Hogan sighed as he watched Klink talk with the clerk behind the desk as he assigned them a room. The guard to Hogan's left look bored, looking around the nearly empty lobby. Hogan fiddled with the chains around his wrists a bit, seeing if he couldn't somehow manage to squeeze his hands out of them if he had to. A moment later Klink returned with a key in hand.
"Alright, Hogan! I have the key to our rooms! I will have my own room, and you and your lovely friend will be sharing another. Tomorrow, the two of you will return back to Stalag Luft 13, and I shall move onto my next assignment-"
"In Siberia?"
"Schnauze, Hogan! I mean, if I am sent….to…..die in the snow…..for my country….then, then…..that is what I….shall….d-do….."
"Such courage, Willi, such courage."
"Now we are on the 2nd floor. Oh, sorry, that is the 3rd floor to you, Americans." Klink laughed. Hogan rolled his eyes, and started to follow Klink with the guard behind him. To his right, he caught a glimpse of a man at the desk.
"Danke, Herr Hauptmann. Einen schönen Tag. (Thank you Captain. Have a nice day.)"
„Gleichfalls. (You too.)" The man turned, and made eye contact with Hogan before his eyes went wide and he dashed towards the door. Hogan froze a moment, before turning, and started to run after him. His personal guard, believing he was making a break for it, ran and caught Hogan's arm, causing both of them to go tumbling to the floor with a loud, painful, THUD!
"NO! Don't let him get away!" Hogan screamed, thrashing around trying to get up, but the guard had him pinned to the floor. Klink startled by the whole activity finally made his way over.
"Hogan, what is going on here? You can't escape just because you are outside the wire, and Schultz isn't here."
"No, Willi! It was Carter! Someone! Go get him! Before it's to late! That was Carter! That was Carter!" Hogan continued to struggle, but was still painfully pinned beneath the guard's weight.
The receptionist, who had been watching the entire incident, made his way over to the scene, waving Klink over to his side, and whispered, confused as to what was going on. Klink laughed, explaining what was going on. The man joined in.
"Ein Ami? Hahaha! Das war Hauptmann Hauptmann! Er hat übergenachtet. (An American? That was Captain Hauptmann. He spent the night.)" The man laughed with Klink.
„See, Colonel Hogan? That wasn't Sergeant Carter. That was Hauptmann Hauptmann. Now, come, I want to be fresh when my son arrives. He wasn't able to visit me in the Lager, so he is visiting me here instead." Klink walked towards and up the stairs.
Hogan fumed for a moment. He knew that was Carter! Hauptmann Hauptmann? What kind of ridiculous name was that? Carter must have come here to spend the night before moving on to…..Hogan had no idea. He certainly is resourceful. Would make an excellent member to the team if he was one of us. Hogan daydreamed as the guard yanked him to his feet and shoved him with the butt of his rifle towards the stairs. Now if only I could find him to make sure he never is resourceful to anyone else.
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Schwester Anne Mauth had just gotten off duty and was still wearing her Deutsches Rotes Kreuz nursing uniform, as she pulled on her light jacket before unlocking her bicycle. Glancing up at the sky, she realized it was later than she had intended and prayed that she would make it home before curfew started. Pushing off she started cycling. Her legs felt heavy from standing in surgery all day, but still she considered herself lucky to still be in a civilian hospital instead being forced onto the front line like most of her friends who were Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (1).
Turning down the next street towards her shortcut through the Stadtpark, she saw a figure obviously bent over in pain. Anne briefly considered bypassing him, but she couldn't morally do it. Glancing at her watch, she stopped cycling next to the figure.
"Entschuldigung, ist alles aber in Ordnung? (Sorry, but is everything alright?)" Anne wanted for a response. The Man glanced up, in the dim light of the half moon, she could see that he was wearing a gestapo uniform, and she gasped silently.
"Ja….ja…." He moaned, slumping to the ground. Schwester Anne had a decision to make. Should she help the stranger, and risk being home late and possibly being put in prison, or leave the man, and then risk being possibly put in prison? The seconds turned to millennia in her mind as the war raged inside. Deciding that she would rather be put in prison with a clear conscious, she slide off her bicycle and helped the man to his feet.
