by Colin Gee
“Say that again, Horst?”
“Kanzler, I repeat, there will be no Nibelungen at the Berlin Opera House this year.”
“That’s preposterous, man! How can this have happened?”
“Kanzler, it’s important just to accept it’s happened and to make other arrangements.”
“Are you sure? Are you really sure?”
“Yes, Herr Kanzler. There’s no Nibelungen… no other choice. You must make other arrangements.”
“Mein Gott, Horst.”
“I wish it was otherwise, Herr Kanzler, but I could not ensure the production went ahead.”
“Thank you for letting me know. I’ll make alternative arrangements immediately. Thank you, Horst.”
“Herr Kanzler.”
Speer sat staring at the silent handset, the shock of the message washing back and forth from his brain to his very soul.
He clicked the cradle twice and requested another line.
“Guderian.”
“Feldmarschal, Kanzler Speer. I have to inform you that there will be no Nibelungen at the Berlin Opera House this year.”
“What?”
“There it is. Unfortunate, but we must make other arrangements.”
“How? Why?... I mean…”
“It’s just the way it is, Herr Feldmarschal. Horst just contacted me with the news.”
“And you have accepted this, Herr Kanzler?”
“I’ve no choice, Herr Feldmarschal.”
“So, do we go to the alternative immediately?”
“We’ll do it at the first rescheduled performance.”
“The first?”
“Yes, the first.”
“Zu befehl, Herr Kanzler. If you’ll excuse me then.”
“Good luck, Herr Feldmarschal.”
Speer replaced the receiver and sat looking at his hands.
They trembled noticeably, the enormity of the course upon which he had set his country just apparent.
Although the reasons behind the early activation of Undenkbar were still unclear, he had just ordered Guderian to instigate the plan at the first opportunity, which would be 0200hrs… tomorrow.
Guderian replaced the receiver and composed himself, trying to work out what could have possibly happened to initiate Undenkbar ahead of schedule.
His brain railed against it all, but it also strived to bring order to his thoughts.
‘Whatever has started this is immaterial… for later debate… now you must act, Erich!’
He picked up the phone again.
“I want the duty signals officer here now.”
Yes, Herr Feldmarschal. General Patton is still waiting in the lobby, Sir.”
‘Verdamnt… verdamnt… forgot about him…’
“Please give him my apologies and ask him to come in.”
Guderian quickly wrote his orders for the Signals Officer, anticipating it would be he who arrived first.
It was instead George Patton, who was unhappy at being kept waiting, especially as the ‘Goddamned Krauts’ had asked for him specifically.
Guderian rose and shook his contemporary’s hand.
“My apologies, Herr General, but there have been some items that simply wouldn’t wait. I have one more to complete and then we can travel together to the exercise site.”
“Thank you, Fieldmarshal.”
Guderian completed the simple but monumental order, complete with the unique distribution code group and finished as the door resounded to an urgent knocking.
“Come!”
The Signals Officer strode in to receive his instructions.
Guderian handed him a sealed envelope.
‘Most immediate. Priority.’
The words were bold and unmistakeable.
“Zu befehl, Herr Feldmarschal.”
“Danke, Oberst.”
The door closed and Guderian felt the burden of the necessities of high command quickly replaced by the doubts and fears that status brought, especially when millions of lives are at stake.
“Now, Herr General. Some coffee, or shall we proceed?”
Patton elected to get out on the road as quickly as possible, and they headed off together to observe the latest exercises near Berlin.
1109 hrs, Friday, 14th March 1947, Christopherusschule, Scharmede, Germany.
The morning playtime was in full swing and the children, mainly those of good German catholic parentage, were deep into their recreations of family scenes with dolls and teddy bears, football matches, or storytelling about what their sister had got up to with her boyfriend the night before.
Adolpha and Roderika Ottwitz were twin sisters and, as teachers at the Catholic School, had pulled playground duty together whilst the other staff had a break from the screaming hordes.
They were sisters in more ways than one, as both had committed to be brides of Christ some years beforehand.
Young Poppelmeyer had earned his third rebuke of the session and would probably be destined for the father’s office after any more misbehaviour.
The early morning sun drew their eyes as it burst forth from behind the clouds.
And then something else drew their gaze, something awful… something that had no place in God’s world.
The mechanism was quite simple.
The initiating device was a modest but highly efficient altitude barometer that decided that it was now at the pre-set height and sent a current through its wiring to start three processes.
The first burst initiated the destruction of two phials of acid, secured against some vital pipework joints.
The second initiated a timing mechanism that started a countdown to another sequence.
The acid ate through the pipe joints and the internal pressure of the fuel system ensured the destruction was complete.
Aviation fuel started to mist into the void and then flowed as a liquid as the joints’ failures were completed.
The loss of engine power was quickly noted and the pilots tried to respond.
The second timing sequence fired a small explosive line charge that perforated the skin of the aircraft, allowing fuel vapours to escape.
