The men at Stalag Luft 13 were on edge. As the guards came to turn the lights off, they felt strange laying in another's buck instead of their own. Thankfully, they noted, they didn't have to wait long.
Since the change over in barracks was a complete surprise to them, "probably deliberate, to keep us from digging tunnels in our barracks", one prisoner commented. The exit from the camp suddenly became more difficult. Each man had been assigned either an exit through the tunnel, or in charge of making a hole in the fence. With the change in barracks, the ability to get to their designated spot suddenly increased in challenge. From up above, the scene played out much like a pinball machine, with prisoners running in several different directions, attempting to get to their place in the wire. Had the guards bothered to watch, they would have had a true show on their hands, as the men collided, and scattered along the compound. However, the guards were too busy listening to Oberfeldwebel Bähr ramble about time as a football player before the war, and secretly listening to the BBC, to notice.
Kinch was the last person through the hole in the wire. He quickly did a survey check of the camp making sure nothing was out of place. Silently praying that they could pull this off with no one getting hurt, he picked himself up and ran off into the woods, leaving the searchlights, still searching the night for something out of place. It would be morning before anyone would realize that all the prisoners had broken out through 50 different holes strategically placed in the wire.
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Anne kept pacing as she cooked the food. Although she, herself was starving, she handed the majority over to the strange captain sitting in her living area/bedroom. He thanked her kindly before eating in complete silence. This gave Anne a chance to get a better look at him.
He was young, early twenties was her best guess. And he didn't seem to have the attitude that usually companied someone in the gestapo. Looking further, she saw that he had recently been in a scrape, and seemed worn out, with the dark circles under his eyes. Eating the plate he handed it back to her.
"Danke Schwester. (Thank you Sister/Nurse.)"
"Mach' nichts. (Not a problem.)" She carried the plate back to the kitchen, returning and sitting on her bed looking at him.
"Darf ich Ihnen fragen, woher Sie kommen? (May I ask where are you from?)" Anne leaned forward a bit. Hauptmann's eyes went wide in terror.
"Um, no, uh, nein!" He sputtered. Anne nodded slowly.
"In Ordnung. Darf ich fragen, woher Sie die Verletzung bekommen haben? (Alright. May I ask where did you receive your injury?)"
„Ummmm..." Hauptmann stalled. Thankful for the knock on the door, although his heart immediately jumped into this chest, Hauptman breathed a sigh of relief at advoiding the question. He prayed that it was no one and that he could get out of that room quickly and on his way. He watched as Anne stood up, and walked towards the main door, opening it. From his position he could see a man and woman, both in their mid-late twenties. Greeting each other she let them in.
"Herr Hauptmann? Hier ist die Christiane und der Jan Schreiber. (Captain? This is Christiane and Jan Schreiber.)"
„Freut mich. (A pleasure to meet you.)" Christiane and Jan smiled.
"Ja…gleichfalls…. (Yeah… you too.)"Hauptmann looked between them nervously.
"Herr Hauptmann….ich frage mich...könnten Sie mir bitte erklären, was Sie für ‚nen Dienst tun? (Captain…I was wondering…. could you please explain to me what you do for your service (1)?)" Jan sat down on the bed. Hauptmann's eyes went wide in Terror again. Jan waited patiently.
"Ich…um…..Ich…..mache…..etwas... (I... um... I... do... stuff...)"
„Tja...und, was für ‚etwas'? Ich bin wirklich interessiert. (Okay... und what kind of 'stuff'? I am really interested.)"
„Um..."
„Tja in Ordnung, Streng Geheim, oder? (Well it's okay, Top Secret, huh?)" Jan laughed. Hauptmann just smiled nervously. Jan beckoned Chrsitiane and Anne into the other room, closing the door behind him.
"Ein Tommy. Oder Ami. Bin ich nich' sicher. (A Brit. Or American. I'm not quite sure.)"
„Wirklich? Bist du ganz sicher? Aber was könnten wir denn tun? Wir müssen ihn nach England oder die Schweiz bald schicken. Er darf hier nich' bleiben. (Really? Are you absolutely sure? But what can we do? We need to quickly send him to England or Switzerland. He is not allowed to stay here.))" Anne was near panic.
