Stalag 13
November 1944
The next day, not long after the
"C'mon.."
Hogan said, turning away from the window. The heroes followed him to his
quarters. The coffee pot was set up quickly and they listened as Klink,
Hochstetter and the Ministry representatives entered the guest quarters.
Major Miller had seen through the
slit in the drape as the car pulled up. He stood now, in the middle of the
living area, smoking a cigarette and trying to appear casual. He looked over as
his visitors entered the quarters, looking surprised, and cautious, to see
them.
"Major Miller," Klink
said. "This is Hauptmann Reigels and Fraulien
Anna Gebhart of the Propaganda Ministry. They would like to speak with you for
a moment."
Hauptmann Horst Reigels was dressed
in a grey uniform his matching grey crush cap tucked under his arm. He looked
young, possibly close to Miller's age, maybe even younger and had short dark
hair and chiseled features. Anna Gebhart was an attractive woman in her early 30's
with raven hair pulled up and back in a severe style and she wore a black skirt
and top with a light grey trench coat over it. Although the clothes were
civilian, the look mimicked military decor and made clear that the woman was
all business.
Although he contemplated a
smart remark of but I don't want to speak with them, he withheld it and
simply gestured to the couch for the Propaganda officials to have seat.
Kommandant Klink sat in one of the two remaining chairs, and Major Miller sat
down across from the Ministry officials. This left Major Hochstetter to stand,
much to the amusement of Miller.
Anna looked at the Major
and smiled. "Major Miller," she began, "it is quite an honor to
meet you. We have heard and read much about you."
"All
good I hope."
"Of course," Anna
said. "A patriotic individual such as yourself, walking away from fame and
fortune to join his country's army in it's time of need. It was a very
honorable thing that you did."
Miller refrained
acknowledging the praise.
"More recently, you've
been quite an integral part of the Allied propaganda effort with your
involvement in broadcasts directed toward the German people and
soldiers..."
Miller held back a smile. "Just doing my part for the war effort."
"And of course you understand
that despite our best efforts to jam the signals for those broadcasts, we are
not always...successful."
"Is that a fact?"
Anna paused. "Major, obviously
you know that the reason we have you is to stop those broadcasts indefinitely,
which..." a slow smile crossed Anna's face, "we have succeeded
at."
Miller smoked his cigarette and said
nothing.
Anna continued, "Of course, now
with you as our guest, the Propaganda Ministry has a most unique opportunity.
Major, you speak some German, do you not?"
"No."
"Oh, come now. We've heard
you on your broadcasts. You've improved greatly in the short time
the broadcasts have been airing. Of course, we know you're not
nearly as fluent as the young girl that is on your broadcasts
with you...what is her name?" Anna paused. "Ilse.
And the young man who sings the songs in German....Sergeant...
Desmond? Yes, Major we know all about the broadcasts and we've heard
you speak German. And we've heard your music."
"Hmmm..." Miller mused.
"Music which, if I recall correctly, is banned here in
Hochstetter drew in a breath to say
something but was interrupted by Reigels. "That is true," the
Ministry captain said. "And that is where the Propaganda Ministry has this
unique opportunity, Major Miller."
"We know that German youths
listen to your music, Major," Anna said. "We know that records are
smuggled into this country and sold on the black market. We even know there are
"swing" bands here in
Major Miller could already see where
this was heading and he didn't like it. He said nothing, however, and just
continued to thoughtfully smoke his cigarette.
Anna continued her slow pace around
the room, pausing now behind the chair Miller sat in. "Tell us, Major
Miller...what is it about your music that's so appealing to young people?"
Major Miller turned his head to look
over his shoulder, but not to look at Anna. "I think you all ready know
the answer to that." When she stepped in the direction of Kommandant
Klink, Miller looked up at her and his eyes followed her as he continued.
