Hogan and the Monster Grimm

by Captain Thunders

Hogan investigates another unit's failed mission and fears the Underground might be compromised. Further complicating matters, London sends in a new team that rejects cooperation while Hogan is stuck with an unwanted new resident. Is there enough room in District XIII for two espionage units? Can he trust an old nurse? Rating changed effective Chapter 26 to M.

2. Fire!

Chapter 2: Fire!

Lying in his bunk, Hogan considered the current situation. The paratrooper team expected to return to England by way of Stalag 13. Someone compromised that operation. Was his in jeopardy? He had to eliminate the traitor. Otherwise, he ran the risk of meeting a grisly end by firing squad. Burkhalter acted out of character. Why did the general remain in camp? Then a thought occurred to him: where was the Gestapo? A traitor nearly always meant Gestapo involvement.

Just as problematic was the new prisoner. A woman was an unnecessary distraction. Hogan had to get her safely transferred out of the camp. He could count on his staff but understood the reality of long-term imprisonment. Stalag 13 did not have the same confinement restrictions as other camps. The Luftwaffe saw little reason to separate prisoners by nationality except concerning nations in accord with the Geneva Convention.

The camp used to house some Russian prisoners until the High Command decided to relocate them to other work camps. As a non-signing country, Russian prisoners did not benefit from the protections of the Convention. Hogan wondered what ever became of Vladimir Minsk. Russian prisoners performed the hardest of labors while denied food and adequate shelter. Their casualties post-capture ranged in the thousands.

Hogan failed the Russian prisoners. One year ago and without warning, the SS arrived and removed the Russians. While Stalag 13 only had about twenty Russians, they were still Hogan's responsibility and he did nothing to stop it. He ran the scenario in his mind countless times. Minsk contributed to the operation but in the end, the operation did nothing to spare him from the viciousness of the SS.

The air raid sirens blared. If Hogan had been asleep, he would have rolled over and muffled the noise with a pillow. Instead, he continued to lay quietly in a contemplative mood. Air raids were just a fact of war. He knew the Krauts pulled the power to obscure the camp in the night. In a typical camp, prisoners take advantage of such darkness to escape. The Krauts dare not use searchlights. Stalag 13 was anything but typical.

Hogan and his core team chose to remain prisoners for a greater good. The burden of command weighed heavily on his mind. Hogan accepted the fact that his actions might result in his death. He could not accept the fact that his actions might result in the deaths of his men. Was he wrong?

Hogan listened to the not-so-distant explosions. What was the target? Why did London choose not to inform him? He speculated on potential targets. His team successfully took out many strategic targets including the Adolf Hitler Bridge, the Bad Kissingen Train Bridge that served as a route for the Berlin Express, various munitions plants, and antiaircraft artillery units.

Why did London choose not to use Hogan's men for a target so close to the camp? Did they lack faith in the operation? The mere thought of it made him extremely angry. He ran a good operation. No – it was a great operation. A sudden and horrific explosion very close to the camp made him sit up in his bunk.

"Raus! Raus!"

Hogan scrambled to his feet and entered the main room. Langenscheidt turned on the lights and snapped, "Get dressed! We must evacuate now!" The guard did not linger. Hogan raced outside. Whatever caused the explosion, the fire raged a mere couple thousand feet beyond the Main Gate. The Krauts ran in confusion.

Hogan ran back into the barracks and snapped, "Forest fire! Get dressed!" His men took his order seriously. He went into his room and quickly dressed. Did the camp have enough trucks to evacuate everyone?

As soon as he dressed, Hogan ran into the compound. Thick smoke filled the air. Klink acted confused. Burkhalter cried, "It's too late to evacuate! Start the fire lines!"

Hogan said, "I volunteer my men."

Klink said, "So you can escape?"

"No one's escaping in a forest fire," Hogan retorted.

Burkhalter said, "Get them ready!"

Hogan re-entered the barracks and said, "It's too late to evacuate. We're helping fight the fire. Come on. Baker, stay in the tunnels and man the radio. Notify London of our situation."

No one questioned his order. The men quickly formed ranks outside the barracks. Hogan needed more men than from Barracks 2. Thanks to Langenscheidt and other guards that rallied the men to dress for evacuation, many were ready and accepted Hogan's call for volunteers.

