Nazi Magician: Inventor

by Ward Wagher

  “And... we have run the battery down. I think we can assume this was a successful test.”

  “I am impressed,” Rolf said. “I know there is a lot of testing to be done, but this has possibilities. Great work, Dieter.”

  “Thanks, Rolf. But I really can’t claim credit for something I fundamentally do not understand.”

  “May I suggest you set up the other equipment to see if I can make it work? Then we should spend the day testing this new device.”

  Dieter nodded. “Of course. Florian, can you set up the other device for Rolf to test? I want to start setting this up for the next test.”

  Rolf moved over to Florian’s bench, where the first device rested. Konrad had constructed a second power generator, which sat on one side of Dieter’s bench. Konrad was a skilled machinist, and the newer generator resembled something that had been produced in a factory. As usual, Konrad observed the experiments, and Florian resumed taking notes.

  Dieter connected a more substantial set of cables and a larger controller to the new device. The new generator was more powerful, and Dieter had experienced having a smaller gauge of copper wire melt from the current. Konrad had constructed a heavy carbon resister mounted on a piece of copper with fins that functioned as a heat sink.

  “Do not let the device ground against you,” Konrad warned.

  “Too right, Konrad. I suspect I would not have to get too close to have an arc jump across to my hand. That would hurt.”

  “If I let you get electrocuted, Ignatz would probably tie me to the device and let me fry.”

  “Not to mention what Rolf would do.”

  Konrad turned pale. “That is not even funny, Dieter.”

  Dieter grinned at him. “I don’t want to allow anyone to experiment on you. Of course, I would not be in a position to worry about it.”

  They turned to look at Florian’s bench, as Rolf exclaimed.

  “This really works! Gott in Himmel, this is remarkable.”

  “It appears Rolf is one of the chosen ones,” Ludwig said quietly.

  Dieter looked back at Ludwig with a raised eyebrow but said nothing further. They spent the rest of the day testing various combinations on what Rolf was now calling a “protective field.” Dieter was reluctant to attempt any tests that involved a human physically touching the field. He wanted to test it by firing a gun at it, but the danger of ricochets was too high in the lab.

  As they packed up at the end of the day, Rolf stepped over to Dieter.

  “Have dinner with me tonight, Dieter.”

  “Of course, Rolf. Perhaps if you could tell me where you would like to meet, I usually walk Jette home to make sure she is safe. She is a valuable employee.”

  Rolf looked at him curiously and then responded. “Of course. Do you know where Krause’s Bierkeller is?”

  “Two blocks over, right?”

  “Right. How much time do you need?”

  “A half-hour should do it,” Dieter said.

  “Fine. I will go there now and get us a table. It gets crowded there quickly in the evenings. I usually manage to secure a table in the back in a corner.”

  “I will find you then.”

  Thirty minutes later, Dieter slid into the booth across from Rolf. The SS Major raised a hand and snapped his fingers. He then held up one finger. Less than a minute later, the barmaid slapped a mug of beer on the table in front of Dieter.

  “The bratwurst is very good here,” Rolf said.

  “That is fine with me.”

  Rolf looked up at the barmaid. The same for both of us.”

  “Of course, Herr Major.”

  He watched as she walked away.

  “I strongly suspect there is a fine derriere under that skirt, Dieter.”

  Dieter turned to look and then grinned at Rolf. “I defer to your greater expertise, of course.”

  Rolf chuckled. “I am a scientist, too, Dieter. I study women’s derrieres. There are all types, of course. But, I prefer the thin, firm ones.”

  “Uh, I have not done a study like that, Rolf. The girls do not like it when I try to examine their behinds. I have no desire to be slapped.”

  “Sometimes, you must be brave,” the SS man said. “I get slapped a lot, but my success rate is outstanding.”

  Dieter shook his head. “Perhaps, I don’t have your bravery… or audacity, maybe.”

