Chapter 4
Hogan spent the rest of the day thinking – at least he thought it was the rest of the day. He had no way of knowing the passage of time. The guards would turn on and off the lights at irregular intervals in an attempt at disorienting him while he was stuck in the windowless cell.
Hogan thought about the story Hochstetter had told him. Hochstetter says he is Papa Bear, and is operating in this area, he thought. Klink has control of the area and is making it hard for Papa Bear to keep operating. So Hochstetter wants to discredit Klink and take over Stalag 13 so my men and I can operate as an Underground cell from this camp. Does Hochstetter really think I will buy this cock and bull story?
And yet it had seemed to Hogan that Hochstetter was sincere when he was talking to him. Moreover, it seemed that Klink was in on the plan. After all, when did Klink get a backbone? I've never seen Klink act so … German before. Usually I can bend Klink around my little finger and get what I want. But this time … Hogan looked around the solitary cell and sighed. This time I seem to be on the losing side of the battle.
The light clicked out and Hogan was left in darkness. He could see some rays of light sneaking under the door, but otherwise the cell was in total darkness. And what's with Schultz? He must be in on it as well. I've never seen him aim his weapon at anyone in anger, and yet he did that to me earlier. But whenever Schultz is in on a plan and acting a role, he always overacts. We can always tell something is up. This time, it all seems so real.
Hogan leaned back against the wall, his hands clasped behind his head. So maybe Hochstetter's story is real …
Hogan shook his head. Rob, get a grip on yourself! Take a deep breath and think about what you just considered. Hochstetter's story real? How can Hochstetter's story be real? You are Papa Bear. You have been operating out of this camp for almost two years. Escapes, sabotage, harassment – anything to deter the German war effort. You have been doing it. Hochstetter suspects that you are the one causing the trouble, but has never been able to prove it. This has to be just another attempt by Hochstetter to trap you. I mean, taking you out of camp to hypnotize you into revealing sensitive information? Come on, you've seen those magician acts where they attempt to hypnotize someone from the audience and make them quack like a duck. How unoriginal can a plan get?
Hogan lay on his bunk, determined to try to get some sleep while the guards had the light off. Of course, it's all a ruse by Hochstetter to catch me. That's why I'm stuck in this solitary cell – to keep me away from my men. Hochstetter can order Klink and Schultz to be accomplices in his plan, but he can't order my men. They would know the truth and then Hochstetter's plan would be ruined. I'll bet that when the time comes, Klink will find some excuse for leaving me in the cell.
Satisfied that he knew what was going on, Hogan began to drift off to sleep. I will not fall for your plan, Hochstetter. No matter how long I have to stay in this cell. He drifted off to a restless sleep, disturbed by dreams of vaudevillian magicians attempting to hypnotize him.
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Hogan was startled out of his sleep by the sound of the lock clicking. Assuming it was the guard bringing him his meager meal of watery soup and a moldy slice of bread, he was surprised when Schultz entered the cell.
"Colonel Hogan, your five days are up," Schultz said. "I am here to escort you back to the barracks."
Hogan was surprised. Could Klink and Hochstetter have given up their plan so quickly? They should know that his men would tell him if there was something going on.
Silently he followed Schultz out of the cooler and into the bright sunlight. Hogan squinted until his eyes adjusted to the outdoors. He looked around the camp. It was the same Stalag 13 – yet somehow it looked and felt different. There were prisoners mulling around the compound, but they were all alone or in pairs. There were not the groupings of men, laughing and joking, as there normally would be.
Schultz left Hogan at the door to the barracks. He did not enter the building, which was unusual for Schultz. He normally wanted to see if LeBeau was cooking up something that he could steal a taste of.
When Hogan entered the barracks, he saw Newkirk, LeBeau and Kinch sitting at the big table in the middle of the room. Carter was sitting on his bunk. "Hi guys," he said cheerfully. "I'm finally out of Alcatraz." He began to walk towards his office. "Kinch, get on the radio in the tunnel and contact London. Find out if they know anything about what Hochstetter might be up to."
Hogan was at his office door when he heard Newkirk speak. "Tunnel, sir? Radio?" he asked. "That's a good one! You're always a kidder."
Hogan turned to look at his men. They were still sitting at the table and looking at him with amused looks on their faces. "What are you talking about, Newkirk?" Hogan demanded. Hogan looked over at Carter, who was shaking his head slightly. He saw Carter draw his finger across his throat in a gesture that Hogan knew meant for him to keep quiet.
