Varel, Germany
Day 9

Hogan and his men, along with six members of the Underground passing as Gestapo, boarded a train and traveled to Varel without incident. The train conductor was a loyal member of the Nazi party and had just the right amount of healthy fear of the Gestapo. His train, he said, was their train.

Once settled on the train, the entire trip took about three hours. Hogan ordered for everyone to rest and to get some sleep. Things would move very fast once they reached their destination.

There was hardly time to pause, or to realize the sun was starting to come up when they arrived just after five-thirty. Two "Gestapo" cars waited at the train station, both drivers standing together near one of the cars. Hogan and his men stood with their "Gestapo" guards, while Dubois, as the ranking officer, went to verify the identity of the drivers. Customary greetings were exchanged and then Dubois spoke a code word. One of the drivers removed his Soldbuch and opened it, where a jagged edged half of a poker card was hid. Dubois removed a half of a poker card from his uniform pocket and lined up the jagged edge of his to the other card. They matched perfectly.

Underground identity confirmed, the POW's and their "Gestapo" guards were split between the two cars and they were driven to a meeting place, an abandoned warehouse on the northern outskirts of Varel. Upon arrival, everyone one was quickly brought up to speed on the situation.

Hogan nodded. "Miller's safe where he's at right now. That gives us time to get some intelligence work done and pull together a few things before we go pick him up. First, we need to find out about the roads into Wilhelmshaven, how heavily patrolled they are and what there are for checkpoints set up. More importantly, which checkpoint do we stand the best chance of getting through? Second, I want to have Army uniforms on hand incase the Gestapo getups don't play into the plan or backfire all together. Third, we need to know where the Gestapo and/or SS are at here in Varel. Are they conducting searches, asking questions and the like? We need to figure out how easy or difficult it's going to be to move around in this town.

"Emery's message that we got just before we left Hammelburg last night I think summed up what we are to expect in Wilhelmshaven." Hogan looked around at everyone. "Let's get to work..."

A couple of hours later, Hogan had a good amount of information, a particular bridge crossing into Wilhelmshaven picked out and basic plan laid out in his mind. He and his men were checking a map of Wilhelmshaven and going over some of the details when one of the Underground men came running into the warehouse.

"Colonel," the man spoke, out of breath. "Gestapo. They are on their way to the safe house Major Miller is at."

"Right now?"

The man nodded. "The building has been under watch, apparently for a few days. We did not discover this until this morning. They know he is there and they are going to pick him up. We can not risk trying to warn them, as there is potential the phone line is tapped."

"Given Hochstetter's orders, a warning could turn into a blitz and could be dangerous," Newkirk said.

Hogan nodded. "Which is why we have to run interference instead. Carter, Newkirk, go get those Gestapo uniforms." Hogan looked at the man. "Where is this safe house?"

oooo

Elsa cooked up a robust breakfast for her, her grandfather and for their guests. Which was a good thing as Miller, refreshed after almost twelve hours of sleep, and the boys were quite hungry.

After breakfast, Major Miller stood by the window, looking out to the street three stories down, smoking a cigarette. The appearance of the street, for a brief, strange moment, gave no indication that a war was even going on. But that was soon interrupted by the sight of a Gestapo sedan coming to park on the side of the street opposite of the building Miller was looking out from.

He watched the four exit the car and they paused waiting for a break in traffic before crossing. Never taking his eyes off them, Miller called for Fritz.

The underground man was beside the bandleader in an instant and saw as the four Gestapo agents began to cross the street coming directly for the building. "Get the boys. We must get out of here..." Both men turned from the window, their observance already drawing the attention of the old man and Elsa. Fritz said nothing more than Gestapo and immediately everyone knew what was happening. The boys came to immediate attention at Miller's command and the five were out the door.

Fritz led them down the hall to the back stair well, where they descended the stairs quickly, quietly and in single file. They came out to the alley between the two buildings and hurried the short distance to the car.

Miller pulled the passenger door open and paused, looking up and down at the alley as the boys dove into the back of the car. Fritz was in the driver's seat and the engine caught, turning over with an echo within the alley.

"Halt!"

Miller looked up and saw one of the Gestapo agents leaning out the window with pistol waving in the air in warning. Miller slammed the door and jumped back from the car, yelling for Fritz to go.

"Nein!"

"Go dammit! Get out of here!"

The Gestapo agent in the window opened fire, smashing the headlight on Miller's side of the car. Miller flinched and ran for the back of the alley, staying along the wall of the building avoiding another shot from the Gestapo gun before an overhang put him out of sight of the officer. Fritz hit the accelerator and the car peeled out into the street before the gun could be turned on him.

In the back of the car, Erik was horrified. "We can not leave him here!"

