I was taken to a nearby barracks where my men had already settled in. Knowing that they had already been provided a hot meal, I ordered the men to stand down and rest, notifying them we would need to act quickly once the mission's details became known and I had developed a plan.

The men retired gladly. Compared to their quarters in France, the barracks were luxurious, spacious and with clean linens.

After I had eaten, I was provided a small, comfortable room nearby which provided me privacy.

I threw open the window to emit the cool air and stripped down to my undershirt and shorts. I was no longer used to the mild weather which now seemed unbearably hot to me.

Folded neatly on the desk was a tropical uniform. I went to it and gently touched the light, khaki fabric. It had been less than a year, but it seemed like I had never worn them before. It was so different than the heavy, woolen grey uniform I had been wearing in France.

I had sent my own Afrika Korps' uniforms home after my evacuation. They would remain in the attic, waiting untouched to be rediscovered a lifetime from now.

Realizing any sleep would be at a premium for the next few weeks, I pushed aside my memories and lay down to rest.

I was deeply asleep when there was a light knock at the door.

"Herr Hauptmann?"

I was instantly awake at the sound of the soft voice.

"A moment." I quickly pulled on the tropical uniform and was tucking my blouse into my trousers when I opened the door.

A staff febel stood rigidly at attention, a thick dossier in his hands.

"The information regarding the mission. Oberst von Graff ordered it to be delivered to you as soon as it arrived."

"Thank you." I eagerly accepted the records. "What time is it?"

"A little past 04:00, Herr Hauptmann."

I was pleased for the documents arriving early in the morning. It would give me a few hours to review them before briefing von Graff.

I eagerly broke the seal on the dossier. It contained several photographs, maps and various briefs and documents. "When will Oberst von Graff be available?" I asked, without looking up.

"The Oberst is an early riser. He will be available for you to meet after he has breakfast."

"Which is when?" I pressed, skimming through the documents while keeping them in order.

"09:00." Now I did look up. I raised an eyebrow at the "early time", but restrained myself from shaking my head in disbelief. I was normally up for four or five hours by then. The febel looked sheepish, not wanting to meet my eyes.

"Please notify Hauptmann Luther I will be ready to brief Oberst von Graff at 09:00."

"Jawohl, Herr Hauptmann," he said. "It is still early, Herr Hauptmann. Would you care for me to have coffee sent?"

"Coffee?" I asked, surprised. It had been weeks since I had had the pleasure of tasting real coffee.

"Yes, real coffee, Herr Hauptmann," the febel responded with a grin.

"Please". The coffee will be greatly appreciated."

It didn't take long for the coffee to arrive. I placed the dossier aside so I could relish the coffee and a cigarette for an uninterrupted moment. The two were such simple pleasures in life. I enjoyed them as I watched my room slowly become lighter due to the rising sun.

Relaxed and comfortable, I began to work.

I emptied the dossier unto the narrow desk, placing the contents in a neat pile in the center.

I then lit another cigarette and cleared my mind. I would not allow myself to form an opinion or to begin analyzing the material until I had thoroughly reviewed and understood the contents.

I spent the next hour performing my initial review of all the documents.

In the short time available, German Intelligence had performed an excellent job of preparing the background information files. There were maps, tidal charts, and meteorological forecasts for the next few weeks, written observations, drawings of the grounds, and several photographs of the area including a few high quality aerial shots.

The final photograph was a close-up of a boy. I focused on the boy, immediately noticing a melancholy about him. I began to feel compassion for him which I forced myself to place aside.

Perhaps it was best for me not to know his name. It was critical for me to have no personal feelings and emotions regarding him. To do so would not only place the mission's success at risk, but would also endanger my men and also the boy. It was not of my doing he had been pulled into the madness of war, I told myself. And as such, involvement of any kind was a luxury that could not be afforded.

My sentimentality abruptly terminated, I began to work in earnest.

I brought out a pad of paper and pen and began writing conspicuous notes, observations and self-asked questions for over the next hour. To refresh my mind, I halted once for a few moments to shower and shave. I returned rejuvenated and it was only then I allowed myself to begin evaluating the information that I had been provided and from that, formulating a plan.

I kept returning to one fact that had been casually noted in the report: The boy went fishing from a rock jetty every day at 16:00. I seized upon this key piece of information as the cornerstone.

My plan then fell neatly into place.

To seize the boy from the jetty, we would need to accomplish the mission by the sea. By air would be too obvious and by land would extend the mission beyond an acceptable time frame and heighten the risk of the team being discovered. The danger could be partially mitigated by procuring a vehicle, but doing so carried risks. No, I preferred to pack in all necessary equipment and not lead anything to chance.

The sea approach carried its own risks, but they could be mitigated through careful planning.

I frowned internally when I reviewed the tidal charts. It was unfortunate I had not received the mission earlier. Tonight was a full moon which brought with it the high tide. The moon would be waning, but would still be too bright for my taste. I preferred not to operate under a full moon, but I would willingly accept it for the high tide it delivered. The new moon would not be for another two weeks; a fortnight's delay I was positive von Graff would not accept.

