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“Flying. Mostly Spitfires and Hurricanes.”
“And then they wanted you to go back to Poland and you didn’t want to go, and became a DP. Is that about it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How do you feel about Germans, Max? Straight answer, please.”
“I fought a war against them, Mr. Cronley.”
“In other words, you don’t like them very much?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And the Russians? How do feel about them?”
“I like them even less than the Germans.”
“You ever hear of the Katyn Forest?”
“That’s one of the reasons I didn’t think it was wise for me to go home.”
“What we’re running here is a classified—a highly classified—operation. I’m not supposed to tell someone like yourself anything at all about it. But I don’t see how you can do your job at all, much less well, until I tell you something about it.”
“Ye
s, sir.”
“So I’m going to tell you some things about it. Prefacing what I’m going to tell you by saying we’re authorized to protect the security of this operation by any means, including the taking of life. Do you understand what I’m saying? And if you do, should I continue, or would you prefer to be sent back to Pullach? There would be no shame, or whatever, if you don’t want to stay. I personally guarantee that you won’t be forcibly repatriated if you choose to go back to Pullach. Think it over carefully.”
My God, he’s serious! What the hell is going on here? What am I letting myself in for?
After a long moment, Ostrowski came to attention and said, “I am at your orders, sir.”
“Anybody got anything to say before I start this?” Cronley asked.
No one did.
“What we’re doing here is protecting a substantial number of former German officers and enlisted men from the Russians, and from those Germans and others sympathetic to the Soviet Union,” Cronley said.
When there was no reply, he went on: “Eventually, just about all of them will be moved to the Pullach compound. That process is already under way. Any questions so far?”
“May I ask why you’re protecting them from the Russians?”
“No. And don’t ask again. And make sure your men understand that asking that sort of question is something they just are not allowed to do. If they do, that will ensure immediate and drastic punishment. You can consider that your first order. Get that done as soon as possible.”
“Tedworth’s probably already done that,” Hessinger said.
“Even if Sergeant Tedworth has already gotten into the subject, I want the warning to come from Lieutenant Max.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I think I should tell you, Lieutenant,” Dunwiddie said, “without getting into details, that there already have been a number of deaths . . .”
“Two yesterday,” Hessinger chimed in.
Dunwiddie gave him a withering look and went on. “. . . directly related to security breaches, attempted and successful, of this operation,” Dunwiddie finished.
“The Russians have a very good idea of what’s going on in here,” Cronley said. “We already have caught an NKGB colonel as he tried to sneak out of here with information given to him by German traitors. Your mission will be to augment the American soldiers—we call them ‘Tiny’s Troopers’—who have been guarding Kloster Grünau and are in the process of establishing security at the Pullach compound.”
