19:08 (GMT)
Wednesday, May 14, 1941
Tower of London
England
Unterfuhrerin Anna Hauser called her six subordinates to attention, then did an about-face and waited nervously. They had been told only an hour ago that more German auxiliaries had been captured and were to be interned with them in the Tower of London. Hauser had been ordered by the head female guard to vacate her room and to move in with Bertha Reinholdt, while the other auxiliaries had to double up as well, except for Ingrid Weiss. The teenager’s room was in fact too small to accommodate a second bed. They then had put on their Luftwaffe uniforms in order to receive properly the newcomers. While this had to mean that the British had conducted a successful raid on German-controlled territory, the prospect of new faces and more comrades was exciting to the seven women, who kept looking towards Bloody Tower.
Brigadier General Browning soon appeared through the gate of Bloody Tower, leading a group of fifteen German female auxiliaries escorted by six female British soldiers. Bertha Reinholdt immediately noticed something peculiar about the newcomers.
“Hey, I see some Kriegsmarine auxiliaries in this lot.”
“My god, you’re right, Bertha.” Said Ruth Brandhauer. “There are a lot of prisoners also: this British raid must have been a big one. I wonder where they struck this time.”
“We will know soon enough, girls.” Interrupted Hauser. “Now, keep quiet and hold still.”
The new inmates, led by a tall, blond Luftwaffe gruppenfuhrerin {17}, came to a halt in front of Hauser’s group, itself standing in front of Gaoler’s House. Hauser waited for the gruppenfuhrerin to line up her charges before goose-stepping towards her and stopping two steps in front of her, then saluting. She used a standard military salute, while the newcomer replied with the Nazi salute.
“Unterfuhrerin Anna Hauser, reporting with six subordinates from Wissant, Gruppenfuhrerin!”
The gruppenfuhrerin, a blue-eyed blond beauty in her mid-twenties, looked at Anna and her group, then at Gaoler’s House. She was obviously still under the shock of having been captured. She then spoke hesitantly, with apprehension.
“I… I’m Gruppenfuhrerin Lisa Hartmann. I was captured in Stade, along with nine of my auxiliaries.”
“STADE? The British came that close to Hamburg?”
A wave of surprise went through Anna’s group when they heard that. Hartmann nodded her head, looking both tired and dejected.
“They actually went all the way to Hamburg. As far as I know, they also attacked our naval base at Wilhelmshaven and the area of Bremen this morning. I’m afraid that they did an awful lot of damage in the process.”
That left Hauser speechless. Brigadier General Browning used the opportunity to approach and talk to them.
“Gruppenfuhrerin, I realize that these are unsettling times for you and your group. Why don’t you let Unterfuhrerin Hauser show you your rooms and explain the routine around here? You will find personal hygiene kits and spare clothes in your rooms. Curfew is at midnight and you are allowed free access to the inner yard of the fortress, except for the Wellington Barracks, where you have to be escorted in. If you wish to pray later on, you can go to our protestant chapel of St-Peter ad Vincula. I will expect all of you to be ready at eight O’clock tomorrow morning for the call-up. Have a good evening, Ladies.”
Hartmann and Hauser saluted him before he walked away. Hartmann sighed in relief.
“He is so… gentlemanly. And his German is really good.”
“General Browning is a kind man, Gruppenfuhrerin. Between him and Colonel Laplante, we have been nearly spoiled since we arrived here in January.”
Hartmann gave a sharp, suspicious look at Hauser.
“Die Wolfin? What does she have to do with your group?”
“Everything, Gruppenfuhrerin! She captured us in Wissant, then arranged for us to be kept here and has been visiting us regularly since then, providing entertainment and comfort to us.”
“What kind of entertainment?” Asked Hartmann, her suspicions renewed.
“Films, music, sports activities, dance nights. Why don’t I show you to your rooms now, Gruppenfuhrerin? We have a lot to talk about and you must be tired.”
“That, I am.” Recognized Hartmann. “Show us in, Unterfuhrerin.”
Leading the fifteen newcomers inside Gaoler’s House, Anna Hauser guided them to her ex-room, now assigned to Lisa hartmann as the highest-ranking prisoner in the Tower. Lisa looked at the polished wood furniture and the large canopy bed with enchanted disbelief. She went around the bedroom, then noticed a pile of items on the bed. Going through it, she found towels, soap, shampoo, female tampons, a complete hygiene kit, a small makeup kit, a bathrobe and a pair of slippers.
“Gruppenfuhrerin, I have as well spare clothes for all of you, in various sizes. After I show you all to your rooms, you will be able to choose the sizes that fits you.”
Hartmann pointed at the articles on her bed.
“Only a woman could think about some of these items. Did you ask the British for all this, Unterfuhrerin?”
Hauser smiled and shook her head.
“Colonel Laplante did! When we arrived here from Wissant we were like you, with not even spare underwear with us. Laplante actually led us on a shopping trip in London, paying everything from her own pocket. She is our contact for morale and entertainment. In fact, you will probably see her here this coming Sunday, at the weekly film show.”
“I don’t think so, Unterfuhrerin Hauser. During our trip to here, I heard a number of British talk about her being seriously wounded in Hamburg this morning.”
Lisa saw alarm immediately appear on the faces of Hauser and of her subordinates.
“You do seem to like her a lot, you and your comrades, do you?”
“Yes, Gruppenfuhrerin, for many reasons. She has always been kind, generous and fair with us and I’m sure that she will treat you all the same way. Also, don’t forget that she comes from the future: she has no hatred of Germans or of Germany, unlike the present day British. In fact, she told us that she worked alongside a German army unit in her time. Now, if you don’t mind, I will show to your girls their respective rooms.”
