With much careful planning, Maria, Max, Georg, and Dr. Skinner formulated a plan on how to get the whole of the von Trapp family out of Austria by the expiration date. It would be hard to move eight children, one woman, and one injured man at once without being detected, especially with spys right under their roof.
"So that's the plan then?" Maria asked, sighing. She was frightened. She didn't think it would work.
"That's your only choice. It is risky, but it is the best chance you have," Dr. Skinner said.
"He's right Maria. The only way we can move out of the house undetected is in stages. The children leave for school every day, that is normal and no one will note that," Georg said.
"True, and I'll make sure two of my men, that are, with me, go with them and escort them to the school," Dr. Skinner said.
"But what about Georg? Is he well enough to do this thing?" Maria asked.
"The Captain is getting stronger every day," Dr. Skinner comforted. "And I'll be there until you get on the train. There's no reason to worry, Maria."
Maria sighed, "All right. I'll visit the abbey this afternoon and fix it with them."
It had been decided that on Wednesday when the children left school for the day, they would not be returning home. Instead, they would be going with two escorts from the OSS to Nonnberg Abbey. There, Maria, Georg, and Lucas would meet up with them and use the network of tunnels to escape over the Swiss border.
The Captain, who was usually the worrier, was at ease with this plan. It was foolproof, the excuses were perfect and they had American spy backup. Maria, usually calm, was a bundle of nerves. Georg tried to calm her as she dressed his wounds the night before they were to execute their plan.
"Are you sure you're well enough?" she asked covering a piece of damaged skin on his chest with a bandage.
"I'm sure we don't have any other choice," the Captain replied. "Once we're out of Austria, I can recover fully in Switzerland before we head to America."
"What if the Nazis invade Switzerland?" she asked.
"Maria, you're worrying about nothing. Switzerland is a neutral country by the last treaty," he reminded her.
"Yes, well no one in power in Germany much cares about that treaty so it seems," Maria pointed out.
"We won't be in Switzerland very long, a few weeks at most, Darling," the Captain comforted. "We'll be safe in America."
"I just have a bad feeling, Georg. I just pray we'll all make it through this," Maria sighed.
Gently the Captain kissed her lips. "We'll be fine, my love. All of us will be just fine."
Meanwhile, Admiral von Schriver was receiving information from one of Dr. Skinner's "OSS" men. Heinz Eggel was actually an American office turned Nazi spy.
"That's right, Sir. Dr. Skinner has two other planted officers, Captain Brandonberg and Captain Schultz escorting the seven older von Trapp children to the Abbey after school today. Captain and Baroness von Trapp and the baby will rendezvous with them at 16:00," Heinz whispered into the phone.
Admiral von Schriver though a moment, "Whose in charge of Skinner's operation. Is he doing it himself or…"
"He's transporting the Captain and his wife personally," Eggel answered.
"Make arrangements to intercept them at Nonnberg Abbey," Admiral von Schriver ordered. "Threaten what you have to, and do what you have to. Just make sure they don't get away."
On Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Skinnre helped Maria and the Captain into their Mercedes and set the plan in motion. It was just before 3 pm, the children should be arriving at the abby any moment.
Once inside, up on the abbey roof, Maria and the Reverend Mother embraced. 'I'm sorry we had to put the abbey in such danger," Maria apologized.
"No, Maria. You should feel safe her. This will always be your home," the old woman comforted.
"Father!" Friederich whispered coming close to his parent. "What's going on?"
"Yes, Father. Why are we…" Liesl began.
"Ssh," the Captain hushed. "We're going away. Somewhere better," he explained as vaguely as possible.
"When?" Louisa asked.
"Soon. Very soon," Maria replied.
"Why.." Gretl began but was hushed when the bell rang at the abbey gates.
"Everyone be quiet," Dr. Skinner ordered, checking his gun. "Here. Captain, Friederich." He handed them guns. "Just in case." Then to his men, "If you have to, get the baroness and the children out through the tunnels underground. We'll catch up to you behind the abbey's graveyard."
The three armed men moved to conceal themselves behind pillars while the Reverend Mother tried to hide the children and Maria.
In seconds the Abbey was flooded with Nazis. At least thirty of them, with more, Dr. Skinner and the Captain were sure surrounding the perimeter.
Georg watched as one man climbed to roof and headed directly for where Maria and the children were hiding. Maria felt her hair stand on end before she felt the grip of Nazi trooper around her middle and the cool steel of a gun against her temple.
"Oh, Captain," the man called out. "I've got your pretty little bride here. She's very pretty, Captain. I must commend your taste. So pretty, so soft. It's a pity I'll have to kill her before I have a chance to have fun with her."
The Captain felt sick. That man had his wife in his grip, a cold steel gun pressed to her head.
"Let me go, you pathetic little snippet of a man," Maria growled and squirmed with all her strength.
"You hear that, Captain. Your wife wants me to let her go. Well, I can't do that. Not until your husband shows his face," the Nazi sneered.
"No, Georg," Maria silently prayed. "Stay hidden."
"I'm coming my love," Georg whispered and slipped out from behind the pole.
"All right," he called. "I'm here. Let her go."
"See," the Nazi said as he released Maria. "I'm a man of my word. You are free, Baroness."
"And you are…" She began, but the Captain cut her off with a sharp, forceful. "Go!"
The Nazi was temporarily distracted when the Captain barked the order at his wife. He wanted to see where she went so he could persue her and capture Skinner as well. Skinner and Friederich used this temporary distraction to leap at the Nazi and tackle him to the ground.
The man hit his head and the hard concrete and lost consciousness. For safety, Dr. Skinner used his weapon, shooting out both of the man's knee caps. Then, grabbing Friederich's hand he began to run, "Come on, Captain."
Georg began to move and followed Dr. Skinner and Friderich to the long staircase. He was beginning to feel tired, rapidly losing his still minimal strength. The three men moved quickly down the long hallway, but the Captain couldn't leave without paying his debt.
"I'll never be able to thank you for all you've done," the Captain said with gratitude.
"Just stay safe, and keep you family safe," Skinner replied pausing when the reached a fork.
"It's that way," he pointed down the long hallway. "That's where Heinz took Maria."
The words had barely left his mouth when they saw Heinz Eggel come into view and heard Maria call from the other end of the fork.
"Georg!" she cried out. The Captain turned his head, confused as to why Maria's voice came from the other hallway. Before he processed that they had been deceived, he heard his son call out, "Father!"
The Captain started to turn his head just in time to see what his son had seen. He saw Heinz Eggel raising a gun, aiming it directly at him. And that was the last thing he saw, for his next conscious though was of his son's body knocking him to the ground as gunshots exploded from both Dr. Skinner's and Heinz Eggel's weapons.
