“Very good sir,” said Muller as he turned to leave.
Vogel stood there staring down at the lifeless forms lying on the cold, wooden floor. He had seen enough, he needed to get back outside into the cool, fresh air. Vogel was about to turn away when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Not everyone was wearing the same army issue boots on their feet. Thinking it odd, Vogel bent down and then pulled back the blankets from the bodies one by one until he came to the last corpse. His eyes instantly widened when he saw what was lying there. The man wasn’t a soldier. In fact, Vogel doubted that the man was even German.
12
Crash site
January 19th, 1942
“What do you mean we have to wait to destroy the crashed plane?” said an angry Shaw to Wahlberg. “It’s already well past noon. I’ve got what I came for. The charges are in place. I placed them there myself with the help of a couple of your men. What’s stopping us from blowing the damned thing to kingdom come?”
“Captain, I’m sorry, but we have to lay low in the woods and remain quiet for now,” replied Wahlberg, trying to placate Shaw. “If we blow it up, the noise will undoubtedly echo through the valley and be heard for miles around. I have just received a report of Germans inside the weather station. How many, my source does not know, but he counted six vehicles. So we have to assume that there is more than a platoon of them down there. By now, they will have discovered the bodies of their dead comrades and be spoiling for a fight, and I for one don’t intend to give them one.”
Shaw firmly clenched his jaw until it ached. Wahlberg was right to be cautious. Shaw knew that he had a short fuse at times and was trying to keep his red-hot temper in check. He had been on his feet for close to two days now and was growing tired. All Shaw needed was a good hot meal and a few hours off his feet, and he would be more himself in no time.
“You’re right,” said Shaw to Wahlberg. “Forgive me, I’m just a little tired, and testy, that’s all. How long do you propose we that we remain up here?”
“Shouldn’t be more than a couple of days. If the Germans haven’t left by then, we’ll wait until first light on the third day, destroy the German plane, and then make our way to a safe house a few miles north of the village. From there, we can radio for your extraction.”
Shaw nodded his head and then turned about to see where Bruce had gone. Seeing him sitting on freshly cut evergreen branches under the canvas tarp of an expedient shelter playing with his camera, Shaw walked over and plonked his weary frame down beside Bruce.
“Did you take a lot of pictures?” Shaw asked Bruce.
“Aye sir, that I did, I went through five rolls of film,” replied Bruce, patting a pocket on his parka.
“That’s good news,” said Shaw before telling Bruce about the Germans, and that they would have to remain in the fighters’ camp for a couple of days.
“Won’t be all that bad, they shot a deer just before we arrived. They’re going to make a stew for supper,” said Bruce, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of a good meal.
“Sounds delicious,” said Shaw as he turned to look over at a group of fighters standing around the bonfire. For the first time, he noticed Anna in the light of day. She had a friendly smile and dark-brown eyes that seemed to sparkle when she laughed. Even though she was dressed from head to toe in warm clothing, Shaw could tell that she had a firm athletic build hidden underneath.
When she saw Shaw looking her way, Anna smiled back. She walked over to a pile of old woolen blankets, grabbed a couple, and then headed over to see him. Handing the blankets to Shaw and Bruce, she said, “You two look like you could use a good night’s sleep.”
“Do we really look that bad?” said Shaw.
“Yes, you do,” Anna replied, smiling.
“Thanks for the blanket missy,” said Bruce. “Please don’t forget to wake us up for dinner.” With that, he wrapped himself in his blanket, laid down on the pine boughs and was fast asleep in seconds. The sound of Bruce’s loud snoring solicited a few laughs from the men standing by the fire.
“Wonderful,” mumbled Shaw to himself.
With a giggle on her lips, Anna promised to wake them both. With a friendly wave, she left Shaw and walked back over to her friends. Watching her, Shaw could see that Anna was a vibrant and interesting woman, one that he would have loved to get to know better. Deep down, Shaw knew that keeping his distance was the smarter move. He hadn’t always followed his own advice but felt that this time it would be better for everyone to play it safe.
