Hammelburg, Gestapo Headquarters, Office of Major Wolfgang Hochstetter
July 20, 1944, 1515 hours
Major Hochstetter answered the phone on his desk when it rang. "Hallo?" He listened for a long moment to the voice on the other end of the line. "An assassination attempt on the Führer? When? This afternoon? Is the Führer still alive?" He listened some more. "Ja, that is good to hear."
Hochstetter leaned forward in his chair and listened. "I understand, General," he said. "I will place my office on a high state of alert." He paused to listen. "I will expect the list of names tomorrow. If I find any of the people, I will detain them."
Hochstetter smiled. "Herr General, you can count on me," he said. "We cannot allow the traitors in this country to get away with a deed like this." He listened. "Ja, I understand. Heil Hitler!"
Hochstetter's smile grew wider as he hung up the phone. "I will round up the traitors in this town, and I do not need a list to tell me who to get!" he said to himself.
He picked up a pen and scribbled several names on a sheet of paper. When he was finished, he picked up his phone. "Tell Captain Dorfmann I want to see him right away," he said.
He sat back and looked at the list. "I have been waiting a long time to get even with these people," he said gleefully.
There was a knock at the door and it opened to admit Captain Dorfmann. "You wanted to see me, Major?" he asked.
"Ja," Hochstetter replied. "I just got a phone call from General Schlesinger. There has been an assassination attempt on the Führer's life."
"Oh, no," Dorfmann gasped. "Is he …"
"He is alive," Hochstetter replied. "We will be getting a list of suspected conspirators by special courier tomorrow. If we see any of those people, we are to arrest them immediately."
"Jawohl, Major," Dorfmann replied. "Anything else?"
Hochstetter handed him his list of names. "Bring these people in for interrogation," he said.
Dorfmann looked at the list and his eyes grew wide. "Are these people conspirators, Major?" he asked.
"We will not know unless we bring them in for interrogation," Hochstetter replied.
"And if they have not done anything?" Dorfmann asked.
"Everyone has done something!" Hochstetter barked, repeating one of his favorite phrases. "We will interrogate them until they tell us what that something is!"
"But sir, Lieutenant Heidrick is the Chief of Police," Dorfmann said.
"I do not care if he is Chancellor of Germany," Hochstetter screamed. "I want him brought in immediately or I will add another name to the list … YOURS!"
Dorfmann straightened and saluted. "Jawohl, Major Hochstetter. It will be done," he said.
- - - - -
Dorfmann looked at the list of names Hochstetter had given him. He knew none of these people had done anything wrong. Hochstetter was just using this as an excuse to bring people in.
Dorfmann felt sick at the thought. Innocent people would be brought in and interrogated, which usually meant torture. They would eventually admit to anything just to make the torture stop – and it would stop … with their execution.
And if it is true that there was an assassination attempt on the Führer today, it is just going to get worse around here. Innocent people are going to be tortured and killed simply because someone else didn't like them. He walked slowly back to his office, shaking his head sadly.
"I cannot arrest these people," he muttered. "I just cannot do it." He looked at the list again and mentally put his name at the bottom. "But if I do not, I will be on the list."
He shook his head again and then picked up the phone. He could not arrest and innocent person … so he had to pass the list on to someone who could. "Tell the Sergeant on duty to see me at once," he said into the phone. "I have a list of people that need to be brought in for interrogation."
He hung up the phone and sat back in his chair, fighting back the wave of nausea that had crept over him.