  Rolf grinned at his dinner guest and then sipped at his beer. “This is very good, too. A good day in the lab, I think.”

  “I am very pleased even if I don’t understand what is happening.”

  “Sometimes, you just simply go with the flow. I think you are making a massive contribution to the Reich.”

  “If I can help in this war with my small talents, I am happy.”

  “Germany is surrounded on all sides, Dieter. Our Führer is wise, but he knows we need strong weapons to defeat our enemies. And we also should beware of the Jewish menace.”

  Dieter nodded but said nothing.

  “We will be turning your inventions into weapons for the Reich. We will soon move to a secure location. I worry that someone will infiltrate our work and report to the British or the French. We must be vigilant.”

  “I am already careful,” Dieter said.

  “But you tested the power device with everyone in the building, did you not?”

  “Yes, but no one saw what was happening, and we did not tell them. And to tell the truth, Rolf, at the time, we had no idea what we had discovered.”

  “Yes, of course. But we must be cautious in the future. And hold your voice down.”

  Dieter looked around quickly. The barmaid was returning with their platters. She slid them onto the table. Rolf tossed a handful of Reichsmarks on the table, and the barmaid scooped them up. She departed without another word.

  “I don’t think she likes me,” Dieter said.

  Rolf laughed. “It is me she doesn’t like. Don’t worry about it. Now eat up. Tomorrow I want to sit down with you and discuss plans for moving forward. I have some ideas, and I want to get your thoughts.”

  “Of course, I will be glad to.”

  They each picked up their bratwurst sandwich and took a bite. Dieter raised his eyebrows slightly.

  “This is very good.”

  “I come here often. The food is generally excellent.”

  “Thank you for inviting me.”

  Rolf tilted his head. “I hope that we will have many dinners together.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  November 23, 1939

  “I worry about the way Rolf looks at me.”

  Dieter looked over at Jette as the bus struggled up the hill towards the SS base outside of Frankfort. Once Rolf had determined the new laboratory location, the move had happened quickly. He had also arranged for a bus to pick up all the workers since it was no longer practical to walk to work.

  “I did not realize Rolf was interested in you.”

  “That is not what I meant, Dieter. I don’t know if it is hatred or distaste or something else. It makes me uncomfortable.”

  When the bus arrived at the entrance to the small base, an SS lieutenant climbed aboard and walked down the aisle checking everyone’s papers.

  “Security is tight,” Dieter commented as the officer stepped to the ground outside the bus.

  Jette hugged herself and shivered. “When I come to work, I worry about not being allowed to leave. I do not want to be trapped here.”

  “I don’t think you have anything to cause you to worry. You are our most important employee. You not only keep Ignatz organized, but you can handle the equipment better than anyone else.”

  “And I miss Mutti and Vatti.”

  She looked down, and Dieter noticed a tear track its way down her cheek. He reached up and wiped it off with the back of his hand. He squeezed her shoulder but said nothing.

  The new laboratory was in a single-story concrete building that looked as though it was once a small factory. While Rolf had not touched the origi
nal lab team, he had added a dozen skilled artisans who were working to transform Dieter’s concepts into practical devices.

  During the mid-morning coffee break, Ignatz stepped over to where Dieter sipped from his cup.

  “We have a prototype of the beam weapon ready to test. The craftsmen have requested that you test it. They have made some refinements, and they want to make sure they have not strayed from the design principles.”

  “Sure, Ignatz. When do we need to do this?”

  “They are ready now. I told them you could be immediately available.”

  “So I am.” He took another drink of the coffee and set the mug down. “Let me get a coat. It’s cold out there.”

  “They tell me a coat is not necessary. They have also developed a… uniform for the people using the weapons.”

  “I guess I haven’t been paying attention to the craftsmen, Ignatz. You now have me curious.”

  “Let’s go, then.” Ignatz’s smile was anticipatory as the two walked out of the laboratory proper. A connecting door in the laboratory led into what Dieter thought of as the manufactory.

