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"What's in a Name"
Chapter 22
Foiled
thank you Sgt. Moffitt and Sgt. Hakeswill for your input!
The German success on the Russian Front lifted Klink's spirits, but did the opposite to the prisoners and their allies. The members of the local underground had to mask their true feelings when out in public; they had to appear to be the patriotic natives of the Fatherland, while Helga hid her despair. The prisoner ranks increased as British airmen captured in the Middle East and Africa ended up in Germany. But the ever-increasing tension between the United States and Japan portended future hostilities between the isolationist and wealthy country and the militaristic island nation that had already brought terror to China. The question on everyone's mind was this: if war broke out between the States and Japan, would Germany throw its hat into the ring, thereby bringing the United States directly into the European conflict?
Meanwhile, as the new prisoners were being processed and vetted, escape plans continued. The clock was ticking as Maddock and his staff hoped to get the men out before the weather got cold. Anticipation was at an all-time high one Saturday in late July when the tunnel-diggers notified Barracks Two that ground would finally be broken for a tunnel entrance into the hut. The main event was timed to coincide with a shift change, but watches were posted all over camp, and at the doors and windows of the barracks.
The atmosphere in the barracks grew ever more tense as the appointed moment approached. Conversation ceased as they all listened intently for sounds of digging beneath their feet. Finally, there was a signal. Banging could be heard, and the men scrambled to remove the floor boards.
Maddock stared down at the hole in the middle of the floor. "It's in the middle of the floor," he stated in as calm a voice as he could muster. "Who builds a hidden tunnel entrance in the middle of the floor?"
Goss and Bellows, the engineering student and miner in charge of dirt, digging, and safety, scrambled up the ladder and into the hut. They looked at each other, confused, and then down into the hole. They stepped back and let two other men clamber up. These two were the diggers, and they let their tools drop back down into the chasm.
"Blimey," Newkirk said as he walked over and peered down into the hole.
"Looks like we zigged when we should have zagged," answered McGraw, a burly Northern Irishman, who was known for his good humor and optimism.
"I'll say." Maddock walked around the hole, pursing his lips and scratching his head as he contemplated the catastrophe. "How are we going to hide this?"
"We can fill it in," suggested Goss. "But digging the branch over to the right spot by the wall; well, that will take a while."
"Schultz is coming!" yelled the lookout by the door. The men scrambled. The visitors quickly plopped themselves down at the table and picked up the hands of cards always left there in case of an emergency, while the residents took up innocent looking poses on their bunks or by the stove or sink.
"The hole!" Maddock frantically looked around for something to hide the entrance.
Deschamps opened the door right before Schultz barreled through, causing the guard to almost lose his balance. Several of the other men caught him in time. "Danke," he said.
"Don't you ever knock, Schultz?" asked Newkirk as he lit a cigarette.
"Nein." Schultz glanced around. He spotted the four strange men at the table and walked over. "Sergeant Maddock. The Kommandant has requested a meeting to discuss the new prisoners. What are you four doing here?" Visiting other huts during the day wasn't forbidden at this particular camp, but Schultz always kept his eye out for monkey business, especially when the men of Barracks Two were concerned.
"Just a friendly game of go fish. Bellows, do you have any twos?" Goss asked. "I was taught this game a long time ago by an American friend, and I got nostalgic. The men in my hut didn't want to play."
"Go fish," Bellows stated. "Would you like to learn, Schultz? You can take my place."
"Nein. Coming Maddock?" Schultz walked right by the footlocker that had been hastily placed over the hole. He stopped for a second and everyone held their breath. Tilting his head in confusion, Schultz looked around the room. He walked over to the sink and grabbed a small pitcher that held a few flowers the men had picked while on a work detail. He brought it over to the footlocker and placed it in the middle. "There, that looks better. And be careful you don't trip over that."
That evening, a false bottom was installed in the footlocker, and it remained in place over the loose floorboard that hid the tunnel entrance. With a tunnel entrance now available in a hut, it was simpler to send men down below to work on the final preparations for the mass escape. The small group consisted of men carefully chosen for their skills and background. They all spoke some German; a few were fluent. Several French prisoners were part of the contingent.
