Notes at the end of the chapter. Enjoy. Let me know what you think.
Chapter 15
It started with a radio call. That in itself took an extra day, as the people that were to receive the call were retreating from Bologna to Verona, Italy. It was early springtime in Northern Italy, and the Allies were challenging the Gothic Line, the last line of defense in Northern Italy. While the new headquarters was still being established, the call that would change everything was coming in.
The caller was in Berlin and was the former commander of all German forces in Italy. He was finally getting in touch with the General chosen to replace him.
"Von Vietinghoff, are you there?" This was from Field Marshall Albert Kesselring, who had relieved Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt as commander of the western forces in Germany.
"Yes, Herr Field Marshall, I am here." This reply came from General Heinrich von Vietinghoff, the General who had taken over the defense of Italy.
"I have new orders for you. This is very important. If you succeed, I will personally see a Baton (1) in your hands."
"Yes, Herr Field Marshall," came von Vietinghoff's reply.
"Listen carefully. An unknown force has taken control in Southern Germany. We believe it is mostly escaped prisoners. The have repelled one attack from Stuttgart toward Würzburg. We don't have the forces to mount a proper attack. I need you to bring a force north and attack from their rear. I need you to reestablish control over our homeland. Do this and you will get your Baton."
"But, Herr Field Marshall, my forces here are in contact with the Americans and British. We have been holding the Gothic Line for months."
"Berlin no longer cares about the defense of Italy. We must regain our homeland. Leave a force large enough to provide a rear guard, or a delaying action, and bring every thing else north. I expect you in Stuttgart in two weeks! Do you understand von Vietinghoff?"
"Yes, Herr Field Marshall. I will do what you said. Can you tell me anything about these forces? What area do they control?"
"We have no contact with any units in all of Southern Germany. It could be as simple as the communications have been cut, but a force organized out of Stuttgart was repulsed by ground and air fire. You will have to perform your own reconnaissance, as our forces are limited. Two weeks General, Kesselring out!"
Von Vietinghoff stared at the radio in his hand. He would be forced to leave a battle while engaged, travel hundreds of miles and fight another battle against unknown forces in an unknown location. Supplies would be limited or non-existent. He had no aircraft to perform reconnaissance, and he would be traveling on mountain roads, in the open. The terrain between Germany and Italy was extreme, it would bunch up his men. Dangerous.
His stood still for perhaps five minutes, as his mind raced through all the possibilities and weighed each of his options. He evaluated his troops, who to take, and who could prevent the Allies from chasing him back to Germany. Five minutes, while his staff sat quietly, having seen the General like this before, they knew not to make a sound. Five minutes, then General Heinrich von Vietinghoff calmly set the radio down and started issuing orders.
The General turned toward his staff, "I want Lieutenant-Generals Herr, Graff, Feurstein, and von Senger und Etterlin all here within an hour." He turned and directed the next order, "Kleinhoff, I want a report of all fuel, and ammunition we can take, plus how many trucks we have." To another, "Müller, what aircraft are available, Recon, fighters, transport. There's no need to take the Parachute Corps, or what's left of them, if they can't be deployed properly."
He turned to another staff member, "Schneider, map out the shortest distance back home. I need two alternatives and the estimated time for each route. I will need to see fuel usage estimates and what we can expect to receive along the way. I don't anticipate any help from Berlin. If our supply route is gone from the north, and I expect any supplies from behind us to dry up quickly, we will be on our own."
Then he addressed his whole staff; "I will need to see the other commanders in short order." He paused as he turned to look at his assembled staff, "Gentlemen, we need to prepare to move any entire army, on short notice, from one encounter and attack someone else, of whom we have no idea of strength, location, type of force, or intention. May God have mercy upon us."
Lieutenant General Robert Hogan was in route to London for yet another high-level meeting with the Allied Command. He had flown from Würzburg through the now liberated France and on to London. It was a longer flight but had the advantage of friendly air-cover along the entire route. It was at this time that trouble started back at Stalag 13.