„Stimmt. Okay, Christiane liebing... (Alright. Okay, Christiane darling...)"
"Ja, Jan. Das geht. (It's okay.)"
"Danke, ich lieb' dich. (Thank you, I love you.)"
"Ich weiß. (I know.)"
"Wir nehmen ihn. Wir kennen Leute…. (We'll take him. We know people….)"
„Danke Jan, Christiane." Anne finally let out the breath she was holding since she first found the man. The three walked back into the other room.
"Herr Hauptmann?" Jan sat down on the bed again, facing him, their knees were close to touching. He looked him directly in the face. "Bist du Kaugummifresser (2)? (Are you an American?)" Hauptmann looked at him completely confused.
"Was? (What?)"
"Kaugummifresser?"
"Um…..uhhhh…..ich….well…ummm..." Hauptmann again tried to stall.
„Are you Tommy?" Christiane asked for the first time since she was introduced. Hauptmann's eyes widened, this time in alarm that he may be in danger. "Please, are you Ami? It's okay. Fe are friends."
"Wenn Sie Ami oder Tommy sind, ist das mit uns in Ordnung. (If you are an American or a Brit, that is alright with us.)" Anne added. Hauptmann glanced from one to the other completely lost as to what to say. Finally he sighed, and decided to answer, praying he wouldn't end up killing him.
"Yes. I am." He watched their faces, relief washed over them.
"Alright. It is too dangerous hair to stay. Fe fill move you tonight. Fe hav a safe house. Fe can you to Switzerlant." Christiane glanced out the window onto the dark street below.
"Please, I want to go back to England." The man pleaded with her. She paused a moment and looked at Jan. He nodded.
"Alright…, but sat is not sa normal route from hair. From hair sa men usually go straight South. Eynglant to get to ist verwey difficult. And sa is only one fay I know to get you to Eynglant..."
"How is that?"
"I'm sorry. I cannot give you more information sat you need to know, it is too dangerous. I don't even know sa woute."
"How will I know I am in the right spot?" He asked starting to get excited and panic all at the same time.
Anne walked out of the room, wishing not to hear the information in case she or her friends ended up being caught, and shutting the door behind her. Jan took over the spot at the window, turning off the light. Christiane faced the man in the dark.
"Each checkpoint fill ask you a specific kvestion. If you answer correctly you fill live. Now tell me. How familiar are you fis sa story of Goldilocks and sa Swee Bears?"
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The next morning made its way slowly over the landscape of the troubled country, its sunlight dancing along the trees, rooftops, and hills until it gradually made its presence known to Oberfeldwebel Gustav Bähr. Bähr rolled over in his bunk, before sitting up to glance at his clock. It was still too early for roll call, but seeing the light had woken him, he decided to get up anyways.
Putting on his soft cap instead of the helmet, as he was not yet on duty, Bähr slowly strolled along the inside of the guard's portion of the compound. He watched intrigued as he saw Feldwebel Georg Hans Schultz sadly climb into the back of a LKW. The man glanced over his shoulder at the camp behind him, before finally sitting down. A guard to the left of the lorry pounded twice signalling to the driver that he could start on his journey. The lorry turned and started heading towards the gate. Bähr watched it exit, feeling guilty that he had taken the guard's role as Sergeant of the Guard. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he kicked a rock. There was nothing he could do, so why bother getting upset over it. His father wanted him in this position, if anyone was to blame it was him. Besides, if Schultz didn't leave I would be one a way one ticket to Stalingrad. Bähr turned and started to stroll in the early morning light towards the main compound with all the prisoner's barrackses. He glanced up and down the silent rows, wishing that like the prisoners, he was still asleep. Pulling his hands out of his pockets, I hope no one saw me do that, the last thing I need is to be in trouble, he did a slight walk around the perimeter wire. He looked up and down, and about, not at anything particular, until, something caught his eye.
"Wat is' denn dat? (What ist that?)" Bähr walked up to something shinny sticking out in the dim early morning light. "Is' dat….Ach du Schiet! (Is that…oh shit!)" Bähr started yelling towards the guards on the guard and in the towers. "Hunne laten! Een is' geflogen! (Let the dogs out! Someone has escaped!)" Bähr turned towards the rushing guards in front of him, all lining up for orders.
