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Weaving A Web To Freedom
Book Three: Fliegerabwehrkanonen Spells FLAK
Chapter Thirteen
Counting Your Losses
Klink and Schultz were just exiting the Kommandant's living quarters, when the black Gestapo staff car pulled into camp with flags flying.
"Now what do they want?" Klink grumbled. He turned and took a step toward the approaching car.
"You are going somewhere at this late hour, Kommandant?" The lieutenant asked as he stepped out and swaggered toward Klink.
Klink straightened and looked down his nose at the junior officer. "I don't see how that is any of your business, but yes, I am."
The Lieutenant looked Klink in the eye and stated, "Major Hochstetter has sent me to check on your senior POW. He wants to make sure he is here in camp." The Lieutenant noticed the change in Klink's facial expression. "Is something wrong, Kommandant?"
"Colonel Hogan is not here. That is where I am going. Colonel Dozier took him to see his camp and artillery guns without my permission; I am going to bring Hogan back."
"Colonel Dozier took him to…" The Gestapo Lieutenant's face betrayed his anxiety at this news. This was not what he wanted to report back to Major Hochstetter. He spun back around and jumping back in his car warned, "We'll deal with you later, Kommandant!"
Klink watched as the Gestapo sped out of camp and then hurried to his waiting vehicle, "Shultz, get in the car!"
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Hogan's men and the Underground unit, along with Daniel, were sprinting the distance to the bridge. The two men sent to blow the bridge after the cannons went up had to be stopped.
Suddenly they heard the blast and it stopped them cold. Kinch continued to stare straight ahead. Newkirk looked at the ground. Carter looked at his friends, waiting for someone to tell him that explosion was not the bridge.
"Keep moving!" LeBeau shoved from behind, "KEEP MOVING!" His shout broke the trance and they were off again.
A few minutes later, they caught up with Willi and Bernd as they were celebrating not only taking out the bridge, but the German truck that was crossing it.
"What kept you?" Willi asked. "You missed it. It went up in the middle first and just seemed to hang there waiting for the other four packs to blow the ends free. Except for some guy jumping out of the back of the truck at the last minute, nobody walked away, and the blast probably got him."
Willi and Bernd grew silent as they noticed their newly arrived friends weren't joining in their celebration. "What's wrong?" Bernd asked
"Did you say somebody jumped out of the back of that truck?" Kinch asked, stepping forward.
"Ja, at least I think so, it all happened at once," Willi answered. "It was difficult to see in the dark."
"I'm sure someone jumped out, there were a couple of shots fired right before we pushed down on the plunger," Bernd confirmed.
Willi and Bernd were almost knocked down as the entourage rushed past on their way down the ravine to the river. Debris was everywhere. There was little time to search before more troops arrived, and the diverted patrols would be on their way back, having heard and seen the explosions. The plan was they would all be out of the area before that happened. A search for a lost comrade had not been part of the scenario. Even though anyone wanting to cross the river would have to go down to the next bridge, they were still racing the clock.
The river and its bank were strewn with debris and bits of burning wood. The group slowed as they mixed in among it. "Check along the bank as you go," Kinch called, as he watched the others move out ahead. Kinch, the Sergeant that Colonel Hogan had named his Second in Command, looked out into the rubble-filled river, straining to see.
My Gawd, Colonel, how could you survive this? Kinch began walking the bank, praying for a miracle, but the wreckage around him gave him little hope.
Kinch looked at his watch. We're off schedule. The Colonel would have my hide if he knew I jeopardized lives looking for one man. "Keep your emotions out of your decisions, Kinch. Command is based on getting the job done with the least amount of lives lost," he'd said. And then Kinch remembered how the Colonel had lowered his voice and added, "Grieve later for the men you lost, do it privately… you'll need to."
Kinch took in a deep breath to clear his thinking. I've got to get these men out of here. He picked up his pace and strode down stream, gathering men as he went.
The men had spread out and covered a significant amount of river bank in a small amount of time. No one wanted to be the first to say it, but after seeing the carnage, no one held much hope.
After a few moments of silence, Armin looked at the four dejected POWs and offered a simple, "I'm sorry."
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Schultz slammed on the brakes. "Donnerwetter!" They had heard the explosions and seen the glow before they even made it to the site. They climbed out of the car as they looked around at the debris. There were soldiers running in every direction.
Klink reached out and stopped one. "Where is Colonel Dozier?"
"I don't know. I don't know where anyone is! The Private broke away and ran without direction.
