More Than One Way to Catch a Papa Bear
Diane Maher
Author’s note:
Others own the Hogan’s Heroes characters. All other characters are my creations. Please do not use them without my permission.
Dawn had just broken when a black
car arrived at the gates of Stalag 13.
The guard on duty admitted the car and sent someone to rouse Sergeant
Schultz and the Kommandant from bed.
Schultz quickly dressed and went to greet their guests. The man who woke him didn’t say who their
visitors were, just that they were waiting inside their car that was parked
outside the Kommandant’s office. As he
approached, the men in the car got out and walked up to him.
“Sergeant Schultz?” the officer
asked.
“Jawohl, Herr…?” Schultz replied.
“What is going on here?!?” Klink
bellowed as he came out of the building.
He’d just finished buttoning his uniform and was still half asleep.
A tall, dark haired man with a thick
mustache who was smartly dressed in a black uniform with a red armband bearing
a swastika emblem stood next to the car.
Several others stood behind him.
He approached the Kommandant and said, “Colonel Wilhelm Klink?”
“Yes?” Klink replied.
“I need to speak to you on a matter
of the utmost importance,” the stranger began.
“Let us go into your office.” The
other men waited outside next to the car.
“Yes, sir,” Klink replied and opened
the outside door for his guest. As the
man waited just inside, he opened his office door; and when he turned around,
Schultz had just closed the outer door.
“Schultz, we are not to be disturbed for any reason whatsoever.” He then closed the door and went to sit
behind his desk.
“How may I help you, Herr…?” Klink
began as he looked at the man sitting across from him.
“Krantzmann. Colonel Fritz Krantzmann, SS Counterintelligence
Division.”
Klink quivered inwardly. “Colonel, what can I do for you?”
“I will be relieving you of one of
your prisoners and taking him to
“Which prisoner are you taking?”
Klink asked.
Krantzmann pulled a manila folder
from his briefcase, opened it and after he looked at the document continued,
“His name is Colonel Robert Hogan. Here
are the papers authorizing me to remove Hogan from this camp. And here are the orders for Hogan’s transfer
to
Klink inhaled sharply and inquired,
“But why?”
“He is suspected of espionage
against the state,” Krantzmann said, his tone low and menacing. He then took some papers from the folder and
ordered, “You will have your Sergeant bring this man to my car
immediately. I have the papers for his
arrest here.”
Klink took the documents handed to
him and examined them. Everything seemed
to be in order. “Schuuuultz!!!” Klink
bellowed.
The door opened and Schultz
entered. “Yes, Herr Kommandant?” the
portly sergeant asked.
“Bring Hogan to this man’s car
outside, at once!” ordered Klink.
Schultz looked at his commanding
officer, “Yes sir.”
Schultz left first the office, then
the building and walked across the compound to Barracks 2. From the window of his office, Klink watched
as Schultz entered the wooden frame building across the compound. He wondered what the SS man would do to
Hogan.
* * * * * * *
Schultz quietly entered the
barracks, went to the office at the end of the building and opened the
door. When he closed it, turned and
looked at the top bunk, he found Colonel Hogan sound asleep there. He walked over and shook the American
officer’s shoulder. “Colonel Hogan?”
“Huh?” Hogan asked, still half
asleep.
“Wake up, Colonel!” Schultz replied.
“What?” Hogan asked, opening his
eyes.
Schultz replied quietly, “The
Kommandant wants to see you.”
“What time is it?” Hogan asked
wearily.
Schultz checked his pocket
watch. “
“What does Klink want at this hour?”
asked Hogan.
“I don’t know. You are to come with me immediately,” replied
Schultz.
“All right. Give me a few minutes to get dressed,” Hogan
responded sleepily.
“I’ll wait outside the barracks,”
Schultz said.
“Thanks Schultz,” Hogan said.
Hogan wondered what the hell
Klink wanted with him and dressed quickly.
He pulled on his jacket, put on his cap and turned off the lights before
quietly opening the door leading to the main room of the barracks. He crossed to the main door, opened it,
walked outside and closed it quietly behind himself. Schultz was waiting for him just outside the
door.
“Sorry Colonel. I didn’t want to wake you at this hour,”
Schultz began as they slowly walked across the compound.
“Any idea what’s going on?” Hogan
asked.
Schultz looked at him with fear in
his eyes and replied, “No. All I know is
that there is some SS colonel here.”
“SS colonel? What’s he here for?”
Hogan tried not to let the unease he felt creep into his voice or show on his
face.
“I don’t know,” Schultz
replied. “Shortly after they entered the
Kommandant’s office, Klink called me in and told me to come and get you.”
By then they had crossed the
compound and Klink and the SS colonel were standing next to the black car
parked in front of Klink’s office. They
walked over to where the two officers stood.
“Herr Kommandant, Colonel Hogan as you requested,” Schultz said.
Klink replied, “Danke Schultz.”
“So, this is Colonel Hogan,” the SS
officer began derisively. “I am SS
Colonel Krantzmann, Counterintelligence Division.”
Hogan was suddenly very uneasy and
he thought, Calm down, Robert. This may
be nothing at all! With a slight nod of his head, Hogan acknowledged the
officer, “Colonel.”
The SS man signaled his men with a
slight nod. Suddenly, Hogan felt rough
hands grab his arms, slam his hands on the hood of the car, his legs were
kicked apart and he was thoroughly frisked.
Then, his arms were pulled behind him and he felt the cold steel of
handcuffs as they were put on his wrists.
Krantzmann opened the car door and
said, “Get in, Colonel Hogan. I’m taking
you to
“This is against the
“Silence!” Krantzmann shouted.
Hogan fell silent and as he bent
down to get into the car, someone hit him hard across his shoulders. He fell forward into the car, unconscious.
“Colonel!” Klink exclaimed,
appalled at Hogan’s treatment.
Krantzmann glared murderously at
Klink as though he was daring the Kommandant to further protest the prisoner’s
rough treatment. The SS man then got
into the car now that their prisoner was secure and said nothing other than,
“Driver, let’s go.” The driver started
the car.
Klink glimpsed Hogan’s unconscious
form as Krantzmann closed the door. When
the car turned around and went out the gate, he wondered what would become of
the American officer. The prisoners
would demand an explanation of their senior officer’s sudden
disappearance. He returned to his
office, removed his coat and hat and poured himself a glass of schnapps. His cuckoo clock read
Schultz entered the office and
asked, “Herr Kommandant? What will we tell the men in Barracks 2?”
“I don’t know, Schultz. I really don’t know,” Klink replied
wearily. He then downed the schnapps in
one draught.
* * * * * * *
Two hours later, at morning roll
call, Kinch and the others in Hogan’s group noticed their CO’s absence. Klink took Schultz’s report normally, and
then dismissed the men. Kinch wondered
what was wrong, Klink was never happy when Hogan missed a roll call, even if he
was deathly ill. Something was wrong and
he wanted to know what it was. He walked
over to where Carter and LeBeau were standing just outside the barracks door
and asked, “Where’s the colonel?”
“I don’t know,” Carter replied.
“He’s never missed a roll call
without a good reason and Klink didn’t say anything about his absence,” LeBeau
observed.
Newkirk came out of the
barracks. There was a concerned
expression on his face. “What is it?”
Kinch inquired.
Just then, Schultz came over to him,
“Kinch, the Kommandant wants to speak with you.”
“All right, Schultz. I’ll be there in a minute,” Kinch replied.
“I don’t have all day to give you a
minute!” Schultz snapped.
“Can I finish what I was saying to
the guys? You interrupted me,” said Kinch.
Schultz sighed. “All right.
I’ll wait over by the Kommandant’s office. But make it snappy!”
After Schultz left, Kinch said,
“This is our chance to find out what is going on and what happened to Colonel
Hogan.”
“I hope it ain’t somethin’ else, the
colonel’s not in his room,” Newkirk commented with the slightest hint of fear
in his voice.
“Me too. I want to survive this war,” Kinch said. He then turned and crossed the compound to
Klink’s office. When he and Schultz
entered, Kinch noticed Klink’s expression.
It was one of resignation.
“Sergeant Kinchloe reporting as ordered, sir.”
Klink sat down and said, “At
ease. I’m sure you’re wondering about
Colonel Hogan’s absence.”
“Yes. Where is he?” He inquired as he stood across
from the German.
Klink stood and went to the
window. He looked out at the compound
before answering, “Hogan was taken from camp early this morning by an SS
colonel who said he was going to take him to
Oh my God! Kinch thought and felt an
arctic chill run through him as his jaw dropped open in shock. “When did this happen? And why was he taken?”
Kinch asked.
“At five this morning. The SS colonel said that Hogan was suspected
of espionage,” replied Klink. “I find it
hard to believe myself. However, the
colonel had all the necessary paperwork to remove Hogan from here and take him
to
Kinch nodded. “Thank you for telling me, Herr
Kommandant. May I return to the
barracks?”
“Yes. Dismissed,” Klink replied.
Kinch saluted and left the
office. As he walked out of the
building, he felt scared as he headed across the compound to Barracks 2. The others aren’t going to believe this! I’ll
have to contact
“Well?” Carter asked.
“Not here,” Kinch replied.
“What?” Carter asked.
Kinch forced the emotions in his
mind down and as he headed for the tunnel entrance, he said, “Not yet. I need to confirm something.”
As they got up to follow him, he
turned his head slightly towards them and said in a tone that brooked no
arguments, “Alone.”
At that, he headed down to the radio
room in their tunnel. When he arrived,
he turned on the radio and called
A male voice said, “Go ahead, Papa
Bear.”
Kinch exhaled slowly as he said,
“Thank God you answered. Have you spoken
with
“No.
Why?” asked Wolfram.
“I just tried and they didn’t
answer,” Kinch replied, frustrated.
“Did you identify yourself as Papa
Bear?” Wolfram asked.
“Yes,” Kinch replied.
“I think that’s the problem,”
Wolfram said.
“Stop talking in riddles. What is going on?” Kinch asked quizzically.
“I’m not sure. I’ve only heard rumors. I’ll contact
Kinch closed their radio down and
looked at his watch. The next ten
minutes felt like an eternity.
Ten minutes later, after Wolfram
contacted
“Well? What did they say?” Kinch
asked.
“I’m not willing to discuss this
over the radio,” Wolfram replied.
Kinch’s brow rose in surprise. “All right.
2300 hours then?”
“Yes. The usual place?” asked Wolfram.
“I’ll be there,” Kinch replied as he
closed down the radio and considered what had happened in the last week. They’d had problems with several of their
operations. It was strange, like there
was someone sabotaging the missions.
“I’ll feel better when I know the whole story about what happened to
Colonel Hogan,” Kinch muttered to himself.