From the window Kommandant Bähr heard the noise from his bed, and had made his way over. He stood frowning at his son for letting a prisoner escape. This will not end well for him, with General Burkhalter here. He sighed deeply ashamed.
From the VIP Quarters, Burkhalter was still sound asleep, dreaming of Austria and of yodelling in the Alps.
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Kinch rolled over on the blanket on top of the pile of hay on which he had been sleeping. To his right, one of the British prisoners murmured softly.
"I think I 'ear the alarm. I suppose they found us missin'."
"Eh, it's too early still." Kinch yawned. "Give them around 20 minutes. Then the real fireworks will begin."
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The same morning light made its way towards Dortmund as Hogan lied awake starring at the ceiling. Not feeling sleepy, he walked over and glanced out the window to the street below. Continuing to stare out the window, he heard movement from the room next door, and a door being shut tightly. Hogan leaned on the wall, hoping to make out anything going on, but heard only silence. Making his way back towards the window he looked out. A few minutes later, the figure of Wilhelm Klink made his way to a motorcar waiting for him outside the building. Klink climbed in, and the vehicle drove off. Leaving Hogan to start his day in a fowl mood.
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"Scheiße. (Damn)" Burkhalter shook his head looking at the hole in the fence. "Wie viele löcher? (How many holes?)"
"Föftig, Herr General. (Fifty)" Bähr's voice shook slightly.
"Fünfzig. Un' alle die Männer sind weg. Wie ist das möglich, Oberfeldwebel Bähr? (Fifty. And alle the men are gone. How is that possible, Flight Sergeant Bähr?)) " Burkhalter turned to him, staring through the man. Bähr felt that he would get hypothermia from the coldness of Burkhalter's look.
"Ähm…tja…..ik….ik….ik... (Um... well... I... I... I...)" Bähr stammered, as his father Kommandant Bähr broke the tension.
"Keen Problem, Herr General. Wi' finnen d'e Männer. Mien Söhn he hett een witte West. He war nich' op Wache. D'e Scheull lieg' mit Een anners. (No Problem, General. We will find the men. My son is not giulty. He was not on duty. The guilt lies with someone else.)"
"Das Stimmt, Kommandant Bähr. (That's correct.)" Burkhalter turned towards the man. "Sie liegt mit Ihnen. (It lies with you.)" Burkhalter practically grinned at he expression of the man's face in front of him.
"Aaaaaaaver, aver Herr General- (Buuuuut, but General-)"
"Ihr Lager. Ihre Männer. Ihre Gefangene. Oder stimmt das nich' (Your Camp. Your Men. Your Prisoners. Or ist hat not true?)?"
„Nnnnein, nein, Herr General. Das stimmt. (Nooooo, no, General. That's right.)"
"Gut. Dann finden Sie die Männer! Sorfort Bähr! (Good. Than find the men! Immediately Bähr!)" Burkhalter watched as the two men scurried off in opposite directions. Pulling a cigar out of his great coat, he lit it. It was going to be a long day.
The drive back to Hammelburg was not nearly as long as it took to get to Dortmund, in Hogan's mind. While Gefreiter Mann did stop every 45 minutes like clockwork, the drive seemed incredibly shorter, and quieter. Hogan stared out the window, watching the scenery roll by, as the flatter terrain turned more hilly the further south they went. His mind slowly turned to childhood memories of running along forest edges playing with wooden swords and attacking the neighbour's tree-houses, while they in turn attacked his. As Hogan relived the memories of playing knight, Mann slowly drove up to the gate, easily passing the guard at the front.
Hogan was brought out of his memory by the visual of the gate opening, as he went over what his was going to tell his men about the incident with Carter. However, before he even had thought up an ending, Hogan realized something was wrong. The normally busy compound was completely empty, of guards, of dogs, and of prisoners! Where is everyone? What's going on here? Hogan panicked. The motorcar pulled up, and two guards opened the door, yanking Hogan out.
"Where are my men? What have you done with my men?" Hogan yelled, fighting the guards. Burkhalter approached from his standpoint in front of Klink's office.
"Ah, Hogan, so glad you can join us."
