Early the next morning and directly after roll call; the change of the flag and official take-over of the camp, Hogan and his core team members headed down into the tunnel and to the radio room. Baker started it up and without needing an order, made contact with Allied HQ in London over the secure frequency. Once he had the connection, he handed the headset and microphone over to his CO, who took a place in front of the radio table. His men had formed a semi-circle around him and waited anxiously on what London will have to say about their situation. Without preamble or any sugarcoating, Hogan made it crystal clear to his handlers in London that he needed to get out now or he will be killed. Then the whole operation would be exposed and all of his men in camp would be executed as spies too. That was something he wouldn't be able to live with, should it happen all because of him not making a clean get away when he had the chance.

Again his foster father, General Butler; took over the conversation from his colleague and asked Hogan how much time he had left, before it would turn critical to a point of no return. Moments of deep thinking followed and finally Hogan answered very quietly, "I don't really know, Sir. I was warned by one of our deep undercover agents that men from Berlin are on their way here to finish me off and that I should get out of the country as fast as possible. Taking into account that this warning was given to me yesterday, I can assume that those people from Berlin are very close to Stalag 13 by now. We have taken over command of the camp and hoisted the American flag over the Kommandantur building to ensure the men's safety, but I can't wait for the arrival of friendly troops.

Do I have your permission to leave my post and head back to England with my command team in tow, Sir?"

Minutes of deep worry followed their commander's question, as General Butler asked for a few moments to think. Newkirk and Baker put a hand on their colonel's shoulders in silent support. LeBeau went further and just put his arms around his CO's waist from behind, hugging him and Carter joined the show of support and affection and turned the hug into a three-way hug; making the others smile and Hogan blush under his deep tan. Just as the tension became near unbearable, the radio cracked again to life and Butler's voice came clear through over the line. Baker had put it on speaker, after a gesture to do so from his Colonel.

"Well Robert, I talked your situation over with a few others. As the liberation of Stalag 13 is so close and the camp already in Allied hands; thanks to your actions, I hereby give you permission to head back to England with your command team. The operation at Stalag 13 is officially shut down for good. Take all necessary precautions on your way to the rendezvous point. A plane will be there at 2230 hours tonight to pick you up. Don't miss this flight, Robert. I beg you, please come back alive. I can't bear to lose another son. Lionheart, over and out."

With a heavy sigh, Hogan put the headset down and wiped a hand down his face in weariness. His headache had come back again with a vengeance and although he slept last night; his exhaustion was still palpable. Too tired and beat to care for anything else at the moment, the colonel just let his head fall down on his crossed arms on the table and closed his eyes. Carter, Newkirk and Baker started talking; worried for their CO. LeBeau hushed them with a gesture and after a closer look at his colonel, told his friends, "Mon colonel is fast asleep, mes amies. Keep quiet, will you?"

Carter then asked, "Shouldn't we at least get him onto one of the bunks down here to make him more comfortable instead of letting him sleep at the table, guys?"

This time it's Newkirk, who spoke up, "Andrew is right, mates. We should get the Gov'ner someplace more comfortable. Sleeping in that position can't be good for his healing bullet wounds either. So let's move him together over to the cot. Louis, me mate, could you grab a blanket for the Gov'ner?"

LeBeau nodded and hurried off to grab a blanket and a pillow, while his mates carefully maneuvered the colonel off of the chair and carried him over to the bunk. Gently they laid him down, intent on not jostling him awake; while LeBeau came back with the blanket and a pillow. With practiced ease, the Frenchman covered up his colonel and gently lifted his head to push the pillow beneath it. During all this motions, Hogan didn't stir; he peacefully slept on undisturbed, his face a picture of serenity. All worry lines were gone and made him look younger and somehow innocent, like a little boy.

Seeing this, all of his men had to smile brightly. Carter commented to the others, "I would so love to capture this moment with a camera, you know; but I don't want to disturb the colonel's privacy."

