the Valhalla Exchange (v5) (14 page)

There was a sudden flurry of activity. He turned to Canning, drew himself up and saluted formally. 'General Canning, as you are the senior Allied officer here, I place myself and my men at your command. What are your orders, sir?'

Canning's nostrils flared, his eyes sparkled, tension erupting from deep inside him in a harsh laugh. 'By God, that's more like it. All right, for the time being, deploy your men on the walls above the guardroom and let's see what these bastards want.' He clapped his hands together and shouted furiously, 'Come on, come on, come on! Let's get this show on the road.'

11

The column, Sorsa still leading the way in the front half-track, was no more than fifty yards from the castle entrance when the gates clanged shut. Sorsa immediately signalled a halt.

Ritter stood up in the field car and called, 'Line of assault. Quickly now.'

The Finns moved into action instantly. The other two half-tracks took up position on either side of Sorsa, the machine-gun crews made themselves ready for action, the rest of the men jumped to the ground and fanned out.

There was silence for a moment after the engines were cut. Ritter raised his field-glasses and looked to where there was movement on the wall.

'What is it? What's happening?' Strasser demanded.

'Interesting,' Ritter said softly. 'I see American helmets up there together with German ones. Perhaps the Third World War has started?'

On the wall, Canning, Birr, Hesser and Howard grouped together in the shelter of the west guardroom turret and peered out.

'Now what?' Birr said. He carried a Schmeisser in one hand, and Canning a Walther pistol.

'We'll stir things up a bit, just to show them we mean business.' Canning moved to where Schneider crouched beside the machine-gun crew who had positioned their weapons to point out through an embrasure beside one of the castle's eighteenth-century cannon. 'I want you to fire a long burst into the ground about ten yards in front of the lead half-track,' he said in German.

Schneider turned in alarm and looked to Hesser. 'Herr Oberst, what do I do?'

'As General Canning commands,' Hesser said. 'We are under his orders now.'

Schneider patted the lead gunner on the shoulder. He was another reservist, a man named Strang, who like most of them had never in his life fired a shot in anger. He hesitated, sweat on his face, and Finebaum slung his M1, pushed him out of the way and grabbed for the handles.

'Maybe you got qualms, Uncle, but not me.'

He squeezed off a long burst, swinging the barrel so that snow and gravel spurted in a darting line right across the front of the halftracks.

Ritter turned, arms flung wide. 'No return fire. It's a warning only.'

Hoover whispered to Howard, 'Did you see that? Those guys didn't even move.'

Finebaum got up and turned. 'They're hot stuff, Harry, believe me. I tell you, this thing could get very interesting.'

Ritter jumped down from the field car and Sorsa moved to meet him. 'Do we go in?'

'No, first we talk. They'll want to talk, I think.' He turned to Strasser. 'You agree?'

'Yes, I think so. Hesser will already be beginning to have second thoughts. Let's give him a chance to change his mind.'

'Good,' Ritter said, and called to Hoffer, 'Over here, Erich. We'll go for a little walk, you and I.'

'Zu
befehl, Sturmbannfuhrer,'
Hoffer replied crisply.

'I, too, could do with some exercise, I think,' Strasser said. 'If you've no objection, Major Ritter?'

'As you like.'

Strasser turned to Earl Jackson. 'You stay back out of the way. Borrow a parka and get the hood up. I don't want them to see you, you understand?'

Jackson frowned, but did as he was told, moving back to one of the half-tracks.

Sorsa said, 'What if they open fire?'

'Then you'll have to take command, won't you?' Ritter said and started forward.

Their feet crunched in the snow. Ritter took out his case, selected a cigarette and offered one to Strasser.

'No thank you. I never use them. You are surprised, I think, that I felt the need for exercise?'

'Perhaps. On the other hand I could say that it shows confidence in my judgement.'

'Or a belief in my own destiny, have you considered that?'

'A point of view, I suppose. If it's of any comfort, good luck to you.'

On the wall, Canning said, 'By God, he's a cool one, the devil in black out there. Obviously in need of conversation.'