"Ah, General Burkhalter. If you're here, does that mean you're finally surrendering to us? I mean you let all the prisoners go, so naturally I assume-"
"Hogan, if I were you, I would tred carefully," Burkhalter looked at the man in front of him, as there were two guards on one each side holding his arms back, "as you are now the only prisoner here. And our best link to your men."
"What do you mean, 'best link'? What have you done with them?" Hogan struggled against his captors. Burkhalter motioned for the two guards to bring him into the Kommandant's office. Upon entering, Hogan got his first glimpse of the new Kommandant.
"This is your new Kommandant, Oberstleutnant Rudolf Bähr, Bähr, hier ist der Colonel Robert Hogan, ranghöchster Offizier der Gefangene. (Lieutenant Colonel Rudolf Bähr, Bähr, this is Colonel Robert Hogan, Senior POW Officer.)" Burkhalter sat down in the corner and watched the two men stare at each other.
"Hogan. Where are your men?"
"Look Kommandant. What is going on here? Where are my men? Will someone please explain what happened?"
"Hogan, it seems your men all escaped last night." Burkhalter started on another cigar. "And that," he puffed out a breath of some, "makes us look bad. So tell me. Where did they go?"
"They….WHAT?" Hogan was stunned. "Wait. How many?"
"All." Burkhalter puffed away carefree.
"They…! All….! Every….! Gone….? What…?"
"Yes, Hogan. That would be one way to put it." Burkhalter was amused at Hogan's inability to put a complete sentence thought together. Hogan slumped down into a chair, the two guards who had been holding him let him go.
"When?"
"Last night, or early this morning."
"How?"
"Through fifty holes in the fence." Hogan cursed softly. Now that those holes have been discovered, it will be near impossible to use them again.
"Tell me Colonel Hogan. Where go they?" Kommandant Bähr sat down and looked at Hogan nervously.
"I'm sorry, Kommandant, but I have no idea. No one informed me there was going to be a mass escape. Believe had I known, do you really think I would have gone willingly with Klink in the, quite possibly, longest car ride of my life?"
"No, of course not." Burkhalter shook his head. "Alright then, where do you think they might go?"
"Really, I have no idea. Klink and Schultz always seemed to know where we were going before we even got there. Spooky really." Hogan laughed. "Boy am I glad they're gone. Now that they are, maybe I can escape too!" Hogan looked at the Kommandant in front of him. "Sorry. I'll do it while you're sleeping naturally."
"Arrestzelle! (Cooler!)" Kommandant Bähr yelled. The two guards who dragged Hogan in, suddenly grabbed him and started pulling him out towards the door.
"Wait! Rudi! I'm sure we can work something out! A time-share in England maybe?"
As Hogan was dragged out, Burkhalter sighed deeply, and fiddling with his cigar.
"Der Hogan hat recht. Als Klink hier war, gab's niemals 'ne Massenflucht... (Hogan is right. When Klink was here, there was never a mass escape…)"
„Beed. Bitte, Herr General... (Please. Please General)"
„Vierundzwanzig Stunde, Bähr. Sie habm vierundzwanzig Stunde, bis alle die Gefangene zu finden, danach rufe ich leider...- (Twenty-four hours, Bähr. You have twenty—four hours in which to find all the prisoners, or afterwards I will unfortunately have to call...-)"
„Leider...wen, Herr General? (Unfortunately call whom, General?)"
„Klink." Burkhalter's mouth tasted awful as he said the words. Bähr's eyes went wide. He had never been so disgraced by another man before. He would find those prisoners if it was the last thing he would do. And the first stop would be to call an old friend, who knew more about finding people and getting others to talk. Major Wolfgang Hochstetter.
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(1) This is a bad translation. Sorry. "Dienst" literally translates to "Service", but it was the job people had that served Germany. So for example, Anne's Dienst would be a nurse. Klink's is Kommandant of Stalag Luft 13. Hope that makes sense.
(2 ) This is a WWII nickname for Americans. It literally translates to Gum chewer (and chewer as how animal chews), since all Americans chew gum. (Well, I'm assuming that is a stereotype at least lol. But in the minds of Heer during the war, all Americans chewed gum.)