Resolute Nazi

by Wagher, Ward

  “I don’t know how you can eat those without putting on weight.”

  “They used to call me Slats before I joined the Navy, Skipper. Doesn’t seem to matter what I eat. I stay thin.”

  “Lucky you,” Carper grunted. “Okay, let’s get busy. How’s the boat?”

  “We’ve gotten good at fuel management,” Rogers said. “We’re at seventy percent.”

  “That’s pretty good. It’s a good idea to save the diesel and the batteries for when we really need them.”

  “True. We are still having trouble with the hydrophones.”

  Carper rubbed his mouth. “Are they going to crap out on us at the worst possible time, Jolly?”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of, Skipper. I’m delighted we can stage out of Pearl again, but the yard crews aren’t up to snuff. They told us the hydrophones were fine.”

  “We were barely out of the harbor mouth when they started acting up,” Carper commented. “You can be sure that it will be in my report. Admiral Lockwood won’t be happy.”

  “I think the Admiral had his hands full getting the base set up.”

  “I agree. I don’t want to sound like I’m blaming the Admiral. He moved Heaven and Earth to get based at Pearl. But he needs to know about this.”

  “At least things can only get better there,” Rogers said.

  “True, if the Japs don’t take it away from us again.”

  “Do you think that’s possible, Skipper?”

  “No,” Carper said, “but the Japs have done a lot of things in this war nobody thought was possible. And we do not know what they are doing now. Okay, what else do we have?”

  “Other than the hydrophones, the boat is nominal in all respects, Sir.”

  “Good. Did you get any sleep last night?”

  “I got about three hours, Skipper. You were in the conning tower all night, weren’t you?”

  “Yep. I need to put my head down. If you can cover for me for about four hours, then we can switch off. If we get four hours.”

  “I think we got us a big convoy coming down from the north,” Rogers commented.

  “As soon as you can localize it, let me know.”

  “Aye, aye, Skipper.”

  “That’s all for right now, Jolly.”

  “Aye, aye, Sir.”

  After Rogers left, Carper slipped his shoes off and crawled into the bunk. He was asleep within thirty seconds. He was awakened two hours later by one of the ratings and returned to the control room. Rogers was leaning against the bulkhead next to the hydrophone operator.

  “What do we have, Jolly?” Carper asked.

  “We got us a convoy, Skipper. A big one. And the hydrophone has not settled down.”

  “What’s the hydrophone doing?”

  “It’s cutting in and out.”

  “Well, crud. Okay, what’s the range?”

  “We are at about ten thousand yards,” Rogers said.

  “Do we have a read on the point sources?”

  “Many.”

  “Vector?”

  “On our port bow. Call it 300 degrees relative.”

  “Very well,” Carper said, “Come left sixty degrees and make turns for six knots.”

  “Aye, aye, Skipper.”

  As Rogers started giving orders, Carper picked up the extra pair of headphones and tried to listen to the oncoming group of ships. After a few minutes, he put the phones down in disgust.

  “You’re right,” he said to the hydrophone operator, “this thing is a piece of junk. It’s a wonder you can hear anything.”

  “I’m getting enough to whistle the tune, Skipper.”

  Carper patted the man on the shoulder. “Good. Just keep it up. We are going to need whatever you can give us.”

  He walked over to where Rogers watched the control room.

  “This much tonnage makes me think they are headed to Singapore or maybe Australia,” he said quietly.

  “What do you want to do, Skipper?” Rogers asked.

  “I’d like to launch a full spread and then get out of there,” Carper replied. “With that hydrophone set the way it is, I feel like we would be fighting blindfolded.”

  “Are we wise to even try?” Rogers asked.

  “A good question, Mr. Rogers. A very good question. A much smarter action would be to get in close enough to get a look at the convoy, and then beat it out to where we could surface and get a radio off to Pearl. Everybody is wondering what the Japs are doing.”

  “That’s for sure.”

