We're getting closer. Please R&R.
Chapter 16
General von Vietinghoff was in a foul mood. The German column was crawling northward. His driver swung his vehicle between tracked vehicles and closer to the front of the line. Once again, the trucks and tanks had stopped. All too frequently, they had to wait for the road to be clear of suspected mines, or other booby traps.
"Captain," von Vietinghoff barked, "what is the hold up now?"
"Herr General," the captain began, "we keep finding surprises on the road."
"Surprises, you mean mines?"
"No, Herr General, more like party favors. Here, let me show you." The captain waved frantically at another soldier, who rushed forward with an armload of material. The soldier deposited the items on the ground and began sorting things out. The captain reached down and lifted one up. "Herr General, this is a confetti burst, all it does is shoot confetti into the air when set off." He picked up another one. "This one contains a metal that burns very hot, and gives off sparks, but does not seem that dangerous." He pulled up a third, this one with a small flag on it. "And this one, Herr General, all it does is pop up a flag with various sayings on it, from "von Vietinghoff go Home", pardon me Herr General, to "Hitler's mother wears combat boots", whatever that means."
"So, are these right out in the open then?"
"No, Herr General, they are quite well hidden, and often in the places we would put them for the most damage to a column such as ours. Many we have found in perfect places to start rockfalls or damage the road. They are all well designed, and every one has gone off before we even can remove it. That is why we are going so slow, whoever is doing this is very good with explosives, although these are extremely small, if we find bigger ones, we could be in great danger."
"Who is doing this, have your scouts reported anything?" The General asked, quite impatiently.
"No Herr General, we have seen no one. But Herr General, they must be watching us. Some of the notes clearly contain evidence that they have noticed when we change guards or the order of our vehicles. Some of the notes have labeled some of our men quite accurately, down to facial hair."
"Increase the number of scouts! I want to MOVE! There will be no more delays, do you understand?"
"Of course, Herr General, it will be done."
Carter was driving the jeep at breakneck speed. "Blimey, Carter. Slow down a bit, my stomach is back round the last bend," Newkirk hollered.
"No time boy, er, Newkirk. They reported Germans right behind us. We have to get to the next position and set up the for the big event." As they drove, they passed other groups who were leaving "surprises" in and along the road. Carter was in his element, planning one catastrophe after another. This time he was not having to use bombs and was using smaller, less lethal devices. Newkirk had never seen him have so much fun.
Carter brought the jeep to a halt. "This is the place." Major Andrew Carter got out of the jeep and looked around. "This will be perfect."
"Perfect for what?" Newkirk asked.
"The Finale," Carter answered.
"You've gone bonkers, mate. This is just a wide spot in the road, nothing different than twenty other spots we've been by."
"This will be where they stop and talk to the General, this will be the perfect spot."
"And what makes this so bloody perfect?"
"Look around you Peter. The cliffs here are straight up and down, an excellent view of this spot from the air, a good vista below, and by my calculations, and the sign we just passed, we have just entered Germany."
"All right, I understand. I was there when the General laid out what he wanted. And yes, this should work. I'll tell them to start to work on the tent." The tent was something the men had found from an old circus, that wasn't able to travel anymore due to the war. The owner was glad to sell it to Hogan's men for only slightly more than it had cost new. It was an overly large gaudy tent, with frills hanging from every pole. It covered the width of the road. Several of the jeeps actually drove through the tent as it was being set up. Out in front of the tent sat a single jeep, with a large White Flag straight up on a pole attached to the driver's seat, and many other flags, representing many Allied nations, around the vehicle.
"Now we wait," said Newkirk.
"Oh, boy!" was all Carter could muster.
"Herr General, our scouts have found the road blocked ahead. They say it is a tent with a white flag in front of it," the beleaguered captain reported.
"A parley? Here? This makes no sense. We are kilometers away from any possible support, there is no terrain for movement, no infantry can operate with these cliffs." The General looked around suspiciously. "What could they be thinking? Captain, you take two men, go up ahead and see what they have to say. Give away nothing but ascertain what we are up against. Understood?'
"Yes, Herr General." And the captain turned to hurry off.