This time the Kommandant was looking for someone with rank. He saw a Corporal calling out orders and approached.
"Corporal, where is Colonel Dozier?"
Turning, the Corporal automatically saluted. Klink returned the salute and waited for an answer. "He went into town for dinner…no…he came back…he came back with an American officer. Sorry Colonel, my ears are ringing, it's hard to think." The Corporal stopped and rubbed his forehead.
"Where were they when the bombs fell?" Klink asked, assuming it had been a plane that caused the destruction.
"Oberst Dozier and the American left for Hammelburg right before the cannons blew up."
"Don't you mean right before the bombs fell, Corporal?"
"No, sir, they were rigged to explode. Colonel Dozier warned us just a few minutes before they exploded or we would have had a lot more casualties. He must have seen the explosives when he had the American tied to the cannons."
"Colonel Hogan was tied to the cannons? Why?" Klink questioned.
"I wasn't close enough to hear, but it looked like he was trying to get information or was angry at him for some reason. He was giving him a good beating. I moved further away shortly after that began. The next thing I knew Oberst Dozier was running for the truck telling everyone to get away from the cannons." The Corporal looked around as more patrols arrived to assess the damage and help the injured. "If I'm dismissed I'll return to my duties, sir!" The Corporal saluted.
Klink returned the salute and looked at Schultz. "Back in the truck, Schultz, we're on our way to Hammelburg."
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Things are getting out of hand. Sabotaging the guns was one thing. But blowing up Colonel Dozier… Voss was trying to work through the recent events and plan his course of action. Add to that I've lost my chance to get my hands on "Papa Bear"… I'd better cut my losses and take what I've got before they split up.
Voss pulled the Lugar that Lutz had given him earlier. "Nobody move!" he ordered. "Toss your guns over there, put your hands on your heads, and sit down."
The group looked at each other for a moment.
Kinch slowly pulled his gun out of his belt with two fingers, tossed it to the side, and put his hands on his head. The other men followed his actions.
"So, Daniel, you aren't one of us," Kinch stated. "Now that you've shown your hand and have us at your mercy, why don't you tell us who you really are?" Kinch asked.
"Like I told Dozier, I'm Captain Voss, Gestapo," Voss answered.
"And you were sent by Major Hochstetter?" Newkirk questioned.
Voss looked at the Englander and slowly answered. "Ja. And you are the Underground Unit that has been wrecking havoc across the country side. The Major will be disappointed to have lost Papa Bear. I don't think even bringing all of you in will appease him."
"Why did you tell us about the guns? You couldn't have wanted them blown up!" Carter questioned.
"You weren't supposed to be able to get that close to them." Voss's thoughts strayed as he spoke. "There should have been more patrols, Major Hochstetter ordered them."
"You can't trust a German; they'll let you down every time!" LeBeau said sarcastically, Knowing Tiger pulled them away.
"What happened to Black Paw?" Armin asked.
"That's enough information! The only thing you need to know now is that you are under arrest and will be charged for your crimes. And after we get everything we want from you, you will be hanged!" Voss crowed.
"Oh, I've had enough of this flippin' idiot!" Newkirk proclaimed, as he started to stand.
"Sit down or I will shoot you!" Voss pointed the gun at Newkirk with a deadly aim.
"Give me that gun!" Newkirk demanded with disgust, as he held out his open palm.
Voss squeezed the trigger and the gun fired, but the Englander kept coming. He fired another round as Newkirk took another step.
At first Voss was amazed at the will power of the Englander coming at him.But the man coming at him did not even falter. Now only a few feet away, Voss fired twice more in rapid succession, Newkirk paused for a split second from the force of the gun powder peppering his shirt. Then propelling himself forward grabbed the gun and gave Voss a belt on the chin, sending him flying into the mud.
"The next time you try to kill somebody, you better make sure you're not shooting blanks!" Newkirk growled before turning and walking to the water's edge. "Bloody moron!" he muttered, as if half-expecting a voice to answer him from the river.
Giving Voss blanks had been part of the plan from the beginning. If the Underground didn't show they trusted him enough to help with the sabotage, he might guess they knew he was a spy.
"What will you do with me?" the young Gestapo Captain asked, as the Underground encircled him.
"We're going to treat you better than you would have treated us!" Louis exclaimed, looking down on their prisoner with a disgusted look. "We're going to put you in a nice warm, dry prison camp with plenty of food and let you sit out the rest of the war."
"Yeah, that's because we're the good guys!" Carter threw in.
"Take him the rest of the way, Armin," Kinch stated. "We've got to get back to camp before roll call. It's getting late."