'What do we do, General?' Hesser asked.

'Why, accommodate him, of course. You, me and Captain Howard here. Not you Justin. You stay up here in command, just in case some trigger-happy jerk in one of the half-tracks decides to open up.' He smiled savagely, giving every appearance of thoroughly enjoying himself. 'All right, gentlemen. Let's see what they have to say.'

Ritter, Strasser and Erich Hoffer paused at their side of the drawbridge and waited. After a while, the small judas in the main gate opened and Canning stepped out, followed by Hesser and Howard. As they came forward, Ritter and his party moved also and they met in the middle of the drawbridge.

Ritter saluted and said in excellent English, 'Sturmbannfuhrer Karl Ritter, 502nd SS Heavy Tank Battalion at present in command of this unit, and this is Herr Strasser.'

'Of the Prisoner of War Administration Department in Berlin,' Strasser put in.

'And I am Brigadier General Hamilton Canning of the Army of the United States, Captain Howard here Second Rangers. Oberstleutnant Hesser, you may know.'

It was all very polite, very formal, except for Jack Howard, whose face had turned deathly pale and who clutched the Thompson gun in his hands till the knuckles turned white. There was life in his eyes again for the first time in days, for he had recognized Ritter instantly.

'What can we do for you?' Canning said.

'Oberstleutnant Hesser.' Strasser produced the Hitler Directive and unfolded it. 'I have here an order from my department in Berlin signed, as you will see, by the Fuhrer himself, ordering you to place the five prisoners remaining at Schloss Arlberg in my care.'

He held out the letter. Max Hesser waved it away. 'Too late, gentlemen. I surrendered my command to Captain Howard on his arrival not more than thirty minutes ago. General Canning is in command here now.'

There was silence for a while. The snow falling harder than ever, a sudden, small wind churning it into a miniature blizzard that danced around them.

Strasser said, 'This is a totally illegal act, Colonel Hesser. To my certain knowledge there has been no general surrender, no discussion of peace terms; cannot be while the Fuhrer still lives to direct the struggle of the German people from his headquarters in Berlin.'

'There has been a surrender here,' Hesser said, 'according to the rules of war. I have done nothing dishonourable.'

'A surrender to three members of the American Army?' Strasser said. 'You tell me there is nothing dishonourable in this?'

'You will speak to me if you please,' Canning said. 'As this gentleman has made plain, I command here now as senior Allied officer present.'

'No, General, I think not,' Ritter said calmly. 'Our business is with the officer in command of Schloss Arlberg, and to us he must still be Oberstleutnant Max Hesser until relieved of that duty by the High Command of the German Army.' He turned to Hesser. 'You took an oath, Colonel Hesser, as did we all, I think. An oath as a German soldier to your Fuhrer and the State.'

'To a madman,' Hesser said. 'Who has brought Germany to her knees.'

'But also to the State, to your country,' Ritter said. 'You and I are soldiers, Hesser, as General Canning here and Captain Howard. No difference. We play the game on our side, they on theirs. We can't hope to change the rules in the middle to suit our personal convenience. Not any of us. Is that not so, General?'

It was Howard who answered him. 'Is that how you see it? A game? Nothing more?'

'Perhaps,' Ritter said. 'The greatest game of all where the stakes are a country and its people, and if a man can't stand by his own, he is less than nothing.'

He turned back to Hesser, waiting. Hesser said, 'It is my information that a direct order has gone to the SS from the Fuhrer himself, authorizing the execution of all prominent prisoners. I consider this order monstrous. A direct violation of the Geneva Convention and a crime against humanity. I will not be a party to it and neither will the men of this garrison.'

Strasser said, 'This is, of course, total nonsense. A tissue of lies. As the representative for this area of the Prisoner of War Administration Department, I can give you my word on this absolutely.'

'Then why do you want us?' Canning asked. 'Tell me that?'

'All prominent prisoners are being brought together in one centre, for their own protection.'

'As hostages against the evil day?'

'A sensible precaution only, Herr General, I assure you.'

'Who for - you or us?'

