Chapter 6
Hammelburg, Police Headquarters,
September 4, 1943, 2110 hours
Johann Mueller, who owned the shoemaker shop in Hammelburg, walked down the street towards police headquarters. He was to report seeing his car being stolen as he was coming out of the Hofbrau a few minutes ago. He smiled to himself. In reality, Oskar had taken his car earlier in the evening and left it somewhere for Papa Bear to use. He didn't know what the car was to be used for, and didn't much care. He knew Papa Bear always had a good reason for the things he did, and tonight he didn't have to know anything about it.
He stopped in front of police headquarters, going over his story in his mind. He really had just come out of the Hofbrau, so that part was true. There were no people around when he came out, so the story about his car being stolen at that point could not be disputed. The other part was to make sure to say that he saw a woman driving the car away. That part confused him. But, he told himself, Papa Bear has his reasons, and he knows what he is doing.
Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he started up the steps into the building, where he proceeded to tell the police about his car.
Hammelburg, Gestapo Headquarters,
September 4, 1943, 2115 hours
Major Wolfgang Hochstetter sat at his desk, going through a list of suspected underground agents. Actually, the list contained people he suspected as members of the underground, and others that he just didn't like. There was one name he would love to add to the list, for both reasons ... Colonel Robert Hogan.
"The most dangerous man in all of Germany," he muttered to himself. "And he's protected as a prisoner of war. If only I could get something on him, he would lose that protection, and I can treat him as the spy that I know he is."
The phone rang sharply. Hochstetter glared at it, as if he was mad at the interruption. He picked up the receiver. "Hallo," he said sharply. "Major Hochstetter here. Heil Hitler!"
"Heil Hitler, Major," said a voice in the receiver. Hochstetter heard static on the line, so he knew this was not a local call. "This is Major Josef Freitag from Gestapo headquarters in Leipzig."
"Yes Major, what can I do for you?" he asked.
"I called to confirm the validity of a couple of travel authorizations that bear your signature," the voice said. Hochstetter sat up in his chair with anticipation that it was the Russians he had been looking for. The voice continued, "We picked up a man and a woman who seem to be Russian and they had the papers on them. Is it your signature on the papers Major?"
"Well yes, it is my signature, but ..." he said. Before he could say anything else, the voice on the phone cut him off.
"Good, since you vouch for their authenticity, we'll let them go on their way. I'll not trouble you further. Guten abend, Major."
Hochstetter heard the phone link click before he could tell Major Freitag to wait. He looked at the receiver for a second and then slammed it back down. "Bah!" he screamed.
He thought about the situation for a moment. He could call back and have them hold the Russians for him. He could send a couple of men to pick them up. That would stop them from traveling around the country with authorizations that he had signed himself.
He picked up the phone. "Get me Gestapo headquarters in Leipzig," he told the switchboard operator. "I want to talk to Major Freitag." He returned the receiver back to its cradle to wait for the connection.
In a moment, his phone rang. He picked it up and heard it ring over the line. After a couple of rings, it was picked up. "Hallo, Major Freitag here. Heil Hitler!" the voice said.
"Heil Hitler!" Hochstetter repeated. "Major Freitag, this is Major Hochstetter again."
"Yes Major, you've answered my question to my satisfaction and we have let the Russians go on their way. Is there anything else I can do for you?" the voice said with a slight tone of irritation.
"Well yes," Hochstetter said. "You cut me off before I could finish answering your question. Those Russians are suspected in an incident of sabotage in this area. I wanted you to detain them for me to pick up."
The voice was silent for a moment. "So you are telling me that the Russians, who you gave travel authorization to, are suspected saboteurs?"
Hochstetter heard the sarcasm in the statement. "Yes, but when I gave them the authorization, they were not suspects." Hochstetter winced. He knew how bad that explanation sounded.
"I see," said the voice on the phone. The line was silent for a time. Then the voice continued, "Are you in the habit of giving travel authorizations to Russians, Major? You are aware that we are fighting the Russians."
"Yes, I am aware of that," Hochstetter stammered.
"So what is it you want from me, Major?" the voice asked.
