Gestapo Headquarters
Düsseldorf, Germany
Day 7
Per their instructions from the underground agents, Hans and Josef told the Gestapo what the Gestapo thought it wanted to hear.
"Nein, nein," Hans was saying to his interrogator. "We jumped from the truck to escape." He paused, appearing to suddenly realize something and looked at the Gestapo officer. "You mean those men that marched us out of the studio, weren't taking us to be punished because of what happened with the broadcast?"
"Nein, we think it was a part of an escape plot to get Major Miller out of Germany. Although the actions of you and the others during the broadcast were not becoming of an HJ member."
Hans nodded shamefully. "I know. I have failed the Fatherland." He hung his head.
"Perhaps not completely. You and Josef could help us. If we can get a track on where that truck went, your redemption to the Fatherland could go a long way and the unfortunate display of immaturity at the radio station could be overlooked as simply a young man's prank."
Hans looked up, hopeful. He nodded earnestly. "Ja, I will help."
The Gestapo man smiled. "Gute."
Soligen, Germany
It was ten-thirty when the dinner dishes had been cleaned and put away and Wilhelmina, Emery and Fritz went about settling the boys in for the night. The many rooms in the upstairs of the farm house provided plenty of space for the seven boys who were paired two or three to a room. Wilhelmina had extra blankets and pillows for those boys who had to make due with sleeping on the floor of whatever particular room they were in. Major Miller, Emery and Fritz each had a room of their own.
With the boys settled in, Fritz and Emery paid Miller a visit. Emery carried with him a small suitcase. They were both still dressed in their Gestapo uniforms. Emery placed the suitcase down on a chair near the three drawer dresser with vanity mirror. Fritz looked at Major Miller and gestured for him to have a seat in the other chair near the dresser.
As Emery went through the suitcase, Fritz pulled the two photographs he had of Glenn Miller, civilian bandleader and Glenn Miller, US Army officer. He placed them down on top of the dresser and then turned to Miller.
"How well can you see without your glasses?"
Miller shook his head. "I can hardly see at all."
Fritz nodded. "Despite that, we're going have you remove your glasses for the identity card picture, and then at every checkpoint we come upon during the travel north, you will have to remove your glasses." He picked up the civilian photograph again and compared the man in the picture to the man who sat before him. Emery stopped what he was doing and looked too.
Miller looked back and forth between the two, feeling something like a patient being given a critical review by two doctors. To help though, he removed his glasses.
"Hmmm..." Emery said. "A mustache is really the best I can come up with. We can comb his hair different. I can not do anything more complicated than that, as we will not have much time in the morning, and any makeup we put on him would have to be touched up frequently." Emery turned back to this suitcase of tricks.
Miller raised an eyebrow. "Makeup?"
Fritz chuckled. "Stage makeup. Emery used to do work in the theatre with costumes and makeup."
"Ah. For a minute there I thought you were going to put lipstick and eye shadow on me, in which case I'll keep my own face thank you." He put his glasses back on.
Fritz and Emery both laughed. Fritz put the photograph back down on the dresser and stepped aside for Emery to do his work.
Several different mustache styles were laid out on top of the dresser. "You have been in films, ja?" Emery asked turning to Miller.
"Yes, two."
"Then you know something of the kind of makeup I speak of."
Miller chuckled. "Yes. Though that makeup made us all look a little green..."
Emery smiled. "Ja, because of the black and white film." He held one of the mustaches up just below Miller's nose. "But the makeup I was considering here would make you look like a completely different person. The problem with it however, is it would wear off easily." Another mustache was tried.
Miller looked at the mustaches on the dresser top as Emery picked another one. "Don't give me one of those damn Hitler mustaches."
Emery snorted. "None of the kind."
While Emery was doing his thing, Fritz was preparing fresh film for the camera and getting together the materials to finish the forged papers and identity card for Major Miller. Fritz and Emery's own were done and ready, their papers identifying them as Gestapo officers. Miller's papers identified him as Gestapo as well, which would be much to his chagrin once he found out.
Although Fritz and Emery both understood Miller's reluctance to wear a Gestapo uniform, the Gestapo cover was the best they could do, especially with the kids traveling with them. Their bluff through the checkpoints would be that they had "found" the kids, who had escaped from whatever nearby work camp, and were heading to the nearest Gestapo headquarters to turn them in. The Gestapo had no idea what Fritz and Emery looked like and thus no soldier at a checkpoint would think twice about them being the ones actually helping the kids to escape. Miller, however, was too easily recognizable in civilian attire as himself, making the slight change to his appearance necessary. With identity papers stating he was Gestapo as well, no soldier would take the time to look very closely at him, making the identity papers themselves the most effective part of the disguise. To be Gestapo was to nearly be invisible.
Once Emery found a satisfactory mustache style, the fake whiskers were affixed temporarily to Major Miller's face. Miller combed his hair back differently, removed his glassesand Fritz then snapped several photos to be picked from for the identity card. Thirty minutes later, the Gestapo Soldbuch was completed with photo, official stamp and forged signature, provided by Fritz. Major Alton Glenn Miller now had the identity of Captain Claus Maynard.
With their task finished, Fritz and Emery packed their materials and bid Miller goodnight. Miller looked at the forged Soldbuch again, not particularly caring for the photograph. He then shrugged to himself before placing the Soldbuch in the pocket of his overcoat that lay across the foot of the bed.
He hoped everything would work out
Düsseldorf, Germany
Hans and Josef traced out on a map their route from the point they had "escaped" from the truck. Starting with the road they had been picked up on, the boys traced a route southwest of Düsseldorf as they had been instructed by the Underground, leading the Gestapo away from the direction Major Miller and the rest of the band had gone. The Gestapo then took off like a group of volunteer firemen, organizing several search teams complete with dogs and search lights and with Major Hochstetter at the helm.
They would search most of the night, checking wooded areas, nearby farm houses, occupied or otherwise, and any barns or out buildings. The dogs sniffed around aimlessly, failing to find any trace of a trail, but relentless nonetheless. And Hochstetter was relentless in the search and pursuit, barking orders to his troops to keep looking, to check everything, to shine the search lights over every inch and in every corner.
Despite every empty barn they found, every undisturbed patch of woods, Hochstetter knew Miller was out there somewhere and the Gestapo Major vowed to leave no stone unturned.