Düsseldorf Radio Station
Düsseldorf, Germany
November, 1944
Day 6
The next morning, Hogan found a couple of minutes to pull Miller aside during a break in rehearsal.
"You look exhausted," Hogan noted.
"You're not exactly looking fresh as a daisy yourself."
Hogan snorted. "It was a long night last night. We tried to get to you but Hochstetter and Reigels got in the way."
Miller nodded. "Yeah. There I was, Little Nell saved by Simon Legree."
"I saw."
Miller looked at Hogan and thought back to the night before. There were two Gestapo officers he hadn't been able to place...
Hogan grinned seeing the realization come to the Major's brown eyes. "Told you I'd be switching uniforms."
Miller chuckled.
"How long did Reigels stay?"
"About an hour."
"You didn't stay awake waiting for me did you?"
"Sort of. I tossed and turned more thinking about this awful broadcast they want to do."
"Reigels give you an itinerary?"
Miller nodded. "It's a half hour program...the first 15 minutes is pretty much all music. After that is rhetoric, but he wouldn't tell me what was going to be said and what I saw of the scripts it was all in German."
"Do they want you to speak?"
"Of course. But I don't know what it is I'll be saying. He gave me a phonetic German script, not unlike what the ABSIE had me read from."
"But wouldn't tell you the subject matter?"
"No."
"No wonder you tossed and turned. For all you know you're pledging allegiance to the Third Reich. And to make things more weird, the Gestapo has a peculiar interest in this broadcast, beyond being your jailers."
"The Gestapo?"
Hogan nodded. "Newkirk and I over heard that conversation between Hochstetter and Reigels. Besides telling Hochstetter to basically simmer down, Reigels said something about Goebbels' plan with you being something that Hochstetter was quite interested in when they were first planning it."
Miller raised an eyebrow and then thought back to two nights previous when Hochstetter gave him hell for the escape attempt. "You know...the other night when Hochstetter read the riot act to me after my escape attempt, he seemed perturbed about the Gestapo having to guard me to begin with. I asked him if I was a waste of his time. He replied that other than the one purpose I would be serving them, yes I was a complete waste of his time."
Hogan nodded. "You're bait. For something."
Miller dwelled on that for a moment. "I think I know what for." He glanced over his shoulder toward the band. "Others like them."
Hogan was dubious. "I don't follow..."
"All these kids are guilty of is enjoying swing and jazz music, which back home would be nothing. But here...here it's a snub to the Nazi's. These kids have no political agenda, they don't take up arms against the Reich. They buy records. American jazz records. They don't care about the color of the skin of the bandleader or his religious preference. All they care about is having good music so they can have a good time." Miller looked at Hogan. "Resistance is resistance, Colonel, but can you think of a bigger threat to everything we've ever read about the Third Reich, to everything we've seen in this war, than what it is that those kids represent?"
Hogan nodded, understanding now. "And considering the existence of the Hitler Youth and the Nazi's requirement that every youth in Germany be in the organization, it makes it difficult for the two sides to reconcile."
"Exactly. And those that don't agree to join are essentially sent off to prison camps. It's the Nazi way or no way." Miller sighed. "They're going to put me on that radio and it'll flush out every Swing Youth in Germany. They'll be crushed."
Hogan shook his head. "No they won't. I've been striking out on trying to spring you so far, but I can guarantee that that broadcast will go bust--" Hogan stopped suddenly when the doors to the studio opened. He glanced to see Reigels and Anna walk in for the first time that morning. He looked back at Miller.
"You want to add the drum solo where?"
"Uh.." Miller saw Reigels and Anna as well and shifted gears to bandleader. "At the pick up of the second chorus," he said following Hogan's lead. "Or what would be the pick up of the second chorus...if I had vocalists."
Hogan gave an indiscreet wink.
Anna heard this as she approached. "Vocalists?" she said.
"Well, I've been giving it some thought," Miller continued. "A couple of vocalists would be nice."
Anna smiled. "Well, Herr Major, for having not wanted to do this broadcast initially you are certainly giving it more thought."
"If it's going to be done, it may as well be done right," Miller said. "And I wouldn't want German vocalists. I would prefer English speaking."
"More POW's?" she asked.
"Preferably."
Anna nodded. "We will see what we can do for you, Herr Major."
"I hope you plan on making a good offer," Hogan said to Anna.
"Of course, Colonel," Anna said. "Special privileges will be offered, just as they were to you and your men here."
