“Of course, but I won’t have to. There’s a path through the woods. Just follow it.”
* * *
It was roughly half a mile from the church area to the parking lot in the woods. By the time Tanner and a full platoon of infantry arrived, almost all the Germans had disappeared. One soldier with a broken ankle had been left behind and he was angry at being left. Water and a cigarette made him think highly of his American captors.
“I have no idea what’s in the trucks. We loaded them up at a small town up north and drove down here. We were supposed to get into the Redoubt and safety. Obviously we didn’t make it.”
“You’re saying you don’t know what’s in the vehicles?” Tanner asked.
“No idea, but it must be valuable. I drove and an SS asshole sat beside me. There was another SS asshole in the back. We were commanded by a lieutenant who didn’t know what to do when he realized that the path to the Redoubt was closed. So we sat here until you people arrived. When the shooting started, he and the others simply ran away. Good riddance, and I hope that the bastards who left me here get caught by the Russians.”
They asked if the ambulances were booby-trapped and the soldier told them that they weren’t. “They were going in and out all the time and then they left in a rush. They only made certain drivers like me didn’t look inside. You want me to come with you to prove it, I will.”
They did and the prisoner, using crutches found in the medical supplies, led them around the trucks. Fulton picked one at random and they found that it was unlocked.
“Jesus,” said an astonished Fulton.
The ambulance was filled with paintings. Tanner pulled one out. “This is a Van Gogh,” he said incredulously. He moved some others with extreme caution. He didn’t want to be the one who damaged them after all this time. His memory of art history classes wasn’t all that great but he recognized a Matisse and a Picasso. A small painting might have been a Rembrandt. His hands shook as he dared to touch it. Most of the other trucks were also loaded with paintings. Two, however, were not. They were filled with blocks of American one hundred dollar bills.
Tanner pulled a pack of bills and riffed through it. “I estimate each truck is carrying several million dollars of American money.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t be handling it. Some people might think you’re taking some for your retirement fund,” said Fulton.
“I don’t think so,” Tanner said and laughed.
The platoon had gathered around him. “Any of you guys work at a bank or work someplace where you handled a lot of money?”
A corporal and two privates said yes. The corporal had been a head teller at a bank. Tanner handed him the pack. “Look it over, please, and tell me what you see?”
The three checked the money and returned the pack. It had a face value of ten thousand dollars, which would buy a big house back in the States and was much more than the average person earned in a year. Anyone who did make ten thousand a year was considered quite well off.
Tanner put the pack of cash back in the ambulance and closed the door. He would assign guards to protect the vehicles. First, however, he had a question to ask.
“All right, you three, what do you think all this cash is worth?”
The three of them grinned and the corporal spoke. “Not a damn thing.”
* * *
Ernie and Allen Dulles rode in an older four-door Mercedes. Rank had its privilege so Ernie drove while Dulles took in what sights there were. Their little excursion was a secret. No one else, not even Winnie, knew of it.
Dulles smiled. “Ernie, have you ever been to Germany?”
“No sir, unless you count the time I was halfway under a fence and trying to drag Winnie out. I have not been to Germany and I didn’t expect it to happen this way. I thought it would be nice to take a scenic cruise down the Rhine with a fraulein on my lap and a beer in my hand, but I never intended to stop at a crappy town in what used to be Austria.”
“But Bregenz is an important place. It’s now the capital of Germany, or Germanica if you prefer.”
“I prefer that it disappears into the bowels of the earth. When are you going to tell me why we’re headed to the border crossing point?”
“Right now would be a good time, I suppose. We are going to cross and meet with two high-ranking Nazis. They wish to discuss matters with us, and, while I believe I know what they wish to talk about, one does not assume.”
The border gate was coming up. Ernie stopped and a Swiss soldier passed them through. A sullen German soldier briefly looked over their identification and waved them through as well. Obviously they were expected. Another soldier on a motorcycle signaled for them to follow him and they obeyed. Ernie was in civilian clothes and wondered just what the German reaction would be if he pranced around in the uniform of an air force captain. Getting shot might have been one option.
“Go very slowly, Ernie. I want to take in as much of this as is possible.”
“That and it’s really pissing off the guy on the motorcycle because it looks like he wants to go a lot faster.”
“What do you see, Ernie?”
“Germans, Germans, and still more Germans. This dismal place is crawling with Germans and most of them are officers. Where are the enlisted men? Oh yes, they’re probably out getting shot at and killed.”
“Don’t be cynical, Ernie. Do you really think it’s any different at Ike’s headquarters or at the Pentagon? By the way, your observation about the preponderance of officers was correct for other reasons. We believe that a lot of high-ranking Nazis made their escape to this location while the enlisted men, sergeants, and lower-ranking officers were left to their own devices. The enlisted men are the ones we are trying to get to surrender through our pamphlets and such, although, with a little bit of luck, maybe we can land some larger fish, like we are going to try to do today.”
“I’ve also noticed that there are antiaircraft guns every few feet. Pilots like I used to be could be hit hard and a lot of them could die.”
“And don’t forget that those same guns can be used to kill tanks and infantry. I think that a lot of this is for us to see and report back. Taking Bregenz, Ernie, will not be a walk in the park. Many photos have been taken, both from boats and planes, but we are the first Americans to openly visit this city in quite some time.”
Their escort waved them to a brick building that had once been a police station. Now it was surrounded by temporary buildings and barbed wire. “Ernie, we are here to see General Alphonse Hahn and his chief acolyte, Captain Rufus Diehl.”
Ernie whistled. “Jesus, the lord high executioner and his head torturer. Why do they want to see us?”
“I believe it’s because they want to trade something of value that they have for something of value that we have.”
Ernie thought for a moment, then paled. “Oh my God, do you think they want to trade for Marie and Sven? If so, what can we give them in return?”
“We can give them safe passage to wherever in the world they want to go.”
“Will you make such a trade?”
Dulles sighed deeply. “I suppose we’ll just have to find out, won’t we?”
* * *
They were ushered to a small room that barely held a table and four chairs. “Will anybody be taking notes?” Ernie asked.
“Don’t worry, everything will likely be recorded.”
The two Germans entered before the Americans could even take a seat. Ernie was impressed. The timing meant that he and Dulles would not have to rise for the Nazis or insult them by remaining seated. They introduced each other, but no one shook hands.
“I appreciate your coming,” said Hahn. “We have a great deal to talk about. As mentioned, I would like to arrange a trade. We will give you two of your agents in return for safe passage for Captain Diehl and me. There are others I would like to save, but I only have your two agents, Leroux and Hansen.”
“I assume they are well,” Dulles said. Ernie could see that Dulles was keeping a tight rein on his emotions. He had never met Sven Hansen, hadn’t even known his last name for that matter, but he had met Marie. More important, she was a close friend of Winnie’s.