  “This is Karl Helmholtz,” Ignatz said by way of introduction. “He has been guiding the craftsmen.”

  Dieter stuck out his hand. “I am glad to meet you. I am curious about what you have accomplished.”

  “Come into the fitting room, then,” Helmholtz said.

  A blood-red robe hung over an apparel manikin. Black stripes followed the sleeves. A black vest overhung the gown and was trimmed in silver thread. Silver SS flashes hung on the shoulders. On another dummy hung a shoulder harness with a cylindrical construct and a streamlined box mounted. Hanging from a hook was something that looked like a rifle, but wasn’t.

  Rolf stepped into the room behind them.

  “I am glad I was able to get here for the first test. Dieter, welcome to the SS Magician Battalion.”

  “Magician?” Dieter asked, raising his eyebrows.

  “It is magic as far as anyone can tell. We want to reinforce that perception. Since only a small subset of people can make the equipment work, we will call you magicians. The leadership of our enemies will not believe that, of course. But, if we can cause their soldiers to be frightened and demoralized, so much the better.”

  “Crawling through the woods in that robe won’t be easy.”

  Rolf laughed. “We do not want our magicians crawling through the woods. With the force beam and the force field, no one can touch you. We want the enemy to see you and take flight.”

  “Ooookay. I guess you know what you are talking about.”

  “I have spent most of the past week talking to the leadership of the SS battalions. They do not believe what I am telling them, but are willing to play along. The ReichsFührer has ordered them to do so, and they won’t cross him willingly.”

  Dieter walked over and ran the edge of the robe through his fingers. “This is high quality material. But it won’t be warm enough in November.”

  Helmholtz chuckled. “Oh, we have a few features that will surprise you. Let’s get you suited up and then explain everything.”

  They led Dieter to a raised platform so they could work around him. They first buckled a heavy belt around his middle. He recognized the wiring.

  “Have you tested the force field with humans?”

  Helmholtz chuckled again. “Oh, yes. All of the craftsmen are able to operate the devices. Wilhelm over there tested the force field.”

  Dieter shrugged. “I guess if you didn’t pinch his head off his shoulders or something...”

  “That was something we worried about. But we tested with a dummy first. The field extends about a meter from the body in all directions. You will be quite safe.”

  They helped him into the robe, and he pushed his arms through the openings. Helmholtz’s assistant carefully buttoned the gown in the front. They draped the chasuble over him, and then helped him shrug into the harness containing the equipment. They then hung an amulet on a gold chain around his neck so that it lay against the front of the chasuble.

  “Is this gold?” he asked, fingering the amulet.

  “No. It is anodized aluminum. There was no need to get carried away,” was the wry response.

  Helmholtz then began connecting various cables to the amulet and other equipment. He then picked up a pointed, floppy hat from the table. It was black and embroidered with silver stars. Some type of a crystal was attached at the point. When Helmholz and his helper set the hat on his head, Dieter saw a mechanism mounted above his eyes in the brim of the hat. He glanced at the craftsman.

  “That is an eye shield. It is connected to the weapon so that it flips down over your eyes when you trigger the weapon. You have to flip it back up manually.”

  “Tell me about the amulet,” Dieter said.

  Helmholtz pulled a connector from the robe and plugged it into the amulet. “The three piano key buttons on the right side, starting with the top engage the power generator, the force field and then powers up the connection to the beam gun. The top dial controls the power level. The middle dial controls the force field strength, and the bottom controls the ventilation to the robe.”

  “Ventilation?”

  Helmholtz laughed again. Dieter concluded the man was naturally jovial. “We have a small fan and heating unit in the equipment pack. It blows air through vents in the robe. Since the power generator produces more electricity than we can possibly use anyway, we thought we might make the magician more comfortable.”

  “I like it,” Dieter laughed.

  “I thought you might.”

  Rolf stood with his hands on his hips and studied the result. “I suspect the Führer will want to modify the appearance of the uniform, but this looks very good to me.”