"But you're going to have to do one better," Hogan said. "Part of the reason I agreed to do this was to find out if it was really Glenn Miller you had." Hogan looked at Miller and hoped the Major wouldn't be too shocked by what he was about to say next. "Now that I know you do, I suppose the Major here is going to lead half of Stalag 13 to a treason charge."
Miller looked at Hogan, trying to hide his surprise. He followed the Colonel's lead however, and straightened his spine before offering an explanation. "I have little choice, Colonel," he said. "My back is against the wall. Despite what I'm doing, I'm not getting special privileges....other than being allowed to remain standing."
"Then I was right," Hogan said, now looking at Reigels. "People can be cooperative if you threaten them enough."
"We prefer to consider our tactics as persuasive, Colonel," Reigels said.
"Hmm..."
Anna looked at Miller. "Perhaps, Herr Major, you would like some special privileges of your own?"
"Staying alive is privilege enough."
"Maybe a nice dinner, perhaps some female companionship?"
"How about a pack of cigarettes?"
Anna chuckled softly. "Yes... you are married aren't you?"
"Very much so."
"Then perhaps a nice dinner then? You and Colonel Hogan here, along with his men, could dine with us this evening at the (Houserhauf)?"
Hogan and Miller exchanged glances.
"You bringing your camera, Anna?" Hogan asked. "Take a few snapshots of Major Miller dining with Nazis and appearing to enjoy himself?"
Anna paused to consider this. "As I said before, it would show to the Allies that he is being treated well here."
"Forget it," Miller said. "Look, you've got me and you'll have swing music for your broadcast. That's all I'm giving you."
Anna looked at Miller and smiled. "Yes, Herr Major. For now..." She turned and headed for the studio door with Reigels following.
Once the door shut, Hogan looked at Miller. "Nice job."
Miller sighed. "You know, the thought of the fact that, for all intents and purposes, I am in the process of committing treason doesn't sit too well with me."
"Don't worry, the rest of us all look the same way," Hogan said.
"Well, I hope the Propaganda Ministry has enjoyed what swing music they've heard over the past couple of days," Miller said.
"Why's that?"
"Because tomorrow they're not getting any."
Hogan blinked. "What do--?"
"Colonel," LeBeau spoke up.
Hogan and Miller looked at the Frenchman and LeBeau pointed to the control room. The two Army officers turned and saw Hochstetter had entered and was looking in on the studio. Miller turned back to Hogan and gestured for him to get back to the drum kit. The Colonel did so.
"Flat Foot Floogee," Miller announced. The band came to sudden attention and readied their instruments. Miller counted off, and then Hogan hit the hi-hat starting the song. LeBeau, Kinch, Hogan and the kids did the lyrics as best they could.
"Flat foot floogee with the bright eyes....flat foot floogee with the bright eyes....flat foot floogee with the bright eyes... bright eyes, bright eyes, bright eyes..."
The band then launched in to the song. Hochstetter remained in the control room. In fact he remained through the whole song. Even after Miller announced In the Mood and the band played that, Hochstetter still remained in the control room.
After the band finished the run through of the song, Miller glanced over his shoulder, seeing Hochstetter was still in the control room. He turned back to the band and looked at Hogan. "What's he doing up there?" he wondered quietly.
Hogan put the drum sticks down. "Let's find out..." He stood up and walked to the middle of the studio, looking through the glass at Hochstetter. "Hiya Major! Didn't know you were such a fan of swing music!"
Hochstetter scowled and got up from his chair. He went to the door that led from the control room directly to the studio and opened it. "I'm not," he said as he came out. "But I've always been highly suspicious of you, Colonel Hogan."
"Why is that, I wonder?"
"Very strange things happen to things that you always seem to be somehow involved in," Hochstetter said. "Plans fail, people disappear..."
"Maybe it's just coincidence," Hogan said.
"I don't think so."
"Maybe it's bad luck?" Miller suggested.
Hochstetter glared at Miller. He then turned his gaze back to Hogan. "Just be reminded Colonel, that Major Miller is under the guard of the Gestapo and is not a POW..."
"The Major was telling me that," Hogan said. "Too bad really, he'd get along great with everybody back at Stalag 13. Lot of the guys like his music."
"Hmmm..." Hochstetter said. "Would they still be such enthusiasts if they knew he was broadcasting for our side?"
"Well, none of us would blame him. Especially seeing as he's been persuaded by warm and friendly folks such as yourself."
Miller snickered which earned him a cold glare from Hochstetter. "Bah!" the Gestapo Major said and marched to the studio doors, letting himself out.
"He's a ball of joy isn't he?" Miller said.
Hogan chuckled.