"With all due respect Colonel, Stevens, General Hogan let me specific instructions and left me in charge," said an exasperated Major Kinchloe.
"The General doesn't like to have his orders changed," added Major Lebeau.
"Yes, yes, I understand. But the General isn't here. He doesn't see what's going on, I do. And since I seem to outrank both of you, we'll just do this my way, now won't we?" This came from a Colonel Richard Stevens, recently liberated from an Offlag (2) in Austria, and with somewhat of a grudge to bear when it came to Germans. "You have Germans here that are not under guard, including the former Kommandant. You have some who still have weapons. And you have the General in charge of the Luftwaffe prison system in your cooler. They have too much to answer for! They should be shot! The General and your Kommandant at least! We will hold a court martial and execute the Germans here, and now."
"Excusze-moi Colonel," said Lebeau, "the General has specific plans for the Germans, and we have orders to treat everyone within the limits of the Geneva convention."
"Ah, but we will," replied Stevens, "a court martial and firing squad is acceptable with the proper outcome of the court martial. These murdering scums won't be around to perform wholesale murder anymore."
"That will make you just as bad as they are," said Kinch.
"Obviously, I see that you two cannot be impartial, so you will both be excused from the court martial. I think I can find the right people to be on the board. In the meantime, I don't want you underfoot and disrupting things either, so I order you, Major Kinchloe, to go to Würzburg, and see what our supply status is. And you, Major Lebeau, do an inspection tour of the other camps and see what the conditions are. Now, out of here, both of you." With that, Colonel Stevens left the Kommandant's office of Stalag 13, which still pretended to be the main headquarters for all outside appearances.
"We have to get in contact with the General," said Lebeau to Kinch.
"We won't be able to reach him for over at least an hour. I think we need to go over even his head. I'll be down in the radio room. Try to keep him from doing anything crazy, okay?"
Kinch left the office to head to the tunnel and his radio. Not even all the newcomers knew of the extensive system they had below.
Meanwhile, Lebeau headed out to organize several of the longer serving prisoners from Stalag 13, ones he knew he could trust. Soon, he had several men acting to slow the Colonel down, coming up to him with questions, problems with the fence, and several impromptu fights broke out around the camp. Very similar to many of the delaying tactics the crew had been used to, when Hogan was still in charge. Stevens was being run ragged while trying to put things back in order.
Meanwhile, Kinch had relieved Baker on the radio set and was contacting London. "Goldilocks, this is Papa Bear, do you read me?"
"Papa Bear, this is Goldilocks, we read you," replied London.
"Goldilocks, Papa Bear enroute to you, a colonel wants to upset our apple cart. He is trying to make changes that Papa Bear would be very unhappy about," Kinch told them. Kinch described in detail what Colonel Stevens wanted and how it was contrary to Colonel Hogan's order. Meanwhile, London brought Major General Simpson into the communication.
Major General moved to stop the interference. "Put the colonel on, Papa Bear, we will talk to him."
"He is unaware of our system, and we were told not to expand anyone's knowledge without Papa Bear's okay."
"Papa Bear, this is Goldilocks actual. You go get that-…that…Colonel, and I will set him straight. I will hold on." Goldilocks actual was General Simpson. Kinch had no hesitation and was almost up the ladder by the end of the General's comment.
It took almost ten minutes to track Colonel Stevens down. He was breaking up a fight staged just for his benefit, on the farthest corner of the camp. Kinch had to explain that there was a radio call for him, to get him to follow him back towards Barracks 2. Stevens did not want to be deterred.
"I know what you're trying to do," Colonel Stevens started. "You're trying to distract me from what I told you I'm going to do."
"Well, yes, we were, but only until I could get in touch with someone else. General Simpson wants to talk to you right now, sir, and he's holding."
"That's rank insubordination. I'll have you up on charges for that. And don't you think for a moment that I believe any General is holding for me. How are you going to get a general on the line? I saw the equipment you had in the office, there is now way that would reach our lines."
