Varel, Germany
As the fishing boat cruised out of the harbor, Fritz, Major Miller and the boys were fifteen miles south of Varel. A few feet beyond the sign that told of the upcoming road block, Fritz pulled the car over so that he and Miller could assist the boys into the hiding places in the seats of the car. Once the boys were secure, Fritz and Miller returned to the front. Fritz paused looking at the American. Miller straightened his German Army officer's cap and removed his glasses. He tucked them into one inside pocket of his grey over coat and removed his new fake Soldbuch from the other side. He could feel Fritz watching him and he looked at the baker.
"Herr Miller...I can not lie to you. There is no telling what may happen when we reach the roadblock. We may pass through with no problem, or we may be scrutinized again, as we were in Clappenburg, even without them seeing the boys..."
"And if they figure out who I am, we'll all be killed," Miller stated matter-of-factly. He paused, opening the passenger side vent window and taking out one of his last remaining cigarettes and his Zippo lighter. "Fritz, I know this very well may be the end of the line here, but we don't have any choice. We can't stay here. All the other routes Sturtevant's sentries checked out had checkpoints and roadblocks that we couldn't avoid. This route was picked because it was a little more remote. Even if we tried to go on foot, we'd be caught by patrols. There's a chance we'll get through here, but if we don't, I want you to do something."
Fritz nodded. "Of course."
"If they order us out of the car, let me get out first. Then I want you to step on that accelerator and get you and the boys out of there." The cigarette went between his lips and he clicked the Zippo open, striking the flame.
Fritz was thunderstruck. "What!"
"I mean it." Miller paused a moment for the lighter to catch the cigarette. After it did the Zippo clicked closed and a short drag was taken. "It's me they want," he continued. "I'm not taking anyone with me."
"Herr Miller, I..." Fritz was shaking his head. "I could not do that. Colonel Hogan, your Allied Command...they would demand answers. Answers I would not be able to give to them. They would demand to know why I would drive off and leave you to die at the hands of the Nazis. No! I will not do it."
"You'd stay and allow yourself and these boys to die at the hands of the Nazis? And they only reason you'd be killed is because you've associated yourselves with me? Don't be a fool."
"I am part of the Underground fight against the Nazis...I take that risk everyday."
"I think you're taking an unwarranted risk with me. Not that I don't appreciate it. But Fritz...I'm not a General. I'm not a spy with important information. I'm just a bandleader. If I make it back to England alive, the band goes back on the radio. If I die, the band goes back on the radio. It's a moot point now. But Colonel Hogan and you and all the others like you... the operation you have is too important, the stakes are too important, for you to get yourselves killed along with me." Miller paused, glancing toward the back seat of the car, where the boys were hid. "These boys never should have been mixed up in this thing to begin with, and they shouldn't have to die because of it."
A car passed them and slowed, almost as if looking to see what was going on with this car parked by the side of the road. Fritz and Miller both looked at it until it sped back up to normal speed and continued on. Miller returned his blurred gaze back to Fritz waiting for a reaction.
The Underground man was avoiding the gaze. The American's offer of self-sacrifice was unnerving. Fritz merely took a deep breath and turned the ignition. The car pulled back onto the road and headed for the checkpoint.
Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Emery returned to the Underground safe house he had first brought the boys to. The husband and wife owners of the house, seated at their kitchen table, looked at the young man as he came in. His defeated look concerned them.
The woman stood up immediately. "The boys? Did they make it to the boat?"
Emery nodded. "Ja, they are safe. They are on their way to the sub. I am concerned for Fritz though. Has there been any message?"
The woman shook her head. "Nein. The radio has been most quiet. But then again, there is much Gestapo and SS around...Fritz may not be able to send out a message."
"That is what has me worried."
Varel, Germany
The silence of the radio was nothing compared to the deafening silence within the staff car. As they waited to pass through the roadblock, Fritz watched the two soldiers as they went through their routine of checking identity papers and talking to the occupants of the car ahead of them. The soldiers didn't seem to be giving any extra effort to the scrutinizing, but then again, Fritz didn't know what was in the car ahead of him. It could have very well been somebody they already knew.
Out of the corner of his eye, Fritz saw Miller sitting quietly looking downward, cigarette still in hand. Waiting.
