Disobeying Orders
An alternate ending to the S3 episode "Two Nazis for the Price of One"
Summary: Having come to the conclusion that SS-Gruppenführer Freitag knows way too much about him and his operation at Stalag 13, Hogan makes a decision that could easily end his life, but save the operation and his men. Giving out his final standing orders to Kinch, his second-in-command, Hogan makes sure he has the loaded gun and heads out to meet his destiny, alone. Will the operation continue and will Hogan be able to get out of this sticky-wicket? Will his men really follow his last orders, or will they disobey them and stand by their Commander's site?
It is a calm and peaceful evening at Luft-Stalag 13. The air is clear with stars twinkling in a cloudless sky, a soft breeze blowing and ruffling the leaves of the nearby trees surrounding the camp. The quiet is only interrupted intermittently by the howl of an owl or the light track of booted feet from the guards patrolling in and outside of the wire.
All lights are out, blanketing the whole compound in darkness. The shine of the searchlight is the only bright spot, cutting the blackness at an interval, allowing the guards in the towers to see well while they are looking for possible dangers or escaping prisoners. Although thanks to the "no escape policy" from the camp's Kommandant, which is in truth laid down by the Senior POW officer, escaping prisoners are never an issue at Stalag 13. But they are exceptions to every rule.
In barracks two, which is the closest one to the Kommandantur building, four men are still wide awake, their few belongings packed into bags; ready to go at the order of their commander. These men are Corporal Peter Newkirk, RAF, French corporal Louis LeBeau and two American sergeants, James Kinchloe and Andrew Carter. Sitting around the table in the common room they eagerly await the return of their commanding officer, American Air Corps Colonel Robert Hogan, who just had to go to a dinner with Oberst Klink and a SS officer named Freitag, a Gruppenführer.
Just as they are about to go crazy with worry the barracks door opens and Hogan rushes in. All eyes turn to him immediately. LeBeau walks closer to his Colonel and asks "How did it go, mon Colonel?"
Hogan takes up his usual position at the table. Putting one leg on the bench and supporting one arm on his bent leg and after looking every one of his men in the eyes, he replies softy "Freitag has to go. He knows everything about our operation, about us. He needs to be eliminated", after a short dramatic pause he carries on "I don't like it, but I'll have to do it. Carter do you have put the charges in the tunnels?"
Carter, always eager when it comes to explosives, answers "Yeah boy, I mean, Sir! They are all set and ready to go."
Satisfied with the answer, Hogan addresses the rest of them "Newkirk, Kinch, LeBeau. Make sure that nothing incriminating is left behind. Get everything down to the tunnels. Papers and maps will be burned in the stove, the rest goes below. This will be all."
While saying this, Hogan pulls his leg off the bench, leans down and opens a secret compartment hidden in the bench seat. Taking out the gun and checking it, he puts it into the inner pocket of his bomber jacket. Seeing the uneasy faces of his trusted men and their worry, he smiles slightly, trying to seem carefree. He walks to the barracks door, hand on the handle and turns to his men one last time "You have your orders, so don't wait for me. Get out!" Without waiting for a reply to his order Hogan is out the door and walks over the compound directly to Klink's office.
Kinch is the first to react after their CO's hasty exit. He throws his bag onto the bench beside him and says resolutely "I'll stay. I'm not leaving a good man behind, especially the Colonel."
The Englander Newkirk adds "He is right, mates. Would be wrong of us to go ahead without the Gov'nor. Either we all go, or we won't."
LeBeau and Carter readily agree. But they still start to bring everything that should not be in a POW camp down to the tunnels, using their secret bunk entrance to do so. Afterwards they sit down for a game of gin, while LeBeau makes them all a fresh round of coffee on their stove, biding their time.
Out in the compound minutes earlier, Hogan is escorted by Schultz, the heavy-set Sergeant of the Guard to the Kommandant's office. Reaching the steps leading up to the porch, Hogan mounts them in one long stride and heads inside, not waiting on Schultz to catch up. Once inside the outer office he is greeted by Klink and Major Hochstetter. The major grins slyly at Hogan and tells him "Gruppenführer Freitag is waiting for you in the office, Hogan. Go on in." Nodding Hogan does just that. Shortly before the door, he hesitates, checks his pocket for the gun, takes a deep breath to calm his raging nerves and opens the door, walking to his doom.
Suddenly the sound of gunshots ring through the air, alerting and waking up the whole camp population. Moments later the office door opens and Hogan peeks out, breathing heavily, while sweat is coating his face and neck, wetting his shirt. He leans also heavily on the door's frame, seeking support.