What hadn't been finalized was how the men would leave. Going under the movable fence was immediately eliminated as an option. The contraption wasn't set up for a mass escape situation, and the last thing the prisoners wanted was for the movable area to be discovered. There were two other options, leave by the emergency tunnel entrance in the tree stump, or take off during a work party.
"The guards are keeping a better eye on us since Munson and Blum took off," Newkirk reminded Maddock. "Unless we get Schultz guarding us of course." He laughed.
"Well, we don't want to get Schultz in trouble. We need him," Maddock said. "But if we send the men out through the tunnel, that could also attract attention. Klink may wonder how the men got out, and start searching for a tunnel exit. I know Oskar found another fake tunnel last week, but I still think it's risky. If we can get them on the same work party, and if maybe there's a diversion, they can sneak off. Klink will know it's a work party. The guards will get in trouble, or we'll have more guards assigned to work parties in the future." Maddock thought for a moment. "Well, I've made up my mind. We'll use the work party. I'll get the men assigned to the next large group that goes out. The rest of you will provide the diversion, and that's that."
It almost seemed improbable that the mass escape was about to happen. But first, the men decided to try a small experiment to gauge Klink's response. What would Klink do if only two men slipped out? The first time it occurred, the men were found quickly, and no one else was punished. Would Klink take it out on the rest of the camp if it happened again, especially, as everyone hoped, the escapees wouldn't be found? Newkirk and LeBeau, who were originally part of the mass escape, were chosen as the guinea pigs. The plan was to leave camp when Schultz was on furlough, so the sergeant would not be blamed.
The two men would leave from the tunnel, but in order to plant a red herring, evidence would be discovered showing they had left camp hanging onto the chassis underneath a truck. The first night was a wash. It was raining, and Langenscheidt took Schultz's place; the men did not want to get the friendly corporal in trouble, either. Their luck held the next night, which was calm and moonlit.
LeBeau and Newkirk, completely outfitted in civilian clothes, maps, money, compasses, and papers, stood in front of their hut mates, who were sad to see them go, but happy for them as well.
"Good luck, Peter, Louis." Maddock shook their hands.
"Are you sure you don't want...Who's going to break into the safe?"
"We'll find someone else, Newkirk. We already discussed this. You two deserve the first shot. You've both done more than your share."
The two friends made it safely out of camp and onto the road. Their absence wouldn't be noticed until morning, and they took their time heading into town. Their next stop was a florist, where they would be hidden until a guide would take them to the next safe house. This was the first time the men had seen Hamelburg.
"Charming," commented Newkirk as he and LeBeau crossed the street. So far, their walk through the town center had been uneventful, although the trappings of Hitler's regime were everywhere.
"Typical small Boche town," LeBeau replied. "Don't let the small-town feel fool you." He nodded and doffed his cap at two women who passed by them on the sidewalk. "Our shop should be up ahead."
The door to the shop, which was fortunately devoid of customers, opened with a jingle from the small set of bells hanging from the knob. Newkirk and LeBeau walked up to the counter, where an older man was busy clipping some stems. He looked up.
"Can I help you?"
Newkirk leaned his arm on the counter top. "Can you make up an emergency bouquet for my sister?"
"What's the occasion?"
"Triplets. She likes edelweiss."
The florist shook his head. "I don't recommend our edelweiss today. It's not what I would consider appropriate for such a momentous occasion."
"Newkirk, and this is LeBeau."
"Come around the back."
Klink was apoplectic the following morning when Schultz's substitute informed him that two prisoners were missing. Maddock stepped forward in an attempt to get the Kommandant's attention, but Klink didn't notice, as he was too busy screaming for the dogs, guards, and trucks.
Finally, he spied Maddock's arms waving. Klink hurried over to the sergeant and looked him right in the eye. "What do you know about this?"
"Nothing, sir. We had no idea. Honestly, we're just as surprised as you are. Just don't take it out on the rest of us."
"I don't believe you, " Klink yelled over the cacophony of the barking dogs and trucks revving up. "They were here at last night's roll call. Someone must have seen or heard something."
