Resolute Nazi

by Wagher, Ward

  “Thank you. Shall we sit down? She has told me almost nothing about you. I am curious.”

  “We have become good friends,” Rainer said as he eased carefully into his chair. “I am glad you were able to visit Germany. It is difficult for me to get away very often.”

  Howard grinned as he rolled his tongue around in his cheek. “No, I don’t suppose you can get away as much as you like. Do the people in your office wonder how you can court an American woman?”

  Rainer blushed slightly. “Unfortunately, they find it entertaining.”

  “And you work directly for Heinrich Schloss, do you not?

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Does he have reservations about your seeing an American woman?”

  “He has gone out of his way to encourage me,” Rainer replied.

  “I suppose I should put your mind at ease, Karl,” Howard said. “I have my own sources of information, and they speak highly of you. Additionally, I trust Misty’s judgment. If she has come to the point where she feels like she needs to ask me for advice, it says a lot. I thought I would tell you upfront that I am delighted that you two are seeing one another.”

  They both blushed deeply, and Howard laughed. “Now, with that out of the way, let’s order. I want to sample German cuisine.”

  Later during the cab ride back to the hotel Misty leaned back in the seat and sighed.

  “Thank you for being so understanding, Daddy.’

  Howard had been watching out the window again and turned to her. “This war with the Russians is not going very well, and it worries me. I do not want to see you get caught in the crossfire. That said, Karl Rainer is a fine young man. I think he would make a good son-in-law.”

  “But I would need to resign from the State Department if I were to marry him.”

  “And you would need to resign from Colonel Donovan’s agency as well,” he added.

  “Who?”

  “I run into Bill Donovan from time to time, Misty. He has made it a point to tell me how proud he is of your work in the OSS.”

  “But that is supposed to be a secret.”

  He grinned at her. “I haven’t told anyone if that’s what you meant. Bill and I have known each other for twenty years. I think I inadvertently was the one who encouraged him to recruit you. You know how proud fathers can talk about their offspring.”

  “I never knew that,” she said. “I thought I had gotten the position on my own.”

  “You did. Donovan was careful to stay out of the interview process. He followed your training closely but stayed out of the operational questions. That was, at least, until your posting to Berlin.”

  “Always nice to know these things, Daddy.”

  He smiled at her sarcasm. “Would you prefer that I had not told you?”

  She leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder. “Of course not. And I am glad you came to visit.”

  “And I’m glad I came to see you.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  July 12, 1943; 2:30 PM

  Government Council Chamber

  Reich Chancellery

  Berlin, Germany

  “And so, meine Herren, the Russians have completely encircled Model’s divisions. We are flying in supplies and ammunition and are bombing the Russian lines around the clock. Barring a miracle, I expect Model to surrender within another week.”

  The members of the council listened carefully as Reichsmarshall Hermann Goering gave the report. They listened because they were riveted by the slow collapse of Model’s forces. Goering also transfixed them as he also seemed on the edge of collapse. Goering had dragged himself to the meeting, clearly by force of will. Emmy Goering had called Gisela in a panic because the Reichsmarshall had rejected her pleas and the doctors’ orders to remain in bed.

  Schloss studied the sunken wreck of a man and considered what to say. He finally spoke.

  “May we assume that Rommel is fresh out of miracles, then, Herr Reichsmarshall?”

  Goering’s laugh turned into a wracking cough. Several of the men at the table stood.

  “Are you all right, Herr Reichsmarshall?” Rainer asked quickly.

  Goering held up a hand to deny assistance.

  “I apologize for that, meine Herren. I am not at my best today.”

  “Perhaps you need to go home to rest,” Schloss suggested.

  “No,” Goering said. “No. I belong here, and I want to do my job as long as I am able. No, General Rommel has not discovered any new miracles, unfortunately. If there is anything good that has come out of this disaster, it is that Model has succeeded in chewing up the Russians thoroughly. We estimate that they have suffered ten casualties for every one of ours.”

  Schloss nodded. “May I assume that the OKW has made plans for how we should manage the war after Model’s surrender?”

  Goering looked over at Guderian, who sat quietly next to him.

  “Yes, Herr Reich Chancellor,” Guderian said. “We have lost our strategic reserve; however, our forces on the front are in good shape.”

  “But we could not break through to Model?”

  “I think we could have, but the price would have been the destruction of several more divisions. We would risk losing our most experienced units. Once the Russians reconstituted their forces, we would have had nothing to stop them.”

  “Come on,” Rainer interrupted, “Isn’t that an exaggeration, Herr General?”

  “Karl,” Schloss warned.

  “No, no,” Guderian spoke quickly. “The exaggeration was quantitative, not qualitative.”

  “Okay,” Rainer said, “please explain.”

  “We are rapidly mobilizing our young men into the Wehrmacht,” Guderian said. “The groups coming out of training would be at a disadvantage if we moved them to the front in wholesale numbers. They would be cannon fodder in the worst sense of the phrase.”

  The room grew quiet as the men considered what they had heard. After a pause, Peter Schreiber spoke.

  “I assume we are flying out any personnel who have sensitive information, correct?”