"Colonel, should we talk in front of the new man?" Newkirk asked.
"New man?" Hogan asked. "What new man?"
"That would be me, Colonel Hogan," Carter interjected. "Remember, I came into camp with you."
Carter said nothing further, but Hogan could see the pleading look in his eyes. Carter was trying very hard to tell him something, but couldn't actually say it.
Newkirk got up from the table and walked over next to Carter at the bunk. "That's right," he said. "Sergeant Carter here said that you would vouch for him."
"Of course I will," Hogan said. What's going on here? Now the men are acting like Carter has never been in this camp!
"Well, he told us that he was a member of the 504th Bomb Group," Newkirk said.
When Carter opened his mouth to protest, Newkirk motioned him to silence. Carter knew that this was a test to see if the things that he said he had told Colonel Hogan were true. Silently Carter pleaded with Hogan to not say the wrong thing.
Hogan frowned. "He said that? You know that the 504th was my outfit," Hogan replied. "He wasn't in any squadron in my outfit." Hogan saw Newkirk give a little nod.
"He said that he knew you in London," Newkirk continued. "He said you two were very good friends and spent a lot of time in the pubs around London together."
Hogan shook his head again. "Newkirk, I'm an officer and he is a Sergeant. You know that there isn't a lot of fraternization between officers and NCO's," Hogan replied. "Besides, how often was I able to get to London when I was flying all the time." He saw Newkirk give a second small nod. So far, so good, he thought.
Newkirk continued to ask yet another question. "He said that he escaped from Stalag 17B and just happened to run into you out in the woods," Newkirk said. "If you ask me, that's too coincidental."
Hogan frowned a bit. Stalag 17B? That's all the way in Austria. Why would Carter say that he escaped from there? But it does sound like something Carter would come up with. He might have heard about that Stalag from a transient prisoner that came through here. We did have a couple that escaped from there over the course of the past two years. "Stalag 17B – yes, he did mention that," Hogan replied. He noticed that Carter looked relieved when he heard that. "And yes, it is quite a coincidence to run into him around Stalag 13. But as you can see, he is here."
Hogan saw Newkirk give a nod of approval. LeBeau and Kinch also nodded. Hogan knew that he had backed up whatever story Carter had told them.
"So Carter is okay then," Newkirk said.
Hogan held up his hand. Before things went any further, he wanted to check with Carter to see what had been going on while he was in solitary. "Not so fast," he said. "I'd like to talk to him alone for a minute and ask a few more questions before we clear him to hear everything."
Hogan saw a concerned look on Carter's face and suppressed a chuckle. "Sergeant Carter, if you would please step into my office," he said. He opened the door and entered his office. Carter followed and closed the door. Hogan motioned for him to sit on the bunk.
"We should talk quietly," Hogan said. "If I know these guys, they will be listening outside the door." Carter nodded. "Carter, what the hell is going on around here? Why are they treating you as if you're a newcomer?"
Carter shrugged. "I don't know, sir," he replied. "They act as if they don't know me, so I made up the story about escaping from Stalag 17B and meeting you in the woods."
"But why Stalag 17B?" Hogan asked. "That's in Austria, and you should have headed to Switzerland after you escaped."
"That's the only one I could think of at the time," Carter commented. "And I remember the story I was told by someone who escaped from there. We sent him off to London a while ago. His escape story became my escape story."
"Good thinking," Hogan commented with a smile. "Have you learned anything?"
"Colonel, there are no tunnels!" Carter exclaimed. "The bunk doesn't open. The sink isn't a periscope where we can spy on the compound." Carter stopped to catch his breath. He didn't want to appear to be scared in front of his commanding officer. "There have been no escapes from this camp. Klink and Schultz make sure of that. All the prisoners are afraid of them. Colonel, what's going on here? Nothing is the same as it was."
"Carter, I don't know," Hogan replied. "But you found out a lot of useful information."
Carter smiled. "I thought that I should find out as much as I could for you since you were in the cooler," he responded.
"Thanks," Hogan replied. "It was helpful. Nothing seems to fit, though. Hochstetter was telling me a story about how he was Papa Bear." Carter's eyes went wide with surprise. "He's running the Underground in this area, and Klink is making it hard for him to operate. Hochstetter told me that Klink has a lot of influence in Berlin and is trying to expand his local authority in this area."
"Klink?" Carter asked. "Now that's a good one!"