I'm not taking anyone with me.
Fritz was still debating with himself whether he would drive off and leave the Major if the situation warranted it. He agreed the boys lives should be preserved but...at the cost of Miller's? Would Colonel Hogan understand? Would Allied command? Would he be able to live with himself if he did what the Major asked?
The car ahead of them pulled away. Miller looked up and held the phony Soldbuch out to Fritz. Fritz took it but then hesitated in moving the car. One of the soldiers was waving for him to move.
Miller looked at Fritz, sensing the hesitation. "Go on..."
Fritz gulped. "Ja..." He took a deep breath and put the car in gear, moving forward.
"Guten Abend...Heil Hitler..." the soldier said, looking at Fritz through the window. Fritz returned the greeting and handed over the Soldbuchs.
The soldier accepted them and looked at Fritz's first. Verified, the soldier than opened Miller's.
The soldier paused, looking at the photo. He then leaned down to look through the window at the passenger in the car. They were the same, but there was something else. The soldier straightened and appeared to be checking the validation stamps in the Soldbuch while he reached into his overcoat for one of the photographs he had been given earlier in the day.
US Army Captain Glenn Miller looked back at him. The man in the photo in the Soldbuch looked similar.
Fritz saw what the soldier was looking at and held his breath. You have the wrong man, soldier... this isn't the American...
But the soldier knew it was the American. However, he put the photo back in his overcoat and closed the Soldbuch, handing both of them back to Fritz. "Danke. Safe travel to you, Herr Oberstleutnant, Major." There was the merest twitch of the soldier's eye, suggesting a wink. Fritz couldn't believe it. He accepted the Soldbuchs back but stared at the soldier. The soldier merely took a step back and saluted. "Heil Hitler..." He seemed to hold back a smile. A friendly smile.
Fritz blinked out of his stupor and returned the salute with a respectful and appreciative nod. The car rolled forward and passed through the checkpoint.
Miller had the sense that something strange just happened. He dug out his glasses and put them on to look at Fritz, just as the baker began to chuckle.
"Okay," Miller said, "what the hell just happened?"
Fritz laughed a little more in sheer relief. "Divine intervention, Herr Miller. Divine intervention!"
Once out of sight of the checkpoint, Fritz pulled the car over so that boys could come out of the hiding places. Major Miller was still trying to understand what had happened.
"You mean they had me pegged right there," he stated, looking at Fritz on the other side of the car through the open back door. The boys, out of their hiding spots were seated, looking back and forth between Miller and Fritz. "But they let us pass through? I feel like I'm being set up."
"Nein. The soldier, he is sympathetic to the Underground."
"How the hell do you know that? He hardly said anything."
"If he was not sympathetic, we would not be having this conversation." Fritz toned dropped softly. "We would already be dead, Herr Miller."
Miller sighed heavily, resting a foot on the running board of the staff car. He closed his eyes briefly, exhaustion and the anticlimax of passing through the checkpoint freely instead of meeting his end were mounting a fierce battle to knock him out. The brief cat nap in Garrel hadn't helped much. The cigarette between his fingers, half burned, wasn't doing anything either. He opened his eyes again and looked at Fritz. "You don't think they're just going to ambush us down the road?"
"Nein," Fritz said. He looked at the American with concern. "Herr Miller, you have been going almost 36 hours with no sleep. From here we will have safe passage to Varel and then you can rest."
"You need it," Ahren spoke. "We all need it but I can tell you are exhausted."
Miller looked at the boy and gave a slight nod. "You're right. That's probably contributing to my more...dreadful thoughts." Miller looked back in the direction of the checkpoint and then at Fritz. "Let's get out of here, huh?"
Fritz nodded. The back doors of the sedan were closed and a moment later it pulled back onto the road.
The safe house in Varel was in the heart of the town, or rather the small city. Fritz guided the sedan through the narrow streets and very light traffic and on to a tenement building. He backed the car into the alley next to the tenement building putting it out of sight of the street and then he, Miller and the boys went inside through a door facing the alley.
They trudged up to the second floor, Miller bringing up the rear and stifling a yawn. Fritz paused at the door of the second floor landing to turn to the boys and Miller, bringing a finger to his lips, an indication they were to remain quiet once they were in the hall so as not to draw any un-needed attention to themselves.