After speaking with Wolfram, Kinch
remained in the tunnel and cleaned his equipment several times to help pass the
time between now and tonight when he would meet with him. He didn’t want to go above until roll call as
the others would relentlessly assault him with questions and he had no
answers. He went to the spare room in
the tunnel to rest for a while before the afternoon roll call. He saw the picture on the table next to him
and his heart sank. It was of Hogan with
his fiancée Karla Hoffman. Should I tell
her about what happened? No. Not until I
know for sure exactly what happened and whether we can do anything about it.
* * * * * * *
Later that night, Kinch left and
went to the deserted farm a mile east of camp.
When he arrived and entered the barn, he found Wolfram already
there. He sat on a bail of hay next to
the man who had dark hair, was dressed in gray pants, a black turtleneck
sweater and coat and asked, “Well? What’s going on? Why couldn’t you tell me
what’s going on with regards to Hogan over the radio?”
“We have a problem,” a feminine
voice said from the shadows. The agent
known to them as Tiger came out of the shadows.
She was a medium height and had short, wavy blonde hair cropped closely
about her neck. She was dressed in a
gray skirt and a brown turtleneck sweater that fit her curvaceous body like a
glove.
“I thought you were in
“I was,” Tiger replied.
Wolfram said, “Kinch, what I’m about
to tell you, is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “
“What? Hogan was taken by our people?
Why?!” Kinch asked, incredulous.
“He’s being accused of treason,”
Wolfram replied
Kinch looked first at him, and then
at Tiger. His jaw hung open, his eyes
were bulging with shock and he was utterly speechless. “That’s…that’s crazy!” he finally replied.
Wolfram said, “I agree with
you. What do you know about the
situation?”
“I was told by the Kommandant that
the man who took Hogan away was an SS colonel and that he was being taken to
“Hmmm…” Wolfram mumbled.
“Did they say anything about the
rest of us?” asked Kinch.
“No,” Wolfram said. “Only that until further notice, absolutely
no one in the underground was to contact or assist you for any reason.”
“The two of you have already
disregarded those orders,” Kinch commented.
This time, it was Tiger who
responded. “Yes. We’re doing this because we care about
Hogan’s fate and that of his organization.
All of you have done much to help us against the Nazis. Neither he nor you deserves to be abandoned.”
“Thank you,” Kinch said. “I’m glad that someone cared enough to
disobey
“They think that you and the others
assisted Hogan in his treasonous activities unknowingly. No charges are being filed against you or
them,” Wolfram said.
“They’re really serious about
this?!” Kinch asked, relieved.
“Yes, they are,” Wolfram replied as
he stood and paced around the room.
“Okay Wolfram, now that I’m over the
shock, can you give me any details about how this happened?” Kinch inquired.
“No, but I can,” Tiger replied. Kinch turned towards Tiger and saw her
expression was strained and tired.
Tiger took a deep breath before
beginning. “From what I’ve been able to
find out from my contacts in
Incredulous, Kinch replied, “That’s
crazy!”
Tiger nodded and continued. “We suspect that there is an underground
network run by either Germans or German sympathizers very similar to the one
here in
“But why?” inquired Kinch. “And what would they hope to gain?”
Tiger shook her head and replied,
“We don’t know. The only other thing we
know is that once Hogan arrives in
“What?” Kinch asked.
Tiger nodded and watched Kinch’s
expression as he considered what she had just told him. Kinch closed his eyes and pinched the bridge
of his nose between his thumb and forefinger to ward off the headache that he
was starting to feel.
“What about our operation here?”
asked Kinch. “What can we do to try and
clear Hogan’s name and get him back here?”
Wolfram replied, “According to
Kinch’s brow furrowed when he asked,
“A scapegoat for what?”
“We don’t know, but I’ve got my
contacts in
Kinch closed his eyes for a moment
and felt relieved that someone was willing to help them clear Hogan’s
name. “Thanks, both of you. I’ll come up with something. I hope.
It’ll be hard with Hogan in
“What is it, Kinch?” Wolfram asked
as the devilish smile slowly appeared on the black sergeant’s face.
“I’ll need the underground’s
assistance to pull this off.” He briefly
described the basic idea of the plan he had in mind to Wolfram and Tiger.
When he was finished, the older man
said, “It’s a plan worthy of Hogan himself.
I’ll see to it that you’ve got all the assistance you need.”
Tiger replied, “Everyone in my
underground group will help, too.”
“Good,” Kinch replied, and then left
the barn to return to Stalag 13 where he would brief the others on his plan.
* * * * * * *
Kinch returned to the tunnel and
headed for the barracks. When he checked
his watch, he saw it was just after
Kinch quietly closed the office
door, turned on the desk lamp and opened the wooden locker. For an instant, he felt like he was violating
Hogan’s privacy. Then, he thought, If I
don’t do something to help Hogan, it won’t matter because they’ll either lock
him up for life or hang him for treason.
I can’t stand by and not do anything for him, he’s my friend!
Hogan had always treated Kinch like
an equal. The color his skin didn’t
matter to Hogan. He reached into the
locker, pulled out a small pile of envelopes addressed to Colonel Robert Hogan
and slid off the string which kept the pile neat. When he looked at the addresses, he found
several from
The office door opened just as he
closed the locker door and a nightshirt clad, half-awake Newkirk came in
followed by Carter and a yawning LeBeau.
“What’s goin’ on, Kinch?” Newkirk began.
“Yeah, what did Wolfram have to
say?” Carter asked.
“Well…” Kinch began as he checked
the window of Hogan’s office for eavesdroppers.
“Come on, mon ami! The suspense is
killing us!” LeBeau exclaimed quietly.
Kinch turned to face them. “Wolfram and Tiger informed me that Hogan has
been taken to
“What?!” Newkirk asked, shocked and
suddenly awake as though a bucket of ice water had been thrown on him.
Kinch nodded and looked at the floor
for a moment to order his thoughts before continuing. “According to Tiger, Hogan will be placed in
solitary confinement in an English POW camp.”
“What the bloody ‘ell for?” asked
Newkirk.
“Hogan’s being accused of treason,”
Kinch finished quietly.
The rafters supporting the roof
above them creaked and it sounded like a wrecking ball in the blanket of
silence that had suddenly descended upon the room. A pin dropping to the floor would have
sounded like pistol fire.
“You’re kiddin’!” Carter exclaimed
quietly as his jaw dropped open in shock.
“No, I’m not. I wish I was,” Kinch replied.
“Kinch, what are we gonna do?” Carter
inquired.
“Yeah, do you ‘ave any ideas of how
to rescue the guv’nr?” Newkirk asked.
“Yes, I do and it won’t be
easy. Now, here’s what we need to do…”
Kinch replied.
* * * * * * *
As Tiger headed back to
The next morning, Tiger arrived in
* * * * * * *
As the sun rose that morning in
“Sir? Do you have the sedative?” one
of the men asked as they lifted their prisoner into the plane.
“Yes. Remove the handcuffs and prepare him to be
injected. It’s imperative that he remain
unconscious for the whole trip,” Krantzmann replied.
Soon, they had strapped Hogan into
one of the seats and the colonel gave him the injection.
“There, it’s done. He won’t need another dose until after we
land, but keep a watchful eye on him.
He’s dangerous,” Krantzmann said.
“Yes sir,” the man replied as he
closed and secured the door of the plane.
The pilot called, “Everybody strap
themselves in back there! We’re ready to take off!”
Several hours later, the plane
landed at an isolated military airstrip just north of a town called
As they rode from the airstrip to
their destination, Krantzmann, whose real name was Wing Commander Sedgwick,
checked to make sure he had all the necessary papers that would secure Hogan in
this POW camp. On their arrival,
Sedgwick made sure there was an armed guard watching the prisoner before he
left the truck and entered the commandant’s outer office.
The commandant’s secretary looked up
and said, “Hello.”
Sedgwick noticed that she was an
attractive, red haired woman in her mid-thirties. “Hello.
Please inform the commandant that Wing Commander Sedgwick is here to see
him.”
“Just a moment, sir,” the secretary
said. She then lifted the phone’s
receiver and buzzed the commandant.
After giving the commandant his visitor’s name, she nodded, hung up the
phone and turned back to face Sedgwick.
“You may go right in, sir.”
Sedgwick entered the commandant’s
office and saw the beige walls that had various pictures of the English
landscape hanging on them. These were
combined with various military pictures and personal items scattered about the
office.
The commandant looked up from his
work when Sedgwick entered the office and saluted him. “Commander, I’m Group Captain Neville
Archer. What can I do for you?” Archer
asked.
“I’m Wing Commander Sedgwick. Sir, I have a very dangerous prisoner that
I’m handing over to you temporarily for safekeeping. I expect you to keep him in solitary
confinement until I return for him,” Sedgwick replied.
“How long will that be?” Archer
asked.
“It shouldn’t be more than a week,”
Sedgwick replied. “Beyond that, I’ll let
you know.”
“What’s so special about him?”
Archer demanded.
Sedgwick frowned and replied, “I’m
sorry, sir, but I can’t tell you. That’s
on a ‘need to know’ basis.”
“I’m the one that will be guarding
the prisoner. Therefore, I need to
know,” Archer protested.
“I’m not authorized to tell you
anything except that this man is suspected of treason against the Allies and
that he is to speak to no one. Is that
clear?”
“Perfectly,” Archer replied.
“Show me where the solitary cells
are and I’ll have my men bring him from the truck,” Sedgwick finished.
They left the office and went
outside. Sedgwick motioned to the men in
the truck who were guarding the prisoner to follow him. The men carried Hogan’s limp form down from
the truck and followed their CO to the solitary confinement building. Hogan’s feet dragged the ground.
“Why is he unconscious?” Archer
asked.
“Because he’s such a dangerous man,
we sedated him. Once he wakes, he’ll be
groggy and unable to move a whole lot.
That’s the side effect of the sedative.
Whoever brings him food should not say anything and leave immediately,”
Sedgwick replied.
Archer thought for a moment before
commenting, “You stacked the deck against your prisoner, didn’t you?”
“Yes. This man is very important. We believe he knows the locations and
identities of all our spies in
“That bloody traitor!” Archer swore.
When they arrived at the cell,
Sedgwick walked in and checked for any possible means of escape such as
tunnels, sliding doors or panels.
“Is there a problem?” Archer asked
as Sedgwick came out and signaled his men.
“No, I’m just doing a security check
before we leave this prisoner here,” Sedgwick replied. He noticed that the solitary confinement cell
was small, dark and damp.
When they put Hogan into the cell,
the commandant asked, “Isn’t that an American uniform?”
Sedgwick nodded. “He’s to see no one.”
“Yes, I agree. Does he have a name?” Archer asked.
“Not that you need to know and the
name on his uniform is phony. Now, he’s
all yours for a week and he’d better not escape,” Sedgwick replied. Once the cell door was closed and locked,
Sedgwick felt much better. His men had
already left the building and would be waiting at the truck.