"Bitte, ich bin Krankenschwester. Sie sind verletzt. (Please, I'm a nurse. You're injured.)" She slid herself under his arm. "Wir gehen ins Krankenhaus. (We'll go to hospital.)"
"NO!" The man yelled. "Nein! Nein." Anne cocked her head towards him.
"Engländer? (English?)" She helped him lean on the handlebars, as she pulled off her white nurse's cap-wrap and started to tie it around his leg. She received no response. "Amerikaner? /American?)" Still no response. "Tja. Okay. Sie sind Deutscher. Sie sind auch verletzt. Wenn Sie nich' ins Krankenhaus gehen wollen, dann könnten Sie gerne mit mir nach Hause kommen. (Well. Okay. You're German. YOu are also injred. If you do not wish to go to hospital, than you may gladly come home with me.)" The man looked a bit nervous, but nodded.
„Danke."
„Darf ich dir bitte ´was heißen? (Is there something I may call you?)"
„Hauptmann, Hauptmann Hauptmann."
„Tja, Herr Hauptmann, ich bin Schwester Anne Mauth. (Well, Captain, I am Schwester [Nurse] Anne Mauth.)" She shook his hand, and helped him lean on her handlebars and lead him towards her flat.
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Hogan leaned against the wall of the room trying to hear what was being said in the next room. However all he could make out was the distinct tone of the different voices. The low steady tone of the Luftwaffe Leutnant handing Klink his new assignment and answering his questions, and the high pitch ramblings mixed with the metaphorical sounds of General's boots being licked that represented Klink's voice. Giving up, Hogan crossed the small room to one of the beds and laid down. His personal guard-buddy was asleep on the bed next to him.
If I wanted to escape, now would really be the time to do it. Hogan laughed to himself. It would be a shame though, way to easy. The sound of a door being shut, and footsteps echoing down the hall, brought Hogan out of his thoughts. He got up and went to cross the door, opening it, the Guard, whom Hogan still hadn't bothered to learn his name, jumped up with the reflexes of a cheetah and slammed the door shut before hand had even finished turning the handle.
"Sorry. You can't leave yet, Colonel Hogan."
"Look, Fritzy-"
"Gefreiter Mann!" The Guard said. Hogan raised his eyebrows and glanced at the sleeves on the man's shirt.
"Huh, you're right. You really are only a Gefrieter. I thought you just lost some of your stripes somewhere. Gee, am I really only worth a Gefreiter looking after me? I guess I'll have to do something about that." Hogan smiled innocently.
"Please just go and sit in the chair, Colonel Hogan. I haven't been assigned long at the Lager. But I know you know Tricks. So please for both of us. Just sit. And we can both survive this war? Yes?" Mann sighed tiredly leaning on the door.
"Fair enough, I only wanted to speak with Komman-" Hogan's sentence was interrupted by the sound of small feet running quickly up the hall and pounding on the door.
"VATI! (Daddy!)"
"Heinrich!" The door quickly closed.
"Klink's son, I presume?"
"That would be correct." Mann crossed his arms. There was a long pause between the two men.
"Ever met him?" Hogan asked breaking the tension.
"No. He lives with his uncle I understand." The men got quiet again, as the minutes went by. Hogan shifted his weight, aching to get passed Mann and out the door.
"Ah. I see. I would like to meet him. I never get to meet anyone new." Mann looked skeptical at Hogan as if trying to make up his mind whether or not he was lying, and then shrugging, picked up his rifle and dragged Hogan next door to Klink's quarters. Knocking, Klink took a moment in answering.
"Was ist denn los? Sie stören! (What is going on? You're disturbing!)" As Mann explained to Klink their purpose in knocking, Hogan glanced around the room, sitting at a small table swinging his legs and playing with a chess piece was a small boy in a school uniform. Reluctantly, Klink nodded.
