Chapter 8
Hogan had given up trying to rest and was sitting at his desk going over the plan once more. He was sketching a layout of the area and plotting the escape route when he heard some scuffling in the barracks. Suddenly his door burst open and Carter came tumbling headlong into the room. The Sergeant grabbed onto the wooden posts of the bunk before he smacked into it.
Hogan stood and started towards Carter, who was now standing beside the bunk rubbing his arm. "Carter, you could have just knocked," he said.
"I couldn't help it, sir," Carter replied.
"No, he couldn't help it," said Newkirk, entering the room. "I helped him."
Kinch and LeBeau followed Newkirk in and shut the door behind them.
"What the hell is going on here?" Hogan asked.
"That's exactly what we would like to know," Newkirk answered. "Just what the hell are you and Carter trying to pull off here?"
"I don't follow you," Hogan replied.
"There's something phony here," Newkirk continued. "There's something phony about Carter's story and there's something phony about the way you have been acting since you came back to camp." Newkirk smiled a grim smile. "And I intend to find out what that something is."
"Corporal, you should remember you who you are talking to," Hogan replied, tugging a little at his collar to bring attention to his eagles.
"With all due respect sir," Newkirk retorted. "In a case like this, rank means nothing. If you've turned on us, there's no eagle in the world that will protect you."
Hogan tensed and bit back a reply. Looking at the faces of the men staring at him, he realized that they were serious – deadly serious. Hogan knew he had to tread lightly. Newkirk was right – if they thought he was a traitor, he could be in big trouble.
Hogan kept staring at Newkirk – he seemed to be the man taking charge. Yes, Newkirk, there is indeed something phony about Carter and me, he thought. And you seem to have recognized that and jumped to an invalid conclusion. I'd been hoping to avoid having to try to explain the inexplicable story that brought us here, but it looks like I just might have to do so. The trouble is, neither Carter nor I know just what the hell happened – and the theories we do have are so outrageous.
"And what evidence do you have that there is something phony, as you put it?" Hogan asked. "Or are you just making baseless accusations?"
Newkirk laughed derisively. "You want evidence?" he asked. "I'll spell it out for you. Then let's see what you have to say for yourself."
Hogan decided that his best defense here was to appear calm and unconcerned. If he tensed up, they would interpret that as guilt and assume they were correct. He would just have to hear Newkirk out and see if he could diffuse the situation. So he leaned against his desk, crossed his legs and folded his arms across his chest. "Let's hear it," he said.
"First, let's talk about the botched escape," Newkirk said. "We plan the escape – the only way we've found to get out of camp – and what do you do? You come back with this stranger," he motioned towards Carter, "in tow. And then all you have to say is that you didn't feel it was the right time."
Hogan nodded slightly but said nothing.
Newkirk paused only a second before continuing. "Then there's this new escape plan," Newkirk said. "From the very beginning, you've been conservative. You always said that we shouldn't take unnecessary chances. This plan is everything you've always said shouldn't be done."
Again Hogan nodded. He continued to watch Newkirk with a slightly bemused smile, but kept quiet – content to let Newkirk have his say.
"And Carter here tells us a story about how he escaped from Stalag 17B and just happened to run into you, someone he kind of knew when stationed in England, in the woods outside of camp," Newkirk continued. "That's a neat little coincidence."
"They happen," Hogan commented.
Newkirk snorted. "And I could almost believe it," he replied. "But some of his comments make me think he knows you better than either of you are letting on." Newkirk glanced over at Carter. "I doubt that he's ever been in a prison camp before."
Hogan saw Carter starting to reply. "Carter, let him finish" he cautioned. He turned his attention back to Newkirk. "You have anything else?"
"If you mean do I have any proof that you have turned against us, then the answer is no," Newkirk replied. "But something's not right here, and I want to find out what it is."
"I don't blame you," Hogan responded. "If I suspected one of you was working with the Krauts, I'd want to know for sure, too."
"Well?" Newkirk prompted. "Are you going to tell me I have any facts wrong?"
"Actually, you've got most of the facts," Hogan replied.
Newkirk tensed. "So you don't deny it?" he asked.
"I said you had the facts," Hogan answered. "But your conclusion is completely wrong."
Newkirk looked back at Hogan questioningly. "How so?" he asked.
"True – I did come back to camp with Carter," Hogan explained. "Things didn't go the way I planned that night."
Now it was Newkirk's turn to simply nod and remain quiet.
"And true, the new plan for escaping is not what you would call subtle," Hogan continued. "But I feel that it gives the best chance of success. With the diversion, it will seem as if the Underground helped me escape. Since the Underground is the Gestapo's responsibility, it will give Hochstetter a reason to be looking for me."
Newkirk nodded again. "And what about him?" he asked, pointing towards Carter.
Hogan smiled. "And you are right, Carter was never in Stalag 17B," he said. "And we do know each other quite well. But you are wrong to say that he's never been in a prison camp before – he has."
"But not as a prisoner," Newkirk offered.
"No, he was a prisoner," Hogan replied.
"Maybe you'd like to tell me where?" Newkirk asked.