Hochstetter was starting to get angry at the sarcastic tone of Major Freitag. "Send some men out to detain them again. They must not have gone far yet. I will send some men to pick them up," he said with frustration in his voice.
The voice was silent, which made Hochstetter angrier. "I want to make sure I have this straight, for my daily reports to Berlin," the voice said calmly. "You want me to detain two people, who seem to be Russian, carrying travel authorizations admittedly signed by you, whom you now suspect of sabotage." The voice was silent again. "Is that correct, Major Hochstetter?"
Hochstetter realized that if a report like that ever made it to Berlin, life would get difficult for him. The thought made him even angrier. "No Major," he said through clenched teeth. "Never mind, I will deal with this myself. I am sorry to have bothered you."
"Not at all, Major," said the voice. "But if I could give you some advice, in the future, you should be more careful about who you give travel authorizations to. Gutenabend, Major." The line clicked dead.
Hochstetter was incensed at the nerve of that Major, and of the situation. He slammed the receiver down and muttered, "Scheisse!"
So he knew now that the Russians were in Leipzig and no longer near Hammelburg. Maybe they will make it to Russia, he thought. Or maybe they won't. That thought made him feel a little better.
Hammelburg Road,
September 4, 1943, 2115 hours
Hogan's group was hidden in the woods by the fork in the road waiting for the truck to go by. "Now remember everyone, we speak only in German," Hogan told the group. "We want them to think we are Abwher." Everyone nodded their understanding. "And no names or ranks," he added.
The car was hidden on the other road where it would not be seen. In a moment, a German truck slowly lumbered past. As soon as the truck went by, Hogan motioned to LeBeau to radio Baker and let him know.
LeBeau picked up the handi-talkie. "Little Bo Peep, this is Little Red Riding Hood. Come in please. Over," he said into the device.
Static crackled from the speaker. "Little Red Riding Hood, this is Little Bo Peep. Go ahead. Over."
LeBeau spoke again, "Little Bo Peep, the Big Bad Wolf is on his way. Over,"
More static crackled from the speaker. "Roger. Over and out."
LeBeau pushed the antenna back into place and went to join the others. There was nothing to do now but wait.
Hammelburg, Gestapo Headquarters,
September 4, 1943, 2120 hours
Major Hochstetter was still fuming. He was angry that he did not get the two Russians that he had foolishly let go. "But I'll soon have the Russian that Klink was trying to hide in his camp," he said to himself. The thought pleased him. "And he'll pay for the embarrassment and frustrations that his fellow countrymen have caused me."
The phone on his desk rang. He picked up the receiver. "Hallo," he said. "Major Hochstetter here. Heil Hitler!"
"Heil Hitler, Major," the voice on the line said. "This is Luetnant Heidrick at police headquarters."
"Guten abend, Luetnant," Hochstetter said, recognizing the voice. "What can I do for you this evening?"
"We just had a report of a car stolen a few minutes ago outside of the Hofbrau. I just wanted to let you know, in case it turns out to be related to any other suspicious activities you are looking into. The owner saw the thief drive away. He says that it was a woman diving."
"Danka, Luetnant," Hochstetter said. "Heil Hitler!"
"Heil Hitler!" the voice said. Then the line clicked dead.
Hochstetter put the receiver back in its cradle and shook his head. "No, it couldn't be. I just talked to the Gestapo in Leipzig and she was up there," he muttered to himself. "She couldn't be in two places at once."
But Major Hochstetter was still bothered by the thought.
Stalag 13, Barracks 2,
September 4, 1943, 2120 hours
Baker was looking through the periscope built into the sink by the outside wall of the barrack when the Gestapo truck pulled into the compound. He saw the guards at the gate point over to the cooler, and the truck headed in that direction. By the time the truck had stopped, Klink had come out of his office and was heading towards the cooler.
Klink stopped to talk to the Gestapo guards as the got out of the truck. Hochstetter was true to his word; there were two guards. One of the guards reached into the back of the truck and took something out from the inside of the truck. Baker couldn't tell what it was, but he noticed that Klink became very animated when he saw it. After a few minutes of talking and gesturing, Klink turned and walked into the cooler with the guards following him.