Sedgwick and Archer left the
building and neither man said anything.
Once they were outside, Sedgwick saluted Archer and said, “Good bye,
sir.”
“Good bye,” Archer replied. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”
Outside and across the
compound, the evening roll call was occurring and the ranking POW in the camp,
a Luftwaffe major by the name of Kurt Gertenfelt observed the new prisoner
being taken to the solitary confinement cells and wondered what was going
on. The commandant returned to his
office after hearing the report that all of his prisoners were present and
accounted for.
After the truck drove out the front
gate, the major crossed the compound and entered the commandant’s office. “Herr Kommandant?” asked Gertenfelt.
“Yes, Major?” Archer asked in reply.
Gertenfelt continued, “Was that a
new prisoner that was just put into solitary?”
“Yes,” Archer said.
“As senior POW, I have the right
under the Geneva Convention to see any prisoner and advise him of his rights.”
“No, Major. You may not see this prisoner under any
circumstances. He’s a top security
prisoner and will only be here for a week and will see no one, is that clear?
You’re dismissed,” Archer said tersely.
“Perfectly, Herr Kommandant,”
Gertenfelt muttered in reply, then turned and left the office. On his way back to the barracks, he thought,
I wonder what is so special about this prisoner?
When Gertenfelt entered the barracks
a few minutes later, one of his fellow prisoners, an Italian corporal, asked,
“What was all that about?”
“They’ve brought in a top security
prisoner of some sort,” Gertenfelt began.
“He’s being held in solitary and is to be here no longer than a
week. The Kommandant won’t let me near
him. I believe it’s in our best
interests to contact the prisoner and assist him to escape.”
“So what do we do?” the Italian
asked.
“I get in via our good friend, the
sergeant,” Gertenfelt replied.
“Will he let you in there?” the
Italian asked.
“Probably not,” replied
Gertenfelt. “Or at least, he won’t
intentionally allow me in to see the prisoner.
You will cook him some of his favorite dish.”
“Not Yorkshire pudding! I thought he
didn’t like it the last time I made it,” the Italian said.
Gertenfelt grinned when he replied,
“No. Later, he told me how much he
enjoyed it. He said that if the other
guards knew how good it was, he wouldn’t get his fair share.”
The Italian nodded. “I’ll do it.
So, the sergeant will smell it, come to the barracks and you’ll convince
him that you won’t tell the Kommandant that he’s fraternizing with us if he
allows you to see the prisoner.”
“Precisely. And if that doesn’t work, one of you will
steal his keys and I’ll sneak over there,” Gertenfelt finished.
Soon, the smell of Yorkshire pudding
was wafting throughout the barracks. One
of the men opened a window and was fanning it outside. The major watched with amusement as he
wondered about the English. What a
strange people!
* * * * * * *
Across the compound in the solitary
cell, Hogan began to wake up as the effects of the sedative wore off. What happened? Where am I? he thought, his
mind still groggy. He closed his eyes
for a few minutes and when he opened them again, felt somewhat better. The place where he’d been hit was still very
sore. He looked around and saw that he
was in a cell of some sort. When he
listened for the presence of other prisoners, he heard nothing. They must have me in some sort of solitary
confinement. Why did they knock me out?
He wondered as a cold chill came over him.
A few minutes later, Hogan heard a
door open and tried to move. What the
hell? Why can’t I move? he thought.
Hogan felt a wave of panic start to overwhelm him. A key rattled, and then turned in the lock
and the cell door slowly opened. Hogan
crushed all thoughts of panic. It was
more important to find out what was going on now. A man dressed in a Luftwaffe uniform
entered. He couldn’t see the man’s rank
insignia in the dimness of the cell.
Hogan asked, “What’s going on here?”
“That’s what I was going to ask you,
friend,” the man whispered in German-accented English.
Hogan was surprised by his visitor’s
response and asked, “What do you mean?”
“Shhh. Be quiet.
I’m not supposed to be here. I’m
Major Gertenfelt, the senior POW officer here,” the man said to introduce
himself.
Confused, Hogan asked, “Where am I?”
“You are in a prisoner of war camp
an hour north of
“What?” Hogan asked, his eyes
bulging with shock.
“Are you a spy that was captured?
Who are you?” asked Gertenfelt in reply.
“No.
I...,” Hogan stuttered, and then replied with the first name that came
to mind, “I am SS Colonel Johann Strassburg.”
Gertenfelt exclaimed quietly, “An SS
Colonel? Mein Gott! We’ve got to get you out of here, sir!”
“But how?” Hogan asked.
“I’ll think of something,”
Gertenfelt replied. The major clasped
Hogan’s shoulder in a show of comradeship.
Hogan tried to lift a hand to remove the German’s hand from his shoulder,
but found that he couldn’t. Gertenfelt
noticed this and asked, “Are you hurt?”
“Someone hit me across my shoulders
and knocked me out. I feel queasy, too,”
Hogan replied.
The major thought for a minute
before commenting, “It sounds like you’ve been drugged.”
“So much for the Geneva Convention,”
Hogan replied. They chuckled at that
comment. “Seriously, I can hardly move.”
“I’ll see what I can arrange,”
Gertenfelt said. “Perhaps you will feel
better soon. Is there anything you
need?”
“To get out of here,” Hogan replied.
A man outside the door said, “Herr
Major! Someone’s coming!”
“We’ll talk again as soon as I can
get back over here. They’re not allowing
anyone to see you for some reason. Don’t
tell them anything. Wiedersehen,”
Gertenfelt said.
“Danke. Wiedersehen,” Hogan said.
After the German major left, Hogan
considered what the man had said and wasn’t reassured despite the major’s
promise to think of something. How many
times have I told someone that when they were hiding from the Nazis at Stalag 13?
Now I know how they felt, afraid and uncertain, Hogan thought as he closed his
eyes. Why am I in an English POW camp?
Surely that can’t be! I was to be taken to
* * * * * * *
Major Gertenfelt returned to his
barracks after his brief visit to solitary to speak to the prisoner. He felt tired and irritable when he entered
the barracks and headed for his quarters.
A prisoner followed him to his quarters at the far end of the barracks.
“Well? What happened, Herr Major?
What did you find out?” the thin, blond-haired Luftwaffe lieutenant asked.
Gertenfelt closed his office
door. “I want this to be kept between
the two of us. The prisoner said he was
an SS colonel.”
“No wonder the Brits are making such
a fuss over him!” the lieutenant exclaimed in a whisper.
Gertenfelt nodded and continued, “He
said his name is Johann Strassburg.
Apparently, these filthy Brits gave him a drug to knock him out while
they transported him here.”
“So? That’s not unusual,” the
lieutenant commented.
“There seems to be a side effect to
this drug. It’s weakened him so much
that he can hardly move. When he did
move, he seemed to be in a lot of pain.”
“Mein Gott! That’s against the
Geneva Convention!” the lieutenant commented.
“If that isn’t, then the fact that
I’ve not been allowed to see him and advise him of his rights under the Geneva
Convention certainly is,” Gertenfelt said.
“Why haven’t you been allowed to see
him?” the lieutenant asked.
Gertenfelt shrugged and replied, “I
don’t know. The commandant won’t allow
it for some reason. He won’t tell me
why.”
“When’s the next outside inspection
of this place?” the lieutenant asked.
“I believe a German inspector will
be coming in the next day or two. I’ll
make sure they know what’s going on here.
This is an outrage.”
Just then someone knocked on the
door. It opened and was the barracks
sergeant who said, “Major, the commandant wants to see you.”
Gertenfelt sighed. “All right.”
He followed the sergeant out of the barracks and across the
compound. When they entered the office,
the commandant’s pretty secretary smiled at Gertenfelt. While he waited to go into the office, he
asked in a soft tone, “Do you know the name of the next inspector who is coming
to inspect this place in a couple of days?”
“No.
The inspection schedule isn’t due out until tomorrow. I can let you know if you like,” the woman
replied softly.
“Danke,
mein Liebchen,” Gertenfelt said. After his brief visit with
the commandant, he returned to the barracks.
As Gertenfelt crossed the compound, he thought, Maybe we’ll get lucky
and the inspector will be a sexy German woman!
He shook his head and sighed. “I
can dream.”
* * * * * * *
Back at Stalag 13, the men of
Barracks 2 had fallen out for the evening roll call. A black car entered camp through the main
gate and pulled up in front of the office building. When Klink was returning to his office after
receiving Schultz’s report, he saw an officer get out of the car. The officer came up to him and saluted
him. Klink returned the salute and
indicated for the officer to follow him to his office.
The Gestapo man handed Klink his
identification papers as well as another sheaf of papers. According to his identification papers, the
man was a Gestapo lieutenant colonel.
His visitor had dark hair and a dark mustache. Aside from his taller frame, the man could
have been Hochstetter’s double, Klink noticed.
When he read the other papers in his hand, he was shocked. This man wanted to take two more of his
prisoners to
“Why all this sudden interest in my
prisoners?” Klink asked, suspicious.
“We have been ordered by the SS
colonel that took your other prisoner earlier today to secure these two men as
he needs to confirm that man’s answers to his questions,” the Gestapo man
replied.
Klink was surprised that Hogan would
talk under any circumstances. That SS
colonel had done more than either he or General Burkhalter or even Hochstetter
had been able to do -- he’d gotten Hogan to talk and to say something. He shook his head and refused to consider the
matter any further. It’s better to let
the Gestapo do whatever they want.
Nodding, Klink said, “I’ll arrange for a truck.”
“No need for that, Herr Kommandant,
I’ve already arranged for a truck to arrive here shortly and transport these
men to
“I’ll have my sergeant bring the
prisoners here at once,” Klink replied as he opened the door and motioned for
Schultz to enter the office. “Schultz,
please bring Corporal Newkirk and Sergeant Carter over here at once, this officer
will be taking them to
Schultz looked afraid for a moment
but then saluted and replied, “Yes sir!”
Soon, Schultz arrived with Newkirk
and Carter. A truck entered camp just
after the prisoners were in Klink’s office.
It pulled up behind the car and several Gestapo men came out of the back
of the truck. “All right, Colonel, here
are these two prisoners. Uh, will any of
these men be coming back to us?” Klink asked the man quietly.
The officer looked at him and
replied in a calm, flat tone, “Of course!”
Klink’s expression was one of fear
when the officer replied to his query.
He thought that he would never see any of these men alive again and
watched as the two prisoners were herded into the back of the truck and handcuffed.
The lieutenant colonel saluted
Klink, and then got in his car and left the camp with the truck following. When the car was out of sight of Stalag 13,
the lieutenant colonel sighed and said to himself, “At least that part of the
plan worked.” He drove to the deserted
farm a mile east of Stalag 13 and parked.