Hogan chuckled. "You wouldn't believe it," he commented.
"I'm already not believing it," Newkirk responded.
Hogan knew that the time had come – he had to tell these men the truth. "Okay," Hogan replied. "Remember, you asked." He turned to Carter and said, "Carter, tell him what prison camp you've been in."
"Sir?" Carter asked. "Are you sure?"
Hogan nodded.
"For the last year and a half, I've been a prisoner in Stalag Luft 13," Carter said.
Hogan had to laugh when all three men said "What?" at the same time.
"You've never been in Stalag 13 before!" Newkirk exclaimed.
"Yes I have!" Carter replied. "Just not …" his voice trailed off, "this one."
Newkirk looked confused. "But this is the only Stalag Luft 13," he said.
Hogan was still laughing. "I told you that you wouldn't believe it," he said.
"But … but … but …" Newkirk stammered.
"You boys might as well have a seat," Hogan instructed. "Because as the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction."
Hogan waited while the stunned men found a place to sit. When everyone was settled, he commenced pacing the room and began his explanation.
"Corporal Peter Newkirk, Corporal Louis LeBeau, Sergeant Ivan James Kinchloe and Sergeant Richard Baker – along with Sergeant Andrew Carter here – form the core of my team that's stationed at Stalag 13," Hogan explained.
"Baker?" a puzzled Kinch asked. "But Baker was …"
Hogan waved him off. "Let me tell you the whole thing before asking questions," he said. "As I said, we're stationed here at Stalag 13 – an escape and sabotage operation. We have a series of tunnels running under the camp, including an emergency tunnel running outside the wire."
"But Kommandant Klink and Sergeant Schultz!" Newkirk exclaimed.
"Schultz just wants to make it through the war unharmed and can be talked into seeing nothing for a little of LeBeau's cooking," Hogan continued. "Klink is a pompous idiot that can be manipulated by stroking his bald little ego. And before you ask, Hochstetter is far from being Papa Bear – he's as nasty as Nazis come and would do anything to catch Papa Bear. In fact," he paused for effect before he dropped the big bombshell, "I am Papa Bear."
Hogan raised his hands to quiet the exclamations of surprise coming from the three men. When it was quiet, he continued his explanation.
"So we rescue downed flyers and send them back to London, undertake missions given to us by London – sabotage and intelligence gathering - and we direct and assist the local Underground," Hogan said. "We have Klink's office bugged, the switchboard tapped, German uniforms for the various impersonations we have to do and tunnels running to the cooler, Klink's quarters and the dog kennel, among other places.
"The dog kennel?" LeBeau asked.
"Yes, the dogs are quite nice towards the prisoners," Hogan replied. "Oskar Schnitzer, the vet, trains them to be mean and nasty to the Germans and nice to the prisoners. We also use his truck to sneak in and out of the camp at times."
"I wouldn't go near those dogs," LeBeau said.
"I wouldn't go near the dogs in this camp either," Carter added. "One of them bit me before Langenscheidt brought us back into camp. But our dogs are nice to us."
"You mentioned impersonations," Kinch prompted.
"Yes, we will impersonate Germans, military and civilian, outside of the camp and on the phone," Hogan explained. "Carter does a pretty good imitation of Hitler."
Carter pulled out his comb, brushed his hair down over his forehead and put the comb up to his face. "Heil Hitler!" he said loudly while holding his arm out in salute. "Kinch does a better Hitler when we have to do it over the phone," he added.
"I do?" a surprised Kinch asked. "Well I'll be darned."
Hogan continued with his explanation, describing most aspects of their operation for the past year. He described everything – successful missions, Hochstetter's attempts at catching Hogan, the times they would use Klink or Schultz to get what they needed.
The men listened to everything Hogan had to say, interrupting periodically to ask questions. As he talked, Hogan saw Carter getting more and more excited. After a while, Carter could not contain himself and began relating his experiences. Hogan watched the men as they listened. Their expressions cycled through a range of emotions – from skepticism to disbelief to hope to wonder. They seemed to feed off Carter's excitement. When Carter finished, the room was silent.
Finally, Newkirk said, "That's quite a story, sir. How do we know you aren't making it up?"
Hogan smiled. "You'll just have to believe it," he said. "But if I were trying to make up a story, would I make up something like this?"
Newkirk laughed. "Probably not," he said. "But if it is true, how do you explain it?"
Hogan shook his head. "We can't explain it," he replied. "The Stalag 13 that Carter and I left is not the same one we came back to."
The men were silent again. Newkirk exchanged glances with Kinch and LeBeau, and Hogan knew that they were trying to make up their minds on whether to believe the story. If he were in their position, Hogan wasn't sure that he would believe it.
"If you and Carter are here, what happened to our Colonel Hogan?" LeBeau asked.
"I've had the same thought myself," Hogan replied. "But I don't know. Maybe he his at our Stalag 13 trying to explain why Carter is missing."
"I never thought of that," Carter said, looking a little sad.
"Right now, you can't worry about it either," responded Hogan. "We're here and have to worry about ourselves."
Carter nodded, but Hogan could see that it still bothered him. He would have to talk to the Sergeant when he had the chance.
