Chapter 29

Smile!

Colonel Spaatz sat in his office. His thoughts were on his friend. Hogan could just as easily have been sitting in his seat. Rob was considered for his position, but let everyone know he was not ready to give up his plane and crew for a desk job.

You may have been able to sit in my position, Rob, but there is no way I could now sit in yours. Being a prisoner of war and running a successful underground unit while being harassed by the Nazis is not something I would have been good at. I'm too much of a realist. I let little things, like the odds being stacked against me, influence my decisions.

Spaatz laughed sarcastically to himself. Thank goodness you don't.

The phone rang and Spaatz reached to answer it. "Why is he here? Never mind just show him in!"

Jumping to his feet, he hurriedly tried to straighten the top of his desk. "What is General Brooke doing coming to my office?"

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The Four POW's were lined up outside the Kommandant's office as Captain Gruber explained, "These men are in the same barrack with Colonel Hogan and seem to be the ones he is closest to."

Krantz paraded up the file of men and stopped in front of Newkirk. "What is your name?"

"Newkirk, Peter. Corporal…"

"Yes, yes, we'll get to that…later." Krantz continued walking down the line. Looking at LeBeau he stopped again.

Krantz remembered what the Corporal had said about the men that had broken into SS headquarters in Hammelburg, One was shorter than the other two. At least that is how it looked to the Corporal as he leaned out the window shooting at them. "And you, Frenchman, what is your name?"

LeBeau did not look at the German officer and refused to answer.

"These two," Krantz pointed at Newkirk and LeBeau. "Bring them into the Kommandant's office. I will talk with them."

Newkirk and LeBeau looked quickly at each other as Krantz turned and marched inside. Schultz motioned for them to step forward and headed them toward the steps leading into Klink's office.

"What's this all about, Schultz?" Kinch asked stepping next to the German guard as he fell in behind his prisoners.

"I know nothing!"

"Come on, Schultz, you have to know something!" Carter countered.

"I know nothing!"

"Yeah, well we know nothing, too, so why take us inside?" Newkirk asked, trying to quiet the fear rising from the pit of his stomach.

"Oui, and if we did we wouldn't tell the SS!" Louis answered rebelliously.

Kinch and Carter were left standing in front of the office as Newkirk and LeBeau disappeared inside. They looked at each other with desperation and then headed straight for the 'coffee pot'.

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The photographer stepped forward, "All right, Colonel Hogan, stand here," Brinker guided Hogan into position. "And Major you look up at the Colonel. Now, both of you shake each other's hand." Brinker raised the camera to take the shot but neither man made a move. He lowered the camera and asked, "Was ist los?" Both men began their rebellious complaining at once.

"Hold it!" General Kaltenbrunner interrupted. "Shake hands, Major. That's an order or you'll be hobbling around in snow shoes."

"That goes for you too, Colonel Hogan!" Burkhalter demanded.

"Or you'll what? The Geneva Convention does not state that I have to shake hands with the enemy!" Hogan grumbled, while turning to face the Luftwaffe General.

"For one thing, you're a long way from a Red Cross observer and it would be your word against ours." Burkhalter knew the American Colonel's weakness…his men. "And for another, your men could suffer extreme hardships. Up until now you have been provided with wood for warmth and enough food to survive. That can all change in the snap of a finger," Burkhalter sputtered. The General was unaccustomed to being challenged and his anger showed as he added action to his words. "KLINK!"

Colonel Klink jumped at the sound of his name and turned to look at Burkhalter while asking, "Yes, Herr General?" Klink quickly stepped to the General's side and looked over at Hogan. "Hogan, I told you to cooperate!"

"Call Stalag 13 and have everyone confined to barracks. Order that all wood and food be confiscated…"

Hogan raised his hands and shook his head, "All right, ALL RIGHT, you win!"

"I want no further trouble from you, Colonel Hogan, or the next time I will not rescind my order. Is that clear?" Burkhalter demanded.

"Yeah, General, it's clear." Hogan said out of the side of his mouth, barely audible as he turned his back.

"I didn't hear you?" Burkhalter said in his thick Prussian accent.

"I SAID OKAY!" Hogan said, raising his voice as he spun around to face Burkhalter. He knew right away that he had made a mistake and ended with a respectful "Sir!" The sudden outburst did not help the pounding going on behind his eyes.

Burkhalter's scowl changed to a smirk, "That's better!" Getting compliance out of Hogan boosted his ego. His chest puffed out two more inches as he smirked and nodded to Kaltenbrunner.

Hogan's muscles tensed as he turned back toward Hochstetter and stuck out his hand. "This doesn't mean anything, Major!"

"For once, Colonel Hogan, we agree!" Hochstetter hesitantly stretched out his arm to Hogan's and the two clasped hands. Both men steeled their grip as they clamped down on the others hand.

The photographer raised his camera again, "Okay look at each other and smile!" It wasn't exactly a smile, more like a baring of teeth, but the photographer hoped that from the side you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

The camera clicked and the hands separated.

