Close every door to me
Keep those I love from me
Children of Israel are never alone
"Listen up guys," Kinch gathered Newkirk, Lebeau, and Carter around the table in Barrack 2. "London sent a message. There's a bombing run over Hamberg tonight to knock off that new munitions plant we scoped out last week. Odds are good that any planes that the Krauts shoot down will end up close to here. We need to go out and retrieve as many downed fliers as we can find."
"Gee, a command performance. What'll I wear?" grinned Carter as he and the others headed for the tunnels.
"Well, it seems to me that all the runways in Paree are showing basic black for flier rescues this year, don't you concur Lebeau?"
"Ha, ha, Pierre. You wouldn't know haut couture if you tripped over the model wearing it," replied Louis as he donned his black sweater and pants.
"Alright, let's get a move on. The attack is scheduled for 22:00 and it's almost that now." Kinch urged everyone out of the tunnels via the tree stump and into the forest beyond.
Creeping around the edge of a clearing, the men silently watched the skies overhead for signs of parachutes. Suddenly, there was a distant rumble like thunder and the ground vibrated for a few seconds.
"Cross one munitions plant off the list!" whispered Kinch to the others.
"Wow!" cried Carter. "That must have been some explosion if we felt it here all the way from Hamberg. I bet it was a big kapowee, like with clouds of fire and everything!" Carter's voice kept getting louder and more excited as he started describing the explosion he pictured in his minds' eye.
"Shh! Do you want the whole German army to hear you!" admonished Lebeau.
"Come on, let's 'ead a bit further west. We'll be able to see better once we clear this part o' the woods," suggested Newkirk.
As the trees began to thin, the heroes could hear the drone of planes overhead interspersed with weapons fire.
"Sounds like a pretty heavy dogfight going on up there," said Kinch. "Let's split up to cover more ground. Meet back here in an hour. Lebeau, Carter, head left to the southwest while Newkirk and I'll head northwest. And be careful. We don't know how many patrols are out here doing the same thing."
"Watch your backs too. Come on Carter. This way," replied Lebeau, pointing the way.
Kinch and Newkirk turned silently and headed northwest. They had been walking about 20 minutes, keeping an eye out overhead for any action, when an Allied and German plane became visible. Swooping and diving, the two planes did aerial acrobatics, each strafing each other with bullets.
"'eads up. We've got a live pair overhead," pointed out Newkirk. "We're sure sticking it to the Jerries. That Kraut pilot couldna hit the broad side of a barn. He's completely missing our Mustang."
"That's weird. Watch carefully. It's almost like the Germans are trying to miss!" replied Kinch.
"Did you see that? That Kraut must a had a death wish or somethin'. Right balmy 'e was. He turned right into the path of the Mustang's fire."
"There's a chute. Looks like he'll be landing just about at the rendezvous site. The Allies are returning home. Guess we won't be having any guests tonight. Maybe Lebeau and Carter had more luck. Let's get back to the meeting place and avoid anyone coming to pick up our Kraut friend up there."
"I'm for that mate. And me nice comfy bunk not far behind. This traipsing around in the dark's been a big waste o' time." Newkirk headed back the way they had come, keeping an ear out for German patrols that were, in all probability, starting to surround the area.
The forest was thinning out again as they neared the rendezvous spot. Kinch and Newkirk were skirting the edge of a clearing when they suddenly heard a bird call – the recognition signal Colonel Hogan used regularly when out on missions.
Wide-eyed, Newkirk and Kinch looked at each other and tried to pinpoint where it was coming from. The Colonel had been gone from camp for a more than a month now. At first, the guys had tried everything to find out what had happened to their leader. The Underground spies at SS Headquarters reported that Hogan never arrived with Oberst Norbert. Nor had they been able to discover if he'd been sent to another Stalag or delivered into the hands of the Gestapo. They were more than willing and able to mount a rescue, but they had no clue as to where he'd been taken. Hogan's trail went cold the moment he'd been taken from camp. Now, to hear his signal in the middle of the Hammelburg forest after an air strike was more than a little disconcerting. Hope flared inside Kinch and Newkirk, but they were still experienced enough to remain wary of a trap.
Hearing the call again to their left, the two men drew their guns, split up and circled the area. Newkirk gave his answering call, sidling up to the tree where a shadowy figure leaned against the trunk.
"Newkirk? That had better be you," the voice came out of the darkness.
"Gov'na? What the bloody blue blazes are you doing here in the middle of the woods?" Recognizing Hogan's voice, Newkirk holstered his gun and turned to face the man in the dark.
"Just thought I'd drop in. Mail call. Got a little package for you to get to London. Where're the rest of the guys?"
"We're on our way to meet them. London sent us out to retrieve any Allied fliers that came down tonight after the Hamberg raid. We split up to cover more ground. We're due to meet them in about 10 minutes."
"We?"
"Right behind ya, Colonel," came Kinch's reply. "Good to have you back, sir."
"I'm not exactly myself, yet. Look, I've got a hot package that must get to London ASAP, then I have to get back." Turning to Kinch, Hogan shoved his flak jacket into his arms. "The film's sewn into the liner. 6 rolls. Make sure it all gets there in one piece, A-1 top priority."
"Will do Colonel." Kinch paused as the moonlight filtered through the trees and reflected off the flak jacket in his arms. Fear suddenly shot through him.Was this a trap after all? Quickly drawing his gun, Kinch pointed it at 'Hogan'. "Hands up, nice and slow. Keep them where I can see them."