  Helmholtz lifted the gun-like device off the hook and brought it over to Dieter.

  “We had to give some thought to the beam gun. When you set it down, you need to be able to disconnect the power lead easily. And also, to quickly connect it again. And the cable cannot be allowed to get in the way of aiming and firing.”

  “That makes sense,” Dieter said.

  “We decided a meter-long cable would be sufficient. We also tempered the glass rod in the weapon. But it is still somewhat fragile.”

  “I understand.”

  “Then we should go out to the test range. We would ask that you not arm the weapon until we are at the range. You can power-up, though. There is a detente on the power level knob that seemed to us to be at a good range.”

  Dieter pressed the first key and twisted the bottom knob. He felt warm air begin to flow through the robe.

  “I like this,” he said with a grin.

  Helmholtz and Rolf pulled on overcoats. Dieter followed them across the compound to the bunkered test range. After arriving at the field, he reached for the end of the cable to the gun and plugged it into the amulet.

  “Very well,” Helmholtz instructed. “Power-up the weapon. We have a target at the end of the range. You will aim at that and fire once.”

  Rolf and Helmholtz quickly put on dark glasses. Dieter pressed the key to power up the weapon. A small indicator light on the side of the gun came on. He put the stock to his shoulder and pointed the gun at the target. The gun had a simple sight, and he placed it on the target and pulled the trigger. The eye protectors flipped down, and he saw the beam lash the target with a sharp crack as he looked through the dark glass.

  He pressed the key to disable the weapon and flipped up the eye protectors. “How was that?”

  Rolf shook his head. “I’ve seen this several times before. It never fails to impress me.”

  “Let’s try several more shots,” Helmholtz said. “This is still a proof of concept, but I think the production equipment will be very much like this.”

  Later as they walked back to the laboratory building, Dieter asked his question.

  “You are planning for our magicians to wear this gear all the time?”

  “That is correct
,” Rolf said. “It is as much psychological as anything.”

  “So, what’s the procedure when I need to use the toilet?”

  Helmholtz looked nonplussed. “That never occurred to us. Some small modifications may be indicated.”

  Now Dieter chuckled. “I am always glad to be of service.”

  “Other challenges will lay before you, Dieter,” Rolf said. “Guess who gets to demonstrate this for the Führer?”

  Dieter gulped. “That did not occur to me.”

  Rolf now laughed heartily. “Never fear, Dieter. We will make a good Nazi out of you yet.”

  That is what I am afraid of; he thought to himself.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  November 23, 1939

  Despite the twenty-degree weather, Dieter found he was sweating inside his robe and equipment. He reached up and moved the knob that controlled the heating of the outfit. The rest of his lab team stood in their coats and tried not to shiver. Dieter decided he was fortunate in that regard.

  The bright, clear, crisp day put everything into clarity. From the location of the laboratory, he could see much of Frankfort as well as the surrounding hills. Snow remained still in the shadows, although the rest had melted off during a brief warm spell. It was the perfect day for a demonstration of his inventions for the Führer.

  The motorcade from the airport swept through the gates of the SS base and stopped at the administration building. According to the schedule Dieter had been given, the senior people of the base would be introduced and welcome the Führer. There would be a short briefing of the weapons capabilities, and then the party would move out to where Dieter waited.

  He idly wondered what would happen if he decided to turn his weapon on the Führer and his entourage. During the testing of the device, he had been able to fire the weapon repeatedly with the only consequence that he would grow weary after a time. They would not be able to touch him, of course. The force field would stop anything they could throw at him. Someone moving close could slowly push a blade through the force field and injure him in that manner.

  But, if he did something like that, where would he flee? Sooner or later, he would have to rest and sleep. They had not been able to test the equipment with a sleeping subject. Dieter suspected that he needed to be awake for the equipment to function. Besides, he feared what would happen to his laboratory team and, more importantly, Jette.