Baker looked at his watch – 2125. Marya's contact would start broadcasting his message in five minutes. After several minutes, Baker saw Vladimir emerge from the cooler followed by the Gestapo guards. The guards had their guns pointed at Vladimir's back, and Baker then saw what Klink was so animated about. They had put Vladimir in chains. He had cuffs around his wrists and ankles with chains connecting each cuff together.
When they got to the truck, the guards prodded Vladimir with their guns, indicating for him to climb into the truck. With the chains around his limbs, Vladimir could not manage the climb. This made the guards prod him a little more forcefully. Klink was waving his arms frantically and Baker could tell that he was yelling at the guards. Finally, Klink motioned to Schultz, who was standing nearby and Schultz walked over and helped Vladimir into the truck. One of the Gestapo guards climbed in behind him while the other went around the truck and got in behind the wheel.
The truck started to move towards the gate. Klink returned Schultz's salute and turned to walk towards his quarters. He didn't look like a very happy Kommandant.
Baker picked up the handi-talkie. "Little Red Riding Hood, this is Little Bo Peep. Over," he said.
After a second, he heard the receiver crackle. "Little Bo Peep, this is Little Red Riding Hood. Go ahead. Over."
"The lamb has been taken by two, repeat two Big Bad Wolves - One in the front, one in the rear. The little lamb is in shackles. Over," Baker said into the mouthpiece.
LeBeau couldn't believe what he just heard. "Little Bo Peep, please repeat that last sentence. Over," he said.
"Little Red Riding Hood, I said the lamb is in shackles. Over," Baker's voice said through the receiver.
"Thank you, Little Bo Peep. Over and out," LeBeau replied and turned off the receiver. As he put the radio down, he looked over at Colonel Hogan and said, "Filthy bosche pigs!"
Hogan looked at the little Frenchman. "Easy, LeBeau," he said. "We don't have the time to get worked up about it now."
Hogan motioned over to Carter to get the car moved into place. Kinch was already in position, slightly down the road in case they could not stop the truck for some reason. "All right, Marya," he said. "It's time to get down there and stop the truck. We'll be in the woods on both sides of the road. When the truck stops, we'll be ready. Try to get the driver out of the truck, it will make it easier."
Marya nodded and headed towards the car that was now blocking the road before the turnoff towards the Berlin road. Marya could see that the truck would have no choice but to stop. So her main task would be to get the driver out of the truck to help her with the car. If she was lucky, she might be able to manage getting both guards out to help her push the car out of the way.
Everyone was now in position. Off in the distance, Hogan could hear a vehicle slowly coming towards them on the road. It's show time, he thought to himself.
Stalag 13, Tunnels under the camp,
September 4, 1943, 2145 hours
Baker had the headset on and the radio tuned to the frequency that Marya had given him. He heard the radio crackle, and he started to transcribe the Morse code that he heard being broadcast. It consisted of a single word, being transmitted repeatedly. After fifteen repetitions, the transmission stopped.
Baker smiled as he looked at the fifteen words on the paper in his hand.
Hammelburg Road,
September 4, 1943, 2145 hours
The German truck ambled up the road towards the car blocking the way. Marya stood beside the car, waving a flashlight to catch the driver's attention. Marya made no move as the truck stopped in front of Marya, bathing her in the dim light of the headlights.
"Was ist los? Move that car," the driver snarled from the truck.
Marya took several steps to the side to better speak to the driver. "I cannot. It will not start," she said in flawless German. "I was trying to turn around to go back to Hammelburg and the car stopped."
"That is not my problem," the guard said. "The car is blocking our way and it must be moved."
Hogan watched the exchange, ready to make his move when the opportunity presented itself. Though he couldn't see the rest of his men, he knew that they were doing the same. Come on Marya; make the driver get out of the truck. It will be hard to do this with them in the truck. He was breathing easy, though it was hard with the mask over his face. He was glad Newkirk thought of the masks. He didn't think it really was necessary, but he didn't want any possibility of recognition to make Hochstetter more suspicious of him.
Marya had moved another step closer to the driver's door of the truck. "If I could move it myself, I would have," Marya said to the driver. "If you could help me move it to the side of the road, you can be on your way."