"Where's the damn infirmary? I'd better find more than gauze and sodium bicarbonate!"

Hogan turned and saw an Angel of Mercy. Saunders dressed in a plain nurse cap and hospital uniform dress made of white cotton with buttons running down to the waist, long sleeves, long skirt, and brown shoes. She hurried to don a dark blue cape.

Hogan snapped, "Wilson! Take Colonel Saunders to the infirmary!"

Saunders cried, "I hope my services aren't needed! Good luck!"

Klink snapped, "Schultz! Where are your men? Get a move on it!"

Hogan looked at his men. They had sense to improvise coverings for their noses and mouths using scarves, kerchiefs, or towels. He used his scarf to do likewise and snapped, "Attention! Left face! Forward – march!" He quickly hurried to the front of the column. It was wrong. He did not have time for the counter column march, which would have guaranteed the ad hoc squad leaders in the front positions to lead the men.

Klink shouted, "Wait!"

Burkhalter shouted, "Move it!"

Hogan remained focused. The Krauts took comfort seeing the determined prisoners and mustered their courage as Schultz organized the guards to fight the fire. Burkhalter kept issuing orders including the doling out of shovels, water buckets, axes, and fire canisters from the trucks. A Kraut team was filling the water truck underneath the tower.

Hogan knew the fire canisters would prove ineffective. They were small and intended for use on small fires that a vehicle engine might suffer. The standard fire canister used methyl bromide and expelled its contents in two to three minutes depending on whether or not the user continuously triggered it. Their best hope was water and dirt. If ever there was a time to pray for snow, it was that moment.

The march stopped briefly at the Main Gate. The guards finally organized and set to the task of leading the prisoners to the flames. The older guards had experience but not stamina. The younger guards had stamina but not experience. Schultz looked composed and commanding but Hogan knew the sergeant of the guard felt terror. Langenscheidt tried to emulate Schultz.

The gates opened. Schultz ordered, "March!" The column had better definition. Guards posted on the outside ranks. Schultz marched alongside Hogan with several other guards. Hogan shouted the cadence, "Left, left, left right left! Your left, right on left, right on left, keep in step and your left, left, left right left!"

It took only moments to arrive at the fire. Hogan quietly sighed in relief. The fire path led away from the camp, evidenced by a line of trees already burnt to charcoal. There was little wind to push along the fire but the heat intensified. Schultz ordered halt, and Hogan agreed. They had arrived at the logical place to establish a fire line to protect the camp. The last thing they needed was a wind to blow the fire back in the direction of the camp.

The fire was too broad to encircle completely. Their best hope was to drive it towards the highway. Would the road prove a sufficient barrier? Hogan believed the answer was yes. Schultz agreed. The column split into groups of men to form the line. With the lack of water, the men started shoveling dirt and snow.

Men felled trees, ensuring the trajectories faced away from the camp. The water truck arrived and the bucket brigade entered action. They used the fire canisters sparingly, knowing their quantity was insufficient. For two hours, the men persevered.

The cause of the fire finally revealed itself. A downed Junker class bomber burnt down to its skeletal remains. Hogan could not ascertain which specific class but the silhouette was definitely a Junker. Bombers required larger fuel tanks to support long-range missions. That explained the ferocity of the explosion.

Perhaps this particular Junker was destined for England. Hogan envisioned a scenario of two bombing missions – one Allied, one Kraut – with a chance meeting. Fighter escorts engaged in combat. The Junker succumbed. What of its crew? Two charred bodies in the cockpit indicated the pilots stayed at their posts. They may have bought time for the crew to escape. Perhaps they hoped to land the Junker on the highway but missed.

They were the enemy but Hogan respected these Luftwaffe. These men demonstrated the courage of air warriors. Finding no other bodies confirmed that for him. When Hogan aborted his bomber, he waited until every man parachuted away. These pilots suffered lack of personal escape time. He noticed several American and British officers looking at the wreckage. Yes, these pilots understood what the Luftwaffe pilots achieved.

What happened to the crew? Did they survive the parachute drop? Were they in the woods? Did they need medical attention? Even if they lacked the courage of the pilots, Hogan felt he owed it to those pilots to see their crew to safety. Schultz did not challenge Hogan's order to keep a sharp eye for survivors.

