East Prussia, Konigsberg Road, Roadside Checkpoint
July 22, 1944, 1750 hours
Vladimir sat in the front seat of the car as it rolled down the road towards Konigsberg. Already he was glad that he had been able to retain the uniform and papers that he had needed when working with Major Freitag in Leipzig. The uniform and papers were a last minute thought before they had destroyed the farmhouse and ran – Vladimir figuring that they might get farther if they could look as if he had captured the other three as saboteurs.
The vehicle was a benefit of the uniform. He was able to commandeer it from a local citizen who, while not happy to part with his means of transportation, was more than happy to cooperate with a member of the SS who was carrying a weapon.
Tadeauz slowed the car even more. "It looks like a checkpoint up ahead," he said.
Vladimir looked up the road. It was indeed an SS checkpoint that blocked the road ahead. "SS," he said simply.
"What do we do?" Jacinta said from the backseat, leaning forward to look towards the roadblock.
Vladimir had been expecting to encounter more than one checkpoint along the way, but now that the moment was at hand, he was starting to worry that their cover story wouldn't be believed. No use worrying about that now. We have been seen, and if we turn around or seem to be avoiding it, they will come after us and never believe the story. "Keep driving," Vladimir said. "We proceed as planned. I have captured you and am taking you to the headquarters in Konigsberg."
"Are you sure about this plan?" Tadeauz asked pensively. "If it doesn't work, we are dead."
"And if we avoid them now, we are dead," Vladimir said. "With what has happened, this is our best chance." He was silent for a moment before adding, "Remember, my papers are legitimate and can be confirmed."
"If they decide to confirm them," Grzegorz said skeptically.
"They will," Vladimir said confidently. "As long as we do not give them any reason to think otherwise, they will believe I am one of them." Vladimir removed his pistol from his holster. "Now, whatever I say or do, you play along. Remember … do not do anything to provoke them."
Tadeauz rolled slowly to a stop in front of the checkpoint. As the guards pointed their weapons at the vehicle, the officer in charge strode forward. Seeing Vladimir in the passenger seat, he walked to that side of the car.
As the officer neared, Vladimir barked out at his passengers. "Stay here. Do not move!" he said in Polish. He opened the car door and got out. "If they try to get away, shoot them," he said to the checkpoint guards.
The officer looked surprised. "Your papers please, Corporal," he said, bending down get a better look into the car. "And you, out of the car," he said, pointing to the three who remained inside.
"Nein," Vladimir said, holstering his pistol and shifting his rifle to point casually at the car. If something started happening, he wanted his rifle ready to get a better shot at the guards. "They are my prisoners."
The officer looked at Vladimir's papers. "Prisoners?" he asked. "It says here you are assigned to a Major Freitag in Leipzig." He looked at Vladimir. "You are a long way from Leipzig."
Vladimir smiled easily. "Yes, my prisoners," he said. "And though we are a long way from Leipzig, we are not as far away from the Eastern Front. If something should happen to my prisoners, my superiors would not have very far to send me …" he looked sharply at the officer, "or anyone else involved."
The officer did not flinch. "I am not familiar with Major Freitag," he commented.
"He is the head of the Leipzig Gestapo," Vladimir said. "And he is also the personal aide to General Schlesinger." He paused to allow that fact to sink in. "I assume you are familiar with the General?"
The officer nodded. "Ja, I am," he replied. "Why are you in this area?"
"The General was here meeting with the Führer and Reichsführer Himmler at Rastenburg," Vladimir replied casually. "I was accompanying Major Freitag as his guard."
"If you are Major Freitag's guard, where is the Major now?" the officer asked.
Vladimir took a deep breath, hoping that it would come across as growing impatience. "You have heard what happened at the Wolfsschanze?" he asked somewhat testily.
The officer nodded. "That is why I must ask these questions, Corporal," he said. "My orders are to round up anybody who seems suspicious."
Vladimir nodded. "I was present when the General gave those orders," Vladimir lied. "Major Freitag was sent back to Leipzig to direct the activities there. Along the way, we encountered these three," he waved his rifle towards the car, "and took them into custody. The Major sent me along with them to Konigsberg while he continued to Leipzig." He looked around impatiently. "I am to join him there as soon as I deliver them."
