tonight was too important for him to be distracted. He opened his mouth to say something to Marya, but before he could speak, she cut him off.

"It is humor, Colonel," she said. "Being too tense leads to mistakes, and mistakes lead to unsuccessful missions."

"Exactly," Hogan responded. "And since we don't want that to happen, let's quit playing around and go over this. We don't have much time."

Marya looked at the Colonel. Deciding that it would be best not to push him too far, she shrugged slightly. "Hogan, I have been doing this kind of work since before you dreamed up this little operation here," she said, returning to a normal tone of voice. "I know what is at stake, and I know what I am doing."

Marya's tone of voice was neutral, but the rebuke was clear to everyone in the room. For the second time that day, Hogan had been chastised in front of his men. He took a deep breath and let it out. Calmly he said, "All right, let's start again. Marya, are your people ready with their parts of this operation?"

Marya smiled broadly. "That's better, Colonel," she said and then nodded. "Yes, they are ready. Major Wagner, in Berlin, will be ready whenever Hochstetter tries to get in touch. Leipzig will be calling him somewhere around 2100 hours to ask about the travel authorizations with his signature on them."

A thought came to Hogan. "What if Hochstetter orders them to detain you for him?" he asked. "We never thought of that earlier."

Marya laughed. "Hogan Darling," she said teasingly. "I told you, I know what I am doing. You never thought of that earlier, but I did. That was worked out when I communicated with Leipzig. Remember, Colonel, Hochstetter is a small fish. This will not be a problem."

Hogan was not really convinced of that, but she seemed sure of herself, so he let it go for the moment.

Before Hogan could continue, Marya turned to Baker and said, "Starting at 2130 hours, there will be a message sent on this frequency." She pulled a scrap of paper from a pocket and handed it to him. "It will be repeated at five minute intervals for thirty minutes. The message will be a single word, either ja or nein. When we get back, I will need to know which word was broadcast."

Hogan looked puzzled. "Why?" he asked. "What's this message for?"

"Simple," she replied. "If the word is nein, then I will have to make a call to one of the big fish to scare away the little fish," she said. Seeing the puzzled look on Hogan's face deepen, she continued, "Certain fish do not like to have their lady friends harassed by a small local Gestapo fish, Hogan."

"Oh, I see," he said with realization. "If Hochstetter presses Leipzig about you, you have somebody that will press back."

Marya placed a finger on the side of her nose and looked at Hogan suggestively. "All this and brains too," she said laughing.

Hogan flushed. Sensing that this was starting to get out of hand, he quickly tried to steer things back to the preparations. "All right, Marya is ready," he said. Newkirk snorted as he tried hard not to laugh. Marya and LeBeau didn't even try and were laughing hysterically. Hogan looked around at everyone. Baker was grinning broadly. Even Kinch was trying to suppress a smile. Carter was looking around trying to figure out what was so funny. Then Hogan realized what he just said, and became even more embarrassed. "Come on fellas, you know what I mean," he said.

The laughs started to die down as everyone in the room nodded. Hogan sighed. Sometimes it's not easy to be the leader. Maybe Marya was right; this little joke here seems to have loosened up the men. I would rather have had it be at someone else's expense though. Then Hogan smiled. "All right, now that we've all had our fun, let's continue. As I said, Marya is all set," he said, looking at Marya and daring her to make another joke. Her face showed nothing, but Hogan could see a twinkle in her eyes.

"Newkirk?" Hogan asked, looking at the Englishman who was still trying to regain his composure.

"Yes, sir," Newkirk replied. "The uniforms are ready. I even grabbed the masks that we used the last time."

"Good thinking," Hogan answered. "Carter, how are we set for armament?"

Carter's eyes lit up as he started talking about the weapons. "Boy, are we all set," Carter said enthusiastically, then realized whom he was talking to. "Um, sir," he added. "Automatic weapons all around. And I was able to find us a few potato mashers in case we need them."

Hogan blinked. "Um, thanks Carter," he said. "But we're trying to stop the truck, not blow it all to pieces."

When the Colonel said that, Kinch remembered Vladimir's request in the cooler. He thought about telling him, but decided that it would be best to keep it to himself. That was one option that Kinch did not want to even consider.

Kinch's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Colonel Hogan speak again. "LeBeau, is everything ready in camp?"

LeBeau nodded. "All the barracks are ready if Hochstetter decides to pay us a visit."

Hogan smiled. "Good, good," he said. "Baker, you'll be here with the handi-talkie. We'll still be within the mile range for us to use those. We'll call you when the truck passes us so that you'll know when to expect them. Radio us back when they leave the camp with Vladimir."

"Right, Colonel," Baker replied.

Hogan was satisfied. His men were good, and he was confident that they would pull this off. More important, he could tell that they were also confident that they would pull it off.

"It looks like we're all ready then," he said to them all. "One last thing and this is very important. The truck must be stopped. Shoot the tires out if you have to, but whatever it takes, stop that truck." Everyone nodded. "We want to Germans to make it back to town to tell Hochstetter who took Vladimir," he continued, pausing to take a breath. "But if something starts, they are expendable, and Vladimir is not."

The room was silent. After a few moments, Hogan said, "All right, let's go." At that, everyone went to leave the office. The show was about to begin.