Twenty minutes later, the captain and his lieutenant, with the toughest looking sergeant the captain could find, stopped their vehicle forty meters in front of the tent. They slowly got out. Seeing no one in evidence, they cautiously walked forward. When they were about halfway to the tent, a flap raised and Newkirk stepped out. "Blimey, I thought I heard someone out here." Turning back toward the tent, he said loudly, "Gents, we got company!" Turning back to the newcomers, he said, "This way, if you please gentlemen."
The three Germans followed slowly into the tent. Inside they found two exquisitely dressed guards, that could have been from Buckingham Palace, and a large table with five chairs, three on one side and two on the other.
"Gentlemen," Newkirk spoke in German as the enemy soldiers allowed the tent flap to close behind them, "I am Major Peter Newkirk, RAF, and this," pointing to his comrade, "is Major Andrew Carter, US Army."
The German captain clicked his heels in the proper manner of coming to attention, "I am Captain Wolfgang Hoffmann," and pointing to the others, "this is Lieutenant Kimmel and Sergeant Mueller."
Newkirk and Carter took chairs on "their" side of the table. "Would you care to sit down?" Newkirk asked.
"Thank you," and the three Germans warily took seats. "Your German is very good."
Newkirk smiled, "I've had several years to practice it."
The captain looked up at the two majors, "What is it you wished to discuss?"
"Ah, straight to the heart of the matter. I like that," Newkirk said.
"Yes, that's good," Carter added, "The war's not going to last forever."
Newkirk looked at his friend, "We want to arrange a discussion between your boss, General von Vietinghoff, and our boss, to forestall any unpleasantness that may occur."
"And who is your 'Boss', if I may ask?"
"That would be Lieutenant-General Robert Hogan, in charge of all forces in Southern Germany, oh, and just for your information, more forces than you have coming up the road."
"And why would General von Vietinghoff want to meet with the enemy?"
"General Hogan wants to show General von Vietinghoff something. It may help your General make up his mind about what to do. But it's above the pay-grades of captains and majors. We would propose they meet, here at 1200 local time tomorrow. We will guarantee the safety of all parties," Newkirk said.
"My General never needs any help making up his mind," replied the captain.
"Boy, will this ever be a first then," interjected Carter.
"We could roll right over this area," threatened the captain.
"I think that would be a bad idea. My friend here has been really kind so far, and none of you are missing fingers or toes, or the road you were standing on. You could find the next hundred kilometers eating up half your force. You might get back, but you would be a shadow of your present strength."
The captain looked at Carter, "It was you! You've been placing all these parlor tricks along our route?"
"Yeah, weren't they great? You should see some of the ones I have planned for the road ahead," Carter said.
"That's the point, Carter, they will see them. Or the effects from them. Up to you chums, what to you say?"
The captain thought very hard. He had spent a great deal of the travel here uncovering the tricks this American had left for them. He had no doubt that he and many others would have been dead if they had been real explosives. If he could do that well with real bombs, the captain looked at Carter, it could be very dangerous. Yes, the road would become a minefield. "All right, 1200 tomorrow. The General and us."
"That's fine by us," replied Newkirk. "We will see you at 1200 tomorrow."
All five men slowly stood up. The Germans saluted with a Heil Hitler, which the Allied officers did not return. Awkwardly after that, the Germans left the tent and proceeded back to their vehicle. Turning it around, they were quickly gone.
Captain Hoffmann reported back to General von Vietinghoff.
"Lieutenant-General Hogan? I have never heard of such an officer. American? Or British? Bah. It doesn't matter. As long as we are stuck here on this road, we will have to take what comes our way. This could be an opportunity. To see the eyes of one's opponent, yes that is a rare gift. By reading him now, and in person, will make it easier to read him in battle later." The general paced while he thought. "Yes, I will do it. Make the arrangements for tomorrow, but make sure the column is ready to go right after that."
The next day, precisely at 1200, four Germans entered the tent. They were led by General von Vietinghoff, a tall thin man with Prussian bearing. As their eyes adjusted to the dimmer light inside the tent, they saw three men facing them across a table. The two on the outside, von Vietinghoff could recognize by description and insignia as Majors Newkirk and Carter. That meant the Taller man in the center was Lieutenant-General Hogan. Quickly, von Vietinghoff ran his memory over pictures of every Allied general officer he had ever seen. With a small shake of his head, he realized this was someone new and unknown.
The three Germans stepped up to the table. Introductions were made and all of the members sat down, except for the gruff looking sergeant, who stepped back outside the tent.
