The Substitute
Chapter two
"For the last time, Schultzie, open that door!"
"I am sorry, Newkirk. I can't. It would be my life..."
The obese guard pressed against the outside of the barracks door; his weight preventing the thin British corporal from breaking it down from the inside. Soon, the sergeant could hear other prisoners joining their bunk mate. The sergeant held fast. For now, his heft, plus the new bar locking the door from the exterior, kept the wood from shattering. He half expected prisoners to crawl through a window and pull him away. Yesterday, he would have inwardly chuckled at the prisoners' cheek, while gently admonishing his boys. Today, those windows were barricaded as well.
"All right, all right. Knock it off. Back off, it's not Schultz's fault."
Schultz could hear Colonel Hogan through the door. To his relief, the pressure from the other side disappeared, and the sergeant stepped away from the door. He turned and glanced around the compound, where scenes such as this were duplicated moments earlier; now the other guards also backed off. Somehow, he realized, the colonel's voice of authority reached the rest of the camp. The threat of someone getting injured now gone, Schultz relaxed and took a seat on the bench beside the building.
One of his guards; it was Corporal Mueller, accompanied by Wolfgang, stepped over to his superior. Mueller, Schultz knew, was what the prisoners called tame. He was not as cognizant of the monkey business as he or Langenscheidt were, but nonetheless, he was somewhat friendly to the captured men, and respectful of the Senior POW officer.
"This is not going to end well, Sergeant," Mueller stated as he offered Schultz a cigarette.
Schultz sighed and nodded. "I can guarantee that tomorrow will bring more trouble." And that would lead to more monkey business, he thought. And someone will be killed.
The prisoners were blindsided that evening when they were all herded into their huts after an earlier than normal roll call. Hogan looked through the periscope out at the compound and reported nothing unusual, until about twenty minutes afterwards, he spied guards congregating in the middle of the compound. A truck from the motor pool drove up, stopped, and the guards began emptying the back.
What's in that truck? Hogan mused as he tried to get a better look, the rest of the barracks congregating around him.
Aha. Wood. He stepped away from the sink and closed the periscope. "I hope I'm wrong, but I think they're going to barricade us in," he reported. Within minutes, Hogan's fears were confirmed. He wasted no time; risking goodness knows what, by leaving the hut and storming out into the compound.
"Schultz!"
The guard was over by the truck, and didn't hear the colonel. Hogan stepped further out into the compound and right into the gun barrel of one of the guards.
"Colonel, orders are all prisoners are to remain in the barracks."
Hogan fearlessly put his hand on the end of the rifle and gently pushed it down. "Bruno. I see what's going on here, and I won't stand for it."
"Colonel Hogan," Bruno whispered. "The substitute Kommandant is not a nice man." He looked up at the dark sky and sighed. "Now I sound like Sergeant Schultz. Please. I don't want anyone to get hurt."
As the guards began spreading out to the barracks to begin their hammering, Hogan spied Werner heading his way. He sidestepped around Bruno and ran over to meet the Oberst. "I am lodging a protest. Locking us in like this is inhumane. What if there is a fire? Or an air raid?" He glared at the German, who seemed totally unconcerned about the kerfuffle taking place.
"Nonsense, Colonel. Camps barricade their prisoners in at night. As per regulation. And regarding a fire, I suggest you ban smoking in your huts after dark and douse any fire you have in the heater. You." He pointed at Bruno. "Get moving on this door and the windows. Or I will personally put you on report."
"Yes, Oberst." Bruno glanced at the colonel, mouthed an I'm sorry, and ran off to fetch the wood, while Hogan opened the door, letting it slam loudly closed as he entered the barracks.
"Can they do this, sir?" asked Goldman, who was peeking out the window.
Hogan sat down in the chair by the table. He looked at Carter, who nodded sadly.
"We were barricaded in at Stalag 5," the sergeant reported. "The windows were locked, too."