A voice from the back of the truck called out, "Hans, was ist los? Why are we stopped?"
The driver didn't respond immediately. Marya took another step closer to the truck. She was now even with the driver door, but out of the way if he decided to open the door quickly. "If you have another person to help, we can get the car moved easily," Marya prompted again. "I don't want to keep you from your business."
Hogan smiled to himself. Nice touch. Getting both guards out of the truck will make things even easier.
The driver thought about it for a second and then called out to the back of the truck. "Just a helpless fraulein with a stalled car, Franz," he yelled, getting out of the truck. "Is the prisoner secure so that you can come help me move it?"
The voice from the back of the truck called out again. "Ja, he won't go anywhere." In a moment, the guard named Franz was climbing out of the back of the truck and walking towards Hans and Marya.
The guards then moved to the back of the car and started to move it. The guard from the rear of the truck had not set down his weapon, having instead slung it over his back. Hogan could not see a weapon on the other guard. Good, only one weapon to deal with. Maybe this will be easy. Marya hadn't moved, and was still standing by the driver door of the truck, but Hogan noticed a pistol in her hand where one hadn't been before.
As the guards moved the car, Hogan and the other men moved quietly out of the woods. When the car was almost completely out of the way, Hogan nodded to Carter and started walking quietly towards Hans and Franz, with Marya tagging alongside and Newkirk and LeBeau behind. As they walked, Hogan could hear the sound of air escaping from the rear tire of the truck as Carter slashed the tire.
At the sound, both guards started to turn around, Franz trying to retrieve his weapon from over his shoulder. They turned to find four weapons pointed at them.
"Drop your weapons on the ground," Marya said calmly. "No sudden moves, or you will die."
Hans immediately thrust his hands in the air. "My weapon is in the truck," he said as Franz took his rifle and placed it on the ground in front of him. Then Franz put his hands in the air as Hans had done.
Hogan motioned to Newkirk and LeBeau and they advanced towards the Germans. Just then, the sound of another tire losing air was heard. In a second Carter came around the truck with his weapon drawn and approached Hogan and Marya. LeBeau picked up the rifle from the ground and put it into the car. Then he and Newkirk checked the Germans for other weapons.
"Did you check on the prisoner?" Hogan asked Carter.
"He's in the back, but he's chained to the truck," Carter replied. "We'll need the keys from them to release him," Carter said, motioning towards the Germans.
"Who are you?" Hans asked. "And what do you want from us?"
Hogan looked over at the Gestapo man. Before answering, he told Carter, "Check the truck. Take any weapons and put them in the car." Carter walked over to the truck and opened the door.
Hogan turned back to the Germans, who were still standing with their hands in the air. "We are from Abwher," he said. "We don't want anything from you. We just want your prisoner."
"Why do you want him? He's only a lousy Russian," Hans replied.
Hogan waved his gun in an idle manner. "We in the Abwher do not question Berlin," he said. "When Major Kurt Wagner gives us orders, we follow them."
Now Franz decided to speak. "But Major Hochstetter won't like this," he said.
Hogan shrugged. "What does that matter to me?" he asked in reply.
"But what will we tell him?" Franz asked.
"Tell him whatever you want," Hogan replied. He was starting to enjoy this, but he knew that they should hurry up and return to camp. The longer they stayed here, the more chance someone could pass by and interfere. "Now, may I have the keys for the prisoner?" he asked. "Or will I have to try to take them by force?"
Franz immediately brought one hand down towards one of his pockets. Almost as quickly, he froze as every gun was pointed at him. Hogan shook his head at the German. "Nein," he said. "You tell us where they are, and we'll get them."
"In my left pocket," Franz said. His voice was shaking slightly. Hogan looked at him in the dim moonlight. He couldn't be very old, and it seemed that this was the first time that he didn't have the upper hand in a confrontation. I suppose that being in the Gestapo meant that not many people would stand up to you.
Newkirk stepped forward and reached into his pocket, extracting a set of keys.
"Release the prisoner from the truck," Hogan told him. Newkirk walked towards the back of the truck, and Hogan noticed that Kinch had walked up unnoticed on the other side of the car behind the Germans. "Once we extract the prisoner from your truck, we will be on our way."