Five seconds later the white phosphorous charge burst into life providing the fuel with the perfect ignition source.
The resultant explosion partially severed the port wing inboard of engine number two, the airflow, and falling motion of the aircraft completing the job.
The port wing parted company with the rest of the aircraft and, robbed of any ability to fly, the blazing fuselage and remaining wing dropped from the sky, whirling like a sycamore seed, leaving a spiral of smoke and flame as the aviation spirit fuelled a fire that consumed everything in its path.
There were no survivors.
German forces in the area rushed to the burning wreckage and attempted to rescue as many of the children from Christopherusschule as they could, both living and dead.
There were far more of the latter.
The local feuerwehr was overwhelmed and it was only the presence of a German military medical unit that saved the lives of many wounded who had been rescued but would have died uncared for.
Two firefighters were killed when the remains of the main school building collapsed on them, trapping them under wood and rubble to be burned alive when the fuel-fed fire spread further.
The report went out from Scharmede and was quickly passed on, coinciding with those reports from radar stations monitoring air traffic, which had all noted the disappearance of one aircraft.
At Rhein-Main Airbase in Frankfurt, the news of the missing aircraft arrived and was treated with a certain amount of acceptance, as air crashes were still reasonably regular occurrences.
It was not until further details started to arrive that it was realised that a disaster had befallen the Allied community, one that was not totally understood until the association between the personnel listed on the RAF flight were married with the last minute additions.
Eisenhower.
Bedell-S
mith.
Bradley.
Strong.
De Lattre.
And others… all dead.
Telephone wires started burning white-hot and NATO lay in disarray.
A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.
Mahatma Gandhi.
Chapter 191 - THE CRESCENDO
1307 hrs, Friday, 14th March 1947, Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse, temporary government building #1, Magdeburg, Germany.
“President Truman, Speer here. I must offer my personal sympathies to you and your nation at this time, as well as the sympathies of my nation. This is an awful accident and our cause has lost some great men.”
“Thank you, Chancellor Speer. I hope you’ll understand that I cannot yet bring myself to speak at length as yet. It’s far too soon, and we don’t know what has happened here; simply that we have lost some extremely courageous and steadfast souls.”
“My forces have secured the crash site tightly, and I’ve ordered them to defer to your officials in matters relating to the site and any investigation. We shall, of course, assist in any way you wish.”
“Thank you again, Chancellor. I’ve no doubt your assistance will prove invaluable. Clearly this tragedy has struck us hard, and it’ll be important to discover its origins, so we can avoid repeating it.”
“On the delicate matter of the remains, Mister President, we’ve placed those bodies recovered, both from the aircraft and on the ground, in a temporary facility in Scharmede. This is also guarded and autopsies are already in progress.
“Chancellor Speer, on that matter I must also express my regret and sympathies. To lose so many young lives is a tragedy of monumental proportions. I believe reports have stated as many as fifty affected?”
“Mister President, I regret to inform you that as of twenty minutes ago, that number was placed at eighty-two confirmed dead, including all members of staff, mainly nuns.”
“A tragedy heaped upon a tragedy, Chancellor. Our nations will mourn together.”
“Mister President, there’s a matter that we, as statesman, must find the strength to discuss, even at this grave hour. The situation is tense and we cannot remain as we are.”
“The leadership of NATO?”
“Yes, I’m afraid I see no time for delay, Mister President.”
“Such an appointee would have to have the confidence of all, as our dear friend Ike did. That’s essential. An immediate replacement doesn’t suggest itself, Chancellor.”
There was a pause during which Speer willed Truman to continue.
He obliged.
“Do you have anyone in mind, Chancellor?”
“Most certainly not, Herr President. That‘s a matter for all, but I suspect we would expect that such an appointee would come from your forces. I’ve no doubt that Feldmarschal Guderian could do the job, but I also don’t doubt that it is far too soon for such an appointment from our forces.”
“Most likely, I agree, Chancellor. So what do you suggest? I assume you’re meaning a temporary appointment?”
“Yes, Mister Truman, I think there’s no choice. I believe that you can make a temporary appointment yourself under our existing rules, until such time as a formal discussion can be conducted… and to leave NATO without a leader is courting disaster, particularly at these delicate times...”
“This Swedish meeting?”
“Not just that, Mister President. We have other matters of direct concern at this time, do we not?”
“Yes, indeed we do, Chancellor. My problem here is that the two most likely successors have died along with Eisenhower.”
“Perhaps we should seek for the immediate return of Montgomery?”
“That will not happen. I’d have a mutiny on my hands.”
Speer knew that the suggestion would be enough in itself to agitate the American leader.
“Then it must be someone here… close at hand… and of sufficient worth to command the respect of all nations, Mister President.”
The silence multiplied as Speer willed Truman down the right path, and as Truman’s brain worked the issue and kept on coming up with the same name.