"That's not all," Hogan replied. "Hochstetter said that he and I had been planning my escape so that we could ruin Klink's perfect record and Hochstetter could take over Stalag 13. After that, I would operate an Underground cell from this camp."
"You can't believe that's true?" Carter asked.
"I was convinced that it was a trick by Hochstetter and Klink to try to trick me," Hogan responded. "But seeing the reaction of my own men, I am not sure what the hell is going on."
"What are we going to do?" Carter asked. His voice wavered a tiny bit, betraying the fear he was starting to feel.
"For now, we have to play along," Hogan replied. "For you that should be easy. You are new here and don't know anything. I'll vouch for you and you'll be part of the group. It will be tougher for me since I am supposed to know what is going on."
Hogan smiled at Carter, trying to reassure the Sergeant. "I have a feeling that you and I are not supposed to be in this camp," he said. "So we will just have to find a way to get out."
"You mean you will try and help Hochstetter?" Carter asked.
Hogan shrugged. "I don't know yet," he replied. "I'm going to have to fly by the seat of my pants on this one."
Carter smiled back at Hogan. "Well, if anyone can do that, it's you," he responded.
Hogan chuckled. "I think maybe we should let the rest of the crew in," Hogan said. He walked over to the door and quickly jerked it open.
Newkirk and LeBeau came stumbling into the room when the door they were leaning on suddenly disappeared. Kinch came walking in casually behind them.
Hogan laughed. "Some things never change," he said to Carter. Carter tried unsuccessfully to stifle a chuckle.
"What was that, sir?" LeBeau asked.
Hogan waved the question away. "Nothing important," he commented. "I think we can trust Sergeant Carter." He saw the looks on the three men's faces. "Okay, you three are dying to ask me something. So go ahead."
"What happened, Colonel?" Kinch asked. "What went wrong with the escape?"
Hogan shrugged. "It just didn't seem like the right time," he commented.
"But we'd been planning it for a while," LeBeau said.
"Can't you just try again?" Carter asked.
"You don't just try again around this camp, mate," Newkirk admonished. "It was bloody lucky that we were able to get that first opportunity! But I wouldn't expect you to know that since you haven't been around here long enough to know the score."
Carter bristled at the comment, but before he could make a reply, Hogan cut him off. "He needs to be filled in on what is going on," Hogan said calmly.
"And you need to fill us in on what went on with Hochstetter today," Kinch responded.
Oh great, Hogan thought. The men think I am going to fill Carter in on everything and then tell them what happened with Hochstetter. How the hell am I supposed to do that when I don't even know what is going on around here? He involuntarily rubbed his temples.
"What's wrong, Colonel?" LeBeau asked, seeing the gesture. "Do you have a headache?"
Hogan nodded. "Yes. I'm a little worn out from the stint in solitary," he replied. "Newkirk, why don't you fill Carter in on what is going on around here. I'll fill in any details and then add this last meeting with Hochstetter." There, now I don't have to try to make anything up and let on that I am clueless!
"Let's see, where to start," Newkirk mumbled. "I guess I should kind of start at the beginning."
"That's usually a good place," Hogan commented, smiling a little.
Newkirk gave Hogan a sideways glance, unsure if he was being made fun of. "Right, well we were all captured, interrogated and sent through the normal channels," Newkirk said. "We all ended up here at Stalag 13 and we figured that it can't be all that bad. Everyone sort of banded together in clusters and eventually the talk would turn to trying to escape. There were many attempts, but all of them ended unsuccessfully – usually with tragic consequences to the escapee."
"And sometimes to all of us as well," LeBeau added.
"Right, Klink is not a nice man," Newkirk continued. "We tried digging tunnels, but eagle-eye Schultz would usually find them, and then we would get into trouble for that."
"And where does Hochstetter come in?" Carter asked.
"Patience, Carter," Hogan admonished lightly. "Newkirk will get there. Just let him tell the whole story." Yes, please tell the whole story so that I know just what the hell I am up against! So far it doesn't sound too promising.
"Well, it got to be a very tough routine," Newkirk continued. "We did have the opportunity for work details outside of camp – chopping wood, tending to the camp gardens – but we are always heavily guarded. If you're caught escaping, it's a mandatory five-day stint in solitary – if you manage to avoid being shot. Klink had given his guards orders to shoot first and recapture second."
"You're kidding?" an astonished Carter asked.