Hogan and the others could not linger. The consumed fuel posed no further danger but the fire found the trees and the forest suffered. They pressed forward despite fatigue. Hogan knew the highway was near.

Hogan saw another glow emerging from behind the camp. Was there another fire? After a few moments, he checked his watch and realized it was sunrise. A truck slowly moved along the road as a guard summoned the injured. The water truck returned with another precious cargo. Other trucks carried water barrels.

A strange sight – a truck coming from the highway broke through the fire along the road leading to camp. Out piled infantrymen, prepared to fight the fire and showing signs of having fought fire. Hogan realized the local infantry unit must have been combatting the fire from the opposite side. Was this a good sign that the fire was nearly contained? The infantry seemed briefly surprised to see Luftwaffe guards and prisoners but acted with professionalism and joined the ranks.

A colonel led the infantrymen. Accompanying him was a civilian giving instructions on how to proceed. Hogan suspected the civilian was the forstmeister. While the guards and prisoners managed to work cooperatively, the infantrymen saw no reason to extend courtesies to the prisoners. One disregarded Hogan's rank completely.

Hogan felt anger swell inside of him but the infantry colonel approached and redirected his man to another task. The two colonels looked at each other and had an instant understanding that cooperation was key. It took another hour before the fire was contained. The men concentrated on extinguishing the final embers.

Burkhalter arrived in a staff car and ordered the prisoners assembled. The guards began the corralling and counting. Hogan took a keen interest in the reports. Three of his men earlier evacuated back to camp due to injuries. He kept reassuring the guards that no one dared escape during a forest fire.

Burkhalter used a walkie-talkie to communicate with the camp. Even if he did have a portable phone to tap into the telephone lines, it would have proved useless. The telephone poles ran alongside the road and suffered damage or destruction from the fire. Trucks arrived and the weary prisoners loaded in the cargo beds.

Hogan observed the infantry colonel talking with Burkhalter. He listened as the men spoke in German discussing the fire. The colonel accepted Burkhalter's offer to go to camp to inspect the fire damage.

Hogan felt a pang of guilt. He approached the two men and spoke in English, "General, we found a downed and burnt out Junker. Guessing by its size combined with the scope of the fire, I think that it was a bomber. There were two bodies, the pilots. We didn't find any of the crewmen. Have there been any signs?"

The colonel asked, "Why should you care?"

Hogan indignantly replied, "Hey! Those pilots bought time for the crew to escape and paid for it with their lives."

The colonel said, "You respect and honor their actions. That is most generous. We recovered the crew. Two suffered injuries but all are alive."

Hogan shook his head. He said, "We are enemies, don't misunderstand me."

"You appreciate bravery," said the colonel.

Hogan said, "My men are tired. They need rest."

Burkhalter said, "Of course. Get in a truck."

Hogan walked away. He felt strange relief. The crew made it. If the plane exploded in air and all died, he would have cared less. As he climbed into a truck, he saw his men. They remained quiet except for the occasional coughs. He said, "Well done, gentlemen." Men nodded in acknowledgement. After a few moments, the trucks headed back to camp.

Once at camp, the men alit from the trucks and formed ranks in front of their barracks. Despite the exhaustion of the guards, they did their counting. Once dismissed, Hogan sent his men to bed. He felt it important to check the men in all of the barracks. Then he went to the infirmary. He saw a medical evacuation in progress. Saunders barked orders. He noticed she wore a thick white nurse's apron smeared with blood. She had rolled her sleeves up just past the elbows.

"Out of my way," Saunders snapped at Hogan. "Be careful with this man. These burns are severe." Klink entered with Burkhalter and the infantry colonel. Saunders snapped, "Clear a path. Come on; get these men to the trucks."

None of the officers dare correct the nurse. Hogan saw his three men loaded onto stretchers along with five guards and two infantrymen. Wilson helped with the carrying. Hogan asked, "Where are you taking them?"

"To the hospital," replied Klink. "We don't have enough medical supplies to continue their care here."

When the last man was carried away, Saunders sat in a chair. Hogan was exhausted but failed to consider what night she had tending to the wounded. Wilson returned and said, "They're on the truck."