Newkirk shook his head and laid an arm around his mate's shoulders. "Andrew; why don't you just grab one of your cameras and take a picture or two. The Gov'ner won't mind, I'm sure. Go for it."

Still hesitant, Carter looked at the others. As Baker and LeBeau also nodded and encouraged him to do it, Carter went for his photo lab and grabbed one of the cameras in there. Once out of the dark room, he realized that the camera he grabbed was the one that belonged to Colonel Hogan. His mates saw this too and Newkirk said, "Nice camera you chose there, Andrew. Perfect choice; how about you take a few shots of us together as well? I'm sure the Gov'ner would love to have such a memento in his nice cozy office in Washington D.C. or wherever he will go from here."

Carter nodded eagerly and readied the camera, while his three mates found places all around their colonel. Baker and Newkirk sat down on the edge of the bunk, close together and LeBeau kneeled down at the head of the bunk. All put big smiles on their faces and looked into the camera. Carter took a few pics, changing the angle at a time or two. The loud shutting noises of the film being transported inside the camera after every shot, sounded like gunshots in the otherwise quiet tunnels; but still Hogan didn't wake up. The only movement he made was unconsciously turning around to his right side, his usual sleeping posture and slept on. Again Carter took a few pictures and finally put the camera aside, promising himself to get the film developed as fast as possible.

Newkirk, LeBeau and Baker got up from their places and without anything else to do, just re-checked if they had everything packed for everyone. Newkirk picked up the sea bag he had stowed beside the radio table and opened it. Going through all that was inside, he was satisfied to know he had everything packed for the Gov'ner; so they were all ready to go at a moment's notice.

After the re-checking of their bags and equipment, the core team members went back up into the barracks and started getting rid of all the sensitive material; like maps, layout plans, etc. In the end, they brought some of the maps downstairs, while the rest just got burned in the potbelly stove. The other inhabitants of barracks two helped the core team along, while one of them always stood guard at the door to alert them if a German would come over.

Hours later after the lunch with their now awake Colonel, the men occupied themselves with some games inside the barracks and outside in the compound. The colonel joined them in a game of basketball, shedding his precious jacket and crush cap to do so. Suddenly loud cheers could be heard; the friendly troops have arrived in force with jeeps, trucks and Sherman tanks. The convoy stopped right outside the main gate, unsure of how to proceed.

Hogan slipped his jacket back on, put on his crush cap and headed over to greet the troops. The front gate was opened and he stepped up to the CO of this troop contingent, a middle aged major and explained their situation (he left out his secret operation, of course) to him. Side by side with the major, Hogan walked back into the camp and halted in front of the Kommandantur. One of the jeeps had followed them inside and also stopped at the building. The driver, a young corporal hopped out, saluted both officers and awaited further orders.

While all of this was happening, in the woods outside of Hammelburg, a black unmarked car came to a halt on a narrow forest road. Two men clad in black uniforms stepped out of it. They were on a special mission from Gestapo HQ in Berlin; to eliminate the biggest thread to the Third Reich once and for all, the Allied agent Papa Bear. Their superiors in Berlin didn't believe this man to be dead and send them out to make sure of that, by using a sniper rifle. Now those two men took their equipment out of the car's trunk, a pair of binoculars and a high end sniper rifle, which is accurate even at a high distance. As they came up close to the camp surrounded by the woods, the two men searched for the ideal point to have a perfect view of the whole area. Finding it, they took their places behind some bushes and readied themselves. The middle-aged Lieutenant picked up his binoculars and looked out over the compound, trying to find their intended target, the American colonel of whom they had a picture from his Gestapo dossier.

His partner, a young sergeant, readied his rifle and loaded it with a few rounds. When the lieutenant pointed out the target, the sergeant took him in his crosshairs and took careful aim. Thankfully, there was no wind and he could take the perfect shot. Both smiled sinisterly at one another; their soon to be victim had no idea what was coming to him.