"Then I suggest you see our other radio, sir. And the General is still holding," Kinch waved his arm toward Barracks 2. With a look of confusion, Stevens led the way.
When they entered the barracks, Stevens turned toward Kinch, "Don't tell me you had a radio here. The Germans would have found it easily. Remember, I have seen all their inspections too. We lost a lot of equipment in simple barracks inspection to the Jerries."
Kinch simply smiled back, "No, they never found anything up here." And he tapped the bunk twice, which started the process to lower the steps down and the bunk up. "We had a little more success hiding our stuff downstairs. After you, Colonel."
Colonel Stevens had a look like a fish out of water when he saw the tunnel for the first time. "Why wasn't I informed of this?" He demanded.
"Sorry, but General Hogan didn't put you on our list," Kinch replied, just a bit more smugly than necessary. "If you'll come over here, I believe someone is waiting to talk to you." As Kinch said that, Baker, who was manning the radio, gave a slight, almost imperceptible, nod of his head. Only two people who had worked long enough together would notice.
Stevens picked up the radio. He turned to Baker, "What call sign do we use?"
"We're Papa Bear, and London is Goldilocks," Baker replied.
Stevens started as he realized he was with the group called Papa Bear. In his mind, Papa Bear was a fantasy, made up to improve morale. Even up to this moment, he didn't really believe that Papa Bear actually existed. Papa Bear was one of the greatest spies the allies had. Stories about his exploits spread far and wide. Stevens had always thought they were a myth, but now, standing here, the truth hit home. He looked at Baker, then at Kinch, and swallowed hard. "Goldilocks, this is Papa Bear. I'm told someone wants to talk with me."
"Ahh, Papa Bear. This is Goldilocks. For confirmation purposes I have that you collect shot glasses from the pubs you visited, your old C.O. told me that. I have just gotten off the phone with him. He said to tell you that you still owe him two bottles of Glenlivet. Do you accept who I am?"
"Ah, yes sir. I knew where he was going to be stationed before I left. I understand who this must be," Stevens answered.
Simpson continued, "Now, I want you to understand that the operation you're butting your head into right now is one of the more important operations in the European Theater. When Papa Bear Actual is not there, command is given, REGARDLESS of rank to the person he has designated. I don't care if it's a private or a civilian. Goldilocks does not interfere in Papa Bear's organization, AND NEITHER WILL YOU! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"
"Understood, Goldilocks, understood. Roger wilco." (3)
"Good, now let me talk to the Major, I believe, that was left in charge. Oh, Colonel, it might make this easier if you pass this information around. I don't want to have to repeat this again."
"Yes, sir. Will do sir. Here's the Major." Nobody saw much of Colonel Stevens after that, and nobody questioned Kinch after that either.
"Papa Bear is here, Goldilocks," Kinch said to London.
"We have confirmation from sources in Berlin to second the information you received from Capizzio. (4) There is a large force pulling out and driving northward. They must be heading toward you. We were able to find out that the western commander personally ordered General von Vietinghoff to relieve Southern Germany. That means you! We will of course provide all information to Papa Bear Actual when he arrives this location. Good Luck. Goldilocks out."
It was just over two hours later that Hogan, now Lieutenant General Hogan, was ushered into a room full of Allied Commanders. The ride from the airfield had allowed Hogan to be brought up-to-date on the most recent intelligence from his area. Simpson got his first look at how fast Hogan's mind worked, as he started plotting what to do. By the time they reached the building hosting the conference, Hogan had another plan in mind to confuse, confound, and defeat the Germans once again.
In the military, it is protocol for the highest-ranking officer to enter a room first. In the past, Major General Simpson had usually been the highest-ranking officer present, and the other officers had similar duties with their own respective nations. This time, because of his three promotions, Hogan preceded Simpson into the room, because he was now the higher-ranking officer. At least until he stepped through the door.