Stifling a loud yawn with his hand, Shaw spread out his blanket and prepared to make himself as comfortable as he could. Bruce unbelievably was already snoring louder than a truck’s engine. Taking one last look around, he found his eyes being drawn back to Anna. As if sensing his gaze on her, Anna turned her head and smiled. Shaw, against his better judgment, smiled back. Feeling his eyelids becoming heavy, he raised his arms above his head, yawned, and then stretched out his aching back. When he brought his arms down, his heart almost skipped a beat when he saw his brother, Andrew, standing beside Anna, immaculately dressed in his blue naval uniform. He looked as if he was waiting to walk out on parade. He shook his head and tried to clear the image from his mind. However, Andrew remained. He and Anna seemed to be having a great conversation. They were both laughing and joking with one another. A second later, she pointed over at Shaw and Bruce’s shelter and said something that made Andrew turn his head and look over. Seeing Shaw looking at him, Andrew’s face suddenly turned grave and cold. It was as if his brother was mad that Shaw could see him standing there. A shudder ran down Shaw’s spine. Blinking his tired eyes a couple of times, he looked back towards Andrew. Only he was no longer there. Instead, Shaw saw Gert standing there chatting with Anna.
Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, Shaw leant his head out of the shelter and slowly looked around for his brother.
He was gone.
“I really need some sleep,” muttered Shaw to himself as he laid his weary head down on the bed of evergreen branches. Bunching up his scarf to use as a pillow, Shaw closed his eyes and tried to rest. Immediately, the image of his brother filled his mind. The person he had seen standing by the fire looked identical to the picture he had of Andrew in his room back in Scotland. Why he had thought about his brother, he could not say, but for a few seconds it was as if Andrew had been there right in front of him. He had looked so real that Shaw for a second believed that his brother might still be alive. Perhaps the news he had received about his death at Pearl Harbor had all been some huge bureaucratic error. They had it wrong. His brother was alright. Looking into his heart, Shaw knew that it was all wishful thinking. He knew before the telegram even arrived that Andrew was dead, he just wished it wasn’t so. Trying to clear his tired mind of such depressing thoughts, Shaw slowly felt himself fading, only Andrew’s image refused to leave his mind. He stood there right beside Anna, his eyes coldly fixed on Shaw. Telling his mind that his brother wasn’t real, that he wasn’t there, that he wasn’t to think of him anymore, a troubled sleep enveloped Shaw.
Below in the floor of the valley, Corporal Zach stood looking up at the steep hill in front of him. Taking one last look around to confirm that the faint trail left by the tire tracks they had been following stopped where he was standing, Zach saw that five people had climbed down from the truck and had continued on foot. Smiling to himself, Zach knew that he would have no problem following their tracks up into the hills. Turning about, he told the two soldiers with him to leave. They were to head back to the weather station and tell the major that he was going to follow the partisans trail. Arranging a time for pick up later that night, Zach grinned, the track left in the snow by the five people was so obvious to his trained eye that he would have no problem following it in the dark. Pulling back the bolt on his rifle, Zach loaded round into the chamber. His mission was to see without being seen, but one could never be too careful, especially around people who knew the ground bet
ter than he did. Waving farewell to his comrades, Zach could feel the familiar adrenaline rush that came from hunting building up inside him. Only this time his prey weren’t animals, they were human beings. Squeezing his rifle tight in his hands, Zach relished the chance to hone his skills once more.