"Okay, let's do one with General Burkhalter and Kommandant Klink on either side of Hogan." The two German officers moved into position. "Now lean in close to Major Hochstetter and look like you're all happy that the Major is recovering." The photographer prompted. "Okay, General Burkhalter, put your arm over Colonel Hogan's shoulder." Hogan winced.

"That's it!" the photographer said approvingly.

Hogan slipped his hand onto Hochstetter's shoulder and dug his fingers in. "Good, Colonel Hogan, that's a nice touch. Now hold that pose." –Click—

"Excellent!" Brinker bragged.

Hochstetter reached up and peeled Hogan's fingers out of his shoulder.

"Oh, sorry, Major, was I leaning too heavy on you?" Hogan cracked.

Hochstetter, not to be out done answered, "No, not at all, Colonel!" He smiled as he returned a vice like clamp on Hogan's hand before releasing it.

Knefler, standing back out of the way along with Kaltenbrunner and the doctor, observed what was transpiring between the American and Major Hochstetter. Knefler took out his notepad and began writing.

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Kinch and Carter looked out the window of Barrack Two. They had listened as Krantz questioned their friends about the happenings at SS headquarters. There had been some scuffling following a few of the unanswered questions and what sounded like slaps across insolent faces. This didn't last long before they were sent to the cooler with a promise of more to come.

"What do we do, Kinch?" Carter asked.

"Nothing! Krantz has nothing tangible. We just have to wait it out, and hope the guys can take the abuse until Krantz gives up." Kinch paced away from the window.

"There they go to the cooler." Carter turned and looked at Kinch. "They have blood on their faces! Those lousy…" Carter tripped over his words, he couldn't think of a word bad enough to describe their captors and still be a word he would allow himself to say.

"Take it easy, Carter. We've been questioned before."

"That doesn't make it any easier to watch!" Carter retorted, turning back to the window. "Hey there goes Krantz. He's getting back into his car."

Kinch went to the window to look. "Yeah? I wonder where he's going?"

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"How many pictures are you going to take?" Hogan asked, with a disgusted look on his face. It seemed they had been at it for hours.

"I think we have enough," Brinker answered, as he set his camera down on the bedside table behind Hogan. The photographer took a notebook out of his pocket and stepped toward the General. "Where do you want these sent after they are developed, Herr General?"

Brinker had barely finished his question when the door burst open and Captain Krantz walked in. The distraction was what Hogan was waiting for. He took a step backward next to the camera where it sat on the table. Watching the German officers turn to confront Krantz, he reached with a slightly unsteady hand and slid the release on the back of the camera, opening it to the light.

Kaltenbrunner was the first to speak. "Captain, what are you doing here? I thought our business with you was finished."

"Yes, Herr General, I have come to ask Major Hochstetter some questions about the information relayed to him the night of the sabotage on Colonel Dozier's cannons." Krantz's eyes fell on Hogan. "Colonel Hogan, what…" Krantz feigned surprise. "Oh, I had forgotten you were going to be taking pictures today. Excuse me, Herr General, I guess in all the chaos of SS headquarters being broken into and my office being ransacked, I…"

Krantz was cut off as the other officers turned their attention to him and started bombarding him with questions. Even Hochstetter had leaned forward to hear better. Hogan slipped the camera down to his right side below the top of the table and pulled the film from the reel, while shoving it back into the camera. He then forced the back of the camera closed, and slipped it back in its spot on the table as he stepped forward.

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Newkirk and LeBeau had adjoining cells, but at the moment it didn't matter. Both doors were open and a busy Sergeant was providing them with water and towels.

"Thanks, Schultzie, are you sure you won't get in trouble for this?"

"Nein, Captain Gruber gave me permission. He said to tell you he did not know what the SS Captain had in mind when he came to camp. He would have told him he had to wait for Kommandant Klink to get back."

"Hey, you guys all right?" Carter called out.

Schultz spun around at the sound of additional voices behind him. "What are you two doing in here? You do not have permission to be here. How did you get in?

"We walked in, Schultz," Kinch offered.

"How did you get past the guard?"

"What guard?" Carter questioned.

Schultz's face puffed up as he began talking in German, scolding the guard who had left his post. He started out of the cell saying, "Don't go away, I'll be right back!"

"Schultz!" Carter called.

"Schultz spun back around, "Yeah?"

Carter held out the forgotten rifle.

"Oh, danke!" Schultz grabbed the gun and again took off to check on the guard, leaving the cells unlocked and wide open.

Louis looked through the bars at Carter and Kinch, "Krantz seems to suspect we had something to do with his office being burgled. Imagine that?"

"He can't prove it," Kinch assured.

"No, but he can sure have fun trying!" Newkirk growled.

"If we can hold out until mon Colonel gets back, maybe he can think of a way to stop him."

"Oh, that's right, you guys don't know," Carter acknowledged.

Newkirk and LeBeau looked at Carter waiting for him to finish. "Andrew, if you don't bloody well tell us what we don't know, I'm going to personally throw you in a cell of your own!"

"Krantz left camp!"

Both Newkirk and LeBeau sank down on their cots, relieved. "That is good news!" Newkirk affirmed.

"Oui," Louis buried his face in his towel and said a prayer of thanks.