The men could hear Schultz's voice outside as the hammering finally stopped. He opened the door for his final bed check and faced a group of 15 very angry men. At the sound of their grousing, he held up his hand. "Please. I am not in the mood." Quickly noting that everyone was present, he turned and walked out, locking the door behind him. Hogan called over a few men, telling them to head into the tunnel system and pass word along that, for now, everyone should cooperate and not cause any trouble. It was then that he saw Newkirk and a few others heaving against the door.
"Newkirk, what were you thinking?" He demanded a moment later.
"I feel trapped, guv'nor. It's not right. Besides, this puts a crimp in the works. How are we going to get into the compound at night?"
"Sneak into Klink's quarters through the tunnel system and come out that way," Hogan stated. "Our new Kommandant is in the VIP quarters. Let's get some sleep. This is only temporary."
It may have been only temporary, but the next day, the regulations obsessed Oberst had more surprises in store. The prisoners filed out for roll call and discovered fencing going up around the Kommandanteur, Klink's quarters, the VIP quarters and other buildings. The prisoners were now confined to the middle of the compound and their own buildings. To their horror, the dog pen was also off-limits.
"You were saying something about sneaking out through Klink's quarters, Colonel?" Kinch asked.
Hogan shook his head in disgust. "I can't even think of a rational argument against this at the moment."
Schultz slowly walked over to the line, glanced at the numbers and marked his clipboard. The Kommandant was not outside to witness the roll call, fortunately for Hogan, who was barely holding in his temper.
"Colonel Hogan. Please don't complain about the fencing. I'm getting a headache from all sides. The banging. My guards are complaining. The new Kommandant keeps badgering me about violations."
"What's next?"
Schultz ignored the question and began to walk away, then turned. "He is going into town to meet with someone. I don't know what it is about. But, first he also wants to see you."
Hogan gave the men a signal to listen in on the coffeepot, and then followed Schultz to the Kommandanteur. He stepped around loose fencing and numerous posts and walked up the steps. Opening the door, he was surprised to see Langenscheidt seated at Hilda's desk. It was too early for the secretary to arrive at work, but the sight of Langenscheidt typing sent shivers down his spine. The friendly corporal stood up as he spotted Hogan. "Colonel, I thought you should know..."
"Hilda?"
'Fired. He called her last night." Langenscheidt looked like he was about to cry. "She's a woman and a civilian. And they don't belong here. That's what he said." He sat back down and watched as the colonel began squeezing the life out of his crush cap. Schultz said nothing, but let out a huge sigh.
Hogan knew that Klink definitely would not stand for this act. But, he again had no pull. Langenscheidt was a competent clerk, and he and other guards often sat outside Klink's office when it was warranted. He took a deep breath and followed Schultz into the office, offering a more crisp salute than usual. "You requested my presence," he said coldly.
Werner motioned to the chair in front of the desk. "Yes. Please, sit down. For some reason I can't fathom, bunk assignments are in violation. Today, that will be rectified. Nationalities will be housed together. See to it. Sergeant Schultz, you will assist Colonel Hogan and take care of notifying barracks guards and updating the files."
"Colonel, my staff is in my barracks. It's best for morale to have a multi-national staff. It makes the camp run smoother."
"That is perfectly acceptable. Your staff can assist you in your barracks during the day. At night, they are to report back to their quarters."
Sergeant Schultz raised his hand. "If we separate nationalities, four Norwegians will have a hut to themselves."
"That is not a problem. We have empty barracks, do we not?"
"Yes."
"Is there a problem, sergeant?"
"No, sir."
"I protest. This is a total disruption..."
Werner's hand slammed down hard on the desk. "Colonel, this is not in violation of the Geneva Convention, so I suggest you get started on reassigning the men. You have until nightfall to get this completed. He then quickly calmed down. "Oh, and one more thing. And I am sorry about this, but it is regulation. I know some camps, including this one, have ignored it, but it is safer to comply. The Negroes and Jews must be housed elsewhere." He walked over to the map behind the desk and pointed to two huts furthest from the main part of camp. These two barracks are empty. They will go there."
The men crowded around the coffeepot were shocked speechless. Finally, Carter spoke. "The colonel is not going to stand for this."