"Tja, herein kommen. (Oh alright, come-in.)" Klink turned around. "Heinrich. Bitte komm hierher! (Come here please!)" The small boy, who looked to be about 5, jumped off the chair and crossed the room. "Heinrich, Colonel Hogan, Hogan, Heinrich."
"Hallo Herr Hogan."
"Hello Heinrich." Heinrich looked at him, and then ran back towards the chess game, climbing up onto the chair, where he sat on his knees leaning over the board. Hogan smiled. Klink pulled Mann aside and started talking to him, glancing at Hogan, the two stepped out of the room, leaving Hogan alone with the boy. Putting his ear to the door, he tried to listen, but with no success, he looked around for the new assignment papers that Klink should have received, seeing none, he decided to try the boy, Hogan sat down across from Heinrich and talk to him.
"Hallöchen, Kleine. Spielst du gerne Schach? (Hey there buddy. Do you like to play chess?)"
"Nein." The boy began swinging his legs, playing with the rook. "Isch weiß nisch' wie zu spielen, aber mein Vati findet es sehr gern. (I dunno how to play, but my daddy likes it.)"
„Das stimmt. Dein Vater und ich spielen sehr oft. (That's right. Your father and I play quite often.)"
"Du bist denn Freunde? (Are you friends?)" The boy cocked his head, and played the rook on top of it, seeing if it would balance. Hogan paused a moment before answering.
"Ja…wir sind Freunde. (Yeah...we're friends.)"
"Aber du bist Gefängener? (But you're a prisoner?)"
"Du weißt das? (You know that?)"
"Ja. Du bist Ami. (Yep. You're an American.)"
"Das stimmt. Und du bist Deutscher. (That's right. And you are a German.)" The boy tried to touch his nose with his tongue. Stopping he looked up at Hogan.
"Du bist nisch' ein Monster. (You aren't a monster.)"
"Hoffenlich bin ich nicht! (I would hope not!)" Hogan smiled.
"Aber….die Wochenschau... sie sagt, dass die Amis und die Tommys, die Monsters sind. Du siehst nisch' wie ein Monster. (But…the Wochenschau (2)…it says, that the Americans, and the British, that they are monsters. You don't look like a Monster.)" The boy sat back up on his knees, placed both hands on the chess board, leaned close so he no more than 10 centimetres away, and looked Hogan directly in the face, as if studying him, looking for fangs or horns, or something that resembled a monster. Hogan paused, unsure of what to say.
„Na...die...Leute...Regierung...die...was ich meine...manchmals...Propaganda ist nich immer richtig. (Well...the...people...government...they...what I mean...sometimes...propaganda isn't always correct.)"
"Was ist Propaganda? (What's propaganda?)" Heinrich leaned back, and looked curiously at Hogan. Hogan again paused.
"Was Leute will andere zu glauben. (What people want others to believe.)"
„O." Heinrich stood on the chair. And then on one foot. The chair began to wobble.
"Watch out!" Hogan yelled as the boy fell sideways onto the ground. Hogan ran to the side to see in the boy was hurt, but Heinrich was smiling. "Are you okay? I, I mean, bist du- (are you-)"
"I'm okay."
"You…speak English?"
"Yes, and Polski (Polish), and русски (Russian)!"
"Russian?"
"Yes, Muti (Mummy) teaches me. She says it will be soon nützlich! (useful)"
"Well, I can't argue with your mother's logic." Hogan shook his head amused. Heinrich stood up and starting hopping around the room like a rabbit, Hogan placed the chair back up in the correct position at the table.
"I'm Rabbit!"
"Heinrich….do you know where your father's next assignment is?"
"What's "assignment"?
"Where he is going next?"
"Ohhhh….he is going to Polen (Poland)! He will be ummm…."
"He will be what?" Hogan's watched the boy stop jumping, and think really hard.
"Er wirdt noch Kommandant sein! Aber beim Gefängnis für Gefangener, die von Russland sind! (He will still be a Kommandant! But at a Prisoner of War Camp for Prisoners from Russia!)" Heinrich started jumping again. Hogan slumped down on the bed.
"Do you know where in Poland?"
"No. Wanna hear me speak Polski?" Heinrich climbed up onto Hogan's lap.