LeBeau was looking out at the river, hoping to see his Colonel.
Peace, mon ami Louis swallowed hard and dabbed at his eyes, turning the gesture into a brisk face rub to camouflage the act.
"Come on, fellas, we're going to have to hurry. We'll have to go slow and swing wide; the whole place will be crawling with Nazis shortly." Kinch turned and began walking in the direction of Stalag 13, followed by his three, now silent, comrades.
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"I'm going to take this phone out of your room if you don't calm down! I cannot remove the traction without an order from your doctor and he said absolutely not! I can give you something to help you sleep." The night nurse was at her wits' end. Having a Gestapo Major for a patient was a nightmare, but having a Gestapo Major in charge of the local unit was driving her crazy.
"If you can't help, just stay away from me!" Hochstetter was shifting uncomfortably in his bed when the phone rang again. He raced to grab the receiver before the nurse.
"I'll leave it for now, but no more yelling. Other patients are trying to sleep!" She turned and hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her."
"Hello!" Hochstetter quickly answered.
"Major, this is Lieutenant Dresdner. I'm afraid there has been an incident involving the Anti-Aircraft Artillery." The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening. The Lieutenant swallowed hard.
"Are you there, Major?"
"Yes, Leutnent, I'm here! Where else would I be? What happened?" The pressure was rising inside Hochstetter's head. He was hoping he wouldn't hear what he was afraid was coming.
"The triple A's have been sabotaged. We are going through the debris now looking for evidence. Colonel Dozier and Colonel Hogan…" The lieutenant was loudly interrupted.
"COLONEL HOGAN! WHAT WAS COLONEL HOGAN DOING THERE?"
The Lieutenant continued, his voice a little more shaky than before. "Colonel Klink said that Colonel Dozier took him to see the Eighty-eights without his permission!"
"Why would…? Bring them to me! I want to talk to them in person!" Hochstetter was now sitting forward in his bed, too agitated to lay back. I'll string them up by their thumbs!
"They aren't here, Major."
"WHAT! Lieutenant, if you tell me you let them get away, you had better start running now!" Hochstetter threatened.
"No sir, the men here say Colonel Dozier and Colonel Hogan jumped into the back of a truck and drove away right before the guns blew up."
"THEY WHAT?" Hochstetter yelled.
The door to Hochstetter's room flew open and the nurse stormed in. Hochstetter held up his hand to the nurse in a stop gesture and lowered his voice again. "Lieutenant, perhaps you'd better start at the beginning."
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Newkirk crawled on his belly until he was next to Kinch. They watched the enemy patrol as they approached, scouring the brush as they came. This was the second patrol they had encountered and it was getting late. Kinch gave Newkirk the sign for diversion and pointed. He then gave the sign for two shots to be fired. He motioned for Carter and Le Beau to move on when it was clear. Kinch and Newkirk separated going in opposite directions.
LeBeau watched Carter out of the corner of his eye. Trying to split his attention between his comrade and the plan in action, Carter seemed dazed.. I know how you're feeling Andre, but we can't dwell on it now, or we are going to end up dead too…or worse.
Two shots rang out and the patrol veered off in the direction of the gunfire. LeBeau pulled on Carter getting him to his feet and moved out toward Stalag 13. They were covering ground quickly and putting the enemy patrol behind them. LeBeau listened intently as he ran, and finally the second two shots rang out. He said a prayer for his two friends.
After firing his gun, Newkirk climbed a tree to wait for Kinch to draw the on coming patrol away from him, by firing two more shots behind the approaching soldiers. He was praying they would be confused enough to think they had gotten their direction wrong, and not divide the patrol to cover both areas. He could see movement coming his way, when the gunfire followed by what sounded like a grenade exploding. The patrol turned in mass and broke into a run.
Good ole Kinch always has an extra surprise for emergencies. Guess that's why the Colonel… Newkirk startled himself. Thinking of the Colonel was such a natural thing. It was going to be difficult to convince himself he was gone, and even more difficult to take orders from anyone else. The Corporal launched himself out of the tree and hurried to catch up with LeBeau and Carter.
Better get out of here while I can. That patrol will be coming quick. Kinch darted through the night moving out and around the oncoming patrol. One man alone always had a better chance of dodging a patrol. To use the Colonel's own words, "Fewer uncontrollable factors" The Colonel's a good teacher… It dawned on Kinch he was still thinking in present tense. I'll get them back, Colonel. And then I'll look for that private place you mentioned.
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