Hogan arose from the chair and leaned over the desk. "I...will...not...segregate...my... men."
Werner rose. "Colonel Hogan. You must understand my position. I have been in Berlin. It is better to anticipate trouble; and what do they say in America? Head it off at the pass? This property is no longer a summer camp. It is POW camp. And there are rules. I may not agree with all of them, but it is my job to see they are followed."
Schultz put his arm around Hogan. "Please Colonel Hogan, do not make any more trouble. Please."
Hogan glared at Werner, turned, and left the office. Werner ignored the insubordination, and continued working until it was time to leave for his meeting.
"Just give me the word, guv'nor," Newkirk said a few minutes later. "And I'll sneak out of camp and see to it that Werner meets with an accident, if you get me drift."
Hogan shook his head. "No. But I do want to find out about that meeting." He hated to send an operative out, but he had no choice. "LeBeau and Carter. You'll follow him in another staff car. Get disguises. Kinch, arrange for the car." That was easier said than done. With the motor pool off limits, Kinch had to pass messages through friendly guards to the motor pool sergeant. The motor pool sergeant, in turn, required a much larger bribe. The car was made available outside the camp, but the process left everyone with frayed nerves.
Within an hour, LeBeau and Carter were following behind the new Kommandant. Meanwhile, the camp was in organized chaos, with Hogan working with Schultz, Langenscheidt and several of the prisoners to rearrange the housing. He walked over to the furthest part of the compound to inspect the two barracks slated for Baker, Kinchloe and Broughton, as well as Goldman and the six other Jewish prisoners. Ironically, the Jewish prisoners were a multi-national group comprised of Americans, Frenchmen and Brits. He silently cursed everyone he could think of, before walking through the door. Baker and Broughton were seated on the bunks. There was no table or stove in the hut, and the original builders modifying the camp never installed the plumbing and electricity.
Hogan sighed.
"It's not so bad, sir. We'll make do. Better than sleeping in foxholes," Baker said. "There's no tunnel entrance here or in the other hut."
"Yes. I know." Hogan ran his fingers through his hair. Baker needed to relieve Kinch, and now he would have to rearrange the radio schedule. More important, the lack of a tunnel entrance could doom the two groups of men in case of an emergency evacuation. "We'll get started on digging tonight." He hated to do that, as it was important to have some empty huts without a tunnel entrance. The prisoners used that tactic more than once.
"Seems by the time we dig an entrance, Colonel, Klink will be back." Goldman's hut resembled Kinch's.
"We'll be working around the clock," Hogan stated. He thought for a moment. "No. You seven will move next door. They are a bit closer to the stub coming off the main tunnel." He looked around at the decrepit hut. "This hut has a bad infestation of termites."
"Actually it's pretty clean, sir," said Michael Bergman, a fairly new arrival.
Hogan and the rest of the men laughed. Goldman walked over to Bergman and placed his hand on the new prisoner's shoulder. "What he means, Bergman, is that if we don't already have termites, we have to go and find them."
"Oh…I get it."
While the colored and Jewish prisoners worked on "destroying" the one hut, the camp became segregated by nationality as per the new Kommandant's orders, and to add insult to injury, by the end of the day, the staff buildings became inaccessible to Hogan without admittance by a guard.
Carter and LeBeau easily followed Werner's car into town. He then turned off and headed past Hamelburg, driving about 20 kilometers to a small Wehrmacht base housing engineers and construction workers.
"So much for eavesdropping," Carter lamented as they pulled the car off into the brush. He pulled out his radio, and transmitted their location in code to Kinch.
"He's planning a major construction project." Hogan paced back in forth in the common room, trying to conceive of what Werner planned next.
"Another line of fencing?" Newkirk suggested.
Hogan shook his head. "Klink has done that before, and used the guards. It has to be something big."
According to LeBeau and Carter, it appeared big. Trucks and equipment lined up at the base about an hour after Werner's arrival.
"Let's get ahead of them and have a breakdown," Carter suggested.