13
German headquarters - Haugesund
January 19th, 1942
Stale cigarette smoke hung like a blue cloud inside the tiny room. Like a caged animal, Major Stengel paced back and forth inside his office. Ever since Vogel and Beckers had left for the weather station, he had been waiting to hear what had happened. When repeated attempts to reach Beckers via the radio failed, Stengel began to panic. His gut told him that something else had gone wrong. High Command would undoubtedly be held responsible for that as well. Although not officially under his command, the weather station had been inside his unit’s area of responsibility and as such, Stengel knew that he should have kept in better contact with the station. But he hadn’t; in fact, he had barely done a thing since he had been posted to Norway. Vogel’s words reverberated in his mind. He had threatened him with a court martial, which undeniably would condemn him to death for gross negligence and incompetence on his part. Walking over to his desk, Stengel pulled open the top drawer, pulled out a nearly empty bottle of schnapps, and then poured himself a stiff drink. Picking up the cup, Stengel saw that his hand was trembling. Shooting the liquor back all in one shot, Stengel felt it burn as it slid down his throat to his empty belly. He had never been so scared in his life. A life he knew that was facing its inevitable demise.
A knock at the door startled Stengel. Turning his head, he saw a young private standing there.
“What do you want?” barked Stengel.
“Herr Major, I have an officer who wishes to speak to you,” said the private.
Stengel shook his head. He didn’t have time for any visitors. “Tell him to go away,” said Stengel, as he reached for his bottle of schnapps.
“That would be unwise Herr Major,” said a man dressed from head to toe in black as he entered the room. “My name is Sturmbannfuhrer Wagner and I am here to investigate why a weather station near here has failed to report for the past few days and what you have or have not done about it.”
Stengel felt his guts turn to jelly. He recognized the man as a major in the dreaded SS. He was tall, with broad shoulders, reddish-blonde hair, and ice-blue eyes that stared right through Stengel, making him very uncomfortable. Could this day get any worse? thought Stengel.
“Herr Sturmbannfuhrer, nobody told me you were coming,” said Stengel. “Had I known, I would have sent a jeep to pick you up from the airfield.”
“Herr Major, the SS does not need to announce to the army when and where it is conducting its business,” said Wagner, looking dismissively at Stengel and the almost empty bottle of Schnapps in his hand.
“Yes, of course, Herr Sturmbannfuhrer. I meant no offense. It’s just that things have been quite hectic around here today,” replied Stengel, placing the bottle down on the table. Standing up straight, he did his best to look as if he wasn’t bothered by the SS man’s presence.
“What do you mean by hectic?” said Wagner, taking a step closer to Stengel.
“Well Major Vogel from headquarters in Oslo arrived earlier today and took with him all the soldiers that I could spare to investigate why the weather station had gone off the air,” replied Stengel, wishing Wagner would leave him in peace. “Unfortunately, I have been unable to reach my men since they entered the weather station.”
“Have they been attacked?”
“I don’t know Herr Sturmbannfuhrer. All I know is that I have lost radio communications with them.”
“Is the resistance strong enough in this area to kill all of your men before they could get a single radio transmission off?”
“No Herr Sturmbannfuhrer, in fact, things have been quiet in my area of responsibility ever since I arrived. Perhaps their radios failed? The hills and mountains in this region make even the simplest communications difficult at times.”
“Herr Major, I don’t want theories. I want answers. I also want a jeep waiting outside for me in five minutes,” said Wagner. “I am going to the station and take command of the soldiers out there. If the resistance has suddenly become active, then they will be taught a lesson that will echo across all of Norway.”
Stengel nodded his head and called for the duty NCO and told him that he wanted a jeep with an experienced driver ready to go right away. Moving about in his office, Stengel found a map of the local area on a side desk and gave it Wagner. Without thanking him, Wagner took the map and left the room. The instant the SS Major vanished from sight, Stengel collapsed back into his chair. Shaking his head at his unbelievably bad luck, he undid his tunic, and then ran a hand over his wide belly. Looking down at the bottle on his desk, Stengel scooped it up and then began to chug the amber liquid straight out of the bottle. Vogel thought, if his life was forfeited, then at least he intended to spend what little time he had left on earth blind, stinking drunk.
14
Resistance Camp
January 19th, 1942
Andrew Shaw hugged his mother and then turned to shake his father’s hand. Without saying a word, both men looked into each other’s eyes and said what needed to be said. Letting go of his Father’s hand, Andrew walked over to his younger teenage brother and then playfully ran a hand through his unkempt hair.