"Isn't it the same reason such music is banned in this country? Because it's American? Because you can
dance to it? Because it's freedom...it's fun,
it's...innocent? Because it's represents everything that's the opposite of what
National Socialism is supposed to be about?"
There was a peculiar silence that
hung in the room. Anna paused behind where Colonel Klink sat.
Over in the barracks, Carter let out
a low whistle. "I think he struck a nerve."
"Big time," Hogan said.
"He knows exactly what they’re looking to do.”
Back in the guest quarters, Major
Miller watched as Anna stopped next to the couch and turned to look at him. He
met her gaze, unwavering. "There's a point you're trying to make with all
this," he said. "Why don't you just come right out with it?"
Anna took a deep breath. "Major
Miller, the Propaganda Ministry is interested in using you in order to connect
with the youth of
Miller couldn't have been more
offended. "Noise?" He leaned forward in his
chair. "Don't you mean degenerate noise? Doesn't Goebbels
call it subhuman? You insult jazz and swing music but yet you want it, and me,
in broadcasts aimed toward German youth, to show them that the Third Reich is
so great and wonderful? I don't think so."
"Perhaps the Major can
be...persuaded to reconsider," Hochstetter said, leaning forward.
"Or
what?"
Miller said, looking at Hochstetter. "You'll make my stay here a living
hell? Go ahead and try. I will not be a puppet in a Nazi propaganda
ploy." Miller's dark eyes were piercing as he turned them toward the two
Ministry officials.
Hauptman Reigels looked back at
Major Miller, unaffected. "Perhaps the Major would like to think over the
proposition, and the consequences, for a spell....say, a few days in the
cooler?"
"Yes," Hochstetter agreed.
"I never liked the idea of him being allowed to be in held in these kind
of affluent accommodations to begin with..." He gestured with his hand to
the room itself.
Miller looked at Hochstetter.
"I'm not classified as a POW."
Klink spoke up. "That is true,
Herr Major, he's not a POW therefore he cannot be held in my cooler--"
"Shut up, Klink! He is a prisoner
of the Gestapo and he will be moved to your cooler immediately!"
"Yes, Herr Major!" Klink
got up from his chair.
"Colonel Klink, you must
confine all the prisoners to the barracks!" Anna said. "He is not to
be seen!"
"Yes, Fraulein,
yes..." Klink nodded and went to the door to fetch the guard and to holler
the order to Schultz to confine all prisoners to the barracks. Reigels stood up,
looking at Miller. Major Miller took his time
standing up and, keeping an eye on Hochstetter, he dropped the remains of his
cigarette to the floor, stepped his foot over it and turned his foot
slowly to crush the ashes against the rug. Hochstetter saw this and his
jaw clenched in further annoyance. Miller then turned as Klink and the
guard returned and he stood before them as they waited for the signal that all
the prisoners were confined to barracks.
Over in Barracks 2, Hogan yanked the
plug from the coffee pot and the heroes came out into the general quarters as
Schultz shooed other prisoners from number 2 back into the building from the
yard. "Rrrousel!"
"What's going on, Schultz?"
Hogan asked casually.
Schultz lowered his voice to the
Colonel. "They are moving the special prisoner to the cooler."
Hogan
looked surprised. "The cooler? What did he
do, tell Axis Annie to go to hell?"
"I do not know. I only know
they are moving him to the cooler." Schultz paused. "How did you know
Axis Annie was here?"
"Schultz, we all saw
her come in. We weren't put on lock down for that."
“Oh.” Schultz went over to the window
and closed the wooden board over it. A
whistle blew, indicating the yard was clear and all prisoners were confined to
barracks. Surreptitiously, Hogan inched his way over to the door and quietly
opened it, the other heroes surrounding him to block Schultz from seeing the
Colonel sneaking a peek.
In the guest quarters, the guard turned to lead Miller out. The Major followed with Klink directly behind him. Hochstetter, Reigels and Anna followed out after. Hogan watched as Miller was marched across the yard toward the cooler. When the Major arrived at the fence area, Hogan softly closed the door and turned silently to his men. Although he admired Miller's defiance to Ministry, seeing the band leader marched to the cooler troubled the Colonel even though it had come as no surprise.