Carter and Newkirk watched as
the man who had handcuffed them now released them. The Gestapo officer came around and climbed
into the back of the truck. “I spoke to
Tiger today and she told me where Hogan is being held. Since we’re going against
“What contact?” Carter asked,
mystified.
“I don’t know. He said that this person would help us clear
Hogan’s name and gave me their address in
“Wolfram, I didn’t know you were a
pilot,” Carter said.
“Yes, but the underground didn’t
need pilots, just people who believed in something other than Hitler. It’s not well known that I can fly and I want
it to stay that way,” Wolfram replied.
“Let’s go,” Newkirk said.
“First, you two need to change
clothes,” Wolfram said as he handed Carter and Newkirk civilian clothes.
Soon, they were in the air and
headed for
“Well, Newkirk, how’s it feel to be
going home?” Carter asked.
“This ain’t the bleedin’ end o’ the
war! I don’t get to stay here when the mission’s done!” Newkirk snapped.
Carter chuckled at his English
friend.
“What’s so bloody funny?” Newkirk
asked.
“You,” Carter replied. “That outfit looks terrible on you!”
“And what would you bleedin’
suggest?” Newkirk demanded.
“I’d suggest that you stick to
wearing your old lady costume,” Carter replied and burst into a fit of
laughter.
“Oh, I oughtta murder you!” Newkirk
muttered.
“It’s a wonder you two are still
alive, with all your bickering!” Wolfram said, frustrated with their petty
arguing.
“What?” Newkirk asked.
“I’m surprised Hogan hasn’t killed
the two of you,” Wolfram replied.
“He can’t! He needs us!” Carter
exclaimed, indignant.
“Good, so shut up and let me land
this thing in one piece,” Wolfram said.
Shortly after that, the plane
landed. After taxiing to a halt, he shut
off the engine. Tiger was waiting for
them in a car. When they were all in the
car, she started it and headed for
“Let’s go see this person. We need to get Hogan out of that camp as soon
as possible,” Wolfram said.
“I couldn’t agree with you more,
mate,” Newkirk commented quietly.
“Yeah, me too,” Carter said, his
tone serious.
An hour later, Tiger parked in front
of a small, wood frame house on the northern outskirts of
* * * * * * *
Inside the house, a blonde haired
woman put the book she was reading down on the table next to her, stood and
crossed the room to answer the door.
When she opened it, she saw four people standing there, two of whom were
looking towards the street as though they thought they were being followed.
“Come in, quickly!” she said.
After they entered, she closed the
door behind them. Two of them whirled
around and pointed their guns at her.
Then they recognized her. “What
are you doing here?” Newkirk asked, incredulous as he and Carter put away their
guns.
“I live here,” she replied. Her eyes bulged in shock as she recognized
the two POWs. “Why aren’t you two in
Stalag 13?” she asked.
“Do you know her?” the blonde woman
in the group asked Newkirk.
“Yes. This is Karla Hoffman. We helped her escape from
“A German?!” Tiger inquired, her
tone acid. “We were told that you could
help us, not betray us and get us killed!”
“Yes, I am German. As far as the rest, that depends on why you
need help. I have no intention of
getting you killed,” Karla replied icily as she stared at the Frenchwoman who clearly
didn’t trust her because she was German.
What is it with these French? Karla wondered. Karla noticed that Wolfram, as a German,
wasn’t pleased with Tiger’s statement either.
Wolfram began, “I was informed that
you would be willing to assist us in our mission.”
Karla looked towards Carter who had
a hopeful look on his face and said, “I’ll do what I can. What’s your mission?”
“Colonel Hogan has been brought to
“What?!” Karla inquired, concerned
and utterly shocked. “Why?!”
“Let’s sit down and I’ll explain,”
Wolfram said. They sat on the couch and
chairs in the living room and he told Karla what they knew about Hogan’s
situation.
When he finished, Karla exclaimed,
“Treason? That’s crazy!”
“Yeah, we thought so, too. We’re not sure what headquarters has in mind,
but we think that Hogan’s been set up to take a fall for someone else’s
treachery. Perhaps there’s a double
agent here who needs to get some heat off himself,” Wolfram said.
“I’ll work with you to get Hogan out
of there. What did you have in mind?”
Karla asked.
Wolfram replied, “Kinch’s idea was
to forge some papers and get Hogan out of the POW camp under an assumed
name. He thought we could masquerade as
intelligence agents or something like that.”
Now that she knew what Kinch’s idea
was, Karla asked, “Do you have the necessary papers to get Hogan out of there?”
“Yes, but we have no plausible
German name for Hogan and no way to inform him of it if we had one. We may need to inform the British of a name,
you know.”
“Yes, I know,” Karla replied. She thought for a moment. “I have a name for Hogan.”
“What is it?” Carter asked.
“Hogan’s name will be listed on the
papers as SS Colonel Johann Strassburg,” replied Karla.
“Huh? I don’t get it,” Carter said.
“We can’t just waltz in there. What we need is to get someone in there
disguised as a German inspector,” Tiger began.
“According to my contacts, that’s the easiest way to get inside a POW
camp.”
“Can we pull it off? Where will we
find someone to go in there dressed convincingly as a German inspector?”
Wolfram asked. “I don’t know enough
about the military to pull it off.”
“And we need Newkirk and Carter to
play an English officer and an American officer,” Tiger finished.
Karla stood, walked over to a
closet, pulled a key from her pocket, unlocked the door and opened it. She reached in and pulled out an opaque
garment bag. When she turned it to face
them and unzipped it, they saw a black uniform.
“I’ll go as the German inspector.
You said you needed some rank to get Hogan out of there, right Wolfram?”
“Yes. Where did you…?” Wolfram asked, astounded.
“Where did I get this? This is my
old uniform. I was a full Colonel in the
SD. Is that enough rank to get him out?”
Karla asked.
Wolfram looked at Karla with
doubt-filled eyes. Tiger stared at her,
her mouth agape. The French woman was
clearly surprised that Karla would do this and by the expression on her face,
Tiger was curious what her motivation was for helping them.
“Yes, I think so. Aren’t inspectors usually male?” Wolfram
continued.
Tiger shook her head and replied,
“Not necessarily. However, we’ll need to
make arrangements for the normal inspector to be sent elsewhere. My people can handle the details for arranging
the inspection party to be made up of you, Newkirk and Carter.”
“We’ll have Newkirk in the guise of
an Air Commodore in the RAF to escort you,” Wolfram replied.
“At least we allow German inspectors
into our POW camps to see how well their men are being treated,” Tiger muttered.
“Karla, do you have the appropriate
identification to go with this uniform?” Wolfram asked.
Karla heard the edge in the other
woman’s voice and replied, “Yes. I still
have my ID.” She pulled it from one of
the uniform’s pockets and showed it to Wolfram.
“How will we tell Hogan what his
name will be?” Carter asked.
“If I get the chance to be alone
with him, I’ll tell him. He’ll recognize
it,” Karla replied.
On the other side of the room,
Tiger whispered to Newkirk, “Are you sure we can trust Karla?”
“Yes,” replied Newkirk.
“I’m not. You can never trust someone who was in the
Nazi Secret Service, no matter what they may say to convince you
otherwise.” When he said nothing, Tiger
tried a different tack, “Would Hogan trust her?”
“Yes,” Newkirk answered.
Tiger’s eyes narrowed suspiciously
and Newkirk realized that he had replied too quickly and confidently. “You say that as if you know it for a fact,”
Tiger stated.
Whoops! Think fast, Peter! “No, but
I know Hogan,” Newkirk said.
“So do I and Hogan wouldn’t trust
this woman with his life,” replied Tiger.
Karla and Wolfram had stopped
talking and were now listening intently to Tiger and Newkirk. Carter was at the window watching the street
and totally oblivious to the conversation between Tiger and Newkirk.
“We’ve got no choice but to trust
her!” Newkirk protested.
“I can put on that uniform and do
just as good a job as she’ll do for us!” Tiger replied.
“No,” Newkirk said firmly.
“You don’t understand!” Tiger protested.
“Yes, I do. Karla owes Hogan her life and is willing to
put it on the line for him.” Blimey! I
can’t say anything else without saying that Hogan loves Karla and is engaged to
her!
“I owe Hogan my life too! What can
this filthy bosche bitch mean to him? Besides, I love him!” Tiger
exclaimed. Newkirk put his arm around
her shoulders and felt her trembling. He
saw the desire, anxiety and loneliness in Tiger’s eyes and found himself
wanting to ease the pain she held within her soul. And he wanted to ease his own loneliness with
her.
They suddenly noticed that
they were the only ones talking. Even
Carter was paying attention now. After
this last statement, Newkirk and Carter looked at Karla for her reaction. Karla was furious, her eyes were narrowed and
she quietly said, “I may be German, but I’m not a ‘filthy bosche’ as you French
like to call us. I am a woman who loves
Hogan and he loves me. I think that I
mean a great deal to him or else he wouldn’t have asked me to marry him!”
Wolfram and Tiger stared at her,
their expressions frozen in a state of shock.
“No! That can’t be!” Tiger exclaimed angrily.
“It’s true. We’re going to find each other after the war
and get married,” Karla replied.
“She’s telling the truth,” Newkirk
said quietly.
Tiger stared at him and realized
that as he was at Stalag 13, he would know the truth of the matter. “What?!” she whispered.
“Yes, Tiger. Colonel Hogan is engaged to Karla. I’m sorry.”
Tiger glared jealously at Karla,
then stood and went into the next room. She slammed the door, sat on the bed and
looked out the window. She didn’t hear
what was happening in the other room and was so upset at the moment that she
honestly didn’t care. Once she relaxed
and her eyes adjusted to the moonlit room, she looked around. Her gaze fell upon a picture on the small table
next to the bed. She stood, walked over,
picked it up and looked at it. Hogan and
this bitch were sitting together and he had his arm around her. I thought you loved me, Hogan! How could you
do this to me?! Tiger whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek.
“Get a grip on yourself, Marie
Louise,” she muttered to herself.
“You’re a grown woman, not an infatuated child.” In her past love life, she had been the one
to ditch the man. Now, she found herself
on the receiving end. However, she had
never told Hogan how she felt about him.
After returning the picture to its place, she straightened her clothes
and took a few deep breaths to calm herself.
Then, she opened the door and returned to the living room where the
others were relaxing over tea.
* * * * * * *
“I wouldn’t have said anything, but
she had to know the truth of the matter,” Karla said after the bedroom door
slammed.
“I know. I wasn’t going to say anything either. The colonel didn’t want anyone besides us in
“Ahem!” Wolfram cleared his
throat. The remaining people in the room
turned and looked at him. He continued,
“Can we return to the matter at hand? Namely that of Hogan’s rescue?”