"Kinch? What's up mate?" asked Newkirk.
"There's a swastika on this flak jacket. Now if you don't mind 'Colonel', step gently this way into the moonlight."
Newkirk drew his gun too as Hogan raised his arms and moved slowly into the small circle on the forest floor where the moon shone through like a spotlight. Expecting their familiar, dark haired American Colonel to be revealed, Kinch and Newkirk gasped as the light instead showed a blonde, mustached Luftwaffe Oberst.
"Von Richter? What are you doing here? I thought we sent you to London!" Kinch eyed the enemy warily.
"You guys know Von Richter?" Hogan asked, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.
"You might not recognize us but we'd know you anywhere. Especially after you almost shot Carter trying to escape!"
"What? What happened? Is he ok?"
"Don't act so concerned you lousy Kraut. Ya know, it hurts me ta no end that you don't recall us havin' the pleasure of yer comp'ny for a couple of days 'fore we sent ya on an all-expenses paid vacation in England," replied Newkirk.
"Look, Kinch, Newkirk, it is me," Hogan insisted. He had to make them believe him. "This is all a charade. I've been undercover, courtesy of Oberst Norbert. I don't know how to convince you who I am. Just about anything I tell you, you will think that I learned from my service record or an interrogation."
"'Cept our Colonel wouldn' a told ya anything," said Newkirk confidently. "How 'bout that time the three women were brought into Stalag 13 by Captain Heinrich?"
"The USO girls who were put up in Barracks 3? They were arrested when they took shelter from an infantry attack and ended up in a hidden rocket bunker east of Hoffberg. They were on their way to maximum security in Berlin and we got them out by switching places with them." 1
"That's right. Which one did you impersonate and what did you wear?"
"I was Kathy Pruitt. I wore a blonde wig, yellow sweater, a knee-length black plaid skirt, red tam, and gray raincoat. Newkirk swapped with Ginger and Lebeau was Charlene, the one who had been with the Rockettes, not the rockets," Hogan replied instantly, rolling his eyes at the last part.
"Well, you got that right at least. Newkirk, check him out," ordered Kinch. "Don't try anything stupid," he directed at Hogan.
Newkirk handed his gun to Kinch, just in case the 'Colonel' tried to make a move, and approached Hogan. First, he frisked him, relieving Hogan of his standard issue Luger. Then he moved on to Hogan's appearance. Years of working in the theatre in London had taught Newkirk a thing or two about makeup. He tugged on Hogan's hair, then pulled on his mustache, and finally poked and prodded at Hogan's face. Then he looked into Hogan's eyes.
"Well, the voice doesn't sound strained as if he's impersonating the Gov'na's voice. The hair's been dyed, roots are start'n ta show. The mustache is real but it's been dyed too. Don't know 'ow he's done it, but that face isn't makeup. But I would say it's also definitely Colonel 'ogan."
"Are you sure? How can you tell?"
"Look in his eyes, mate. There's only one man I know whose eyes twinkle like that when he's in danger. The eyes are the windows to the soul me mum always use to say," replied Newkirk, rocking back on his heels.
Stepping closer, Kinch took a good look at Hogan. On closer inspection, he could see where the facial structure was similar to his missing leader's, which made him think Newkirk was right. Then he looked Hogan in the eyes and saw the twinkle Newkirk had seen plus more. There was a brief sadness quickly masked and a tension that Kinch sometimes saw when the Colonel had just been through a difficult mission.
Holstering his own gun and handing Newkirk back his, Kinch said, "Ok, you've got me convinced. Where have you been for the last 6 weeks? We searched everywhere for you but it was like you disappeared off the face of the earth."
Lowering his hands, Hogan breathed out a sigh of relief and explained. "Norbert sedated me in the cooler and took me to a state hospital in Stuttgart where I underwent some minor surgery to get into character. When I awoke, 19 days had past and I had a whole new identity. Ever since, I've been playing Oberst Bernard Von Richter, Luftwaffe flying ace and hero of the Fatherland."
"So the hospital stay accounts for half of the time you were missing and overlaps when we were ordered to pick up Von Richter and send him to England. I assume you then went on some sort of mission to collect the film I'm holding in your flak jacket?"
"Correct. I've been stationed southeast of Coburg at a top secret airbase where I've been heading up a squadron of prototype fighter planes. I've been gathering intel and sabotaging the reports to Berlin. We were supposed to be on our last test flight tonight when we got diverted to engage the air strike over Hamberg. I knew I had the specifications London needs on the planes and being so close to Stalag 13, I thought I'd drop in on you fellows and use your post box."
"You don't trust Norbert to deliver the goods, do you?"
"Not in the least. And even more so now that I know he recruited you guys to capture the original Von Richter without London's authority. However I do still have to trust him to restore me to my natural handsome self. Speaking of which, I'll return to camp with you and borrow the radio. Norbert left me with a contact once my mission was accomplished and I'd like to return to the winning side of the war as soon as possible. If I had a nickel for every 'Heil Hitler!' I've had to do, I'd be able to retire a rich man after the war."
"We'd better get moving. We're going to be late for the rendezvous with Carter and Lebeau. I can't wait to see their faces when they see who we found!"
1. "I Look Better in Basic Black" Season 1, Episode 28