“Purely temporary, Chancellor. Any appointment I make must be understood as purely temporary to ensure a firm hand on the reins here. We must make sure the other Allies understand that… I’ll speak to Prime Minister Churchill immediately I’ve decided on the appointment.”
“I’m sure you will do the right thing, Mister President. Again, the sympathies of myself and my nation for your great loss.”
“Thank you, Chancellor. May God protect us and guide us in the coming days. Goodbye.”
Speer replaced the receiver and slumped as the tension of his deceit left his body.
“And this is just the start!”
The other man said nothing, but understood the huge pressures on his leader.
The Chancellor took a taster from his Ansbach; he had allowed himself a small one, despite the rigours that the following hours would bring.
“I think he’s thinking as we would hope, but I couldn’t direct. It must be his choice, Rudolf.”
“I agree, Herr Kanzler. Shall I continue?”
“Yes, yes do.”
“From the report I received it seems that Bedell-Smith simply accompanied Strong as they had a shared destination. Strong we already knew was going to Vár, so he took the opportunity offered.”
Speer took another sip and derived satisfaction from the steadying burn in his throat.
“What happened next is still unclear, but something caused Eisenhower and his party to leave their aircraft and get aboard the RAF plane.”
“And this list of personnel that were killed when it crashed is complete?”
“Yes, Herr Kanzler. That is the confirmed list of persons on the RAF transport, achieved by combining the original with the stated personnel manifest of the USAAF aircraft, minus the crew of the latter.”
“And there was no way of stopping this from happening once we knew Eisenhower was aboard?”
“Yes, there was, Herr Kanzler, but not one that would have done anything but announce our involvement, bringing great harm to the Fatherland and ourselves.”
“So our men along the line acted well… in what must have been extremely difficult circumstances.”
“I do agree, Herr Kanzler. It would’ve been easy to panic. They didn’t.”
“And our men will remove anything remaining of the devices from the plane wreck?”
Diels looked at his watch.
“That will already have been done, Herr Kanzler.”
1359 hrs, Friday, 14th March 1947, Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse, temporary government building #1, Magdeburg, Germany.
“Mister President. I had not expected to hear from you again today. How may I be of assistance?”
Speer listened carefully and silently.
There was no need for words, none at all, as his face announced the culmination of their hasty plan.
“Yes, I can do that… and I’ll ensure he contacts you as quickly as possible, Mister President… no… I agree… we’ve no time for niceties… no, the Allies will understand… I’m sure of it… no, indeed, Mister President… yes… yes…yes, I agree. Thank you… and to you, Mister President. Goodbye.”
He squeezed the telephone in both hands and held it to his face, eyes closed, almost like a supplicant with a treasured icon of his faith.
“He’s done it, but can’t get hold of him, so he’s asked us to inform him.”
“Mein Gott! This is destiny, Herr Kanzler… destiny! So much has gone astray and yet here we stand, with so many things unexpectedly in our favour. This is our moment… our destiny!”
“Perhaps so, Horst… as you say… so much has come together to bring us to this point… so… anyway… give me a moment.”
He picked up the telephone again and asked for a connection.
“Kanzler Speer for the Feldmarschal immedia
tely please.”
He relaxed, the answerer immediately off to get hold of the German Army’s field commander.
Less than a minute later, he heard a gruff voice in his ear.
“Guderian.”
“Feldmarschal, are matters in hand for the exercise?”
“Yes, and progressing as expected, Herr Kanzler.”
“Excellent… and General Patton is with you still?”
“Yes, Herr Kanzler. We both intend to go forward and observe the night exercise later, but he’s still here at the moment.”
“Good, please put him on the line.”
Clearly Patton actually wasn’t there at hand, as Speer could hear orders being shouted.
“Here he is now, Her Kanzler. Any further instructions for me?”
“No. None at all. Proceed as planned, Feldmarschal.”
“Here is General Patton, Herr Kanzler.”
Speer sat up a little straighter, as befitted the gravity of the moment.
“Good afternoon, General Patton.”
“Good afternoon, Chancellor. What can I do for you, Sir?”
“Of course, straight to the point. By now you’ll know about the tragic circumstances of this day.”
“Yes, Sir. I’ve been informed, Sir.”
“I’ve spoken with your President and tendered our condolences of course, but we’ve also spoken on other urgent matters.”
“Yes, Sir?”
“President Truman has been unable to get through to you so he has asked me to inform you that, effective immediately, you are now temporary Commander of NATO forces in Europe. He asks me that you make your way to Frankfurt and assume command until the member states can appoint a permanent successor… which, I might add, might be some time.”
Patton kept his face straight as he was awarded the pinnacle post of his military career.
“Thank you, Chancellor, I understand fully. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve much to do.”
“I’m sure you do, General. Good luck to you. Good day.”
“Good day to you, Chancellor.”