"Good idea." LeBeau, put the car in gear, and strategically stopped it several kilometers away from camp. Blocking the road, the two blew out a tire and waited.
The small convoy screeched to a halt; fortunately, the two could tell that Werner was at the back of the line. The men in the first truck jumped out. Seeing the two officers, they saluted. "Do you need help?" the driver asked.
"That is most kind of you, sergeant," Carter replied, as he wiped his hands. "My, that is an interesting group of construction equipment you have here. Clearing woods?" That was Carter and LeBeau's first guess.
"Nein. We are heading to the Luftwaffe prison camp near here to raise barracks."
"I see," Carter said. "That is a difficult task." He stepped aside, and waited for the man to change the tire. "Thank you for your help, and good raising," he said, chuckling.
As they took their seats in the car, Carter and LeBeau, in shock, calmed themselves. LeBeau then looked at Carter. "You are as cool as a cucumber, my friend."
"I almost lost it," Carter admitted. "Get hold of camp."
Kinch received the message from LeBeau and immediately headed up top, where Hogan and others were waiting. "You're not going to like this," he warned Hogan as he handed him the piece of paper.
"He wants to do what?" Hogan could not believe what he was hearing. "That's insane. Kinch, go find Newkirk, and the Canadian construction engineer in Barracks 9."
The Americans left in Barracks two crowded around the colonel. "What's insane?" asked Saunders.
"He plans on raising the barracks off the ground." Hogan grabbed a chair and sat down. His elbows resting on his knees, he appeared deep in thought, while the men in the hut remained silent, waiting for word of some plan to thwart this latest indignity.
They all looked at one another. Finally, Davis said softly, "Not only is that nuts, but that will reveal tunnel entrances."
"Yup." Hogan sighed. "This guy is not firing with all cylinders."
Kinch, Newkirk and the Canadian engineer, Jeffries, a tall gunner shot down several months earlier, arrived back at the barracks within minutes.
"Kinch told us what this bloke has planned for us next," Newkirk said as he grabbed a seat at the table.
"Jeffries. How hard is it to raise these huts?" Hogan asked.
"If it were me, Colonel. I would just take them apart and put them back together, with shoring underneath the floor. They're flimsy to be begin with and the construction is not very complicated. They would have to unhook the water and electricity first, of course. But it is quite time consuming."
"Well, this just beats all," Hogan said to no one in particular as he drummed his fingers on the table.
Carter and LeBeau returned to camp before the construction convoy. They ditched the car, leaving it for the friendly motor pool sergeant and headed into the tunnels and changed. Quickly, they climbed up top and informed the colonel that on the way home, they managed to stall the trucks by leaving a few obstacles in their path.
Hogan and his staff waited outside for Werner and his minions to return. As they drove in, Hogan was able to waylay the Kommandant before he headed behind the fence line.
"Colonel, I wanted to tell you…what's all the construction for?" He asked innocently in midstream.
'Glad you asked, Colonel Hogan." Werner took off his gloves and looked Hogan in the eye. "Regulations say that prisoner barracks are to be raised off the ground. Having them right on the earth is an escape waiting to happen. Makes it easier to dig tunnels."
"With all due respect, Colonel," Hogan said, using politeness as a way to get through to this man. "We have never had a successful escape. Kommandant Klink would tell you, as will the guards. Tunnels didn't work, so we gave up. Right, Schultz?"
"That is right, Kommandant. Never worked. Not once. Neither did all the other schemes. We caught them red-handed. You can read the reports."
"This will be very disruptive." Hogan watched as several structural engineers walked over to a hut and began to examine it. They disappeared inside and then came out.
"War is disruptive, Colonel Hogan." Werner saw the engineers heading over his way. He waited for them and then asked for their report.
"Normally, I would say because this is wood, and wood can shift, we could hoist them up and go from there. But, since these were originally built as temporary camping huts, they are too flimsy, and raising them would not be recommended, sir. Taking them apart and putting them back together…that would be my best advice." The structural engineer stood back and waited for Werner's reaction.
He was not happy. "That is very work intensive."