Saunders said, "Good. Herr Kommandant, you damn well better make sure they are well taken care of or you'll suffer my wrath."

"Frau Krankenschwester," said the infantry colonel, "I appreciate what you have done for our men."

"It was no trouble," said Saunders. She turned to Wilson and said, "Sergeant, it was a long night. I'll clean up here. Get some rest."

Wilson said, "But…"

"No buts," said Saunders.

Wilson looked at Hogan who nodded. Wilson turned back to Saunders and said, "Yes ma'am." He left, obviously tired. Saunders stood and began stripping beds. The three Kraut officers left to check on things.

Hogan said, "Let me help."

"As you wish," said Saunders. "There's a water pan over there. Try to scrub some of that soot from your hands. When you pull off the bedding, try not to touch the mattresses. Put the blankets in one pile, sheets in another and same for pillowcases."

Hogan rinsed his hands and asked, "Why not the sink?"

Saunders replied, "Water shortage. The tank is just about dry. The Kommandant left me a barrel over there but it is only half-full."

Hogan set to the task of stripping beds and said, "I'm sorry you're here but I'm glad you're here."

Saunders said, "Lucky for us we had those Red Cross medical kits and yes, Wilson brought some of his secret supplies from storage. We'll need to restock. Kommandant Klink promised to get supplies. I would appreciate it if you would follow up on that promise."

"Of course," said Hogan.

"We'll need to keep an eye on the men for a few days," said Saunders. "Make sure they take advantage of fresh air as much as possible. We can expect coughing, shortness of breath, hoarseness, reddened eyes, headaches, and in some cases confusion."

Hogan said, "Alright. I'll make sure the men stay alert."

When the beds were stripped down to the mattresses, Saunders used a broom and long handle dustpan to sweep up discarded bandaging on the floor. Hogan sat in the chair, briefly overcome by exhaustion. Saunders said, "You too need rest, Colonel."

Hogan teased, "Is that an order?"

"Yes," said Saunders. "I can't do much more here without water but the floor has to be mopped. I have instruments soaking in carbolic acid for now. The laundry has to wait. I have enough clean bedding for four beds. Did you find out what started the fire?"

Hogan replied, "A Junker bomber crashed in the woods. Its gas cans were full. It was probably headed to England."

"I see," said Saunders. "I know that you won't be able to go to Dusseldorf tonight. The timing of this disaster is unfortunate."

Hogan said, "We'll try tomorrow – unless the firing squad arrives."

Saunders laughed, "Yes, that's a possibility. Today you save the camp and tomorrow they shoot you. Talk about German gratitude!" She filled the mop bucket with water and started swabbing up the blood.

Hogan said, "You need rest too."

"I can't leave the blood on the floor," said Saunders. "The beds can wait, I suppose. Maybe the Krauts can spare someone for medic duties. Of course, soldiers don't make beds the right way for hospitals."

Hogan watched as Saunders finished mopping the floor. She removed her apron and tossed it on the floor with the other laundry. She rolled down her sleeves and said, "Bedtime." Hogan waited until she washed her hands and donned her cape before standing.

The two walked onto the nearly deserted compound. Tired guards patrolled the perimeter or stood watch in the towers. The air still smelled of smoke but the quality much improved from earlier. Hogan escorted Saunders to Barracks 3 out of courtesy before returning to Barracks 2.

As he entered, Hogan noticed his men in bed and most asleep. Kinchloe said, "Colonel, a moment please."

"Let's go into my office," said Hogan. The two men entered Hogan's room and he closed the door. Hogan said, "Is there a message?"

Kinchloe said, "I took the liberty of sending a report to London about the cause of the fire and apprised them of our situation. They want us to cease operations for a day or two, depending on your evaluation."

"That's awfully decent of them," said Hogan. "Anything else?"

Kinchloe replied, "Baker took a message last night. There's an agent headed to Dusseldorf to investigate what happened with the Underground contact in the area. We're on standby to assist as necessary. London revised the order after I sent a status report. If we can assist, they appreciate it. If we can't, they understand. They don't believe we're compromised."

Hogan said, "Let's sleep on it. Tell London we can't do anything today but remain concerned about a traitor. Oh, and Kinch, tell them we're shutting down a few hours. Get some rest."

"Yes sir," replied the sergeant.