Langenscheidt hurried over to the group. "Kommandant, there is no sign of any wire being cut. But we found this by the front gates."
Maddock took a peek. "Looks like a piece of a sweater."
"How did it get by the gate?" The kommandant rubbed his chin, and Langenscheidt shrugged.
Behind the corporal, one of the prisoners whispered just loudly enough for Langenscheidt to hear. "Truck chassis. Clever."
"They may have hidden on the bottom of one of our trucks, sir. Hanging on the chassis. I've heard about this happening elsewhere, sir."
"That's impossible, Kommandant. Too dangerous." Maddock held back a grin.
"Silence!" The Kommandant began to pace. "They may be near the camp. Check the woods, the roads, the perimeter. It's possible they may have gone out with the same trucks we sent out to search for them."
"Wow," Deschamps whispered to another man. "I didn't think the Kommandant had the brains to think up a plan like that."
"Too bad. It was a good idea," the other man replied.
After several hours of fruitless searching, Klink went back to the office, and despite his suspicion that LeBeau and Newkirk could not have gone far, he eventually notified the local Gestapo of the escape. The Kommandant's reluctance to involve the Gestapo was duly noted by the prisoners, as was what Maddock described as the somewhat panicked response of a rear echelon bureaucrat.
LeBeau and Newkirk spent all day hiding in the florist's basement. The florist had been informed of Klink's request for help from the Gestapo, and so, not wanting the civilians involved, Newkirk and LeBeau offered to make their own way to the next safe house. But their guide, an older man, code-named Hansel, insisted on accompanying the two, and they acquiesced. Air raid sirens could be heard in the distance as the three headed southwest through farmland and woods.
"Listen," LeBeau said. the drone of bombers could be heard overhead. "Where do you think they are heading? Dusseldorf?"
"Possible. Railyards, maybe." Hansel replied. The men jumped as the sound of antiaircraft guns could be heard. Bright flashes lit up the sky and searchlights swept over the bombers, which looked like intermittent dark shadows as they continued their route to the target area. They all winced as they saw several of the planes take hits. One exploded, but the two thought they saw parachutes floating down.
"It's hard to see this," Hansel commented. "Civilians everywhere bear the brunt of this violence."
"I know. Let's keep moving." Newkirk was getting worried. He never would have left the safety of the camp or florist if they had been forewarned of the raid. He knew the area would be swarming with soldiers searching for the downed crew.
Hansel quickly halted, turned around and held up his hand. Newkirk and LeBeau stopped and listened. A rustling could be heard, and the three could make out the sound of someone hastily attempting to dig into the ground.
LeBeau poked Newkirk and whispered. "It's one of the airmen. Listen, I think he mumbled something in English."
As Newkirk began to move forward, he was stopped by Hansel. "Won't he have a pistol? He's likely to shoot first, ask questions later? Yes?"
"You're right." Newkirk and then LeBeau flung themselves to the ground and began a slow crawl to where they thought the downed soldier was trying to bury his parachute. Sure enough, they were able to make him out in the moonlight. Newkirk waved his arm, motioning for Hansel to join them.
"Psst." He whispered loudly. "Don't shoot, I'm English."
"Crandall?" the flier asked hopefully, thinking the man was one of his crew.
"Sorry, mate." Newkirk stood up, hands raised. LeBeau and Hansel did the same. "We're on the same side. Can you put the gun down?"
The flier moved a bit closer, still holding the weapon. "Who are you?"
"Escaped POWs," LeBeau replied. "And this is our guide."
"We should get out of here and keep moving," Hansel said. "This place may be crawling with soldiers soon. You, come with us. We can help you."
Sensing the flier's hesitation, LeBeau said, "You have to trust us, mon ami."
"All right. Name's Griffin. Lieutenant Griffin."
The men took off and continued walking away from the road, and hidden amongst the trees and brush. But after a short while, their luck began ran out. They could just make out the approaching sound of trucks and men. Instinct kicked in, and the foursome flung themselves onto the ground. In the distance, they could see a combined patrol of Gestapo and guards from the camp.