'Yes, sir."
Werner looked at Hogan. "We will make this work. After all, This is a work camp. With proper supervision, the prisoners will take on the job. Hogan, the prisoners will receive appropriate compensation."
"Colonel…This is absurd. Rebuilding all these barracks will take weeks," Hogan protested. "We just relocated everyone."
"Nonsense." Werner turned to the engineer. "Assign your men to supervise until we are a well-oiled machine. Colonel Hogan, draw up crews. Schultz, inform your guards and the camp maintenance staff."
"Colonel," the engineer protested. "I can't afford to leave my men at a POW camp. This is not our job…we could get called away at any time."
"Well, until you do, you are assigned here. Colonel Klink was in charge of this small district, and I am now in charge. I would like to think that he would approve of all of these improvements."
"Now I know this guy is not working with a full deck." Newkirk said quietly as he shook his head and lit a cigarette.
Everyone, the guards, prisoners, even the men from the Wehrmacht engineering group felt like a hurricane had swept through the area, creating havoc and disorder in its path.
"We'll start with Kinch's and Goldman's huts in the back," Hogan immediately stated, knowing the huts lacked tunnel entrances. "They are in the back of camp," he told the engineer and Schultz. "Right now, taking those two apart won't be as disruptive. This was fine with the engineer, who, while enjoying a safe assignment, feared the wrath of higher ups when they discovered where his unit was assigned.
"Get some crews together, but order a work slowdown," Hogan whispered to Newkirk before he walked back to his barracks. His men then gathered around him and they all mulled over what to do next.
The first work crew, supervised by the engineers, started dismantling the Jewish Barracks, which was already in disarray due to the fake termite infestation. The other prisoners assigned to the massive project, stood by, observing and taking notes on procedures. Meanwhile, guards were pulled from duty stations in order to watch the prisoners, who were now armed with construction materials. Most of the equipment brought over by the engineering division returned to base, as it was not needed.
"Why are only two huts coming down?" Werner demanded of both the engineer and Hogan. "You should have at least 15 crews working."
"Because, sir. These prisoners are not construction workers. They are observing so they can learn what to do. Otherwise, we would have chaos, and possibly injuries," the engineer explained as patiently as possible. "Don't forget, there are utilities to disconnect and reconnect as well. That takes time, and someone who knows what they are doing."
"I knew that." Werner walked around the barracks, nodding approvingly as pieces of wood were methodically removed from the structure. "We do have someone on staff who handles electrical work and minor plumbing repairs. In a worse case scenario, the barracks will not have sinks."
"Besides, Colonel. It's best to do a complete job on one barracks, otherwise, we could all be spending the night outside," Hogan warned. "But, you know...This is not a bad idea at all now that I think about it. Raising the huts, that is."
Werner turned to Hogan. "You think it is a good idea? But you protested, vehemently, as I recall."
"That is true," Hogan nodded. "But, these barracks are not the Taj Mahal. They are damp and cold. We've got lice and other creepy crawlers," He shuddered. "The men get sick. Raising the floor in the long run will be healthier." The tale Hogan was spinning actually made sense, and he was almost rationalizing it to himself, all along hoping that reverse psychology would work.
It didn't. In fact, Werner became even more enthusiastic.
Carter tried to console the colonel. "Just because it works on Klink, doesn't mean it will work on everyone, sir."
"Never mind. We all strike out once in a while. "He ran his fingers through his hair. "Time for plan B."
"How many times are the Krauts going to fall for this," Newkirk complained to LeBeau as the two of them, plus Carter, got ready for their "escape" that evening."Making someone look bad to make Klink look good. This story's getting old. And we're the ones who will end up paying for it...in the cooler, or worse."
"For now we're just testing the waters, remember? Berlin could send someone worse than Werner. Besides, he won't have anyone shoot escaped prisoners, Newkirk. That's against regulations. He's by the book," Hogan stated with more confidence than he felt.
"Didn't help all those poor blokes from 3." LeBeau mumbled.
