This is the first story of a 2005 Papa Bear Awards Triple Threat Challenge response trilogy.

 

“Third Annual Papa Bear Awards Triple Threat Challenge – A story dealing directly with one or more third season episodes containing roughly 300 words. It can be an extension, prologue, epilogue, coda, a missing scene or even a story dealing with the events of the episode. To make it a true triple threat, you must use exactly three characters in the story.”

 

This story takes place two days after the D-Day landing at Normandy, which would make it an extension to the episode “D-Day at Stalag 13.”

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

June 9, 1943, 2230 hours

 

Kinch finished transcribing the message from London. “It looks like our delay worked, Colonel,” he said handing the sheet of paper to Colonel Hogan.

 

Hogan quickly read the status that Kinch had received and smiled. “Yes, who’d have thought that we could immobilize the whole German army in the west long enough for the landing to hold,” he said.

 

“I certainly had my doubts, sir,” Kinch replied with a small chuckle.

 

“I have to admit,” Hogan said smiling broadly, “I did too!”

 

* * * * * * *

 

The General flipped through the reports that he had been given and smiled. The beachhead from the Normandy landings appears to have taken hold, he read from one report. Another reported that there seemed to be no unified German counterattack. Still another reported the German units were not coordinating their defense.

 

The General filled his glass from the bottle on his desk and glanced at the last report. He read the contents and felt satisfied. The delay of the Germans to bring the Panzers up to defend the landing had been the key to its success.

 

“I have to give Colonel Hogan credit,” the General said. “If anyone could have delayed the German General Staff, it would be him. But this succeeded far better than I had hoped for.”

 

General Albert Burkhalter stood and raised his glass in the air. “Here’s to you, Colonel Robert Hogan,” he said. “You’ve accomplished more than I had hoped when I convinced the General Staff to meet at Stalag 13.” He drained his glass.

 

“Colonel Klink, the new Chief of Staff,” he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. He began to laugh as he poured himself another celebratory drink from his schnapps bottle.