"We're not going to. I am going to drive around and try to pick him up..."

At the end of the alley, Miller found himself at the crossroads of a maze. To his left was a short path that went up directly to a street. To his right, was another long narrow alleyway leading to another street. Directly in front of him was another building. He looked back in the direction he had come from. He couldn't see the window the Gestapo agent had been in but figured he was more than likely winding his way down those back stairs to the alley doorway and his three friends would be joining him. Miller came to a decision and headed down the long narrow alley, looking back one more time.

Had he taken the short path to the street, he would have met up with Fritz. The sedan slowed as Fritz and the boys looked to see if Miller was there. They saw him heading in the other direction before losing him in the shadows. Fritz stepped on the accelerator and turned the car at the next corner to try to make it to the other street and be there when Miller came out of the alley.

The Gestapo men came out of the doorway of the building and ran down the alley. They saw Miller heading down the long alley. One of the Gestapo men grabbed another and they doubled back to go get their car. The other two continued after Miller.

At the same time, Hogan, Carter and Newkirk were coming down the street in their Gestapo car. They saw as the two Gestapo men darted between traffic to cross the street to their car.

"I hate to say this guv'nor but I think we're too late," Newkirk said.

"Pull up behind them..." Hogan said quickly. Newkirk did so and the Colonel jumped out of the car.

"What is happening?" he asked.

"The American was in the tenement building. He has escaped on foot. There are two men after him now. We are going to try to head them off." The Gestapo men jumped into their car and pulled away from the curb.

Hogan leapt back into his car. "Miller's on foot, they're going to try to head him off. Step on it!"

Newkirk was already hitting the accelerator. He followed the other car down the street and through the turn. Up ahead of them, they spotted somebody in a German uniform come out of the alley and continue running up the street to the next alleyway.

"That's gotta be him in the Kraut uniform," Newkirk said.

Hogan watched as the car ahead of them kept going, obviously to turn the next corner, go up the street and come back down to try to beat Miller to the end of the alley way. "Pull up to the alley there, like we're blocking it."

Newkirk did so. Immediately Hogan jumped out of the car and ran down the alley after Miller. The other two Gestapo men came out of the first alley and ran up to the car. "Where is he? Where did he go?"

"Down the alley," Newkirk answered. "Don't worry...he's not going anywhere..."

A realization came to Hogan as he was running to catch up to Miller. The Colonel was dressed in a Gestapo uniform. Miller was being chased by Gestapo. Nice going, Hogan. Nice going! What the hell makes you think he's going to stop for you? You might be able to "catch" him but he's carrying a side arm, more than likely fully loaded. And he'll put it to good use if he thinks you're Gestapo.

That really only left one option.

"Major!" Hogan shouted.

Yeah right. Like Miller was going to stop for that?

A hundred fifty feet or so from the end the alley, however, Miller did stop when another car blocked it. He turned around, took a few steps forward and then saw Hogan heading towards him. Of course it wasn't Hogan he saw, it was just another Gestapo officer. Looking back and forth between the end of the alley and Hogan, the Major saw his options severely limited. He pulled the gun from the holster.

Hogan stopped cold, about fifteen feet from Miller, his hands out in front of him. He was right about one thing. The Major wasn't going anywhere without a fight. But if the Gestapo officers coming from the car saw the gun out, they'd take him down in cold blood. Miller would have no chance.

Miller had the gun aimed low toward Hogan and his stance blocked from the other two Gestapo officers the fact that he was holding a weapon.

"Major!" Hogan hissed. "Dammit, put the gun down! It's me! Hogan!"

Miller looked like a deer caught in headlights. Hogan! He couldn't believe it! "Colonel...How--?"

Hogan quickly approached the Major, relieving him of the pistol. "Follow my lead, I'm gonna get you out of here..."

Miller stared at the Colonel for another moment still disbelieving it was really Hogan. Where the hell did he come from! The sound of approaching foot steps pulled his attention back to the two Gestapo officers coming from their car. "Colonel, we're dead where we stand..."

"No, we're not." Hogan tucked the gun in the belt of his Gestapo uniform. He took hold of Miller's arm and turned it behind the Major's back, making as if he had just apprehended him. "Trust me..."

"Well done!" one of the Gestapo officers spoke as the two approached. Hogan held both of Miller's hands behind the Major's back and the bandleader struggled a moment against the grip, for show. The second Gestapo officer approached Miller, looking smug. "You will wish you have not caused us so much trouble..."

The first Gestapo officer had removed his Luger from its holster. "I say we finish it right here..."

"Nein," Hogan spoke up. "My understanding is there are to be witnesses..."

The first Gestapo officer smirked, tapping the barrel against his left index finger. "There are. The three of us."

"General Burkhalter has POW's in mind for the witnesses."