They walked quietly down the hall and then Fritz stopped at a door, knocking lightly. After a moment, an older man answered. He looked at Fritz, saw the four additional faces and nodded. The door opened wider, allowing everyone in.
Besides the man, a girl who looked to be about twenty stood expectantly in the apartment. She gave a welcoming smile to the boys and Miller and then waited as Fritz spoke immediately to the man about Major Miller.
The man nodded and looked to the girl. "Elsa," he said. "Show Major Miller to the guest room. He looks about ready to collapse where he stands."
"Ja, Papa." She looked at Miller. "This way..." Miller followed the girl. The man in the meantime led Fritz and the boys into the living area of the apartment.
"This is the washroom," she said, pointing to one door. The next door she stopped at and opened disappearing into the dark. Miller waited at the door way until the light from a lamp illuminated the room. He stepped in as Elsa turned down the comforter.
"There you are," she said.
"Danke," Miller said as the girl started for the door. She paused and looked at him, surprised. "You...speak German?" she asked.
He snorted softly and shook his head. "Not really. Just a few words."
She smiled and nodded. "Rest well, Herr Miller." She stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.
Miller paused for only a moment to look around the room, feeling terribly alone. He stepped toward the vanity dresser and removed the heavy German Army overcoat and officer's hat and placed them on the chair. He took a moment to look at his reflection in the vanity mirror as he loosened the necktie and unbuttoned the uniform jacket. He came to the quick decision that he looked like hell and turned away. The uniform jacket was slipped off, along with the tie and the articles were dumped on top of the overcoat on the chair. He then sat down on the bed to remove his shoes.
He paused, fighting off sleep for just a moment longer while he kicked off the footwear. Then he finally gave in, laid down on his back, his head against the pillows and was gone within a few moments. He never had the chance to remove his glasses or even turn off the light of the lamp.
About a half an hour later, after the boys were settled into another room, the man came to check on Miller and found the Major as he was at the moment he fell asleep. The man chuckled softly. "Goodness, he never made it under the bedspread..." He entered the room and walked over to the vanity. A heavy blanket was removed from a drawer and he unfurled it,walking back around the bed to drape the blanket over Miller. He then carefully removed Miller's glasses, hardly disturbing him in his sleep. The glasses were placed on the nightstand and the lamp was turned out.
"Gute nacht, musik mann..."
Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Around seven-thirty, restless with worry and feeling useless, Emery changed into civilian clothes and walked down to a nearby Bierstube. It was a place frequented by both Underground operatives and Gestapo alike and Emery figured maybe he could find some information, one way or the other. He found a table and settled in with his newspaper and a beer. Several minutes later, three Gestapo officers came in and sat at a table near Emery.
"So, what is this that happened? The Army almost captured the American?"
"Ja, in Clappenburg. The American got away. Major Hochstetter thinks that he is heading this way however. Especially after what happened at the canal crossing earlier this evening. It is possible that some of those kids that escaped with the American were crossing the canal at the time."
Emery nearly choked. Almost captured! Worse than that, the incident at the canal crossing was sending up a red flag and Fritz and Miller quiet possibly were going to walk into a trap once they reached Wilhelmshaven. Emery turned the page in his newspaper and listened some more although he wanted to just jump up and get out of there to try to send out an emergency message to the rest of the Underground, alerting them of what might happen.
"The two main roads into Wilhelmshaven will be heavily patrolled starting tonight. Every vehicle passing through those checkpoints and checkpoints on the secondary roads will be thoroughly checked. We will have more details tomorrow morning but it is clear that no matter where the American goes between Clappenburg and here, he will be caught. Checkpoint guards have been told that if they suspect they have the American they are to detain him first...and then ask questions to verify."
"There is also heightened observance of known and suspected Underground operatives within the area. Suspected safe houses are being watched. If the American is receiving any assistance, he should be spotted."
At this, a waitress had come over to take the Gestapo men's orders. Their attention diverted to food and to the pretty girl taking their order, Emery took a few quick gulps of his beer and then gently folded his newspaper. A few Deutschmarks were left on the table to pay for the beer and for a tip and then Emery stood up quietly and left the Bierstube.