I was cautious enough to address the difficulties the sea approach would present. Obviously, we would not be able to use a Kriegsmarine vessel and a U-boat would not be able to operate in the shallow waters.

Any other vessel we used would be clearly visible in the open water and would draw suspicion from the guard. We would need to approach the beach in small, inflatable crafts to avoid detection when the sun would be in the guard's eye. The rocks would pose a danger to the inflatables and make the tide unpredictable.

Finally, the Royal Navy boldly controlled the waters in the region. If we were successful in capturing the boy and returning to our vessel, we would need to avoid the Royal Navy at all costs. It would be impossible to outrun or outfight it.

With a cigarette dangling from my lips, I looked out the window at the beautiful morning, gathering my thoughts. It was difficult to believe that soon I would be returning to Africa. I had honestly thought I would never return to it again and yet my absence would be less than ten months. How ironic fate could be!

I was still looking out the window when my thoughts were interrupted by the approach of Luther. I could see him in the distance, striding purposely across the lush lawn to our narrow barracks.

The documents and my notes were already in order and it took me only a few seconds to slide them into the dossier. I quietly went to Hahn's room and woke him, ordering him to have the men ready to be briefed when I returned. I didn't expect my meeting with von Graff to last more than a few hours at the longest. I would purposely keep it brief and focused.

I met Luther outside the barracks and his eyes widened slightly at my readiness. "Let's go, Dietrich. Oberst von Graff is waiting for you."

I nodded slightly. "Of course. I would hate to keep him waiting after breakfast." We had no further words as he led me again to von Graff's office.

"You received the background documents several hours ago," von Graff said. "You've had more than enough time to analyze the information and prepare a plan. Provide me the details of your strategy, Dietrich," von Graff ordered.

"Herr Oberst, allow me ten minutes to brief you on the background information provided to me. I will then lead into my plan and how it will be executed."

Von Graff gave me an impatient nod, indicating for me to continue.

Without having to reference my notes, I briefed von Graff. Occasionally, I would hand him a document to emphasize my point. I ended my briefing after exactly ten minutes before spending an additional five minutes providing him with my plan. He allowed me to continue uninterrupted, surprising me. It was only after I had finished did he ask his first question.

"Your window of opportunity to take the boy from the rocks is very narrow, Dietrich, and carries risks. Will it provide your team sufficient time?"

"I have never had a mission which did not have some element of risk and this one is no different, Herr Oberst. Any of the possibilities present some type of risk, some higher than others. Taking the boy while he is fishing has the least risk, in my opinion."

I paused for a moment to light another cigarette. I began casually smoking it, relaxed and calm. My demeanor was the exact opposite of von Graff. He was worried and concerned, eager for the boy to be delivered to him.

"Yes, the window of opportunity is narrow," I agreed, "but it also provides us with many opportunities. The boy only has one guard when he fishes. And given the angle of the cove, the sun will be in the guard's eyes. The glare will hide our approach and enhance our ability to escape.

"Will you succeed? There is no room for error." Von Graff was leaning forward, anxious for me to reassure him.

"Yes, I will succeed," I assured him with confidence. "I came to fight and I came to win."

"Good. You will be held to your affirmation." Von Graff let out an audible sigh of relief.

"The men who provided information to the Germans will be the same ones providing details to the Allies. They are all opportunists, willing to sell themselves for the highest price at any moment. The Allies might come after the boy instead of negotiating for him."

"It will be foolish on their part to choose such an action. Rhodes is a heavily defended German stronghold. They would need to launch a full scale invasion to take the island. Besides, it will not be of your concern at that point."

I kept my face impassive. Yes, Rhodes had many soldiers here, but to my trained eye they were lax and not combat ready. The Allies would succeed if they used a focused and well-trained mission to retake the boy. It would not be necessary for the Allies to mount a full scale invasion. But, as von Graff had pointed out, it would not be of my concern. I would have already returned to France.

"You will be provided anything you believe necessary to succeed." Von Graff thought for a moment. "There are several local fishing boats who have worked with the Third Reich over the last few months. They produce results without asking questions or caring about unnecessary details. I will have Luther recommend one which will suit your needs."

I nodded slightly in acceptance. I would have preferred to select and hire the boat and crew on my own once I had determined the specifics of the mission, but time was critical.

"When will your planning be complete?" von Graff asked.

"The mission is contingent on the boat. I will need to discuss the boat's capabilities with its captain and plan accordingly around this factor. I will then be able to finalize the plans and meet with my men. I will remain in contact with you and will provide you regular updates."

"I would expect nothing less."

Von Graff suddenly arose, signaling the end to our meeting. I neatly gathered the documents and we stepped outside to Luther's desk. The adjutant immediately rose and snapped a salute.

"Luther, Dietrich will need a boat for his mission. You are to escort him to the dock and hire a boat and crew," ordered von Graff.

The adjutant gave a sharp nod of approval and a broad grin appeared on his face. "Jawohl, Herr Oberst. I do believe the Athene is available for the right price. I am positive that she will be perfect for Dietrich."