“Herr Anderson! I had no idea you were coming by. It is very nice to see you again,” she said as he entered.
“I wanted to stop by and see of Herr Dietz was available. I know I don’t have an appointment…”
“Nonsense! You are welcome here anytime. Let me tell him you are here.”
After a quick call, Fritz Dietz opened his office door and came out to greet his friend. “Al, come in!” he said as he led Al into his office. The two sat in some comfortable chairs beside a large picture window overlooking the city center. After some friendly conversation, the topic got a little more serious.
“Fritz, you know how I wanted to look at a couple of houses we could possibly buy here?
Dietz got a more serious look on his face. “I know you said you wanted to live here part of the year. Don’t tell me you have found a place already,” he said.
Anderson nodded. “When we were flying around this morning we flew over a place which, quite frankly, took my breath away. Now I can’t tell you how to drive there, but I do know it bears 152 degrees and 21.16 miles from the radar at the airport. It is a castle like home beside a lake inside what almost looks like a crater in the mountains. There’s even the most beautiful waterfall feeding the lake. I was wondering if your firm could investigate the place for me and see what the asking price might be.”
Dietz was taking notes. He nodded. “I would be happy to look into it for you, but I don’t know of any castle or chalet that is available. Let’s see if it’s on the map,” he said as he stood and the two men walked to a large working table at the other end of the room. Dietz looked in one side of the desk which seemed to be filled with rolled up papers. After a few seconds of looking, he pulled out a roll and unwound it across the desk. It was a detailed topographic map of the area listing property boundaries. Much of the land southeast of town was owned by the government. Pulling out some dividers and retractors, Dietz quickly found the area.
“That’s strange,” said Dietz. “The place you describe is one big lake on this map. I don’t see any buildings or land inside this area. I also don’t see any roads except to the other side of this mountain,” he said pointing the places out on the map.
“Well, I flew right over it,” said Anderson, himself a little puzzled.
Dietz waived it off. “Never worry. This may have been recent construction.”
“No, the place looked like it had been there for years. It’s a little run down and overgrown, but I swear there is a house right there,” he said pointing to the lake on the map.
“I don’t doubt you. I’ll get hold of a friend of mine to check the place our in his helicopter. He can get me some more exact points and I’ll see if the whole little valley is available. Keep in mind, the owner may not wish to sell.”
Anderson smiled broadly. “I understand. I wouldn’t want to sell it either. But if the owner is interested, I can make him a nice offer.”
“I will get working on it then. You aren’t leaving till next week?”
“That’s right. Eric is leaving day after tomorrow though. He has to get back and finish his school.” Anderson’s eyes began to twinkle. “Of course you know he and Anna have taken an interest in each other.”
Dietz winced. “We hear nothing about anything but young Eric from our daughter since he arrived. I hope they do not get hurt too badly. There will be an ocean between them,” he said with a grin.
Anderson tilted his head slightly. “Well, be advised, my son can be a very determined young man.”
Dietz placed his hand on Anderson’s arm. “And so can my Anna.” Both men laughed at the prospect.
Chapter 3
Necessary Supplies
Deep in a stark concrete-grey basement, a group of thirty men sat under the glow of two overhead lights. There was a small stage with a table in the front of the men. Behind it, on the pitted concrete walls hung a German eagle clutching a swastika. On either side of a small stage were two large red Nazi flags, adding a splash of color to an otherwise dreary, sterile scene.
The men were listless, shifting back and forth in their seats and talking softly as they waited for someone. Suddenly a steel door swung open on the far wall and a man impeccably dressed in a grey Nazi general’s uniform stepped into the room. All the men jumped to their feet and stood at attention. The general strutted to the stage and cast his steely blue eyes over the assembled men. “Be seated men,” he said in a calm voice. As the men sat, he rounded the table and placed his palms upon it.
“Gentlemen, after many long years it appears our time is approaching. Upon our Führer’s orders we have remained patient and vigilant for just this time. As you know, we were tasked with waiting until the tensions between the United States and the Russians were at their peak before we strike. We came close when the American President launched his Bay of Pigs fiasco. But since there was no direct conflict between the two powers, the time was not right.”
He held up a paper in his hand. “I just received a message from one of our friends within the Soviet Union. It appears their government has decided to base medium range atomic missiles on Cuban soil, just ninety miles from the United States border. When this is discovered we all know what will happen. The United States will retaliate in some way, and the Russians will do the same. That will be the moment we strike! It is imperative that we get everything ready. Doctor Ingles has assured me everything is in readiness on his end and we have made sure all of you are trained on your jobs. For our new young men, you are about to become a part of a new era, when Germany regains its leadership role in the world. Your jobs will be to assist your fathers and brothers so that we all work as a complete team. Watch and learn well.”
The general stood tall and placed his hands on his hips. “From what Dr. Ingles tells me we are ready to gather the fuel we need.” He pointed to one of the men. “Stadt, where can we get diesel fuel?”
The older man didn’t hesitate. “Herr General, diesel fuel will be very difficult to get. There is a high demand at present and missing inventory will be quickly spotted. However, there is a small set of tanks carrying some sort of kerosene type fuel. The Americans are storing it at the facility temporarily. I can easily redirect the valves to load my trucks and no one will know for months.”
Dr. Ingles was seated on the front row and turned to look at Stadt. “You say it is a special kerosene?” he asked.
“Yes Herr Doctor. The Americans have designated it RP-1. I don’t know what it is used for. Would this work?” Stadt asked.
The doctor’s eyes widened. “It should work quite well,” he said as he glanced at the General and nodded.
“Good,” said the General. “Make sure we fill our storage tanks as soon as possible,” he ordered. He looked at another person in the room. “Mantz, you have access to chemicals. We need large amounts of nitric acid. Have you located a supply for our doctor?”
Mantz stood at attention. “Yes, Herr General. The Prost fertilizer plant has a huge storage tank at the facility and is constantly refilling it from rail cars on the property. It is a red fuming nitric acid with an inhibitor so that it will not corrode the tanks as quickly. Doctor Ingles said this is perfect for our use,” he said. “Our problem will again be transportation. Stadt cannot transport this in a fuel truck since the acid would react with the residual fuel. The acid must also be refrigerated during transport. Fortunately, we have identified three such trailers which we can use at night after the plants close. It is an added step, but necessary to get the acid into our own protected tanks. Once we are finished each night we must thoroughly flush each transport so that it can be used the next morning. We will begin transporting one night each week to ensure nothing is missed,” Mantz reported confidently.