Klink and Schultz are too shocked and stunned to act, cowards that they both are. But Hochstetter pulls out his gun, makes a step towards Hogan and asks "Where did the shots come from?"
Sounding out of breath, as if he has just run a marathon, Hogan replies "They ...came... through ...the ...window...south-west direction. – Call...a...ambulance..."
Then as if the last of his strength has been ripped away, Hogan's eyes roll into the back of his head and he collapses in a heap to the floor, just inside the door. There he lies motionless. Hochstetter runs outside, calling for his men to help him in finding the shooter and to either arrest or shoot him.
The men in barracks two have come outside also. Now they are standing outside Klink's office, unsure how to proceed. As Hochstetter and his men come running through the door with their guns drawn, Newkirk catches a glimpse of a dark-haired person lying on the ground. Realizing who it must be, he walks at a brisk pace inside; LeBeau, Kinch and Carter following him.
What they see shocks them all to the core. Oberst Klink is just standing somewhere off to the side, white as a sheet and trembling, unable to be of any help. He just looks straight onto one point in the room, the place where his senior POW officer has fallen. Schultz is kneeling beside Hogan trying his best to stop the flow of blood from a gunshot wound to the officer's right flank. But it seems to be a fruitless effort as the pool beneath Hogan's body is growing rapidly – and in more place then one!
Finally coming to their senses, Hogan's men start to act. Newkirk and Carter kneel down beside Schultz and assist him in trying to quench the steady blood flow. Newkirk also expertly pilfers the gun away from his colonel's jacket pocket to his own. Kinch uses the office phone to call for an ambulance and poor LeBeau just tries to stay conscious. The sight of all the blood makes him quite queasy, especially as it is the blood of his beloved colonel. But he tells himself to be strong for his Colonel and concentrates on other things. Knowing they will all need strong coffee and something light to stomach, he runs back into the barracks, starting his self-put-upon task right away, all the while trying to forget the picture of his wounded CO out of his mind's eye.
In the meantime Hochstetter and his men have found and arrested the shooter. It was Mannheim, the Gruppenführer's assistant. He allows himself to be taken away willingly, knowing he has lost everything when he pulled the trigger on his superior.
In the outer office Newkirk, Carter and Schultz are still trying their best to keep Colonel Hogan alive. Exchanging worried glances, they redouble their efforts. A sea of towels and other clothes soaked through with blood are piling up around them. Hogan is already deathly pale, sweating profusely and his breathing comes in shallow rasps, his heart beating way too fast, trying to compensate for the loss. His men and Schultz know that he is on the very brink of death, hanging on by a mere thread that can tear at any moment.
As they are about to give up, the ambulance arrives and the crew efficiently put Hogan on a stretcher and then into the back of their truck. Moments later it is speeding out of the compound and to the nearby Hammelburg hospital.
Newkirk, Carter, Kinch, Schultz and even Klink and Major Hochstetter follow the truck's progress with varying degrees of worry on their faces. Finally it is Hochstetter who gives out clear orders to everyone, seeing Klink is still too much in shock to fulfill his duty.
Unbelievably even Hogan's men listen to them without questioning their own sanity for doing so. Hochstetter allows for two prisoners who are closest to Hogan, to be taken to the hospital in his staff car. As they are eager to be close to their CO, Newkirk and Carter jump at the chance and climb into the backseat.
Kinch nods shortly to them and leaves for barracks two. Inside he directly activates the bunk entrance and goes below, after taking the offered cup of coffee from LeBeau on the go. Once he is down in the radio room he contacts London and tells them what happened to Papa Bear and how they shall proceed from there on out.
The Gestapo staff car arrives just minutes after the ambulance. Not waiting for permission Newkirk and Carter jump out and walk swiftly over to the main entrance. Hochstetter follows with an angry scowl on his face. But the small compassionate part of him that still exists and comes out from time to time tells him to not be angry and instead being understanding. They are still all human beings. With that thought he steps up to the receptionist and asks her about the American colonel that has just been brought in.
Looking onto her notepad, she tells the three men that the American is undergoing emergency surgery which could take hours. But they can go up to the waiting room on the fourth floor, where the operating theatres are located. Before they leave, she calls them back and holds out a sodden leather bomber jacket, a pair of fine dark leather shoes and a wallet and watch. Newkirk takes the items and thanks the lady for them. Putting the wallet and watch into one of his trouser pockets, he hands the shoes to Carter and takes a closer look at the jacket. Interested Hochstetter comes closer. His investigative curiosity is beckoning him nearer to the two POWs.
The Englander swears "Blimey! It's soaked through with blood and has a few holes in it! It will take forever to get that stuff out, not to mention repairing the old thing. Maybe we should ask the Red Cross for a new one for the Gov'nor. What do you say Andrew me mate?"