"But you have flattened our tires," Hans said. "How will we get back to town?"
Hogan smiled beneath his mask, though the Germans couldn't see it. "It seems that you have two legs," he said. "I think the most obvious way would be to walk." Beside him, he heard Marya snort while trying to stifle a laugh.
Newkirk walked towards the back of the truck, fumbling with the keys. When he reached the back, he looked in and saw Vladimir sitting chained to a ring in the truck bed.
Newkirk climbed into the truck, pulling down his mask so that Vladimir could see him smiling. When he got to Vladimir, he whispered, "I'll have out unlocked in a second, Sam." He then tried the keys until one of them unlocked the chain attached to the truck. "Now one of these others will unlock the shackles," he told Vladimir.
"It might look better if you leave those on me when you take me away," Vladimir whispered back.
Newkirk nodded. "You're right," he whispered. "So let's go." Newkirk put his mask back on while heading to the back of the truck. He jumped out, and helped Vladimir out of the truck.
As they rounded the truck, Newkirk moved behind Vladimir with his gun pointed at his back. "Here he is, sir," Newkirk said as Hogan turned around to look. "Do it here or wait until later?" he asked.
It took Hogan a split second to realize what Newkirk was suggesting, and he played along with it. "Not here," he said. "It's easier to move him if he can still walk." Hogan turned his attention back to the Germans by the car. By this time, Kinch had gotten into the drivers seat of the car, out of view of the Gestapo guards.
"Are you going to shoot him?" Hans asked. He seemed surprised.
"He is none of your concern now," Hogan replied. "And I think it is time for you to start walking back to town." As if to emphasize his point, he unlocked the safety on his gun, making a loud click.
Kinch started the car as the Germans began walking down the road towards town. Newkirk helped Vladimir into the back seat of the car while the rest of them piled in. Once everyone was in, Kinch drove the car through the fork down the other road.
Newkirk was unlocking the shackles that Vladimir had on. "There we go," he said as the last latch clicked open.
Vladimir rubbed his raw wrists with a handkerchief from his pocked and smiled. "Thank you," he said to Newkirk. He looked at the handkerchief and noticed a few blood smears on it.
"Leave the chains in the car with the guns that we took from the guards," Hogan said. "Kinch, this is far enough. Pull over to the side of the road and let's leave the car here. They will think that we had another vehicle waiting."
Kinch pulled over to the side of the road. Everyone got out of the car.
"Colonel," Vladimir said, "now is the time when you must shoot me."
Everyone stopped dead in his tracks. Colonel Hogan was speechless. He couldn't believe what he just heard.
Marya started laughing. "He's right, Hogan darling," she purred. "We are still close enough that the Gestapo guards will hear the gunshots." She paused, waiting to see if Hogan understood. When he said nothing, she continued. "After all, you implied back at the truck that you would do it later. This will give the impression that you followed through on that when we transferred to our other vehicle."
Marya was still smiling. Suddenly it dawned on Hogan what they were saying. But before he could say anything, Marya fired four shots into the air from her pistol. The spent cartridges went flying into the road.
Carter immediately went to pick up the cartridges. "Carter, leave them there," Hogan said, stopping him. "If they find them, they will be more likely to believe the story."
Vladimir took out the handkerchief and also threw it on the ground. "This will also help," he said. "It has blood stains on it. Those bastards put the shackles on so tight that they cut my wrists."
"All right, let's get back to camp," Hogan said looking around at their surroundings. "We're not out of the woods yet." Everyone laughed, as they started off through the woods towards camp, careful not to leave a trail that could be followed.
Stalag 13, Barracks 2,
September 4, 1943, 2300 hours
Baker was waiting in the tunnel by the tree stump entrance when they returned to camp. Vladimir was the first one to climb down the wooden ladder into the tunnel. Baker stuck out his hand and said, "Welcome back, Sam."
Vladimir took his hand and shook it. "Thank you," he said smiling.
As the rest of the group came down through the entrance, the tunnel became more and more crowded. Colonel Hogan was the last one to enter. When he had closed the tree stump entrance and climbed down the ladder, Baker spoke up. "Obviously I don't have to ask how things went," he said.