There was another brief silence. The snow danced around them. Hesser said slowly, 'I stand by what I have done. General Canning is in command here now.'

'Which just about wraps it up,' Canning said. 'I can't see that we have anything further to discuss. If you'll take the advice of an old hand, Major, I'd say you and your men had better get the hell out of here while you still can. Let's go, gentlemen.'

He turned and walked back towards the gate briskly, Hesser at his side. Howard stayed there, holding the Thompson gun across his chest. Hoffer never took his eyes off him, his hand close to the butt of the holstered Walther at his belt. Ritter ignored him as he lit a cigarette calmly and examined the gate, the walls above.

'It would seem they mean business,' Strasser said.

Ritter nodded. 'So it would appear.'

He turned on his heel. Howard said, 'Major Karl Ritter, of the 502nd SS Heavy Tank Battalion, you said?'

Ritter turned slowly. 'That is correct.'

'We've met before.'

'Have we?'

'Last Wednesday morning. That little affair on the way to Innsbruck when you took out an entire British armoured column. I was one of the survivors, along with my two friends up there on the wall.'

'Congratulations,' Ritter said calmly. 'Your luck is good.'

'You can tell your man there to take his hand off the butt of that Walther. I'm not going to kill you - yet. I mean, that wouldn't be playing this game of yours according to the rules, now would it?'

'Your choice, my friend.'

'You'll be coming in?' Howard said. 'Or you'll try to?'

'Yes, I think so.'

'I'll be looking for you.'

Canning called from the gate, 'Captain Howard.' Howard turned and ran back through the snow.

'He means it, that one,' Strasser said. 'For the past five minutes I've had a finger on the trigger, imagining I might have to put another hole through the pocket of my coat. I wonder if he knew?'

'Oh, yes,' Ritter said. 'He knew'; and he turned and led the way back to the halftracks.

'What in the hell kept you?' Canning demanded as Howard slipped inside and the gates closed. 'Go on - up on the wall and tell Colonel Birr I'll join you in a couple of minutes.'

Howard mounted the stone steps and Canning turned to Hesser. 'As I recall, you raised the drawbridge six or seven months back?'

'That's right, Herr General. To see if it was working.'

'Then let's see if the damn thing still does.'

Hesser nodded to Schneider, who immediately opened the door at the foot of the tower on the left-hand side of the gate and led the way in. He switched on the light, disclosing a massive steel drum, ten feet across, chains wrapped around it, lifting up into the gloom. There were great spoked wheels on either side.

'Let's get it done.' Canning moved to one of the wheels, Schneider ran to the other, and together they started to turn.

Howard crouched beside the cannon, peering out through the embrasure, watching Ritter and his two companions walk back towards the Finns. Hoover and Finebaum dropped down beside him.

'What was going on out there, Captain?' the sergeant asked. 'Between you and the kraut officer?'

'It was him,' Howard said. 'The guy who took the column out Wednesday. His name's Ritter - Karl Ritter.'

'The guy in the Tiger who flattened the jeep?' Finebaum demanded. 'Are you saying that's him out there?' He raised the M1 and leaned across the cannon. 'Jesus, maybe I can still get him.'

Howard pulled him down. 'Not now,' he said. 'And anyway, he's mine.'

'Attack now!' Strasser said. 'The only way. Use the front half-track as a battering ram. Straight in while they're still wondering what our next move will be.'

'There are twenty armed men on that wall, armed to the teeth. At least one heavy machine gun mounted beside the old cannon between the turrets. I had a good look at that while I was lighting my cigarette. Rate of fire not far short of a thousand rounds a minute. You served in the first war, did you not, Herr Strasser? I should have thought you might have remembered what happens to those who attempt frontal attacks on heavy machine guns, skilfully positioned.'

'And in any case, the argument now becomes a wholly academic one.' Sorsa pointed and Strasser and Ritter turned in time to see the end of the drawbridge lift above the moat.

They watched as it continued its steady progress and finally came to a halt. Strasser said, 'So, a situation which can only be described as medieval. Impossible for us to get in ...'