The officer nodded as if he believed the story, but still seemed unconvinced. "I notice that your uniform is SS Galizien … Ukrainian," he said, pointing at the Waffen SS insignia on Vladimir's sleeve. "Why aren't you at the front?"
Vladimir shrugged. "For that answer, you will have to ask Major Freitag," he replied. "I assume it is because I can speak the language of these scum," he said, waving his rifle again at the car. "And as the Major spends much of his time accompanying the General to this area, I have proven valuable at times … such as now."
The officer handed Vladimir's papers back to him. "Even so, I am supposed to report anything suspicious," he said.
Vladimir nodded. "Very well," he said, returning his papers to his pocket. "Do you have a radio here? We will contact General Schlesinger at the Wolfsschanze to ease your suspicions," he said confidently. It was a bluff – Vladimir had no way of knowing where Schlesinger was, or for that matter, where Freitag was at this moment. But Vladimir began walking towards the little shack that served as the checkpoint. This is it – either he'll believe me, or it is going to get ugly. When he realized that the officer was not following him, he stopped and turned around. "Well?" he asked impatiently.
"Perhaps we don't have to bother the General at this time," the officer said.
Vladimir took stock of the situation. He had moved so that the officer and guards were now between him and the car, which was what he had wanted. If he had to, he was sure he could get a shot at the two guards before the officer could react, and he was hoping that Tadeauz and Grzegorz would be able to react quickly enough to help dispatch him. He smiled. "Then perhaps we can continue on our way," he said. "As I mentioned, Major Freitag expects me to join him in Leipzig as soon as possible." He gave a significant look at the officer. "And Major Freitag is not a patient man."
The officer nodded as if he knew the Major personally. "Corporal, maybe we can take the prisoners off your hands so that you can join the Major in Leipzig sooner," he said.
Vladimir shook his head. "I was ordered to deliver them to Konigsberg personally," he replied. "They are expecting me." He smiled and tugged at his Corporal's insignia. "Besides, I have been wearing this for a long time … I would love to trade them in for something new, if you know what I mean."
The officer laughed. "Very well, Corporal," he said. "I won't detain you any further."
Vladimir clicked his heels and gave a slight bow. "Danke, Captain," he said. "May I have your name? I will put in a good word for you when I get to Konigsberg. Maybe you too could upgrade your adornments."
The Captain smiled. "Captain Fritz Schenker," he replied as he motioned the guards aside.
Vladimir shifted his rifle again and pulled out his pistol. As he opened the door and got in the car, he waved it at Tadeauz and spoke to him harshly in Polish. "Get going!" The car began to move, and as it passed the Captain, Vladimir gave him a small wave and said, "Keep up the good work, Captain!"
- - - - -
When they were clear of the checkpoint, everyone relaxed. "You took a big chance back there with your offer to phone the General," Tadeauz said. He had been able to follow the German conversation better than Jacinta or Grzegorz.
"It seemed like the right thing to do," Vladimir said. "Showing that we were willing to check with the General directly made the Captain nervous. It might have been detrimental to his career if he was seen as interfering with the General's orders … or questioning the validity of my papers, which came from the General's personal aide."
"I noticed that you moved away from the car at that point," Grzegorz observed.
"I wanted to get them between the car and myself," Vladimir said. "If something happened, I had a better shot at the two guards – and they would have two targets to deal with."
"What about the Captain?" Grzegorz asked.
Vladimir turned to face the man in the back seat, smiling broadly. "You were in the car," he replied. "I was confident that the Captain would not be in any position to harm me."
Tadeauz laughed in the driver seat. "You are too trusting, Wladimir my friend," he said. "That might prove to be fatal someday."
Vladimir shrugged. "We are a team," he said. "We are in this together. If we do not trust that we will all look out for each other, then we will all be dead together."
Grzegorz laughed and slapped Vladimir on the back. "You can count on us, my friend," he said.
Vladimir smiled. They had been forced to flee the farm in Rastenburg after the events of the past few days, and now that they had made it past their first major hurdle, he was sure they would all make it through the ordeal … together.