Karla nodded and said, “What will
happen after the war will be a moot point if we don’t clear Hogan’s name and
rescue him now.”
“This is the first really good tea
I’ve had in several years!” Newkirk said after he’d poured himself a second
cup.
Carter rolled his eyes heavenward at
that comment. “Newkirk, it figures that
all you’re interested in is a cup of tea.”
“Of course, mate. Tea and ladies, what else is there in life?”
Newkirk replied jovially.
“I’m glad it’s to your liking,
Newkirk,” Karla said.
Everyone laughed just as Tiger
walked back into the room then and lightly placed her hand on Karla’s
shoulder. She looked up and Tiger
quietly asked, “May I have a word with you?”
Karla nodded once, stood and excused
herself before following Tiger into the kitchen. “Yes?” she asked.
Tiger leaned against the table and
looked out the window over the sink for a moment before beginning, “If...if you
and Hogan are really engaged, then I’ll stay away. I…I didn’t know.”
“Danke. Does Hogan know how you feel about him?”
Karla asked.
“No.
I never told him. I suppose that
was stupid on my part,” Tiger replied as she crossed her arms over her
chest. “I naively assumed that Hogan
felt the same way towards me.”
“Right now, we must concentrate our
efforts on rescuing Hogan. How either of
us feels about him won’t make a damn bit of difference if he is shot as a
traitor,” Karla said quietly.
“I agree,” Tiger said.
“Do you or your contacts have any
idea who is behind Hogan’s current problems?” Karla asked.
The part of Tiger that was jealous
wanted to scream, Yes, I do. It’s you,
you bitch! That didn’t suit their current purpose. “Not yet.
Our only lead is the spy who reported Hogan wearing a German uniform. His superior officer reports to an
Undersecretary by the name of Medwin,” Tiger replied.
“Okay. Please have your people keep an eye on this
Medwin. Now here’s what we decided to
do…” Karla said as she briefed Tiger on the plan to rescue Hogan.
Tiger contacted several members of
the underground who would make the arrangements for them to go to the POW camp
the next day.
* * * * * * *
In the cell, Hogan tried to regain
some mobility in his body. Every move
was painful. He decided to catch up on
some sleep. The pain eventually subsided
and he dozed off. When he woke later, he
wondered what time it was. Out of habit,
he looked at his left wrist for his watch.
It wasn’t there. “Damn! I forgot
to put on my watch before going to see Klink.”
He looked over by the door and saw a tray with some food on it. It was the typical slop that he assumed the
prisoners ate. Then, the door of his
cell opened. A British private entered
long enough to take away the untouched food tray.
“Wait a minute!” Hogan cried
out. The private looked at him. “What time is it?” The private completely
ignored him and continued with his task.
Later that night, the German major came to see him again. If the British wouldn’t tell him, Hogan
thought, at least this man would.
Hogan was relieved to see Gertenfelt
and asked, “What time is it, Major?”
“It’s almost
Hogan sighed, “I’m tired, weak and
hungry.”
Gertenfelt looked over by the
door. “Wasn’t there food over by the
door?”
Hogan replied, “Yes, but I thought
it might be poisoned so I didn’t eat it.”
He shook his head, “I can’t risk it.”
“I won’t ask what your assignment
here was, but it’s obviously important enough to have someone of your rank
here,” Gertenfelt began. Hogan nodded
and he continued, “The food here is okay to eat. I don’t think they’ll poison you.”
“I won’t eat until either I’m forced
to do so or I can escape, which isn’t very likely in my current condition,”
Hogan commented quietly.
“Have you regained movement in your
limbs?” Gertenfelt asked.
“Yes, I have, to a degree. At least it’s not as painful to move as it
was before.” Hogan stared at the far
wall and thought about the previous night.
He’d dreamt about Karla. If she
knew where I was, I suspect that she would try and rescue me, he thought.
Hogan’s mind was brought back to
reality when he felt the major shaking his shoulder and whispering urgently,
“Sir! Herr Oberst! Are you all right?”
Hogan blinked. “Huh? Oh, sorry Herr Major. Please continue.”
“There will be an inspector arriving
here tomorrow. I’ll do everything I can
to ensure that they know of your presence here and that I’ve not been allowed
to see you or advise you of your rights under the Geneva Convention. Once I’ve done that, the inspector will no
doubt demand to see you.”
“Inspector?” Hogan asked, curious.
Gertenfelt nodded. “The English allow a German inspector to come
and see how their prisoners are being treated.”
Hogan’s brow rose in surprise and he
asked, “Oh? I never thought that they would allow any Germans to come here
except as prisoners.”
“This is the one exception to that
rule. We are usually able to smuggle
uncensored letters home with the help of these inspectors.” Gertenfelt chuckled. “The guards here in the camp are so stupid.”
“Do you know who the inspector is?”
Hogan asked.
“No, it’s usually someone different
every time. This afternoon, the
commandant’s secretary told me that the one coming tomorrow is a woman. That’s something we could all use more of,
eh?” Gertenfelt replied with a sly wink.
Hogan laughed at Gertenfelt’s
comment. “Yeah, I know I sure
could.” Rubbing his chin, Hogan
continued, “I guess I look pretty bad.
Even if she is a beautiful German war maiden, I’m dirty, grimy and
unshaven. That’s not the way to catch a
woman.”
“Don’t worry about it sir. The worse you look, the more likely you’ll
get pity from her,” Gertenfelt replied.
“You’re right, I didn’t think about
it that way,” Hogan said.
“So, as far as these Brits are
concerned, you’re an American Colonel?” Gertenfelt asked.
“Yes,” Hogan replied.
The man in the hallway knocked twice
on the door to indicate the guard was returning. “Wiedersehen,” Gertenfelt said.
“Wiedersehen,” Hogan replied.
The next morning, his fourth in this
smelly, dirty and moldy cell, Hogan woke and saw that someone had left some
fresh food for him. He crawled over to
the tray and found that the plate was still tantalizingly warm. Since being confined in this solitary cell
with an unknown and uncertain future, he’d thought more about Karla and his
family than he had in a long time. He
tried to push these thoughts out of his mind.
It wouldn’t do him any good to start down that path, instead, his
thoughts turned to why he was in
* * * * * * *
Early the next morning, Karla woke
after a long night filled with nightmares, crawled out of bed and put on her
bra and panties. She crossed the room to
her closet, opened the door, reached in, pulled out her old uniform and started
to dress. “I never thought I’d put on
this thing again,” she muttered. Someone
knocked twice on her bedroom door. “Who
is it?” Karla inquired as she finished tucking her shirt into her skirt. She started pinning her long hair into a bun
at the back of her neck.
“It’s Newkirk! Are you ready?” asked
Newkirk.
“Just a minute,” replied Karla.
When she opened her bedroom door,
Newkirk entered and was wearing what she assumed was an RAF air commodore’s
uniform.
“I hope we’re not too late to get
Colonel ‘ogan out of that bloody POW camp! I could be ruddy court-martialed for
impersonatin’ an officer!” Newkirk exclaimed.
“And I could be deported from
“Are you sure that you can go through
with this?” Newkirk asked.
Karla nodded and replied, “I must do
everything in my power to save Hogan.”
Carter sauntered into the room
dressed in an American major’s uniform and said, “I’ll be driving the car. Wolfram is driving the truck and Tiger will
be dressed as the commodore’s secretary.”
“Tiger’s group made arrangements for
the inspector that was supposed to go to this camp today to be sent elsewhere,”
Newkirk began as Karla put on her tunic, buttoned it, and then reached for a
navy blue cloak to cover her uniform.
She hid her cap in a small black cloth bag.
“Good. Is everyone ready? The car is parked
outside,” Carter said.
“Yes. Tiger, did you contact your people to follow
up on those leads to find out who is responsible for all this?” Karla asked.
“Yes. They are making progress but wouldn’t give me
the details over the phone,” Tiger replied.
They left the house then, walked out
to the car and got in. Carter got into
the driver’s seat, started the car and followed the truck north towards where
the POW camp was located. Several hours
later, the truck stopped at a pub run by members of Tiger’s group and Wolfram
remained there with the truck while they took the car and continued to the POW
camp.
Newkirk asked, “Are you ready,
love?” Tiger nodded.
Karla unfastened her cloak and
added, “I’m ready too, Air Commodore. Or
I’m as ready as I’m going to be. Do you
remember what I said about Hogan’s name?”
“Yes. If we make any reference to Hogan, it will be
using the name on these papers, Colonel Johann Strassburg. By the way, ‘ow’s he supposed to recognize
that name?” Newkirk asked.
Karla replied, “He’ll recognize
it. It’s the name of my late fiancé.”
Both Tiger and Newkirk’s eyes
widened in amazement. “Your late
what?!?” Newkirk asked, shocked. “You
mean that you were engaged before you met Colonel ‘ogan?!”
Karla nodded. “However, Johann was killed in
Newkirk’s expression relaxed. “Sorry.
I didn’t know.”
“Okay, we’re almost there,” Carter
interrupted. “Wolfram’s in position with
the truck at the pub. Tiger’s people are
ready to receive any inquiries about us and they’re monitoring the airwaves as
well as the phones. Karla, do you have
the phone number where Wolfram can be reached?”
“Jawohl. Here we go,” Karla commented as the car was
stopped at the gate moments later.
The guard at the gate asked Carter,
“Who are you and what is your business here?”
“I am Major Carter, aide to Air
Commodore Newkirkson. He’s escorting a
German officer who is here to make an inspection of this camp. We’re expected,” Carter replied.
“Yes, sir! The commandant’s office
is over there,” the guard replied and indicated which building they should go
to.
Carter parked the car in front of
the commandant’s office building, got out and opened the rear car door for
them. Newkirk lightly squeezed Tiger’s
hand before she left the car, and then followed. When the women emerged from the car, there
were catcalls and whistles from the prisoners.
As they headed towards the building, the door opened and a sergeant
stepped out, followed by an officer.
“I am the camp commandant, Group
Captain Neville Archer, at your service, Major, Commodore and…” The commandant looked at Karla and stammered,
“Uh…May I inquire who you are, madam?”
Karla replied, “I am Colonel Hoffman
of the SS.” She handed him her ID and he
examined it.
Archer handed Karla’s ID back to her
and asked, “Isn’t it unusual for the SS to inspect a POW camp?”
“No one else was available,” replied
Karla.
“Oh.
Shall we begin the inspection?” asked Archer.
“Of course,” replied Karla.
“Please follow me,” Archer began as
they left the office. He turned and
walked away from the barracks. They
visited many of the facilities of the camp and Karla was bored senseless, but
had to suffer through it until they finally got to visit with the prisoners. Perhaps she looked bored, because the next
thing she knew, Archer said, “We’ll visit with the senior POW officer now.”