"There were lots of them, and Hitler found out. This won't get that far." Carter noted. "Besides, we can't have the other barracks raised. They'll find the tunnels for sure, and then we'll all be shot."
The other two acknowledged Carter's point. They all went to their newly assigned barracks, headed into the tunnels, and met down there. Meanwhile, on orders from Hogan, the newly raised barracks belonging to Kinch got an architectural upgrade. Kinch, Baker and Broughton, using pilfered tools, dug a hole in the floor just big enough to allow men to drop through. They then loosely reattached it.
That evening's roll call devolved into chaos when the guards discovered three prisoners missing.
Schultz approached Hogan as the colonel, arms folded, stood calmly next to the wall of his hut. "Colonel Hogan. Where are my boys? I know you had something to do with this?"
"How can I Schultz. Have someone check Kinch's hut," he suggested. "They all live in different barracks. I really don't know where they are."
"I have to report this to the Oberst, Colonel Hogan. He is going to be so mad," Schultz looked at the sky. "I just hope he has an even temper."
To everyone's surprise, Werner remained cool. "Colonel Hogan. Frankly I am not surprised there were men ready to test my new authority. But you are in charge and to blame."
"Colonel. I swear I had no idea this was going to happen. My guess is these men; they were very close, they couldn't bear to live apart, and somehow scampered."
"Colonel Werner?" A private, breathing heavily, stopped and saluted. "We searched the last barracks as Sergeant Schultz ordered, and we discovered something you need to see."
A train of men walked across the camp to Kinch's hut. There, in the middle of the floor, was a hole. Another guard stood over it. "They admit the three escaped prisoners used this barracks to hide, sawed the hole and left," the private reported.
"Sergeant, why didn't you report this?" demanded Werner of Kinch when they left the hut.
Hogan immediately stepped forward. "That's not fair, sir," said Hogan. "Prisoners don't tattle on one another. And Carter has rank." He rubbed his chin. "My guess is they made it to the compound before we were locked in and hid underneath on the engineering battalion trucks."
"Don't you check the underside of trucks before they leave, Sergeant?" yelled an now obviously upset Werner.
"Yes," Schultz replied. "They found nothing."
"Get the dogs and start looking outside. Sergeant Schultz, you will head the search party. They could not have gone far," As everyone scrambled, Werner angrily made his way back to the office. Seeing his two aides outside the building, he approached them and motioned for the two to come inside. Once settled at his desk, the three began to talk.
The lieutenant stepped forward. "I'm not surprised this occurred, sir. There have been multiple escape attempts when Klink was reassigned or on leave." He handed Werner a folder. "It's all in here."
"And?" Werner crossing his arms, asked.
"Well, of course they were recaptured. Some quickly; some within several days. Usually Sergeant Schultz headed up the search party. Occasionally, Klink went out as well. What I did find out through the grapevine was that Colonel Hogan often assisted; he didn't want anyone getting hurt or killed."
"Interesting." Werner stood up. "I shall read up on these reports. Thank you for your diligence. I think they are actually playing a game. Seeing how far they can get, perhaps. I can't imagine why they would want Klink back at all. If I were a prisoner, I'd want him long gone. He seems to have a knack for running this camp, and keeping the prisoners in line."
"How wrong you are." Hogan stepped away from the coffeepot. "I wonder which guards blabbed."
"It's no secret, Colonel. And it's in some of the reports."
"Yes, it is." Hogan wished they had destroyed some of those reports, but he had no control over what Burkhalter reported to Berlin in person. "Well, I give Schultz about five minutes," he stated as he looked at his watch. "Hopefully, Werner will now think twice about raising the barracks."
the first line is from an episode and was used as a prompt line in the 2017 SSSW contest (as I mentioned at the beginning of chapter one)
Luft Stalag 3 was the true location of The Great Escape. "Of the 76 men who escaped, 3 made it home to the UK. 23 were recaptured and sent back to Sagan. Hitler personally ordered the execution of the other 50 men. The commandant of Stalag Luft III, Lindeiner, was court-martialed by the Gestapo for not preventing the escape." from historyonthenetdotcom