In the cooler, Miller was
escorted to a cell and the guard unlocked it, snapping the door open. Miller
stepped inside and kept his back facing the door. Before the guard closed the
door, Hochstetter held his hand up, stopping the door from being closed.
"Just a moment," he said. He stood directly in the door way and
looked at Major Miller. "Your uniform jacket, Herr Major..."
Miller paused. Terrific, they
want me to catch pneumonia. He slowly undid the buttons of his brown
uniform jacket and then slipped it off. He turned and handed it to Major
Hochstetter.
"And your glasses..."
Miller paused, maintaining
a scornful glare at Hochstetter. Without his glasses he'd be nearly blind
as a bat. Obviously Hochstetter was going to carry through on making things a
living hell. A slow and calculated carry through. Miller took a deep breath and
removed his wire rim glasses, handing them to Hochstetter.
Satisfied, the Gestapo Major stood
back to let the door be closed and locked. Reigels looked through the bars at
the American Major. "We hope, Herr Major, that you will reconsider your
decision..." he said as the guard turned the key to lock the cell door.
The troop of Germans then disappeared from Miller's blurred view, and the sound
of a heavy metal door clanging shut echoed within the cold concrete confines of
the cooler, replaced with silence.
"Not likely..." Miller
said softly to the quiet.
The all clear signal had been given
once Miller was inside the cooler. Hogan and his men were gathered just outside
Barracks 2, watching as Klink, Hochstetter and the Ministry officials left the
cooler. All of them saw the jacket Hochstetter was carrying.
"Colonel," Carter spoke
up, concerned.
"I see it..."
"It gets awfully cold in there,
Colonel," Newkirk said.
"I know." Hogan let go a
sigh. "We have to get him out of there. LeBeau..."
"Oui,
Colonel?"
"They'll probably ration his
food, but I want you to volunteer to work the kitchen detail. Find which ration
is his and we'll slip a note into it."
"What is the note going to
say?" Kinch asked.
Hogan paused. "We're going
to tell him to accept the German's proposition. He'll hate it,
but it's the only way we can get him out of that cooler and eventually
out of this camp...and back to
"What if he refuses?"
Newkirk asked.
"Then I pull rank.” Hogan
sighed. “Which I'll hate."
"Order him to commit treason?!"
LeBeau exclaimed.
"It's either
that or have him locked up in that cooler for the rest of the
war. You forget the broadcasts are suspended? There's only two
ways to get that music back on the radio, the first of which is
to get him back to
"Don't worry,
Louie," Newkirk said. "Once the guv'nor
comes up with a plan, Miller won't be here long enough to commit treason."
"Exactly," Hogan
concurred. Now if I can come up with a plan...
***
When LeBeau came back to the
barracks after the evening mess, all he could do was shake his head to the Colonel.
"All they're letting him have is bread and water. I couldn't hide
it..." LeBeau pulled the slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to
Hogan.
The Colonel sighed, looking at the
slip of paper. "It's all right LeBeau, we'll try again tomorrow." Hogan
put the note in the pocket of his bomber jacket. "Bread and water..."
he muttered.
1. Between October and November of 1944, Major Glenn Miller and
the American Band of the Allied Expeditionary Forces took part
in several broadcasts on the ABSIE (American Broadcasting Station
in Europe) directed toward German soldiers and citizens. The ABSIE
was part of the Overseas Branch of the Office of War Information
(American propaganda) and broadcasted to the continent news, talk
and entertainment in different languages in order to prepare the
occupied territories for liberation. The reference page, once
posted, will include a link that talks about Miller and the AEF
Band's involvement with the ABSIE.
2. Some episodes showed a tunnel access to the cooler. For the
purpose of this adventure, there is no tunnel access.