Hogan had a broad grin on his face. "No, it's fairly obvious," he said, looking at Vladimir. "Were there any problems here, Baker?"
Baker shook his head. "No, it was pretty quiet," he said. "Klink didn't look very happy when they took Vladimir out of camp, and he went to his quarters right after that. I checked with Zagoskin just a few minutes ago, and he's asleep."
Marya spoke up, "Did the message come through on the radio?" she asked Baker.
Baker nodded and handed her the paper that had the transcribed message on it. "Here is the message, word for word," he said.
Marya took the paper and read it. A big smile appeared on her face, and she handed the paper to Hogan. He read the paper, seeing the word 'ja' over and over, and looked up. "So this means that Hochstetter bought the Leipzig story?" he asked.
"Probably," she said. "But the report of a woman involved in Tovarish Vladimir's kidnapping, along with the stolen car, will confuse him. Maybe that will keep him off-guard enough until we are gone."
"Speaking of Hochstetter," Hogan said, "I think we'd better get ourselves up above and in our bunks in case he comes storming in here." He paused, and looked at Vladimir. "Welcome back home, Vladimir," he said smiling.
Vladimir smiled and said, "Thank you." Then he looked around at everyone in the room. "Thank you all," he said.
"All right, everyone get cleaned up and get upstairs," Hogan said, clapping his hands together. "Vladimir, you and Marya better wake up Zagoskin and be prepared. If things turn bad, I want you to be ready to make a run for it out the emergency tunnel."
"Yes Colonel," Vladimir replied. Hogan left to change back into his regular uniform and get upstairs.
Vladimir and Marya were alone in the tunnel now while everyone else scrambled to get back to their bunks. "Spasibo, Tovarish Marya," Vladimir said.
Marya shook her head. "Please, do not thank me," she said. "I was the one who got you into this mess."
"True," he replied. "But you did not have to do as much as you did to get me back."
"Yes I did, Tovarish Vladimir," she said. She didn't say anything more, but simply looked at Vladimir with no expression on her face.
Vladimir looked at Marya. There was something in her eyes that he had a hard time distinguishing. He thought it was a flash of compassion and warmth was peeking out from behind the normally calculating gaze. Finally he nodded. "Da, you are right," he said. "You did." He sighed. "But now that I am back here in camp, I cannot stay. I must go back to Russia, but what am I going back to?" he asked.
"Your family," Marya responded.
"That is not what I mean, Tovarish Marya," he said. "I think you know what I am talking about."
Marya nodded. "Da," she said. "We will talk about that later, Tovarish Vladimir. Right now we should go awaken Zagoskin and get ready ourselves."
Vladimir followed Marya through the tunnels to the nook where Zagoskin had been staying. He wondered what she meant when she said they would talk later. There was nothing in her voice to indicate whether it would be good or bad, so he couldn't tell.
Hammelburg, Gestapo Headquarters,
September 5, 1943, 0045 hours
Major Hochstetter had not listened to the entire story of the ambush before he flew into a rage. Now he was pacing the floor, yelling like a crazed animal. Hans and Franz stood at attention in front of the Major's desk, afraid to move.
"And you just let them take him away?" Hochstetter yelled.
"But sir, we were outnumbered," Franz stammered.
"You are cowards," Hochstetter screamed at him. "You should not have stopped to begin with."
This time it was Hans that answered. "The car was completely blocking the road," he said apprehensively. "There was no way around it."
"Bah!" yelled the enraged Major. "That is no excuse!"
"But Major, it was the Abwher," Hans said. "They said they had orders from a Major Kurt Wagner in Berlin."
"Their orders mean nothing to me!" Hochstetter ranted. He paused, panting for a few moments. "And what did these Abwher kidnappers look like?" he asked.
"We can't say," Franz said. He saw Hochstetter's face start to redden and before the Major could explode, he quickly added, "They were wearing masks."
"All but the woman," added Hans.
Major Hochstetter wheeled around to look at Hans. "Woman? What woman?" he asked.
"The woman that was by the car when we drove up," Hans said. "She was the only one we saw until we started to move the car out of the way."
