Too many minutes later, utterly astounded, Andros reached the final page of the summary section of the report: Because Ludwig II left no known successor, Prince Luitpold assumed the office of regent of Bavaria within the united Germany from 1886 until he died in 1912. The next year his son assumed the kingship and declared himself Ludwig III, only to be dethroned in 1918 with the brief establishment of the Soviet republic that preceded the doomed Weimar Republic and the rise of the Third Reich. By this time Ludwig II’s son and true heir by birthright, Maximilian von Berg, had died in an insane asylum. The line of succession now falls to Ludwig von Berg. As far as the world is concerned, only two of us are aware of Ludwig von Berg’s true identity. All members of the Bavarian political police aware of this rumor have been eliminated; Gestapo chief Heinrich Mueller knows nothing. As for others who might be aware of Maximilian’s legacy, it is doubtful that-if they are still alive-they would come forward to confirm the rumor, much less stake their lives on it. Nevertheless, the legend of Ludwig II’s son still fires a fierce monarchist movement in Bavaria, and the Wittelsbach family has worn the emperor’s crown three times before. Should the secret of Maximilian von Berg’s true identity be known, such sentiment could be strong enough to put Ludwig von Berg, the true Ludwig III, on the throne-if not by certain Germans, then by the Allies. Thus, in the final analysis, U-boat commander Ludwig von Berg of the Imperial Navy can only be considered an enemy of the Reich. Recommend special treatment. Heil Hitler!
Andros knew that “special treatment” was the SS euphemism for murder. The report was signed by the SS staff officer who had prepared it and was initialed by Heydrich. Heydrich, in turn, had the man executed the following day and added his own handwritten addendum to the bottom of the page: Now I am the only one who is aware of Ludwig von Berg’s true identity. Genetics dictate that the Baron should be completely mad by the time he is 40. That would be June 2, 1943. In the meantime, he can still be of use to the Reich. He shall be brought under my direct supervision, where I can personally observe the signs of his progressive mental decline and perhaps encourage them. If, at the age of 40, he is still psychologically sound, I shall see to it that he receives very special treatment indeed.
75
A ndros closed the report and looked outside to the gardens, recalling that Heydrich never made it to Berlin. Czech assassins had ambushed the Protector’s green Mercedes as it made a hairpin turn outside Prague. The exploding grenade had fatally wounded Heydrich. It took him over a week to die at Bulovka Hospital.
All great stuff for the OSS, but no Maranatha text.
He put down the V ON B ERG file and picked up the H USKY file. At last he’d found what he was looking for-copies of an ancient Greek text, juxtaposed with mathematical formulas.
The accompanying report, curiously, was written in…English.
English? Andros took a closer look and suddenly found himself staring at the Allied plans for invasion of Sicily. The plans said the Americans would be landing in the Gulf of Gela and from there would advance up the west coast of the island. The British were to land near the southwest tip of the island and move quickly to take Syracuse. The plans even detailed the movements of General Patton’s Seventh Army-to which he and Hayfield had been assigned at West Point.