Even Lieutenant General Robert Hogan was slightly taken aback by the people in the room he had just stepped into. Standing in one group was the Supreme Allied Commander, Dwight Eisenhower. In a group of people to their left was Sir Arthur Harris, the Marshall of the Royal Air Force. A little further was the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. As Hogan walked into the room, all conversation stopped, people turned to get their first look at the newcomer. And then, even more remarkable, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom started clapping. It was almost immediately caught up be General Eisenhower, and soon the entire room exploded in noise.
This briefing room had a large central table, and when the cover was pulled back, it showed a detailed map of Germany, France, Austria, and parts of Czechoslovakia and Italy. After a round of introductions and a toast to Hogan's accomplishments, the meeting got down to business. Hogan laid down the area on the map that his Heroes had so far neutralized. None of the assorted brass had understood how much area he had gained control of. Every new pin pushed into the map or line drawn elicited comments and whistles.
Hogan listed off the numbers of total combatants he had, as well as the prisoners he had taken. He had a list of equipment and munitions available. The totals were meager, except for the number of prisoners, for such a large area, and many of the leaders were shaking their heads. They had been briefed on what was happening in Southern Germany, as well as the uncommon beginnings of the man who was Papa Bear. Even some of the men in this room were unsure before today that Papa Bear was real. Now they couldn't still believe what he had done was possible, but the facts were before their eyes.
The newest problem was laid out in front of them. Another army was going to threaten Southern Germany, this time from the south, from Italy. The discussion turned from the impossible to defend, with the forces that Hogan had available, to the unbelievable, as Hogan laid out his plan. Several of the assorted leaders had never been privy to one of Hogan's schemes. Simpson sat back and smiled, because he saw in the faces around the table what his face must have looked like every time one of Hogan's plans was explained to him. Finally, Eisenhower, who had been privy to Papa Bear's identity and some of his operation, brought the discussion to an end.
"Gentlemen, you are all correct in pointing out the severe material shortage that General Hogan is under. And yes, he will be greatly outnumbered. And no, we can't get armor or other heavy equipment to him in time. We won't be able to meet the enemy head-on. This will require something unorthodox. This is why I fully endorse his plans, because no one has been able to do nearly as much, with so little, for so long, as General Hogan."
The meeting turned into more of a brainstorming session after that. At this level, most of them had realized that negative ideas only slowed the process down. Different high-level officers took turns giving ideas of what could help. They all knew that Hogan would be thinking about every possible negative outcome. Soon, with promises of what material could be promised and any additional support that could be brought to bear, the meeting finally adjourned.
Major General Simpson escorted his superior back to the airfield for the long flight to his command. Already, he noted heightened activity with the air group, loading supplies to be delivered to the Southern Command Area, as Hogan's area was now called. Obviously, work had started even before the meeting had broken up. Simpson realized that Eisenhower's aides had been running back and forth the entire meeting, and he now knew why.
Hogan had said little on the drive back, and he quickly said goodbye to General Simpson and boarded his plane for the return trip. He had a full flight of B-17's, another of B-24's and a squadron of P-51's in support of his trip, which only showed how much value he had in the eyes of his superiors.
Hogan had made a living by outsmarting one German or another, pretending to be a completely cowed prisoner
in the toughest prisoner-of-war camp in Germany. Now he was going to be facing a battle-hardened army, looking to defend its homeland. As Simpson watched the plane roll into takeoff position and start to rumble down the strip, one thought kept rolling through his mind. Would Hogan's latest scheme be enough?
A baton (a short ceremonial stick) was a sign of high military office, such as a Field Marshall.
Offlag was the name of Officer prisoner of war camps, and Stalag was enlisted.
Roger Wilco was short for "roger (affirmative) Will Comply"- meaning I'll follow your lead or orders.
I'm sure you all know that Capizzio was a made-up town. But I'm sure that Major Bonacelli is still sending out valuable information.
All the named individuals above (outside the Canon folks, and Stevens), were the actual commanders, to the best of my, and my computers knowledge. Since I have carefully stayed away from giving actual dates, there may be slight discrepancies, but the next chapter will include many subordinates, who may have been commanders at this time or close. Blame it on my timeline!