Hogan started the conversation, in perfect German, "Thank you for coming General von Vietinghoff. I believe we have much to discuss." In almost perfect unison, Newkirk and Carter rose and placed on the table a large map of Germany. "What you see before you General, you might not have been informed about. As of 24 hours ago, this was the accurate position of every army in and around Germany. And yes, your units are included. You probably have not been informed about how badly the war goes. I know you have performed brilliantly in Italy. I know von Rundstedt ordered you back to liberate Southern Germany. I know what units you have and where they are at. I also know that you can read this map, and you can see the inevitability of the Allied forces capturing Berlin." Hogan paused to let that sink in. "What you don't know is that my forces have captured or killed twenty-four general officers trying to escape Germany. They know the end is near. We are having problems dealing with the large number of troops that are surrendering every day. They don't want to be slaughtered in the defense of Berlin and they don't want to be captured by the Russians."
Von Vietinghoff stood up, "Why should this matter to me? I have my duty!"
Hogan waited before answering, "Yes, you have your duty. To the Fatherland. To Germany. But to see it rebuilt, not destroyed further. Any more fighting now will just cost you the lives of the young men you will need to rebuild Germany after this war is over."
"But we can yet be victorious!"
It was just at that moment when the tent flap opened and the German sergeant came back in.
"Herr General, Allied planes, too many to count."
"What is this, a trap?" exclaimed the German General.
"No," said Hogan, "Just a little demonstration. Let's step outside for a moment."
The whole group exited the tent on the German side. They all looked up at the hundreds of contrails in the sky.
Hogan explained, "This is called a shuttle flight, the planes you see here started in England and France and they are on the way to bomb the positions that you formerly occupied in Italy. An attack will shortly be in progress to drive through the hole that they will make. The planes will land in Southern Italy, Sicily or North Africa, refuel, re-arm, and fly a route back that is different. That makes it difficult for any fighters, few that you have left, to target them. They can also be used to target you. Think about it for a moment. A long column on a mountain road, attacked time after time, high altitude bombers, medium bombers, and fighter strafing's, continuously for days. You will be bunched up often when my men start planting real charges instead of toys," Hogan turned toward Carter, "no offense, Carter."
"Golly no, General. I got some real beauties waiting too, let me tell you."
"Okay Carter."
Hogan turned toward von Vietinghoff, "Let's go back inside for a minute, okay General?" And Hogan turned and opened the tent flap. Everyone followed him back inside.
"I'm going to lay it all on the line for you General, because we really don't have that much time. I know what will happen to your force should you continue. We both know what will happen to you if you fail. This is a no-win situation you are in. Even if you are somehow victorious over me, Germany still falls. All your men will have died for nothing. Germany as you know it will be gone, and none of you will be around to rebuild it."
"But we have our duty!"
"You have a duty as their commanding officer to put them in the best situation. You have a duty to protect your country, and in this case that means after the war. You have a duty to be alive to provide leadership for the men who are left. I am not going to insult you and ask you to surrender. I will make you this bargain. I will let your men walk away from their weapons. I will let you bivouac by yourself, with your own guards, at a location of our mutual choice. I will guarantee supplies and medicines are brought to you. Furthermore, for any men that live close by, we will arrange transport home for them if they will become security forces in their home towns. I will make you responsible for the security of the Southern Border of Germany. No one dies. Your young men live to rebuild Germany once again. Or you can have those thousand bombers visit you tomorrow, and the next day. Your call General, what will it be?"
General von Vietinghoff was quiet for a long time. He stood and looked over the map on the table. He looked over at Lieutenant-General Hogan and read his eyes. He saw resolve there, and purpose, but no malice. He read Hogan as Hockstetter, Burkhalter, and Klink had never done. He accurately saw the danger that sat before him. Finally, he looked at the young officers he had with him. At the same time, he saw the thousands of soldiers who faces he would never forget, the ones that would never come home. "I have seen too many good young men die, in the last war and this one. The first war I could do nothing about. Now, I have a chance to stop the men from dying. Maybe this will allow me to sleep in the future without the nightmares I have had for twenty years. I will agree."
The last serious threat to Hogan and his men was eliminated without a single loss of life. Two armies would never face off and none of the thousands of men would die. Southern Germany was now secure.