"What did she look like?" he demanded. Hans gave him the description of Marya. Major Hochstetter's mind was working. No, it can't be. I got a call from Leipzig saying that they had her up there? I even called back, so I know the call came from Leipzig. But this woman sounds like that Russian woman. Hochstetter's thoughts were interrupted as Franz spoke again.
"They flattened the tires of the truck and made us walk back to town," Franz said. "They were going to shoot the prisoner right there, but put him in the car and drove away towards the Berlin road instead."
"And then we heard several shots from that direction as we were walking," Hans added.
Hochstetter nodded absentmindedly, only half listening to the two guards explain. "Yes, yes," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "This is too suspicious," he said to no one in particular.
"Sir?" said Hans.
"They knew where you would be, and when you would be there," Hochstetter said. "They also knew that you were carrying a prisoner. How?"
"Sir, I don't know," said Hans.
"No, I don't expect you to," Hochstetter growled. "You are a fool for letting this happen. Now shut up and let me think." Hans took the rebuke silently and stared at the floor.
"So this so-called Abwher squad knew the details of this prisoner transport," he muttered. "The only place they could have gotten that information is from Stalag 13."
Hans and Franz looked at each other. They had heard Hochstetter rant before about Stalag 13 and the American Colonel Hogan. Franz rolled his eyes. Here we go again, his eyes seemed to say.
Hochstetter stopped pacing in front of the pair. "You say they claimed to have orders from someone?" he asked.
Hans nodded. "Ja, a Major Kurt Wagner," he responded.
Hochstetter walked around behind his desk. "Well, we can check with Abwher headquarters in Berlin to verify that," he said, sitting in his chair. "I suspect that there is no Major Kurt Wagner in Abwher and this story is completely false." He picked up the phone and barked into the handset, "Get me Abwher headquarters in Berlin." He hung up the handset.
In a moment, the phone rang. Hochstetter picked up the handset and heard the rings over the wire. After several rings, the line clicked and he heard "Hallo."
"Hallo," he said. "Is this Abwher headquarters?"
"Who wants to know?" the voice asked dryly.
"This is Major Hochstetter from the Hammelburg Gestapo," Hochstetter said.
"Good evening, Major," the voice said. "Or I should say good morning, Major. What can I do for you?"
"Is this Abwher headquarters," Hochstetter asked again.
"You called me, Major," the voice said. "It is a little late to be making phone calls if you are not sure where you are calling."
Major Hochstetter fumed. "I assume that this is Abwher headquarters then," he said. The voice on the line was silent. Hochstetter continued, "I would like to speak to a Major Kurt Wagner."
The line crackled with static. "Any particular Major Kurt Wagner, or will any one do?" the voice asked.
Hochstetter was speechless for a second. Before he could respond, the voice on the phone continued, "I am a Major Kurt Wagner, Major Hochstetter. Will I do or should I try to find another one for you to talk to?"
"Are you trying to be funny, Major?" Hochstetter asked through clenched teeth.
Major Wagner laughed over the wire. "It's just my way of suffering fools," he said.
"I did not call to be insulted, Major Wagner," Hochstetter said, barely able to keep the anger from his voice.
"Then maybe you can enlighten me as to the reason why you did call," Major Wagner said calmly. Hochstetter imagined that the man at the other end of the phone line was smiling as he said that.
"We had an incident with one of our prisoners tonight," Hochstetter said.
"How nice for you," Major Wagner said.
Hochstetter ignored the comment and kept talking. "And I was wondering if you would be able to shed some light on things," he finished.
Major Wagner was silent for a moment, the phone line crackled occasionally with static. "Major Hochstetter, the Abwher is not in the habit of shedding light on things. If you have specific questions, then I suggest that you ask them. If not, then ..." Major Wagner let the sentence hang.
Now it was Hochstetter's turn to be silent. He wanted to tell the Abwher man just what he thought, but he realized that it would not get him the information he needed. "Very well," he said finally. "This evening when we were transporting a prisoner from Stalag 13 to our headquarters here in Hammelburg, a group claiming to be from the Abwher stopped the truck and took the prisoner. They mentioned your name to my guards."
The phone line was silent, except for the occasional pops and clicks of the long distance connection.