"No, not right now, but I may have you teach me some…"
"You wanna go to Polen?"
"No, not really. But I may have to…."
"Why?"
"Because I don't think you're father is going to get himself out of this on his own."
"Muti is Polski!" Heinrich smiled.
"I know." Hogan returned the smile.
"She is from Szczecin."
"Wait. I thought that is part of Germany now….?" Hogan was confused.
"Muti says it's still Polski, and it will stay Polski! Egal was (Regardless what) the Deutsche do!" Heinrich stood up proud.
"Well, who am I to argue with the Poles? Are you sure you don't know what Prison camp? I didn't think there were any for the Luftwaffe there…." Heinrich shrugged.
"I just know that Vati isn't happy and wants to play Schach. And Schach is boring." Hogan and Heinrich turned as the door opened and Klink and Gefreiter Mann walked back in.
"Alright Hogan, you've met my son, now it is time for you to go back to your own room."
"Alright Kommandant. Say, did they tell you where you are being transferred? I just want to make sure I have the address right for where in Siberia you will be heading."
"Hogan, I am not going to the Russian front for your information."
"No…they finally made you a General?"
"Hogan…OUT!" Mann grabbed Hogan's arm and dragged him back to his own room. Hogan's mind was at full steam. He had to find out where Klink was being transferred.
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Roll call was never something that LeBeau partially enjoyed. Standing for an hour in a straight line, at times longer while each barrack was counted by a guard, and then the numbers were checked and doubled checked to make sure every prisoner was there. However that evening, he decided it went from being dislikeable, to downright, detestable.
The new Kommandant, aside from having each barrack be counted, decided to move all the prisoners into barrackses with their own nationalities. The English with their own, the Americans with their own, the Canadians, the Australians, the New Zealanders, the Dutch, the Danes, the French, and so on down the line. Anyone who was of a nationality had to be with their own, and if there was any left over, they got put into a mish-mash barrack.
LeBeau stood in his own personal line outside Barrack 2, which was next to Newkirk's British Prisoner line, which was next to the American line, all in front of the door, waiting for the new Kommandant to appear. Oberfeldwebel Bähr passed in front of the large group waiting for his father. He never appeared. Finally Bähr began to get frustrated and marched up into the office a minute later he returned. Waiting patiently, the Kommandant appeared standing on the steps of the office, looking at the prisoners. Snapping his fingers, a few guards came with planks of wood and created a system of wood for him to walk out on to the middle of the ground. Kommandant Bähr glanced around at the hundreds of eyes starring back at him.
"You are all failures. You have lost the war. Each day will you more Hoping lost. Sergeant Kyle James Nickels! I have you catched, Kaugummi chewing and throwing it in my garden. For this heinous lawbreaking, become you 90 days in the Arrestzelle! Everyone, weggetreten!" He turned around and marched back inside.
"I think 'is English is improvin'…" Newkirk commented, leaning back on his heels, watching the man walk back to the office.
"I think you're right, mate. But what they say. You use it or you lose it." The Brit next o Newkirk laughed.
"I think 'e's already lost it, long ago." Newkirk laughed. The members of each barracks started to return to their respective homes when each respective guard block their way, Langenscheidt blocking the door to Barracks two. Oberfeldwebel Bähr stood out in front, and began to read a list of names.
"Abel, Michael Nicholas, Private US, Barrack 9, Adens, Peter Sean Sergeant US, Barrack 21…" he began to read each and every name. The names dragged on, and on, each man fidgeting, waiting for it to be over. "-sa list fill be posted on sa bulletin board. Sa changes fill happen immediately. Dismissed!" Bähr walked off towards the guard's quarters, having no desire to stay around for the changing of the barracks.
There was a sudden mob hounding Kinch as the members of barracks two were digesting the sudden and strange change of events. None of them except Doe would be staying in the barracks, everyone else would be moving.
"What are we going to do, Kinch?"
"Are we still on for tonight, Kinch?"
"Are we allowed to bring our stuff?"
"Will the operation still be going on?"
"What are your orders, Kinch?"