  “So, let’s stay on this course for a while and see if we can figure out what’s up there. Then we’ll send our radio report. I think it’s more important that the Navy knows about this.”

  “Aye, aye, Sir.”

  “Can you hold the con for a while, Jolly?”

  “Absolutely, Sir.”

  “Okay. I am going to go over in the corner and sit down.”

  An hour later Carper awakened when Rogers touched him on the shoulder.

  “We’re getting close, Skipper; twenty-five hundred yards.”

  “Very well, start bringing us up to periscope depth.”

  “Aye, aye, Sir.”

  As Rogers gave orders to bring the U-Boat to periscope depth, a sailor brought Carper a cup of coffee. He thought it tasted wonderful, and it helped to wash the fog out of his system.

  Once again, Carper had the scope stopped just below the surface of the water. With the fluky hydrophone system, he wanted no surprises. He eventually brought the periscope to its full extension and spun around to get a complete three-hundred-sixty-degree view. The navigator stood by with a notebook.

  “Okay, Carrier, carrier. That’s one, two, three… six cruisers. Looks like maybe a dozen destroyers. Three, no, four freighters and looks like a couple of tankers. Down scope.”

  He stepped away as the periscope returned to its well. He looked over at Rogers.

  “Reverse course, if you please, Mr. Rogers. And take us back down to one-hundred feet.”

  “Aye, aye, Skipper.”

  “You have the con, Jolly. I need to start coding the message. Keep your ear to the ground.”

  “Aye, aye, Sir,” Rogers replied.

  Two hours later, the Hessian surfaced in the daylight just long enough to transmit its report to Pearl Harbor. Carper immediately submerged again to await nightfall. The U-Boat did not have the speed to catch up with the convoy again. He planned to continue the patrol and look for other targets of opportunity. But the United States needed to know about what the Japanese were doing, and Commander Carper took care of that responsibility.

  § § §

  July 23, 1943; 10 AM

  SIS Headquarters

  London, England, UK

  “Thank you for seeing me this morning, Sir,” Kim Philby said.

  “This meeting is somewhat irregular, Mr. Philby,” Stewart Menzies said. “And I am busy.”

  “I understand, Sir, and I will keep this brief. First of all, is there any chance at all of getting a position back in the SIS?”

  Menzies quickly shook his head. “I am sorry, Kim, but the Prime Minister and the Queen were specific on this. They told me in no uncertain terms to sweep with a wide broom.”

  “And so many good people were caught up on that.”

  “That is true,” Menzies said. “But we are ultimately accountable to the Prime Minister, and many in the rank and file were not cooperating. Yet you were able to land a position with the Times, so you are not exactly a pauper.”

  “That is true,” Philby replied, “however it is not the same as serving in the government. I feel my talents are wasted.”

  “As I said, Mr. Philby, I would be delighted to help you, but my hands are unfortunately tied.”

  “There is some information, Sir Stewart,” Philby stated, “that I think you need to know.”

  “And what would that be?” Menzies asked.

  “I have been acting as a courier of sorts and meeting with Mr. Churchill. He has rema
ined active in the background, as you may know.”

  Menzies leaned forward in his chair and clasped his hands together on the desktop. “And what sort of information has Winston been receiving?”

  “Churchill tasked me with reporting on our activities on the continent,” Philby replied. “Desmond Morton asked me to deliver reports about the economy and German military preparedness. And now Morton has disappeared.”

  “And what prompted you to speak to me about this, then, Mr. Philby?” Menzies’ voice took on a harder edge.

  “At first, it seemed to me that I was passing information to a prominent member of our country who was out of power. It seemed harmless enough, and Mr. Churchill is very much a true Englander.”

  “And?”

  “Lately, it seems Mr. Churchill has become more antagonistic towards the Queen and Prime Minister Atlee.”

  Menzies stared at Philby for a long time to the point where the journalist grew uncomfortable. Menzies drummed his fingers on the desktop and then reached a decision.