They crossed the compound and
entered the first wooden frame building they came across. It looked very much like the barracks she’d
seen at Stalag 13. The sergeant entered
first and called the prisoners to attention.
Archer and his party followed, and then the sergeant closed the door.
“This is a typical barracks and
these are some of our prisoners,” Archer began and smiled deprecatingly at her.
Karla stared at him. “Where is the senior POW officer?” she
demanded. I’m amazed at how I can still
sound like I’m in the SS! she thought.
Just then, an inner door opened to
her right and a Luftwaffe major entered the room. “This is our senior POW officer. His name is…”
“My name is Herr Major Kurt
Gertenfelt,” the German greeted her in their native tongue and bowed to her in
the manner of a gentleman. “I have some
complaints.”
“I am Colonel Hoffman of the
SS.” She knew that she had to hear out
his complaints and didn’t miss his swift inspection of her body. “Perhaps we can go into your office?” asked
Karla. Gertenfelt nodded, started
towards the room at the end of the barracks and she followed.
“Um, Colonel, that’s not allowed,”
Archer said.
Karla whirled around to face the
commandant. “And WHY not?! This man
wishes to speak to me privately about some complaints that he has and I feel
that in your presence, he won’t be able to without fear of retribution after
I’ve left.” Newkirk was surprised at her
tone and she hoped the commandant didn’t notice the look of surprise on the
Englishman’s face. She turned and
stalked towards the room at the end of the barracks and the major silently
followed.
Once they were inside his office
with the door closed, Gertenfelt said, “Danke, Frau Oberst.”
Glancing around, Karla noticed how
similar these quarters were to Hogan’s at Stalag 13. She decided it would be best if they spoke in
German and said, “Quickly, we don’t have much time. What are your complaints?”
Gertenfelt replied, “The main one is
that there is a man who is being held in solitary confinement that no one has
been allowed to see, not even me. I
think he may be one of our spies and it would be to our advantage to assist him
to escape.”
“I agree. I’ll demand to see him. The commandant can’t refuse to allow me to
see him without violating the Geneva Convention. Is there anything else?” asked Karla.
“Yes. Please take this and see to it that it gets
to
Karla felt herself blushing from his
compliment. “Danke, Herr Major,” she
whispered. She found that she couldn’t
push herself away from him.
Gertenfelt’s hands squeezed her butt
and that brought her mind back to reality.
For a moment, Karla realized that she had enjoyed the major’s advances
and felt ashamed of herself. This must
end now! Karla thought.
“Don’t get any ideas, Herr Major,
I’m taken,” Karla said, the tone of her voice cold and flat as she pushed
herself away from him.
Gertenfelt took the hint and dropped
his arms back to his side. “What a
shame. Whoever he is, he’s one lucky
man.”
“Yes, he is,” Karla replied
softly. She decided to try
something. “I love Colonel Johann
Strassburg very much.”
Gertenfelt’s eyes just about popped
out of his head. He asked, “Did you say
Colonel Johann Strassburg?”
“Why yes, I did. Why do you ask?” asked Karla.
Gertenfelt replied, “The man over in
solitary confinement told me that was what his name was when I spoke to
him. You see, I have been able to sneak
over there a couple of times.”
“Mein Gott!” Karla exclaimed. Her expression was one of genuine concern
when she asked, surprised, “How is he?”
“He is tired and suspicious. In his position, I don’t blame him. It sounds to me that if you can get him out
of here, you’ll be doing yourself a favor too,” Gertenfelt replied.
Karla closed her eyes and nodded
before replying, “If that’s all, Herr Major, then I’ll see about going to see
this prisoner.” She turned, walked to
the door and pulled it open and the commandant almost fell into the
office. She stifled a giggle and
thought, You got what you deserved, Archer!
Newkirk and Carter smiled as Archer
hastily grabbed the doorframe to maintain his balance. Archer stepped aside as Karla and the major
came out of the office. “Is there a
problem, Colonel?” Archer asked once he regained his composure.
“Yes, Herr Kommandant, there is a
problem,” Karla began sharply. “I
understand that you are holding a prisoner in your solitary confinement cells
who has not yet been advised of his rights under the Geneva Convention. Is this true?”
The commandant looked at her,
completely taken aback by her tone towards him.
“Yes. We do have a prisoner in
solitary confinement. However, I have
been instructed not to allow anyone to see this man until headquarters
determines what his fate is to be following their investigation. He is suspected of treason.”
Newkirk stepped in at this juncture
and pulled rank on the inept commandant.
He said, “Commandant, you will allow the Colonel to visit this man. If she reports that you have violated the
Geneva Convention as a result of your refusal, you will suffer the
consequences, is that clear?”
“Yes sir. Right away, sir!” Archer saluted Newkirkson
and continued, “This way, Colonel.”
Karla followed the commandant out of
the barracks and across the compound with Tiger, Carter and Newkirk
following. All the way across the
compound, she prayed that Hogan was all right and that they could get him out
of this place safely. She slid her hands
inside her pockets to keep them warm against the biting wind. There was a small flask of water in one of
her pockets and a couple of candy bars in her purse.
They entered the solitary building
and the sergeant opened one of the cell doors.
“I will see this man alone. Herr
Commodore, please ensure that the Kommandant doesn’t try to listen at the door
again,” Karla said.
“I will, Colonel,” Newkirk replied.
“Danke,” Karla said.
The guard opened the door, Karla
entered the cell and the door was closed behind her. As her eyes adjusted to the murky darkness in
the cell, she saw something huddling in the corner farthest away from the
door. When she knelt next to it and
looked closely, she realized that it was a man.
When he looked up, she almost didn’t recognize him. Hogan’s face was thin and gaunt, his hair
unkempt and his face was covered with at least two days of stubbly growth. “Mein Gott! Herr Oberst!” Karla whispered
when she saw him.
“What?” Hogan croaked, his voice
raspy as he replied. When the door
opened, he was probably blinded by the light from the hallway and after it
closed, looked as though he was confused.
“Can you see me?” Karla began
quietly.
Hogan’s eyes hadn’t adjusted yet and
he didn’t recognize her. “No, but you
have a beautiful voice.”
“Danke,” Karla said and smiled at
Hogan’s reply. She pulled the flask of
water from her pocket, opened it and said softly, “Here is some water. Drink it.”
Hogan replied, “It might be
poisoned.”
Oh great! He doesn’t know me yet!
Karla thought. “No, it’s not. You have my word on that, Robert.”
Hogan looked at her again trying to
see more than a gray and black blob, with a head-sized, oval-shaped area that
was vaguely skin colored and for a moment thought he recognized the voice as
Karla’s. He mumbled, “What are you doing
here?”
“Shhh…I’m trying to get you out of
here, Herr Oberst Johann Strassburg,” replied Karla.
“Huh?” Hogan inquired as he
recognized the name. “It can’t be you,
Karla.”
Karla quickly looked over her
shoulder towards the door. When she
turned back, Hogan had leaned forward and was looking at her closely. “It can’t?” Karla whispered in reply and then
took his face in her hands and kissed his lips tenderly. The presence of the stubble on his face or
his dry, chapped lips didn’t bother her in the least.
Hogan could never forget the kiss of
the woman he loved and when she pulled away from him, responded weakly,
“Danke. I’ll take that water now.”
Karla handed the flask to him and
asked, “When was the last time you ate?”
“I’ve not eaten since I got here
three days ago,” Hogan replied. His
hands shook as he raised the flask to his lips to take a drink from it and she
steadied it for him. The water caused
his throat muscles to relax and he felt much better.
“Why not?” Karla asked. She reached into her purse and pulled out two
candy bars that she handed to him.
“Here, eat these. Hide them until
we leave the building.”
“I was afraid they might poison me,”
Hogan whispered.
“I’m going to recommend that you be
removed from here immediately and taken to a hospital,” Karla said.
“Thanks. The last couple of days have been a nightmare
for me. Why is this happening?” asked
Hogan.
“Your headquarters thinks you’re a
traitor. Don’t ask me why because I
don’t know. Now, be quiet. I’m going back outside before they get
suspicious,” Karla replied as Hogan handed the flask to her and she stood and
slid it back into her pocket.
“Jawohl, Frau Oberst,” Hogan replied
as he looked gratefully at her.
Karla stood, crossed the cell to the
door and called, “I’m ready to come out!”
The door was opened and Karla looked
once more at Hogan who squinted and turned away as the light from the hallway
fell upon him before she said, “I demand that he be taken to a hospital!”
“What??? Are you crazy?!” Archer
replied.
“That man is very ill. He needs medical attention immediately. He’s not been eating,” Karla said.
“I can’t do that without proper
authorization. What will you do?” Archer
inquired.
“I’ll have to report to the
authorities here and in
“I have my orders!” Archer
protested.
Karla retorted, “I’ll see that you
get your orders! I need to make a phone call.”
The group left the cell and returned
to the commandant’s office. Upon
entering his office, Archer continued to protest. “But…but…”
“No buts!” Karla responded sharply
as she picked up his phone and dialed a phone number. Shortly, she spoke to someone on the other
end of the line and said, “Herr Hausmann? Oberst Hoffman here,” then informed
him of where she was and what she had found.
She demanded that he report this to the appropriate authorities and that
the commandant be prosecuted for violating the Geneva Convention. She listened as the other person on the line
spoke and her expression relaxed.
When Karla hung up, everyone looked
at her and waited for the next bout of shouting to come from her. She had easily slipped back into the role of
an SS colonel quite well. Or at least,
what people expected from an SS colonel, for her to be an obnoxious, officious
bitch. Her voice was harsh when she
continued, “Well, Herr Kommandant, you are fortunate. The only thing they want is for me to remove
this prisoner from your custody immediately and see to it that he’s taken to a
hospital.”
“What?” Archer replied, astonished
and relieved at the same time.
Karla said, “Yes. That is all and they are sending a truck for
him. A Captain Hausmann will bring it
here. Please see to it that he is admitted
when he arrives.”
“And?” asked Archer.
“And this prisoner will be brought
out to him immediately,” replied Karla.
“Nothing else?” asked Archer.
“Nein. You will not be prosecuted for any violations
of the Geneva Convention if you release your prisoner into my custody,” said
Karla.
Archer grumbled, “I guess I’ve got
no choice.”
“No, commandant, you don’t. We must adhere to the Geneva Convention even
if we don’t like it,” Newkirk commented.
Soon, the truck arrived and Hogan
was brought out and hauled into the rear of the truck. Karla watched as he stumbled from sore
muscles protesting from lack of use.
Hogan could hardly see because of the bright daylight. Gertenfelt came out of the barracks and
watched while the prisoner was loaded in the back of the truck. When Karla looked over towards the prisoners,
Gertenfelt saluted her and she returned the gesture as not to would raise his
suspicions.
“All right Colonel Hoffman, here’s
your prisoner,” Archer said snidely after witnessing the exchange between her
and Gertenfelt.