"Well?" Hochstetter asked testily.
"Well what, Major?" Wagner asked. "I'm still waiting for your question."
"Do you know anything about this, Major Wagner?" Hochstetter asked.
"Yes Major, I do," Wagner replied calmly. He was silent again.
Hochstetter waited. When Wagner did not continue, he asked, "And?"
Wagner's chuckle traveled over the phone line. "And what, Major? You asked if I knew anything about it. I answered your question," he said.
Hochstetter was getting impatient. "One of the people who stopped the truck was a woman," Hochstetter said.
"I know that also," Wagner said.
"A woman whose description is amazingly similar to a Russian woman we are looking for," Hochstetter countered.
"Ah," Wagner said. "You would be referring to the White Russian woman named Marya, to whom you provided signed travel documents, along with a Russian rocket scientist who engineered an unsuccessful weapons experiment recently."
Hochstetter exploded. He was tired of the game Major Wagner was playing. "How do you know this and why did you take my prisoner?" he screamed into the phone. Hans and Franz, who were still standing at attention in front of Hochstetter's desk, jumped at the fury of the Major.
The phone line was silent.
"I demand to know," Hochstetter screamed, even louder than before. "How did you get your information?"
"Major Hochstetter, who are you to demand anything from me?" Wagner asked calmly.
"This is the Gestapo you are talking to," Hochstetter fumed.
"And you are talking to the Abwher, Major," Wagner replied. "The Abwher deals in intelligence, and does not reveal the sources of that information. You might not understand that, Major Hochstetter, because we both know the Gestapo is not known for its intelligence."
The insult was not lost on Hochstetter. "I'm warning you ..." Hochstetter growled.
Major Wagner cut him off, "No Major, I am warning you," he said with a dangerous tightness in his voice. "Do not interfere with the activities of the Abwher. A person who allows a Russian scientist who no doubt sabotaged a highly secret and highly valuable rocket experiment to roam free around Germany with a valid travel authorization is already on very shaky ground," Wagner paused to let the statement sink in.
Hochstetter was silent. He knew the Major was right; Berlin would question that omission from his report. General von Rauscher was the only one mentioned when Hochstetter reported the failure of the test.
"Do I make myself clear, Major?" Wagner asked, his calm voice returning.
"Ja Major, quite clear," Hochstetter replied tersely.
"Good. The prisoner is no longer your responsibility," Wagner said. Then he let out a small chuckle, "And I can assure you, Major, this Russian will not be given travel papers and allowed to escape. Heil Hitler, Major Hochstetter." The line clicked as Major Wagner hung up the phone.
Hochstetter put down the handset. Yes, it is quite clear to me. Somehow Major Wagner knew of my mistake with the Russian scientist. And somehow he knew that I had planned to take the Russian prisoner, Minksy, from Stalag 13. What isn't clear is how he is getting the information. Could there be an Abwher spy in the Hammelburg Gestapo headquarters? Listening devices? Phone taps? There could be no other explanation, except ... Stalag 13 was the only other place where people knew the information that leaked. But who at Stalag 13 would be connected to the Abwher? Hogan? I know Hogan is the cause of the sabotage in the area, but cannot connect him to it yet. He shouldn't be connected to the Abwher. Klink? Klink is a bumbling idiot.
"Major, are we dismissed?" Hans asked.
Hochstetter looked up at the two guards still standing at attention, intending to motion them away. Yes, I will check this building. The leak could have come from here. But I think it's time to pay a visit to Stalag 13 to see what I can find at this time of night. The woman tonight sounded like the Russian woman, but everything else indicates that it could not be her. I must find out for sure.
Hochstetter finally spoke to the men. "I want a squad of men and a truck ready in ten minutes. We're going to pay a visit to Stalag 13," he said. "But first we will pay a visit to the place where you were stopped and see if we can find anything incriminating. And find some tires for the disabled truck, too."
Hans and Franz clicked their heels and replied, "Jawohl, Major!" They turned and left the room.
Major Hochstetter rubbed his hands together. Yes, let's see if we can find anything incriminating that leads back to Stalag 13. For the first time tonight, he actually felt like smiling.