  “Very well, Mr. Philby. Here is what we will do. You will continue to pass information to Mr. Churchill. We will cover any additional expenses you may incur. You will not, however, be on the payroll. You will come back to my office at 7 AM Monday, where you will meet your control officer.”

  “Thank you, Sir Stewart. I hope to be of value to the kingdom.”

  “And I hope that you are wrong about Winston,” Menzies replied. “I cannot imagine him acting against the interests of the country. But, thank you for coming to see me.”

  Philby stood up, obviously having been dismissed. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Menzies.”

  Now alone in his office, Stewart Menzies stared out of the dingy windows at the city. He had trouble believing Churchill had gone so far off the rails. Finally, he pushed the switch on his intercom box.

  “Please call the Prime Minister’s office and ask if he might have a few moments to speak with me.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  July 27, 1943; 10 AM

  Government Council Chamber

  Reich Chancellery

  Berlin, Germany

  “So, it’s over, then?” Schloss asked.

  Guderian nodded. “Model surrendered effective nine o’clock this morning.”

  “And there was nothing we could do,” Schloss’s somber voice was quiet in the room.

  “Rommel begged for permission to circle a force around the south and behind Model’s position so that we could rescue them. I could not approve of the plan.”

  “Why not, General?” Schloss asked.

  “That would have left nothing between the Russians and Berlin,” Guderian explained. “The risks were unacceptable.”

  “I cannot argue with that, General,” Schloss said. “Those are the fortunes of war. We took a gamble on this action and lost. In the future, I do not want you to hesitate when you see another opportunity. We cannot afford to allow the Russians to hold the initiative.”

  “I understand completely, Herr Reich Chancellor.”

  “Could you give us a capsule summation of the war, thus far, General?” Peter Schreiber asked.

  “This is the first serious setback we have had,” Guderian said. “To this point, we have been able to slow the Russian advance, but we have not been able to stop them. The casualty ratio is at least five or six to one. But they keep coming. Having control of the air is probably the only thing keeping us in the game. We can bomb them with impunity.”

  “What about our tanks, then?” Rainer asked.

  “We mainly have three models on the front; the Panzer IV, the Panther, and the Tiger. Fortunately, the Reichsmarshall had the foresight to keep them in production after we concluded the peace with the English. Our kill ratio against the Russians is about three to one at the very minimum. More likely, we are killing five or six Russian tanks to our one.”

  “The question,” Rainer posed, “is whether the Russians are building them faster than we can destroy them.”

  Gehlen raised a finger. Schloss motioned for him to proceed.

  “We were able to shut down their T34 factory several times. We had a small team slip in and sabotage things. That stopped them for several days. Then we bombed the place. But they have managed each time to get back into production within a week.”

  “I am surprised they haven’t moved the factory to the Urals,” Ribbentrop commented. “They’ve been moving a lot of stuff out of range of our bombers.”

  “And the deeper we range into Russia, the more vulnerable we are to enemy aircraft,” Guderian said. “Our escort fighters don’t have the range to stay with the bombers.”

  “Yet another problem,” Schloss said, closing his eyes.

  “I just view it as another challenge,” Guderian said. “Meanwhile, we send the bombers as far as the escort planes can follow, and I think they are doing a good job of interdicting the flow of materiel to the front.”

  “And yet the Russians keep coming,” Rainer said.

  “I suspect the military leadership is motivated,” Schloss said. “Either catch a bullet in combat or catch one in Moscow.”

  “Very true,” Schreiber commented.

  “We are talking in circles here, meine Herren,” Schloss said. “Heinz, are you prepared to share your plans for prosecuting the war?”

  “I can give you the overall big picture,” Guderian replied. “The Devil is in the details, though.”

  “I understand,” Schloss said. “Please proceed.”

  Guderian opened his notebook and glanced at it. “Warsaw is the point at which we start losing our advantages. The railhead ends there, and there are no natural obstacles in front of the Red Army. They pulled out of Warsaw to chase Model as well as thinned their troops on the front.”