“Danke, Herr Kommandant,” Karla
replied with a polite tone in her voice that bordered on insulting. She then walked around to the rear of the
truck and was helped in by the one of the men inside. Newkirk, Tiger and Carter got into the car
and both vehicles then left the camp.
Karla sat next to Hogan after she
climbed into the back of the truck and handed him the flask of water
again. The truck’s engine rumbled to
life and they left the POW camp behind.
“Thanks for getting me out of
there,” Hogan said in between gulps of water from her flask. He reached into his jacket’s inner pocket and
pulled out the chocolate bars she had given him. Soon, both the chocolate and the water were
gone.
“You’re welcome,” Karla replied.
Gazing at Karla, Hogan said, “You’re
a sight for sore eyes.”
“So are you, you’re dirty, grimy,”
Karla began. Leaning closer to him, she
continued, “smelly and…” She never got a
chance to finish as he kissed her. When
they separated she finished, “and your face feels like sandpaper.”
Hogan chuckled at Karla’s comments
mocking his grungy appearance and replied, “Yeah. I know.”
Karla smiled and said, “And I don’t
care a bit. I still love you.”
After the truck was about ten
minutes away from the camp, it stopped with a jolt. The two men in the back went to the stopped
car when Carter, Newkirk and Tiger climbed into the back of the truck. Carter handed Karla her navy blue cloak, which
she put on just as the truck’s engine rumbled to life again. She pulled an envelope from her pocket, a
flashlight from her purse, opened and read the letter inside the envelope.
“Colonel Hogan?” Carter asked.
“Yeah? Who is it?” Hogan replied,
and then continued in surprise as he recognized the men, “Carter? Newkirk?”
“It’s good to see you, sir,” Carter
replied.
“It’s good to see you guys too. Now tell me, what the hell is going on here?
Why aren’t you two back at Stalag 13? What about Kinch and LeBeau?” Hogan
asked.
“It was Kinch’s idea to come and
rescue you,” Carter continued.
Hogan chuckled. “That crazy son of a…”
“And Karla came up with the details
of the plan once we were here,” Newkirk said.
Karla inhaled sharply. “This letter gives the details of the next
Allied offensive in
“Where did you get that?” Hogan
asked.
“From the senior POW officer at the
camp. He asked me to see to it that it
got to
“We’ll have to inform headquarters
that they have a leak,” said Hogan.
“First we need to find out where the
leak is,” Karla commented.
It was mid-afternoon when they
arrived at her house after dropping the truck and the others off at a
prearranged place. Wolfram arrived at
the house shortly after they did and Hogan asked, “You too?”
“Yes. And Tiger,” Wolfram replied.
“Excuse me,” Hogan said as he took
Karla in his arms and kissed her passionately.
He didn’t know what to say to her; words couldn’t express how he
felt. She had just saved his life.
Just then, Tiger returned to
the room. When she saw Hogan kissing
Karla, her jaw dropped in shock. Hogan
truly cared about Karla. She was
extremely jealous of the German woman.
No matter what she had previously told Karla, Tiger shouted, “I can’t
take it anymore!”
Hogan looked over at Tiger, confused
and asked, “What?”
“How can you love this SS bitch?”
Tiger asked in reply, furious.
“That Tiger, is none of your
business,” Hogan replied as he went over and sat wearily on the couch. Karla remained standing.
“Calm down, my love,” Newkirk said
from behind Tiger.
Tiger turned and looked at him,
“Your what?”
“My love,” Newkirk said as he walked
over to her, gently took her arm and guided her to a window away from everyone.
“I know that you feel love towards
Hogan, but as you can see, he’s in love with Karla,” Newkirk said.
Tiger looked down at the floor and
replied, “As much as I hate to say it, I see that I was wrong about Karla. She went to the camp and really went through
with her plan. I didn’t think she
would.”
“I’m glad, luv,” Newkirk looked at
her affectionately and gave her a hug.
All Tiger’s defenses crumbled and she returned the hug. It had been so long since she felt able to
relax with a man. Perhaps now wasn’t the
time, but Newkirk seemed nice enough and was determined to try and win her
heart. All she wanted was love and
comfort.
“Now all we have to do is get the
three of you back to Stalag 13 and find out for sure who is behind this,” Tiger
commented.
“Did your contact make any
progress?” Karla inquired.
“Yes. He’s trying to arrange for surveillance on
Undersecretary Medwin. Once he does, we
may find out something,” replied Tiger as she stared out the window in the
living room deep in thought. She was
beginning to realize that Newkirk had some very strong feelings for her and was
considering how she felt about him.
“Oh! I nearly forgot! Carter, we
need to contact Kinch,” Newkirk said.
“That’s right,” Carter replied. He walked over to where Karla was standing
and inquired, “Ma’am, do you have a radio that I can use to contact Kinch?”
Karla smiled and replied, “Yes,
Carter. Come this way.” She took him into the next room and showed
him the radio.
Carter set the radio for 510
megahertz. “Papa Bear, this is Baby
Bear,” he began.
Through the static, came Kinch’s
reply, “Baby Bear, this is Papa Bear, I read you, go ahead.”
“
“Understood. Over and out,” replied Kinch as he sighed in
relief.
* * * * * * *
Shortly after Tiger’s arrival, Karla
retired to the kitchen to fix some food.
The easiest thing to prepare that would feed this crew was soup. Soon, she had a large pot filled with
vegetables and meat cooking on the stove and some garlic bread in the oven.
Hogan entered the kitchen after
washing his face, arms and hands, then sat to the table and watched her cook
from across the small kitchen.
“Mmmm. That smells wonderful!” he
commented.
“Don’t gorge yourself. You’ll be sick after not eating for three
days,” Karla replied as she cut the bread into slices.
“You sound like we’re already
married!” Hogan protested.
“And you don’t mind a bit, do you?”
Karla asked with a grin.
Hogan chuckled, “No, I don’t. By the way, I noticed you have quite a bit of
photography equipment set up in your other room.”
“Yes. It’s a fascinating medium. I’ve been working with it a lot at MI-6,”
Karla replied.
“I’m glad that the operation to
rescue you was successful, Colonel Hogan,” Tiger said as she came into the
kitchen.
“Oh, I didn’t see you, Tiger,” Hogan
said. His eyes widened at the
realization of what had just been said.
Whoops!
Tiger turned towards him and quietly
said, “Colonel, I know about your engagement.”
“You do?” Hogan tilted his head and
lifted his brow towards Karla.
“Yes,” Tiger replied.
“Oh,” Hogan commented as Karla
placed a bowl of soup in front of him.
He started to eat his soup and felt a measure of his strength beginning
to return. “Mmmm. Tasty.”
“I’m glad you like it. Have some bread,” Karla replied and put the
plate of bread in front of Hogan.
Tiger left the room presumably to
inform the others that the food was ready.
Everyone consumed a late dinner before retiring for the night. The house had two bedrooms, a living room, a
kitchen and a bathroom. In one of the
bedrooms, Tiger and Newkirk spent some time getting to know one another
better. Carter and Wolfram slept in
sleeping bags on the living room floor.
Meanwhile, Hogan and Karla retired to her bedroom.
Hogan looked out the window at the
moon and the stars before Karla lightly touched his arm. From here, he noticed, she had an
unobstructed view of the night sky. Her
house was on the edge of a large park.
He didn’t close the curtains as there were no people outside; there were
no buildings on this side of the house and she didn’t demand it for air raid
conditions. The moon was bright and
Hogan noticed how much her skin looked like delicate porcelain as he turned
towards her and gently embraced her.
Karla felt Hogan trembling slightly and said, “I’m so glad that you’re
safe, but sad that you went through that ordeal. Come over to the bed, let me look at you.”
Hogan muttered, “Stop fussing! I’m
all right.”
Karla frowned and said, “When
someone says that, they are usually in the greatest pain. Off with your shirt and pants and sit on the
edge of the bed.”
“All right,” Hogan replied.
Karla turned on the lamp next to the
bed and examined Hogan. “Lay on your
side so I can see your back in the light,” she said. As he complied with her request, she saw the
black and blue area across his shoulders.
Her brow furrowed when she asked, “Did they beat you?”
“No,” Hogan replied.
“Then what is this bruise across
your shoulders? A tattoo?” Karla asked sarcastically as she touched it with her
hand. “It’s the only thing wrong with
you other than that you’re weak from starvation and the side effects of that
drug they gave you.”
Hogan winced at her touch. “No, somebody decided that I should be
unconscious before leaving Stalag 13 and they hit me there. Hard.
And that was before they drugged me.”
“It hurts me just looking at it,”
Karla whispered as she leaned over and kissed it. “Does it feel better now?”
“Since you kissed it, yes,” Hogan
replied as he rolled onto his back.
Karla turned off the lamp once more and pulled her legs up onto the
bed. As she settled next to Hogan, he
reached around her head, unpinned her hair, ran his fingers through it and
allowed it to cascade over her shoulders.
“You look beautiful with long hair, Karla. I definitely approve.”
“Thanks,” Karla replied. Quietly, she came closer to him and said,
“I’ve been very lonely.”
“Me too. Stalag 13 is a cold and lonely place. I cherish every letter you send me,” replied
Hogan.
“So do I, my love,” Karla said.
Karla undressed Hogan the rest of
the way before he pulled her camisole up and over her head. She covered them with the sheets and
blankets.
“I guess I won’t be getting much
rest tonight, huh?” Hogan asked.
Karla replied, “Do you really want
to rest? If you do, then I’ll just curl up next to you and sleep.”
Hogan felt her warm, smooth,
feminine curves against his body and the ache of loneliness within
himself. Knowing that he would be
leaving her to return to that lonely life at Stalag 13, his hand drifted down
to rest on her butt and he replied, “No, I guess not. What is the date today?”
It was after
He thought for a moment before
answering, “Happy birthday, Karla.”
“Thanks. If not for you, I wouldn’t have lived to see
this day. My thirty-eighth birthday,”
Karla replied.
“You’re welcome. So, tell me, what do you want for your
birthday?” asked Hogan.
“Hmmm. That’s a tough one,” Karla replied, her voice
calm and relaxed. She slid her leg
around his, moved atop him and said, “Don’t move, I’ve got you covered.”
As Hogan’s eyes moved down to her
naked bosom then back to her face, he replied sensually, “You certainly do.”
Karla’s knees now rested on either
side of his hips and she pushed herself up, keeping the covers over her
shoulders. She then replied sultrily, “I
know what I want for my birthday. I want
the very handsome, unwrapped gift beneath me on my bed.” Her fingers lightly traced the line from just
behind his ear, down around his jaw, down his neck and to his chest.