  “Yes, that is correct,” Guderian responded. “In some cases, we had to put people on the aircraft at gunpoint because they refused to leave their units.”

  “I trust you will not punish those men for that,” Schloss said.

  “No, we will have private conversations with them when they return,” Guderian explained, “but they will not be disciplined.”

  “Very well,” Schloss said. “We need to talk about your plans following this defeat.”

  “Yes, well,” Goering said, “We need to continue to preserve….”

  His voice slurred and he slumped against the table. Guderian jumped to his feet and prevented Goering from falling out of his chair.

  “I am sorry, Herr Reich Chancellor,” Goering managed to speak more clearly, “I cannot continue.”

  “We need to get you home, Hermann,” Schloss said.

  “I have some people here to help,” Guderian said. “I thought something like this might happen.”

  The general walked over to the double doors and pulled them open.

  “Please help the Reichsmarshall home,” he ordered.

  A team of four male nurses from the Luftwaffe Medical Corps moved into the room and helped Goering from his chair. They physically carried him from the room. Guderian pushed the doors closed and returned to the table.

  “You have my humble apologies, meine Herren. I feared this would happen.”

  Schloss noticed the tears streaking down Guderian’s face. So, he stood up.

  “Let’s take a ten-minute break, meine Herren. We can continue in a bit.”

  Schloss quickly walked out of the room and returned to his office. Kirche followed him as he walked in.

  “Willem, please call Emmy Goering and tell her that Hermann is on his way home.”

  “At once, Herr Reich Chancellor.”

  For once, Kirche did not tarry. Schloss walked over and collapsed into his chair
.

  Why is this affecting me so, he wondered. The old sow has been nothing but trouble.

  He looked up as Frau Marsden slipped into the room. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “Herr Goering is a flawed individual,” she said softly. “But no one can deny his courage or his determination.”

  “It shocks me to discover he is a stronger man than I,” Schloss said. “I now realize we cannot afford to lose him.”

  “In that, you have little choice, Herr Schloss. You must use these setbacks to find a path forward for Germany. The people cannot be allowed to depend on the vicissitudes of mortal man.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” His voice was suddenly loud in the silence.

  “That is something you will eventually understand,” the old woman said.

  “And you are no help at all.” He surged to his feet. “Please tell Gisela that we can dine at a normal hour tonight. I have about used up all my energy for the day.”

  “Of course, Herr Schloss,” she murmured.

  § § §

  July 12, 1943; 4 PM

  The White House

  Washington, DC, USA

  “So, tell me what the Japs are doing,” President Harry Truman demanded.

  Seated around the coffee table in the Oval Office were William Donovan, the Director of the OSS; General George Marshall, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Frank Knox, the Secretary of the Navy; and Henry Stimson, the Secretary of War. Truman had scheduled the meeting with this group every week to review the conduct of the war and to be better informed of the military plans.

  “There has been heavy submarine activity to the east of the Hawaiian Islands outside the radius of our patrol planes,” Knox said. “We are certain they are trying to interdict our shipping.”

  “And that means what? That they are going to try to hold onto the islands?” Truman asked.

  “That would be my conclusion,” General Marshall said. “They are certainly going at it with a will.”

  “What should be our response?” Truman asked.

  “We have stepped up the convoy system and have begun flying patrol planes between Pearl and San Diego,” Knox explained.

  “And we are still having ships sunk,” Truman commented.

  “That is true, unfortunately,” Knox commented. “We are counting on the Japs running out of subs before we see a significant dent in our shipping. I know it seems cold-blooded, but…”

  “Is that the coin we need to spend?” Truman asked.

  “Yes, Mr. President,” Stimson said. “We have won a significant victory in the Bay of Bengal and put them off-balance in Hawaii. But they are still a dangerous foe. We must keep them reacting to us. They will surely take advantage of any respite we give them.”

  “Does that mean our naval forces have to be concentrated there?” the President asked.

  “Unfortunately, yes,” Knox replied. “We have six carrier decks in that task force. We are confident the Japs have nothing that can stand up against it. But there is not much else we can do for the moment. As soon as we can get some more carriers out of the builders’ hands, we can start putting together another task force.”

  “Let me ask you this, Gentlemen,” Truman said, “are we being suckered? I mean, the Japanese have consistently surprised us in this war. Is this behavior consistent with what we have seen from them in the past?”

  “We have some analysts in the NIS that have voiced those same concerns, Mr. President,” Knox said.

  “Then, I suggest, Gentlemen, that we find out what they are doing. My father had a saying about the definition of assume. We cannot afford to look like asses here. Something funny, William?”

  Donovan struggled to clear the smirk from his face. “I’m sorry, Mr. President. The looks on the faces of these gentlemen reminded me of a saying I heard from my father.”

  “And what might that be?” Truman asked.

  “Perhaps from the look on your face, might I suggest we move on?” Donovan asked.

  Truman glared at him for a long moment and then reached forward for his coffee cup.

  “Very well. What is the status of Admiral King’s task force?”

  “We expect him to arrive at Perth, Australia at any time,” General Marshall said. “We expect that coast to be lightly held. If all goes well, he will off-load the troops and arms and then withdraw. We will reinforce as we have the shipping to do so.”