  “But we still were unable to break through,” Rainer stated.

  “True. The Russians are tenacious. But we know they are not invincible. So, here is what I would propose. We should reinvest Warsaw modestly. The Soviets will immediately try to encircle the city and trap our troops there. Rommel will be prepared to pull the troops out as soon as we get indications of Russian movement. When they initiate their flanking movement, we will be prepared to cut them off and chop them up.”

  “What are your expectations for success?” Gehlen asked.

  “Certainly, better than if we do nothing,” Herr Colonel. “We must take advantage of our superior tactics and our tanks.”

  “What about the Russian T34s?” Rainer asked.

  “Make no mistake,” Guderian warned, “the Russian armor is dangerous. But our tanks are made up of Panzer IVs, Panthers and Tigers. The Panthers and Tigers are fully competitive. The Panzer IVs are useful to support the infantry. The problem is that the Russians have a great many tanks.”

  “Further,” Guderian continued, “when the Russians begin their move, I want to bomb them day and night. Since we control the air, I thought we might break our bomber squadrons into smaller groups so that the bombing is more or less continuous. And we will be in a position to use the V1 effectively.”

  “How is that?” Schloss asked.

  “Our Wehrmacht engineers have been surveying the countryside to the west of Warsaw. Between that and our spotter aircraft, we can drop the V1s with a much greater degree of accuracy. And Dornberger has the new airburst warhead for the V1 in production.”

  “And then we can stop them before they reach Berlin?” Schloss asked.

  Guderian stared at Schloss for a long moment. “There are no guarantees, Herr Reich Chancellor.”

  And you already knew the answer to that question, Hennie, Schloss thought. We can pull the government back from the East. But what about the people of Berlin? It looks like Russian boots will march through the city despite my hopes and plans.

  Schloss tried to speak and had to clear his throat. “Very well. General, I need to have you delegate someone to move our critical military installations from the East. I am thinking particularly of Peenemünde. But I
assume you will have a better idea of what to do.”

  “We have already begun planning something like that,” Guderian said. “And I believe some of the work is in process already.”

  “Peter, I want you to get with Speer and start coordinating the evacuation of the critical government functions from the city.”

  “I should have thought of that, myself,” Schreiber replied. “We will get on it immediately.”

  “Any thoughts on where we would relocate?” Schloss posed the question.

  “Weimar is a possibility,” Ribbentrop suggested.

  “Too close,” Rainer said. “Nuremberg or maybe Munich.”

  “Joachim,” Schloss said, “can you work with Peter and recommend a city?”

  “Of course.”

  “Any reports on how our strategy committees fare?” Schloss asked.

  “Milch thinks he will have a report for you in another two weeks,” Guderian said.

  “Pardon me for asking,” Ribbentrop said, “but why are we bothering with this right now? The situation is about as desperate as it can be. I am not trying to be disrespectful, Herr Reich Chancellor.”

  “A fair question, Joachim,” Schloss replied. Ribbentrop had shown a bit of courage to make such a statement. “I suppose the answer lies in how we address the current challenges in the war. If we survive, it will be as a result of Heinz’s adroit management of the war. I would like the turnaround to get us in a direction pointed towards ultimate victory, plus the beginnings of the world we desire after the war.”

  “Fair enough,” Ribbentrop responded. “The committee in my office has been kind of unguided. This will give me a more specific direction to give them.”

  One of the clerks slipped into the room and handed a note to Kirche. Schloss was focused on the discussion and didn’t notice. Rainer looked curious. Kirche unfolded the note and read it. He then reached over and handed it to Schloss. The Reich Chancellor read it and then sighed deeply.

  “Meine Herren, I am very saddened to report that Reichsmarshall Hermann Goering has passed away. I think we should adjourn. Gisela and I will need to be with Emmy. Peter, I suppose you are now going to have to plan a funeral.”