Carter looks up from trying to polish the shoes with a small cloth and says "I think the colonel would like that. But he also loves his old jacket. I mean it is a reminder of his days up in the air, flying. He'd miss that."
Stopping right behind Newkirk, Hochstetter holds out his hand. "Let me have a look at this." Reluctantly Newkirk hands the colonel's jacket over to the Gestapo major. Looking at Hogan's men, he explains "I'll take this with me. Once the process of collecting evidence off of it is completed, this jacket will be returned to you. You have my word on that. – Now, can I leave the two of you here without having to fear you would escape?"
Carter and Newkirk nod. But knowing a verbal reply is needed, Newkirk tells him "We won't leave this here hospital 'til we know that the Gov'nor is going to make it. And even then we'll stay at his bedside, keeping vigil till the moment he wakes up. No matter how long that will take, Major."
Satisfied with the answer Hochstetter walks over to the reception again to use the phone there. After ending his call to Stalag 13, he calls over "Sergeant Schultz and Corporal Langenscheidt are on their way here. They will make sure you stay right here. – Colonel Hogan may be my enemy, but he is a worthy adversary and an honorable man. I hope for all our sakes that he survives. Just don't mention this to anyone else, or I'll be on a train to the Russian front." That said, Hochstetter leaves the hospital, leaving Hogan's men to themselves.
They rush up to the fourth floor and take a seat in one of the many chairs lining the two walls of the waiting area. Flower pots on all sides give the room a homey feeling. Even a water jug and glasses are standing on a table, so the waiting relatives can drench their thirst. Some newspapers are lying on its surface. Having nothing better to do, they each grab a paper and start reading. But unable to concentrate they put them aside again and instead start walking up and down in the waiting room, their thoughts only on their commanding officer who is in these moments fighting for his very life!
After what seems like an eternity which in truth is just a few hours, a middle-aged doctor with a friendly face, approaches them. Switching to English directly he asks "Are you here for Colonel Hogan?"
Nodding and standing up in unison, the two step up to the doctor. Newkirk is the one who speaks first "How is the Gov'nor, doc? Is he going to be alright? Can we see him?"
Holding up both his hands to ward off any more questions, the doctor points to the chairs, inviting them to sit down, before he joins them and tells them what they want to know "Your Colonel Hogan is one remarkable man I must say. I believe that only his strong will to survive combined with his overall good physical condition, allowed him to get this far. He made it through the emergency surgery, but not without complications. We lost him twice on the table, but managed both times to get him back. All in all, I and my assistant took four bullets out of his body. Two were lodged in his right side and one of them had hit the abdominal artery. That is the reason he bled so much. The other two were taken out of his upper right arm and shoulder. The blood loss alone should have killed him, but luckily it didn't. Now he has to overcome the massive trauma and shock symptoms, which we are already countering by keeping him on IV-fluids and under warm blankets. He is also been put in an oxygen-tent which helps him to breathe easier. – Visiting times should be kept short and only one person at a time. But use the time wisely. Reach out to him. Touch him physically, like hold his hand and such. Talk to him; let him hear your voices. My experience tells me that will help tremendously in helping the colonel fight his way out of the darkness and back to the light. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have other patients to take care of. Good day to you, gentlemen."
In the last moment, Carter shouts after him "Hey, doc! What's your name, sir? We like to thank you for what you did for our commanding officer."
Halting the doctor turns back and says with a smile "My name is Doctor Alexander Brauning. But there is no need for you to thank me for what I did. I just did my job and that is saving lives. As a doctor I don't make a difference between my patient's nationalities or other things. All I do is help them get better and send them on their way afterwards. Now I must be off. Auf Wiedersehen."
Smiling brightly Carter and Newkirk ask the nurse at the station desk where to find Colonel Hogan. She checks her clipboard and tells them "Just follow the corridor to your left. The sixth door to the right is Colonel Hogan's room. Oh and before you go and visit him, please wash your hands and forearms and then use these surgical masks to cover the lower half of your faces. As a post-op patient Colonel Hogan is very susceptible to everything now, so we try our best to keep the risk low. I hope you understand that?"
Both men nod, grab the offered masks and head off into the direction of the men's restrooms. There they wash themselves as instructed by the nurse and then make their way to the colonel's room.