"So you plan to follow through with the plan?" Newkirk asked.
Hogan nodded. "I plan to do whatever I can," he replied.
"Do you think you'll be able to set up an operation like your other one?" Kinch asked.
Hogan looked from man to man before answering. "No," he replied. "I don't think I can do it … but I know that we can do it." He saw the men nodding at the answer.
Newkirk looked over at Kinch and LeBeau again. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that we're with you, sir," Newkirk said. Kinch and LeBeau nodded their agreement.
Hogan smiled. "That's what I want to hear," he replied.
Newkirk smiled. "Besides, from what you've said, someone's got to keep an eye on Carter!"
"Hey!" Carter protested.
Hogan laughed. "Now that's more like the Newkirk that I know!" he said.
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For the rest of the afternoon, the men peppered Carter with questions about the operation. Hogan realized that the men were expressing their hope that they could be part of an operation after being demoralized by the rigid treatment they received from Klink in this camp.
He was sitting at the table in the barracks when Carter and Newkirk sat down beside him.
"Sir," Carter said. "When you escape, I'd like to go with you."
Hogan was surprised. "I don't know," he replied.
"It makes sense, sir," Newkirk added. "The reason why you are escaping is that it would make Klink look bad if the senior officer in the camp disappeared. Think of how it would look if the newest prisoner disappeared as well. After all, Klink is trying to get information from him as well."
Hogan rubbed his chin in thought. "I never thought of that," he said. "It might be a good idea."
"If you are able to slip away from the work detail, then it shouldn't be a problem for both of you to slip out," Newkirk persisted.
Hogan nodded. "You're right, two could slip out as easily as one," he replied. "As long as Hochstetter can set up the diversion I had in mind."
"You'll find that out the next time you talk to him?" Newkirk asked.
Hogan nodded. "I hope so," he replied.
As he finished talking, the barracks door opened and Schultz walked in.
"Hi, Schultz," Hogan said cheerfully. "What brings you here?"
Schultz eyed Hogan with some contempt. He didn't like the informal manner in which the American addressed him, but since he had let it pass before, he was finding it hard to try to insist now. "Colonel Hogan," he said. "The Kommandant would like to see you and Sergeant Carter in his office."
"Again?" Hogan complained. "What does he want this time?"
"I do not ask," Schultz replied. "And I do not keep him waiting, so if you would please come with me."
Hogan sighed and rose from the table. "Come on, Carter," he said. "We'd best not keep the Bald Eagle waiting."
Hogan and Carter followed Schultz to Klink's office. The routine was the same – Schultz snapped to attention, Klink slapped his riding crop in his palm and motioned the prisoners around with it. The one thing different was the armed guard standing to the side of Klink's desk.
Hogan was about to comment when Klink cut him off. "Sergeant Carter, it is time to see if you have remembered more than your name." He paused while he walked around his desk to stand in front of Carter. "And I should tell you that my patience is beginning to run out."
Carter stiffened to attention and stared straight ahead.
"Now then, Sergeant," Klink said calmly. "Maybe you would like to tell me what unit you were with, where you were stationed and what your objective was when you were shot down?"
Carter was silent.
"You have no comment?" Klink asked.
Carter shook his head.
"So now you will not even do me the honor of telling me your name, rank or serial number," Klink commented. "This is not a very wise decision on your part."
"Since you already know it, Kommandant," Hogan said. "Maybe you should recite it back to him."
Klink's head snapped quickly around to glare at Hogan. After a moment, he walked around behind his desk. "Sergeant Schultz," he said abruptly. "Sergeant Carter will be spending the next two days in solitary confinement with no rations other than water."
Carter's eyes widened in surprise at the command.
"Colonel Klink, I must protest!" Hogan erupted.
Klink sat down and smiled a grim smile. "If you must, you must," he said. "But I must remind you not to mention that pesky little Swiss agreement you like to blather on about."
Hogan bit back a reply that would have done nothing but land him in solitary as well. He looked at Klink with all the hate he could muster, but the German Colonel simply laughed at him.
"Apparently you do not have much of a protest," Klink said. He motioned to Schultz to take Carter away.
Carter glanced pleadingly at Hogan as he walked out of the room. Hogan looked back in sympathy, knowing that there was nothing he could do.
When Carter was gone, Hogan turned his attention back to Klink. Klink was sitting back in his chair, smiling broadly and slapping his riding crop in his palm.
I'd really like to stick that riding crop up his… Hogan's thoughts were interrupted as Klink spoke.
"So it seems that my cornered rat is not much of a danger after all," Klink said with a chuckle.
Hogan glanced over at the guard before replying. "You just keep thinking that, Kommandant," he said.
Klink's smile faded. "Colonel Hogan, You have been very insolent lately," he said tightly. "And my patience for that is also running very low. If I were you, I would rethink your attitude."
Hogan smiled sarcastically. "If you were me," he said, "my mother would be very disappointed."
A look of puzzlement passed quickly across Klink's face before he gained control of himself. "Colonel Hogan, you are dismissed," he said in a tight voice.
Hogan laughed as he walked out of the office.