"You, from the camp. Head in that direction." A Gestapo officer pointed to where the four were hiding. "We'll check the other side of the road. Look for tracks and broken twigs. And don't forget, there may be one downed airman in the area."
"They must have captured the rest of the crew. What do we do now?" Griffin asked.
LeBeau and Newkirk looked at one another and nodded. They had been together now for over a year, and were such close friends that they could tell what the other man was thinking. This time was no exception.
"We will create a diversion, give ourselves up, so you two can get away."
"I can't ask you to do that," Griffin answered.
"Lieutenant, at this point, you'll most likely get captured, interrogated and sent to a prison camp. Especially since some of the Luftwaffe guards are here. But Hansel will be shot or worse. Can't let that happen. No sense in you getting captured as well. Go with Hansel. We'll be fine," Newkirk said. He began emptying his pockets and LeBeau did the same. They handed their fake papers, money, and the maps to Hansel.
"Lieutenant?" Hansel grabbed the airman's arm. "We have to make our way to a safe place. LeBeau, Newkirk. Good luck."
"You two. Wait for us to move." Newkirk stood up, and he and LeBeau headed off towards the patrol from the camp, making noise as they maneuvered through the brush. Meanwhile, Griffin and Hansel headed away from the guards from the camp. The Gestapo on the other side of the road would find nothing.
A short while later, the two escapees both found themselves standing in front of Klink.
"So, another escape attempt foiled." The Kommandant walked a circle around the two men.
"We got confused by the raid, Kommandant. Lost our bearings." Newkirk looked down at the floor.
"I guess your homemade compasses were useless? I know how you got out of camp. Clever. Clinging to a truck chassis. Clever, but dangerous."
"How did you...?" LeBeau asked.
"Ah, you admit it!" Klink picked up the piece of LeBeau's sleeve. "You left this."
LeBeau instinctively grabbed his right arm, and stroked the torn area of the civilian shirt he was wearing for the escape.
"You can't put anything past us here at Stalag 13!" Klink exclaimed.
"I guess not," Newkirk mumbled as he contemplated another uncomfortable stint in the cooler.
The next morning, Maddock visited Newkirk and LeBeau in the cooler. This time, they were separated. "You okay?" he asked Newkirk in a quiet voice after being assured that the cells weren't bugged.
"Right as rain."
"Good. So what happened?" Maddock asked the corporal.
After being told of the raid, and how they came across the downed airman, Maddock couldn't be angry. "Bad luck and timing," he commented. "Couldn't be helped. You know, you could have sent this lieutenant back to the tunnel."
"To tell the truth, I didn't even think of it. And I don't know if Hansel knew about the system. These Underground members keep their own secrets," Newkirk stated. "And all their code names seem to be from fairy tales." He laughed.
Maddock acknowledged Newkirk's point. "Well, I do have some bad news for you. Since this is your second offence, Klink decided that one more serious transgression from you two means a transfer to another camp out east. The good news is that apart from Langenscheidt, who appeared to be quite competent..."
"He's shy and quiet, but he's not stupid," Newkirk pointed out.
"No he's not. Anyway, the rest of the guards seem quite hopeless. We heard from Schultz that it took them quite some time to get organized once they left the don't seem to be trained very well in tracking, and Schultz is their commander, so I doubt they'll get better. Klink looked like he was about to lose his breakfast. And he waited for quite some time before calling in the Gestapo. He's afraid of Burkhalter."
"Well, I guess I'm staying here for a while. Don't want to take the chance of being caught again and transferred." Newkirk threw down his cigarette butt. "You'll have to tell Louis."
"He's my next stop." Maddock grinned. "I have to talk with him, of course. He owes Schultz several meals. That's the bribe for leaving us alone."
"And the mass escape?" Newkirk asked as Maddock was about to open up the small window in the door.
"Until enough time has passed, we all decided it's in everyone's best interest to put it on hold."
one of the earliest first-season episodes had Carter (who had been caught in an explosion) coming up through the footlocker in the middle of the floor. We also saw an entrance in the middle of the floor in the "Basic Black" episode. And there may be others. I always thought that type of entrance was a bit odd.