“Hey, don’t do that,” complained James Shaw.
“Quit your whining Jim,” said Andrew. “Since I’m off to Annapolis, you’re gonna have to be the man around the house.”
“Dad’s not going anywhere.”
“No, but with his bad back, I’ll expect you to double up on your chores for mom’s sake. If you don’t, trust me I’ll hear about it from mom and then there’ll be hell to pay when I come home on leave. Got it mister?”
“Yeah, I got it,” replied Shaw smiling. He didn’t doubt it for one minute that his brother would give him the what for if he didn’t do as he said. Still, he loved his brother even if he was leaving his work around their old house for him to do.
The train’s whistle sounded loudly, telling everyone on the platform to quickly finish saying their goodbyes.
Hitting his brother on the shoulder, Andre turned back to his parents. Hugging his mother one last time, her eyes soon filled with tears. Nodding to his father, Andrew spun about on his heels, only it wasn’t Andrew, it was Gert. His clothes were caked in dried blood, his face contorted in rage. In his hand was a bloodstained axe. Raising it above his head, he let out a blood-curdling cry before sending the axe straight at Shaw’s head.
Shaw felt a hand on his shoulder. Instantly, with his heart racing in his chest, he sat straight up and reached out with both hands to block the coming axe.
“Easy, easy,” said a soft voice in his ears.
Turning his head, Shaw saw Anna standing over him, a look of concern on her face.
“You were thrashing about in your sleep. You must have been having an awful nightmare,” said Anna as she handed Shaw a cup of piping hot coffee.
Shaw could feel his heart still beating away in his chest. His hands were sweaty. The dream had seemed so real. Weakly smiling up at Anna, Shaw accepted the coffee and took a sip. For a moment, Shaw forgot about his terrible dream and enjoyed the peaceful moment alone with Anna. Looking about the camp, he saw that night had already fallen. Bruce was already up and standing by the bonfire with a bowl of stew in his hands. Steam from the hot food rose into the cool night air. Taking another sip of coffee, Shaw felt it warm his insides all the way down. Throwing his blanket behind him, he stood. Right away, he realized that his feet had grown cold inside his leather boots. Stamping them on the ground for a moment to kick-start the circulation, Shaw brought up his cup to take another sip, when he suddenly had the uncomfortable feeling that someone was watching him. Trying not to look too conspicuous, Shaw slowly looked around the camp. For a brief s
econd, he saw Gert staring at him. Seeing Shaw’s gaze, Gert turned and walked behind the roaring fire, so he couldn’t be seen anymore. Shaw did not like the way Gert was acting. It was as if the man did not want Shaw looking at him.
In English, Shaw said to Anna, “Have you noticed anything odd about Gert since we arrived here in the camp?”
“He’s grown a bit quiet recently. But after what we saw at the German base, can you blame him for being a bit off.”
“No, I guess not,” replied Shaw, certain that something else was going on.
Seeing Carl, Gert’s brother, finish off his supper meal, Shaw called him over.
“Good sleep, Captain?” said Carl.
Shaw was about to say something, when he decided to simply nod his head instead.
“Sir, you should get some stew before it’s all gone,” Carl said, holding up his empty bowl.
Shaw looked the young man in the eyes; his voice turned serious. “Have you checked the explosives inside the craft since you and your brother set them with me?”
“No, sir, I have not,” replied Carl hesitatingly. “Should I have?”
“Yes. From now on, I want you to check the explosives every six hours until the order is given to blow it up. Plastic explosives, especially this new British supplied Explosive 808, are something that I haven’t used much of before, so I’d feel more at ease if I knew that it was being checked by you on a regular basis.”
“Very good sir, I’ll get me brother to come with me,” said Carl turning to leave.
Shaw reached over and grabbed Carl’s arm. “I’d rather that you checked them by yourself. It’s a one man task and you’re more than capable of doing it.”
Carl smiled at the compliment, swung his rifle over his shoulder, and then headed away from the camp to check the demolition charges.
Incursion Page 8