  “And if the Japanese come out of Singapore?” Truman asked.

  “As of the moment, we don’t think they have the assets to attack King.”

  “We don’t think?” Truman raised an eyebrow.

  “The Brits somehow managed to get a Catalina in to eyeball the port,” Knox said. “We got a solid count on the ships there. It is not a significant threat.”

  “Are we going to reinforce King?” Truman asked.

  “The Brits are pushing as much metal through the Suez and around India as they can. They are actually in much better shape in the Atlantic than we are.”

  “Very well,” Truman said. “I trust you will keep me informed.”

  “Of course, Sir,” the men murmured.

  “Now,” the President continued, “I was expecting a report on our war industries production.”

  “Of course, Mr. President,” Henry Stimson said. “We will begin with our warship construction. Incidentally, I learned yesterday that the Germans have given us a captured Soviet T-34 tank gratis.”

  “How long ago did this happen?” Truman snapped.

  “I believe it only just arrived, Mr. President.”

  “That is correct, Mr. President,” General Marshall added. “We immediately put it on a railcar to send to Fort Knox. Our armor development people badly want a look at it.”

  “Do the Soviets know we have it?” Truman asked.

  “Not to my knowledge,” Marshall replied. “We have kept it under wraps. Literally. We covered it with tarps on the train. There is also heavy security.”

  “I am not familiar with this machine,” Truman commented.

  “There is some debate as to whether the T-34 or the German Tiger is the best tank in the world. There is no question that they outclass anything we have or the Brits for that matter.”

  Truman grabbed his notepad and jotted a sentence. “I need to get a note off to Schloss thanking for that act of generosity. The man keeps doing good things for us. I feel bad about cutting off the supply of B-17s. I know the Germans need them badly. Didn’t they send us that squadron of their new-fangled jet planes?”

  “Yes, Mr. President,” Marshall said. “We are putting a lot of gold in his pocket with the purchase of the carriers and submarines, though.”

  Truman nodded. “Gentlemen, I would like you to keep an eye out for something nice we could put into Schloss’s Christmas stocking. Something he could really use.”

  “Yes, Mr. President,” the group murmured.

  The meeting continued for another two hours, after which the President retired to the living quarters to dine with Bess.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  July 20, 1943; 6 AM

  U.S.S. Hessian

  South China Sea

  The need to pacify the rest of the Hawaiian Island chain kept the United States armed forces fully engaged and postponed any further action against the Japanese. However, the Navy was able to resume submarine sorties out of Pearl Harbor almost immediately. It allowed the American subs and U-Boats to range deeply into Japanese held territory and remain on station longer.

  As the eastern sky lightened, Commander Alan Carper swept the sky with his binoculars one last time before ordering the U.S.S. Hessian to dive. His hydrophone operator had reported unlocalized noise to the north, but there was nothing in sight. Carper planned to investigate further. He looked around one last time and turned to the deck rating.

  “Very well, Sailor, let’s pull the plug.”

  “Aye, aye, Sir,” he crisply replied. The rating spoke into the t
alker. “Dive the boat. Repeat, dive the boat.”

  Almost immediately, the diving klaxon sounded. Carper waited for the watchstanders to hurl themselves down the ladder. He then slid down and stepped aside so the deck rating could slam the hatch and drop to the control room. The executive officer, Greg Rogers, carefully watched the controlled chaos as the crew made the boat ready to dive.

  “Clear board, Sir,” said the seaman who was watching the lights that indicated the status of the hatches and openings for the engine room. This showed the boat was shut up tight.

  “Flood forward,” Rogers ordered.

  “Flood forward, Aye,” the chief operating the diving controls replied.

  “Unship the forward planes,” Rogers continued.

  “Forward planes out, Aye.”

  “All ahead standard,” the Exec said.

  “All ahead standard, Aye,” the helmsman replied as he set the engine room annunciator.

  “Flood stern tanks,” Rogers ordered.

  “Flood stern, Aye.”

  “Helm,” Rogers said, “give me ten degrees down.”

  “Ten degrees down, aye.”

  Rogers studied the crew and felt the movement of the boat under his feet.

  “Dive planes to neutral,” he called.

  “Dive planes to neutral, Aye.”

  Rogers turned to Carper. “Orders, Captain?”

  “Make your depth one-hundred feet. Make turns for steerage.”

  “Aye, Skipper. Depth one-hundred, turns for steerage.”

  Carper made his way to his tiny cabin where a pitcher of coffee and a plate of donuts waited. He poured himself a cup of coffee and slid into one of the chairs. A few minutes later, he felt the boat level out. He looked at the depth gauge on the wall to confirm they were at one-hundred feet. He stretched his legs out to the side and thought longingly of the bed. He probably wouldn’t get much sleep today. He looked up as Rogers knocked on the combing and stepped into the cabin.

  “Grab the other chair, Jolly, and grab some coffee.”

  “Thanks, Skipper.”

  Rogers poured his cup of coffee and selected a donut. Carper watched as the Exec sipped his coffee and munched contentedly.