"General Burkhalter is a Luftwaffe General...what business does he have deciding what the Gestapo should and should not do regarding its own escaped prisoners?" The officer raised his Luger level at Miller. The Major was pulling against Hogan's grip for real this time.

Hogan turned Miller so that he was out of the line of fire of the Luger, and Hogan was in it. "As far as the Fuehrer is concerned, he has all the business!" Hogan replied. "Major Hochstetter issued the order, the Fuehrer wants it carried out that way. The POW's are to be witness." Hogan paused. "If you shoot this man, Leutnant than I will take it upon myself to shoot you for disobeying direct orders."

While the officer paused to consider this, Fritz and the boys were slowly passing the alley. Through the windows of the Gestapo car, all three boys saw the Major surrounded by Gestapo, his hands held behind him and the gun leveled at him.

"NEIN!"Erik yelled. Once they passed the Gestapo car, Erik lunged for the door and tumbled out of the back of the car.

"Erik!" Adler and Ahren both exclaimed. Erik quickly picked himself up and started for the alley. Fritz brought the car to a stop and Adler jumped out of the car running after the younger boy.

Erik reached the Gestapo car and squeezed around it and into the alley. Adler jumped up on the front bumper, then onto the hood and leapt off, tackling Erik to the ground.

The commotion caught the attention of the two Gestapo officers, Hogan and Miller. They looked as Adler was hauling Erik up and despite the fourteen-year-old's vocal protests, forced him back to the end of the alley, physically pushing and pulling him.

"Sie!" the second Gestapo officer shouted. "Halt!"

The first Gestapo officer lowered his weapon and took off after the two boys who had squeezed their way back around the Gestapo car and out of the alley. The second officer looked at Hogan.

"Get him out of here. We will meet you at Gestapo Headquarters."

Hogan nodded. The second officer took off down the alley.

Hogan let go of Miller. The Major looked at him with concern. "That looked like Erik and Adler..."

Meanwhile, Adler pushed Erik back into the car and then jumped in after. The door slammed shut and Fritz stood on the accelerator, the car peeling away just as the two Gestapo officers reached their vehicle. They both saw it. "That is the car that was in the other alley!" the second officer said as they immediately got into their car. The chase was on.

Hogan and Miller were hurrying back the other way where Carter and Newkirk were waiting. "I told Fritz to get out of here," Miller complained.

"He would have. But obviously he was looking for one more chance to pick you up."

"He should have just gone! Now he's got the Gestapo after him and those boys. I was trying to avoid that."

"We'll get him."

Hogan and Miller reached the car and Miller stopped momentarily, not sure who the other two officers were.

"It's all right," Hogan said. "It's Carter and Newkirk."

"Howdy Major!" Carter said with a grin.

Newkirk smiled too. "The other two are all set here, Colonel." He pointed to the two real Gestapo officers that were now seated on the sidewalk, tied together back to back. Both were unconscious.

Hogan nodded. "Good. We have a slight problem though. The other two are after Fritz and the boys."

"We saw two cars go zooming by up the street a minute or so ago," Carter said.

"That was them." Hogan looked at Miller. "If I know Fritz, he's going to try to stay around this neighborhood, lose the Gestapo long enough to try to pick you up."

"But Erik and Adler saw me surrounded by Gestapo. They'll think I've been captured."

"And Fritz doesn't know we're here," Newkirk pointed out. "This could get a might sticky."

"Fritz shouldn't even be looking for me," Miller said. "He should just lose the Gestapo and get the hell out of here."

"Thing is, he won't. Not unless he can pick you up or verify you've been captured. Either way, we have to get that car off his tail before they bring in back up. I'll drive. Newkirk, you ride in front. We may need your RAF sharpshooter skills."

Newkirk nodded and the four of them got into the car. The sedan was turned around and pointed in the direction Fritz's car was last seen.

"Okay fellas," Miller said, now finally having the chance to ask the question he had wanted to ask the moment he had recognized Hogan. "How in the world did you get here?"

Newkirk turned in the passenger seat and grinned at the Major. "Ah, a little of that ol' Black Underground Magic."

"Fritz managed to send out a couple of SOS messages," Carter added, "so we knew you were in a bit of trouble. Then Emery sent one from Wilhelmshaven that wasn't very promising."

"Emery... did those boys make it?"

"They did," Hogan said, never taking his eyes off the road. "But that's when we found out you hadn't. So once we were finally able to figure out where you were, the Underground got us out of Stalag 13 to here, by train. We figured to just meet with you at the safe house, go over the plan to get into Wilhelmshaven and get you there. Imagine our surprise when the Gestapo was already trying to pay you a visit."

Newkirk looked at Hogan. "How do you suppose they knew he was there?"