Hogan slid the sheet and blanket
down her back, saw her body bathed in the moonlight and indicated for her to
come closer. When she did, he gently
caressed her breasts and replied, “Request granted.” He gave her a birthday present that neither
of them would soon forget as they made love.
When Hogan closed his eyes as they
lay together afterwards, Karla said, “I also want you to be free and with me
forever.”
Hogan mumbled an agreement as he
drifted off to sleep. He was completely
exhausted.
* * * * * * *
In the next room, Newkirk and Tiger
spent some time talking about themselves, before having some fun as they
indulged in the moment, but found that they truly enjoyed each other’s
company. They cuddled next to one another
afterwards. He didn’t mean to fall
asleep, but as she spoke afterwards, it didn’t matter what she said, but the
tone of her voice was so beautiful that he couldn’t help himself. It was the soft, soothing voice of a woman
who he was very quickly falling in love with.
Soon, he was fast asleep next to her on the bed. Tiger covered them both and closed her eyes
to sleep as she snuggled against him.
* * * * * * *
The next morning, Carter woke early,
dressed and started waking everyone else.
Wolfram was first because he was the closest. He found Newkirk and Tiger snuggled together
in bed in one of the bedrooms and grinned.
Once they were awake and dressing, he went over to the room where he
knew the two colonels were sleeping and knocked. When he got no response, he cracked open the
door, poked his head in and said, “Colonel! Colonel Hogan!”
“Mmmmphh!” Hogan mumbled.
A blonde-haired head lifted at the
sound of his voice. “What is it,
Carter?” Karla asked her own eyes still half shut.
“We have to start back to Stalag 13 this
morning,” Carter replied.
Hogan opened his eyes. “All right, Carter. We’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“Colonel? Your clothes are over here
on this chair,” Carter said.
Hogan raised his head and was more
alert when he asked, “What do you mean, my clothes?”
“These clothes are for you to wear
for most of the trip back to Stalag 13.
They aren’t as conspicuous as your uniform. We’ll all change to our uniforms just before
we arrive at camp,” Carter replied.
“Thanks Andrew,” Hogan replied.
“You’re welcome sir,” Carter said
and then closed the door.
By then, Newkirk and Tiger had come
out of the other room, dressed and ready to go.
Carter noticed they were awful friendly towards one another.
“Where’s Colonel ‘ogan?” Newkirk
asked.
“Still half asleep,” Carter replied
with a grin.
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
asked Newkirk.
“Give them a few minutes,” Wolfram
said as he picked up the last of the bags, and went and put them in the trunk
of the car. When he came back in, they
were ready to go.
* * * * * * *
“I wish you didn’t have to go,
Robert,” Karla said as she laid her head on his chest.
He slid his arms around her and held
her close while lightly stroking her back.
“I know. I wish I could stay.”
“You’ll be able to rest and fully
recover your strength once you return to Stalag 13,” Karla commented.
Hogan said, “Uh huh. In between missions, I worry about you,
especially when I hear about
“Don’t worry about me, love. I can take care of myself. You made sure of that when you got me out of
“Until this war ends and we are
together, I will worry, no matter what.
However, last night before we retired, Wolfram told me we’ve only got a
small window where we can leave
“Thanks. I put it on just for you,” Karla said. “Don’t worry about what you smell like. You cleaned up well enough. We don’t want to endanger the story that the
SS interrogated you. You can’t smell
like you’ve just taken a fresh bubble bath and that’s why we didn’t give you
anything to shave off your stubble.”
“I guess you didn’t mind kissing
sandpaper last night?” asked Hogan.
“No.
I’d rather do that than not kiss anything at all,” replied Karla. She moved off him then. They crawled out of bed and dressed before
walking into the living room where everyone was waiting for them.
“Now you come out, after all the
work is done,” Wolfram said sarcastically.
Hogan and Karla shrugged innocently
and put on their coats. Wolfram laughed
at their expressions.
“Are we ready to go to the plane?”
Karla asked.
“No, but I guess I have to be ready,
don’t I?” Hogan replied and put his arm around her shoulders. Karla felt the weakness in his grip but
wasn’t about to say anything to him. There
had been nothing weak about him last night when they made love.
“Yes, and so do I,” Newkirk replied
as Tiger squeezed his hand.
They went outside and piled
into the car. The trip to the airstrip
was a quiet one. Carter and Wolfram sat
in the front and the others were in the back, Karla and Tiger were comfortable
on Hogan and Newkirk’s laps, respectively.
An hour later, they arrived at an isolated airstrip. Carter parked the car and Wolfram went to
begin his preflight check of the plane and he followed shortly as the two
couples were standing outside the car trying to say farewell and Karla imagined
that Carter felt uncomfortable around them at the moment.
Hogan kissed her tenderly and said,
“Happy birthday Karla. I hope to see you
again soon. At least now I know where
you live and will come there after the war, I promise.”
“That’s a promise I’ll hold you to,
Robert,” Karla replied softly. She heard
the sadness in her voice as Hogan went to the plane, followed by Newkirk who
had said his farewells to Tiger.
Before they closed the plane’s door,
both men looked back at them and waved.
Then the door was closed and the plane taxied to the runway. When it took off, Karla looked at Tiger and
said simply, “They’re gone.”
“Yes. I’m going to miss him,” Tiger replied.
“I know how you feel. Will your contact continue trying to find out
who is responsible for Hogan ending up in this situation?” asked Karla.
“Yes,” replied Tiger.
They got in the car and returned to
* * * * * * *
Back at the POW camp, Wing Commander
Sedgwick called to inform the camp commandant of the current situation
regarding his top security prisoner.
“Good morning, Commander,” Archer
replied.
“Good morning, sir. I have news with regards to the fate of your
prisoner,” Sedgwick began.
“Oh?” asked Archer.
“Yes. You will continue to keep him in solitary
confinement until I come and get him two days from now. He is to be brought before a tribunal of the
Allied High Command,” replied Sedgwick.
“But...but…” Archer stammered.
“But what?” Sedgwick asked.
“I thought you knew. He was taken from here by the German
inspector because she claimed he was being mistreated according to the Geneva
Convention,” replied Archer.
“What? He’s escaped?” Sedgwick
asked, incredulous.
“Not exactly escaped, just taken to
a hospital,” replied Archer meekly.
“Which one?” demanded Sedgwick.
“They didn’t say,” Archer replied.
“WHO didn’t say?!” Sedgwick
demanded. He was losing his patience
with this bungler.
“The German inspector and the air
commodore accompanying her,” replied Archer.
At the other end of the line,
Sedgwick closed his eyes in disbelief.
Someone would have his head for this bungle. “Wait a minute! An Air Commodore was here?
What was his name?” demanded Sedgwick.
“He claimed his name was Air
Commodore Newkirkson,” Archer replied.
“You idiot! There is no Air
Commodore in the RAF by that name. There
will be an investigation into your bungling of this matter, commandant!”
Sedgwick said angrily as he slammed down the receiver.
Archer didn’t know what to say. “Good bye, Commander,” he replied, then hung
up the receiver before muttering, “This mess will probably end my military
career.”
* * * * * * *
The plane landed at the airstrip
just outside of Hammelburg and Oscar Schnitzer and several other members of
Wolfram’s underground group were waiting for them. They piled into Schnitzer’s truck, rode to
the farm where the truck in which they would return to Stalag 13 was parked
inside the barn. Upon their arrival,
they entered the barn and changed clothes.
The three prisoners changed into their uniforms and Wolfram changed into
his Gestapo lieutenant colonel’s uniform.
The men with Schnitzer put on their Gestapo uniforms as well and brought
the truck to transport Hogan, Carter and Newkirk back to Stalag 13 out of the
barn.
To make it look as official as
possible, they handcuffed the three prisoners and Wolfram said, “Good luck,
Papa Bear.”
“Thanks. Let’s hope that Tiger and her contacts can
find out who’s responsible for putting me into that position. Can you contact Mama Bear, explain what is
going on and see to it that he contacts me?” Hogan asked in reply.
“I’ll try,” Wolfram said. Then, to the man in front, “All right, let’s
go to Stalag 13.” The man started the
truck, put it in gear and began the short trip.
Schultz greeted the truck upon its
arrival at Stalag 13 and asked, “What can I do for you?”
“We have three prisoners in the back
of the truck,” the driver replied.
“Take them to the Kommandant’s
office,” Schultz ordered.
The truck parked in front of Klink’s
office. The lieutenant colonel came down
from the rear of the truck and found Schultz and Klink standing there.
“Herr Oberstleutnant, I’ve been told
that you have three prisoners for me,” Hogan heard Klink say.
“Jawohl. Out of the truck, schnell!!” Wolfram ordered.
First Carter and Newkirk left, and
then Hogan stood and climbed down from the truck. The look on Klink’s face was one of surprise
when he saw Hogan climb slowly down from the truck.
“Is there anything else I can do for
you, Herr Oberstleutnant?” Klink asked.
“No, Colonel,” Wolfram replied.
Klink saluted the man and dismissed
him. Wolfram got into the front of the
truck; the driver started the motor, put it in gear and left camp.
“Schultz! Remove their handcuffs!”
Klink ordered.
“Yes sir!” Schultz replied.
“Well Colonel Hogan, I see you
survived whatever the SS threw at you,” Klink commented.
Hogan nodded. His mind was elsewhere. Then, he blinked and asked, “Am I dismissed,
sir?”
“Yes Hogan, you and your men may
return to the barracks,” Klink replied, then turned and went into his office.
Carter and Newkirk had already
returned to the barracks. Hogan followed
their example. When he entered, he found
Carter reading a book and Newkirk writing a letter. The others looked at him as though they’d
seen a ghost. He went into his quarters
and found Kinch waiting for him with a small piece of blue paper in his hand.
“Hi, Kinch,” Hogan began. “What’s that? News from headquarters?”
“Yes, a message from Mama Bear. He said that the agent who reported that you
were a traitor mistook you for someone else,” Kinch replied.
“I went through all that over a case
of mistaken identity? You gotta be kidding me!” Hogan exclaimed in frustration.
“No sir,” Kinch said. “Apparently, they have the
“Thanks for the update,” Hogan said
and then paused before continuing, “Uh, Kinch?”
“Yeah?” asked Kinch in reply.
“Thanks for coming after me. You did well with that plan. And with seeing to it that you got the right
help in
“You’re welcome. I knew she would. I replaced everything here just as I found it
when I got her address from the letters in your locker,” Kinch replied.
Outside, they heard Schultz
bellowing for the prisoners to come out for roll call as he crossed the
compound. “Well, I guess it’s back to
the dull routine of prison life for us,” Hogan commented as he and Kinch went
outside for roll call.
Text and original characters copyright 2002 by Diane Maher
This copyright covers only original material and characters, and in no way intends to infringe upon the privileges of the holders of the copyrights, trademarks, or other legal rights, for the Hogan's Heroes universe.