"No, mate. Honest truth here," Newkirk replied. "You and Colonel Hogan are lucky that you avoided being shot."
"And now you are to the point where you will explain Hochstetter," Hogan stated calmly. He hoped that Newkirk was at that point, but he wasn't sure. In any case, he was very curious as to where Hochstetter came into the picture.
"Yes, this is where Hochstetter came in," Newkirk confirmed. "Colonel Hogan probably doesn't want to remember this part, but Klink was trying to get some military information from him using some pretty brutal interrogation methods."
Hogan flinched. It was not that he was remembering those interrogation methods, but he was sure that's how it looked to the men assembled. He had no memory of Klink roughing him up. Of course you don't have any recollection of that, he thought. It couldn't have happened!
Newkirk continued his explanation. "Hochstetter and Klink have always had a game of seeing who could gain control of this area of the country. Klink has the upper hand because of his record in this camp. No other camp Kommandant can say that they have no escapes. So Hochstetter came up with this idea of trying to hypnotize Colonel Hogan to get the information that Klink was sure that he was keeping from him."
"Hochstetter wanted to hypnotize the Colonel?" Carter asked. "That's crazy!"
"That's precisely why he was able to convince those in Berlin that it was something worth trying, mate," Newkirk replied. "Old Hitler is a nut when it comes to those types of things, and he gave his blessing to Hochstetter's plan. And that's when Hochstetter confided with Colonel Hogan that he was an important Underground leader and wanted Hogan's help in discrediting Klink to get him out of Stalag 13."
"And the escape attempts stopped then?" Carter asked.
Hogan looked over at Carter. Atta boy, Carter! You're doing a good job of pulling all these details from Newkirk that I want to know but can't ask myself.
Newkirk shook his head. "No," he replied sadly. "The escape attempts really stopped when Sergeant Baker was shot during an attempt."
"Oh no, Baker was killed?" Carter lamented.
Newkirk looked at him. "What's it to you?" he asked. "You didn't know him."
"Um, I knew a Baker back in London," Carter answered, trying to recover from the slip.
"No Sergeant," Kinch responded. "This Baker was Colored. You wouldn't know him."
Hogan's mind reeled. Baker dead? This has got to be some horrible dream!
"Anyway, that was when the Colonel decided to work with Hochstetter," Newkirk continued. "And they hatched up this plan for Colonel Hogan to escape and Hochstetter to hide him until Klink had to report the escape. Then Hochstetter would capture Colonel Hogan and be in a position to suggest that he'd be a better Kommandant of this camp."
"So how did the Colonel escape?" Carter asked.
Hogan smiled. That's an excellent question, my dear Carter. I'm looking forward to hearing the answer myself!
Newkirk saw the smile and asked, "Maybe you would like to pick up from here?"
Hogan shook his head. "No, you're doing fine," he replied. "Please continue." Whew, that was close!
"We finally managed to find one way where we could sneak one man out," Newkirk said. "He went out in the water truck that night. He was supposed to meet Hochstetter and one of his agents, Erika, at an abandoned barn nearby. The next thing we know, we hear the shots from the guards, and he's back in camp with you in tow."
"And now I think I can fill in the rest," Hogan said. "Hochstetter wasn't too happy that it didn't go off as planned, but he's willing to try again. I'll just have to escape again."
"But how, Colonel?" LeBeau asked. "We can't use the same method again. Klink got wise to that one once you disappeared that night."
"I know," Hogan replied. "But there are other ways if we look hard enough. And I think I have an idea."
"What is it?" Newkirk asked.
Hogan shook his head. "I don't want to say anything until I check out the possibility and talk to Hochstetter again." He looked around to see if this answer satisfied his men. All heads were nodding except for Carter's. The sergeant was looking at him with a curious expression. Hogan smiled back at him to reassure him that he knew what he was doing. The trouble is, I don't know what I am doing. I don't know what is going on in this seemingly out of place version of Stalag 13. And I don't know if I can trust Hochstetter.
"Okay guys, dismissed," Hogan said to his men. "I need to get some rest." As the men got up and began to file out of the room, he added, "And then I will go see Klink about volunteering for a detail to cut some wood."
The men stopped. "But Colonel, we're always heavily guarded on those work details," Newkirk said. "There's no way you can slip out during one of those."
"That's why I want to take a look at things before I talk to Hochstetter," Hogan replied. "He may be able to help us out." Then again, if this is a trick, he may be able to shoot us all for being spies.