"Bad luck on our part. Emery's message alone told us there's a heavy Gestapo and SS presence in this area. They're probably watching every suspected safe house and Underground operative between Clappenburg and Wilhelmshaven, just waiting for the Major to appear. They found him here."

Miller paused. "What about that old man and his granddaughter...?"

"They should be all right. I'm sure they fled when you and Fritz did."

"I hope so..."

Hogan turned the car down another narrow street, all of them on the look out for Fritz's car being chased by the Gestapo. The neighborhood seemed practically deserted, although the occasional face appeared in the windows of the buildings as they passed. Nothing stirred on the side streets as they passed.

Carter and Miller both were looking out the back window when they spotted two cars go zipping across the street several hundred feet behind them. "There they are!" Carter announced. "Two streets down behind us."

Hogan turned the car sharp and brought the sedan around, speeding back in the direction they had just come.

"Which way?" he asked.

"Left."

At the second street, Hogan turned left and up ahead of them a fair distance they saw the two cars. As Hogan stood on the accelerator, demanding every once of speed the car could give to catch up to the chase, Newkirk readied his pistol. He removed his Gestapo uniform hat and rolled down the window.

"Make it a good shot," Hogan said.

"I intend to sir..." Newkirk leaned out the window and took aim.

Meanwhile, Fritz and the boys were too busy worrying about the road ahead of them and the Gestapo car behind them to be concerned with a second Gestapo car following them. And when shots rung out, they could only assume the Gestapo was shooting at them and thus Fritz yanked the wheel to the right, taking a sharp turn and barreling the car down another road.

Newkirk saw this and held his fire for only a moment before taking aim at the front right tire of the Gestapo sedan, nailing it just as the car went into the turn. The loss of control was immediate and the forward motion sent the car spinning wildly, the back end coming completely around.

"Woo!" Carter exclaimed.

Newkirk ducked back into the car just before Hogan made the turn. He grinned. "Now was that a good shot, or was that a good shot?"

"That was a damn good shot," Miller said.

They blew past the disabled Gestapo car, keeping an eye on Fritz's car up ahead.

The boys with Fritz saw the Gestapo car be knocked out of the chase and momentarily cheered, but then suddenly weren't so sure about the second Gestapo vehicle that was now after them. Fritz wasn't so sure either. Why would one Gestapo car knock another one out of the same chase? All the same, he wasn't about to stop and ask.

"How are you going to get Fritz to pull over?" Newkirk asked.

"I'm not. We're going to have to cut him off," Hogan replied. "Get him to stop long enough so that Miller can tell him who we are." Hogan took a right at the next side street in anticipation of Fritz's direction.

When the boys announced that the car had disappeared from behind them, Fritz took momentary relief before his thoughts turned to Major Miller's fate and the relief turned to dread. Erik's distraught reporting of Miller having been surrounded by Gestapo in the alley had meant one thing: There was no going back for him. Fritz sighed heavily and whispered a prayer with apology as he turned the car down another street. The push and pursuit of the Gestapo had been unforgiving. Reflecting, Fritz knew the near miss at Clappenburg had marked the beginning of the end. I should have known it was only a matter of time.

He still had a mission to complete, however. He still had to get the boys to the sub.

He wondered though how he was going to explain things to Colonel Hogan, who in turn would have to explain things to Allied Command, who would then have to tell the world. Bad news all around.

Fritz was brought out of his defeated thoughts when suddenly a black Gestapo car appeared in the road up head, blocking it. Fritz hit the brakes, coming to a stop about ten feet from the car. He immediately put his car in reverse and turned in the driver's seat to look behind him as he backed up. Neither he, nor the boys right away, saw the back door of the Gestapo car open.

"Damn, there he goes..." Miller said as he stepped out of the car. He hurried after Fritz.

Fritz was still looking behind him, backing the car up. Reverse speed wasn't very fast, however, and it didn't take long for Miller to catch up to the car. "Fritz! Hey!"

Ahren looked through the windshield. "It is Herr Miller!"

"What?" Fritz hit the brake, jerking the car to a stop and he looked forward. Sure enough! Figuring Miller had somehow escaped from this Gestapo car, Fritz pointed to the back of the car, in gesture for Miller to hurry and get in. Miller chuckled and instead gestured for Fritz to put the window down.

"You'll never believe it," he said, glancing toward the Gestapo car. "It's Colonel Hogan."

Fritz blinked. He then looked at the car. "That is why the other car was knocked out of the chase!"

"Praise the Lord huh?" Miller smiled. "The Colonel says to follow, there's another safe house not far from here."

Fritz nodded. "Ja, I know what one he speaks of. I will follow."

Miller returned to Hogan's vehicle and the two cars made their way to the outskirts of Varel.