Three days later, Sgt. James Kinchloe stood in Colonel Hogan's office as he watched him gather up the things he would be taking with him to Italy.
"Don't worry about anything back here while you're in Capizio," Kinch told Hogan, who was about ready to go. "I'll keep things under control while you're gone. We'll do the same things we did when you went to Paris to keep the Germans from noticing that you and LeBeau are gone. We have those two men down in the tunnel waiting to go out to meet the sub, so we can keep them here until you get back. They can pretend to be you and LeBeau and be too 'sick' in bed to stand for roll call."
"Sounds good," Hogan replied. "I'm not worried. I know you'll get the job done and keep the Germans off balance."
"That's the plan," Kinch affirmed.
"I'd better get LeBeau and get over to Klink's staff car," Hogan said as he opened the door to the main room. "I saw Schultz out there bringing out Klink's suitcases and we need to get up on the roof into the luggage carrier before Ol' Blood and Guts sees us."
"Good idea."
Minutes later, Hogan and LeBeau had crossed the compound, along with several other men, without attracting the notice of any guards. The men created a small diversion, so that the two men could get into the luggage carrier and get under the tarp unnoticed.
At that moment, Sgt. Schultz came out of the Kommandantur, loaded down with Klink's luggage. He was just in time to see them climb aboard.
Dropping the suitcases, he hurried over to the staff car. "Please do not tell me you are doing this again!" Schultz pleaded. "I am old. I have a bad heart. I do not think I can take going through this kind of monkey business yet again."
"Relax, Schultz," Hogan said casually. "Everything turned out OK before, right? Have some faith in us. Everything will be all right again, I promise."
"Yes," LeBeau put in. "If you keep quiet and mind your own business, I promise to make strudel for you every week for a month when we get back."
"All right," the older man conceded wearily. "I will see nothing, as usual. It is not as if anything I say will make you change your minds."
The Oberfeldwebel put the rest of Klink's suitcases into the luggage rack around the two men, then pulled the tarp over them just before Klink appeared, ready to leave.
Soon, they were off and the two men on top of the staff car settled themselves as best they could for the long journey, which would be over 700 miles.
Hogan knew that Schultz would make sufficient rest stops along the way, as he'd done when they'd gone to Paris, and would stop for the night at some point.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
That same day, Guiseppe Maggiore made his weekly fish delivery to the prisoner of war camp in Capizio. As usual, he was ushered into Major Bonacelli's office after making the delivery.
As soon as they were alone with their refreshments, the major got down to business.
"I have good news!" Bonacelli announced. "London approved our plans, including your idea to include your cousin."
"Wonderful!," the other man exclaimed. "When do we begin? I should go right away to tell Quinton about it."
"London wants an American to officially offer him the mission," Bonacelli explained. "In fact, he is on his way now from Germany."
"Germany?" Guiseppe was puzzled. "Would it not be easier for him to come straight from London? How will he get here through German held territory?"
"It's complicated," the major said, laughing. "I'd best let him tell you about his situation himself once he gets here." Pausing to take a sip of his drink, he continued, "Do you remember not long ago when I went to Germany to take a course in the German way of prison camp management at Stalag 13?"
"How could I forget?" Guiseppe said. "You did not stop complaining about the bad food for weeks after you got back!"
"Well, I invited the Kommandant for a visit and this American, along with another man who speaks Italian, are hitching a ride with him," Bonacelli explained. "I will keep Kommandant Klink busy here inspecting the camp, while you take these two men down to Voltafiore to speak to your cugino. They are on the way now and probably should be here tomorrow morning."
"He is working with you against his own people?" Guiseppe asked, incredulous.
"No, he knows nothing," the major told him. "The men stowed away on top of his car in the luggage rack under a tarp."
"I can't believe anyone could be so stupid as to not notice two men on top of his car."
"Believe me, Colonel Klink IS that stupid." Bonacelli chuckled as he remembered just how clueless Wilhelm Klink was. "When I was at Stalag 13, there was one guard who let a prisoner hold his gun while he played ball. When I pointed out to Klink that we don't let prisoners have guns here, the guard told us it was safe because the gun was not loaded! Klink didn't seem a bit surprised by this state of affairs."
Guiseppe laughed, then said, "But it is a good thing for us that he is stupid, no?"
"That is true," Bonacelli agreed. Changing the subject, he continued,"When they get here, I want you to take the two men with you right away to San Lucca. They will be posing as fisherman, so if you are stopped on the way to San Lucca or to Voltafiore, you will say they are part of your crew. You should have them stay with you at your home, until they are ready to go back with Klink to Germany."
"I understand," the other man said. "My Teresa will know to keep her mouth shut and the children will believe they are new members of my crew."
"I will give you some money to cover the expenses of feeding them," Bonacelli promised. "And the sooner you can get them down to Voltafiore to see your cousin, the better. Even though he is stupid, I will not be able to hold Klink here in Capizio indefinitely. Some vino and some pretty signorinas should give you enough time to get the job done, however. And I, at least, will be giving him food much better than the swill he fed me!"
"When should I come back here to get them?" the other man asked.
"Come back first thing tomorrow morning," the major told him. "They will stop to spend the night somewhere on the way, but it shouldn't take them all that long to get here once they get started again." A moment later, he added, "Bring some other kind of fish than what you usually bring and tell anyone who might ask that I asked you to bring it especially for me and my guest. Buy it from a fish market if you have to, but just have it when you come."
"I will have it," Guiseppe told him, rising to leave. "I will see you tomorrow, then."