"Do you know if we can tell the Red Cross about this?"
"When is the Colonel coming back?"
"Do I have to room with my fellow countrymen?"
"Alright, Alright! Simmer down!" Kinch yelled as he climbed up on top of a bench. "Yes. To all of your questions. ALL of your questions. Do I make myself clear? Yes, we will DO what it takes TONIGHT. So if you had pervious plans, that's okay. Just DO what you would have done BEFORE. Got it?" The crowd murmured in agreement. The plan was still on as it was before.
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Schwester Anne managed to get to her flat just in time to see the patrols started their rounds on the streets checking for people out after curfew. Securing her bicycle, she helped the Hauptmann Hauptmann towards the front door, using her key to open it, she assisted him up the numerous flights of stairs to her flat. Once again using the key she pushed open the door.
It was a tiny flat, consisting of a half kitchen and bedroom which was also a living room. Anne helped the man lay down on sofa she had tucked in a corner and preceded to retrieve a first aid kit. Speaking to him softly she removed the now soaked cap, and cut his trousers with a pair of scissors. Grabbing a packet of sulfa she ripped it open.
"…könnte (could)" and "…..schmerzen (hurt)…." were the only words Hauptmann managed to make out as she poured it on his leg. He clamped down on his tongue as hard as he could to keep from crying out, tasting the blood as he did so. Anne, finished pouring it on, and was putting a dressing on top.
"Dann….sind wir denn fertig. (There...we're finished.)"
„D-Danke..." Hauptmann panted. Anne nodded, slightly nervous.
"Ähm, möchten Sie jemand anrufen, und sagen, dass Sie hier sind? (Um, would you like to ring someone, and say that you are here?)"
„Nein. Aber, danke. (No. But thank you.)" Hauptmann glanced around the room, obviously uncomfortable. Anne nodded nervous, wringing her hands.
"Tja. Morgen sollten Ihr Bein besser sein, und könnten Sie denn gerne gehen, wenn Sie wollen. (Um. Tomorrow your leg should be better, and you may gladly leave if you so wish.)"
„Ich bedanke mich. (Thank you.)"
„Tja...na gut. (Um…okay.)" Anne fidgeted with the supplies as she put them away. "Haben Sie Hunger. (Are you hungry?)"
"Riesig. (Starving.)"
"Ich koche 'was. (I'll cook something.)" She stood up, and closed the door to the bedroom, and went into the kitchen. Walking over she got out what little she had, a few potatoes, some sauerkraut, and two eggs. Trying to think of anything she could make with them, Anne, stepped out and grabbed the phone in the hallway. Seeing the door still closed on her guest in the bedroom/living area, she dialled her friend's number.
"Schreiber."
"Christiane?"
"Anne?"
"Bitte. Christiane. Ich glaube, dass ihren Bruder bei mir ist. (Please. Christiane. I believe your brother is visiting me.)"
„Mein Bruder? (My brother?)"
„Stimmt. Und er ist verletzt. (Yes. And he is hurt.)"
"Ach schade. (Oh how terrible.)"
"Bitte kannst du ihn bitte abholen? (Could you please come and retrieve him?)"
„Gerne. Wann willst du mich kommen? (Gladly. When do you want me to come?)"
"Sofort. (Immediately.)"
"Gerne. Bis gleich. (Of course. See you soon.)"
"Bis gleich. (See you soon.)" Anne hung up the phone, and returned to the kitchen to continue working on the food. It made her feel safer knowing that the man in the next room would soon be being taken care of by her friends in the resistance.
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(1) Random history note. Unlike the Allies, Germany did NOT employ women in the military during the war (later there were exceptions, such as anti-aircraft gunners). In America and England, nurses could be part of the Army or Navy for example. In WWII Germany, all nurses were civilians who just "happened" to be sent off to treat the wounded (whether or not they wanted to be), but they were still civilians. Der Bart wanted to militarize the Red Cross for his own sick purposes, directly against Switzerland's directives of what the Red Cross stood for.
(2) Sorry guys. No idea how to translate this. It was like the news/propaganda film they used to play in cinemas.