Not knowing what they might see, Newkirk opens the door cautiously, peeking in. Satisfied that no guard or other obstacle awaits him and his mate, he opens the door fully and proceeds inside. Carter follows and closes the door quietly, not wishing to disturb the peaceful quiet of the room. The only sound to be heard is the soft, but regular breathing of one Colonel Hogan. Standing to both sides of the bed, they each use the small openings in the tent, which is done by zipper and reach inside, clasping the still hands of their commander. Carter has to be more careful as the hand he is gripping is hooked up to the IV that feeds the man in the bed with medication. Both are disturbed at the sight of their usually lively, larger than life Colonel to be so still, so vulnerable and helpless. At least a bit of color has returned to his skin, which hours before looked as white as the sheets he is lying on.
He is also warmer and a healthy glow radiates off of him. Carter and Newkirk sit down in chairs and start talking about anything they can think of. As Carter once again is talking a mile a minute, he and Newkirk both hear in their minds the strong, but warning tone of their CO, just calling "Carter" in that certain voice. Both end up laughing, relieving the tension after hours of deep worry for the survival of their commanding officer.
When visiting hours are over they are both driven back to camp by Schultz, who had arrived to collect them. He and the Kommandant were held up and therefore couldn't be there sooner. Newkirk waves his apology off, saying that once back at their home away from home, he'll tell everyone how the colonel is doing. Schultz nods his approval and starts the staff car. He stops in front of the Kommandantur where Klink is already waiting for them, surrounded by the rest of Hogan's core team. Inside his office, Newkirk immediately starts telling what he knows about Hogan's condition and a collective sigh of relief can be heard throughout the room at the news that the Colonel has made it this far and that with their help, he'll make a full recovery. Oberst Klink is glad to know that his senior POW officer is on the mend. But to be sure he calls the hospital and asks for a daily update from the doctor. Then he orders the men of Hogan's team to make a roster, so that he knows which two men are leaving camp for the hospital to visit their CO and will be excused for the roll-calls.
This established routine goes on for three weeks. Every second day two of Hogan's men are driven to the hospital for an hour-long visit. The first week was the hardest, as the colonel's condition was still critical. At the beginning of the second week, he was rid of the oxygen-tent as he could easily breathe on his own. In the following days his condition improved daily, so that at the start of the third week, he was already allowed to leave his bed to move around a bit.
Now at the end of week three, Colonel Hogan is finally released from the hospital, but with strict instructions to take it easy for a while yet. Dr. Brauning, who is more than content to see how well and fast the American colonel has recovered, gives him a small metal box that contains his medicine. After telling him how to take the medication correctly and a firm handshake, he says goodbye.
Walking on still wobbly legs, because of their long disuse, Robert Hogan, now dressed in a new bomber jacket, khaki shirt and pants, courtesy of the Red Cross, leaves the hospital and takes a deep breath of fresh morning air. Birds are chirping in the nearby trees and the sun is just peeking over the horizon, plunging the surrounding area in a soft golden light. At this moment the war seems to be far away and Hogan enjoys the peaceful moments, closing his eyes and just listening to the sounds of nature around him. His time of relaxation is interrupted as a car stops not too far from him and all four of his men jump out to greet him. Before they greet him, Hogan lifts up a hand and shouts "Alright, hold it! Hold it!"
Immediately his men stop and go quiet. Sighing in relief Hogan looks at them and says more softly "Thanks for the welcoming committee, guys. I missed you too. So will you allow your still healing CO to get into the car or do you want him to walk back to camp?"
All at once they make room for Hogan to move past them. Kinch steps up and takes the small bag out of his CO's hands and throws it in the trunk. Then they retake their seats with Schultz driving them back, a smile on his big round face at seeing all of his boys back together.
At Stalag 13 the men are all busy bees, cleaning the compound, chopping wood for their stoves and on the side, preparing everything for a welcome back party for their commanding officer. Klink shows his generous side and tells them that for today the rule for lights out are off, allowing the prisoners to celebrate the return of their senior POW officer with gusto. LeBeau of course is the one cooking, only this time he uses the kitchen in the mess hall and gets ample help from the German staff.
As the staff car comes through the gates and stops in front of the office building, Klink hurries out to greet them. Hogan's men get out first, Kinch once again taking care of the officer's bag and then finally the man they are all waiting for disembarks. As soon as he is out of the car the whole compound erupts in cheers, whistles and clapping. Even a hip, hip, hurray is heard, coming mostly from the Commonwealth and RAF airmen. Hogan is grinning from ear to ear, happy to be back with his men. The big banner over the stairs leading up to the Kommandantur reads in big bolt letters:
"Welcome back, Colonel Hogan! "
And that is just what he is now: back where he belongs. His operation is still running, his men are all safe and in a few days he can put this whole thing behind him and move on. He still has much to do when it comes to hindering the German war effort and he will! London will get one short message that says it all: "Papa Bear is back in business. " Hogan has to grin at that. He really is back and that is all that matters.
The END