Totally befuddled by all this, Hartmann meekly followed the rest of the group out of her bedroom.
After showing the newcomers their respective rooms, Hauser distributed spare underwear, clothing and running shoes to them from the inventory kept inside Gaoler’s House. There was even a choice of colors according to the arm of service, with blue clothes for the Luftwaffe, gray ones for the Wehrmacht and black ones for the Kriegsmarine. There were ecstatic cheers when Hauser also distributed envelopes and writing supplies and explained the mail arrangements with the American embassy. Lisa Hartmann suddenly felt a lot better.
“They really treat you well here. All this is incredible, especially this mail system.”
“Wait till you see the American major who takes care of our mail: he’s gorgeous!” Exclaimed Bertha Reinholdt. That made a lot of the newcomers smile in interest. Anna Hauser felt obliged to cool their expectations quickly.
“Major Crawford is effectively a hell of a nice hunk. He also happens to be Laplante’s husband. Keep your hands off him if you don’t want an explanation with her.”
‘’She is married to an American officer?’’ Asked the Oberhelferin Susanna Berghof, a tall blonde auxiliary of the Kriegsmarine who could have easily become a model. Ingrid Weiss took on her to answer Berghof.
‘’They were even married in the White House in Washington, with President Roosevelt officiating. I have to say that I was at first jealous of her when I saw Major Crawford for the first time.’’
‘’And…what was she doing in Washington?’’ Insisted Susanna, whose perspicacity didn’t escape Ingrid’s attention.
‘’She was accompanying the British minister of foreign affairs, Anthony Eden, for an official visit. Both the Soviets and the Japanese tried to kill her in Washington, but she was the one that killed her would-be assassins.’’
‘’Damn! She is decidedly a very special woman.’’
‘’Of course she is!’’ Replied Ingrid while grinning. ‘’She is from the future, after all.’’
“Okay, we will talk further about this after a good shower and a change of clothes.” Announced Hartmann. ‘’Once washed, we will all go down to the main hall and discuss our situation.’’
As Anna Hauser was watching the newcomers go up the stairs, she noted that Ingrid was stepping back to keep her distances with a young auxiliary from the SS Corps. The latter noticed Ingrid’s frigid attitude towards her and threw her a suspicious look as she climbed the stairs, while Ingrid stared back at her. Anna waited for the others to be gone before leading Ingrid to a discreet corner of the hall, speaking to her in a low voice.
“Do you know that girl, Ingrid?”
‘’No, and I don’t want to know her, Anna.’’
‘’Why?’’
‘’Because she is a SS. I can’t stand those fanatics.’’
Anna stared at Ingrid in silence for a moment. Ingrid had changed a lot in captivity, especially during the last three months. Apart from practicing sports and fitness with energy under the tutelage of Nancy Laplante, she had started to study many things in order to improve her education, again under the guidance of Laplante. What had however struck Anna the most was the way Ingrid had gained in maturity at an incredible rate in the last few weeks. She had lost a lot of her youthful exuberance, while her innocence had melted like snow under the Sun. Despite the fact that Ingrid was the youngest of their group, she now often spoke with the wisdom of an old matriarch that had seen everything.
‘’Ingrid, I won’t ask you more about this, but I will ask you not to prejudge that girl. We must stay together as a group and avoid internal conflicts.’’
‘’Okay, I understand, Anna. I will do my best to be polite with her.’’
‘’Do more than that, Ingrid. Be as friendly with her as with the others.’’
Ingrid’s face hardened at those words, clearly not convinced.
‘’Anna, you have no idea what this girl and other SS auxiliaries could have done in this war. I will reserve my judgment on her but don’t ask me more.’’
Ingrid then walked away without asking her permission. Anna didn’t say a word about that, not knowing anymore how to handle her young subaltern.
They all joined back an hour later and sat around the long table in the main hall. Anna Hauser was the first to speak once the group was complete.
“Gruppenfuhrerin, why not tell us all in turn where you are from and what happened to you? That way, we could get a good idea of what happened in Germany this morning. We were not told anything about it by the British.”
Hartmann looked at the concerned faces of Hauser’s group and nodded: some of them probably had families in the areas that had been attacked this morning.
“Well, I myself can only talk about what happened in Stade. Basically, me and nine of my girls were working the night shift at the Luftgau headquarters when the British attacked and seized the base at around six O’clock. There were hundreds of them, with huge tanks and armored troop carriers. They came on board at least thirty of those new skimmer crafts of theirs and destroyed everything before pulling back with us and many of our men as prisoners. The most damning part about it was when that old British RAF officer walked in, speaking perfect German, and answered the telephones in our place. Somebody in Hamburg called for help while he was there and the bastard sidetracked the call. As a result, not one of our aircraft got off to defend either Stade or Hamburg.”
Hauser and her subordinates exchanged knowing glances.
“Gruppenfuhrerin, if this can make you feel better, that was the exact same tactic used against us in Wissant.” Declared Hauser. “The operation against Stade looks like it has Nancy Laplante’s name written all over it. From what we heard around here, she doesn’t only participate in those raids against us: she also plans them.”
“How could a woman do all of this?”
Ingrid Weiss cut in to answer Hartmann’s question.
“Gruppenfuhrerin, I may be the youngest here, but I believe that I know Nancy Laplante the best. The thing that she keeps drilling in me all the time is that women can do about everything as well or better than men, apart from brute strength, as long as they put it in their heads to do it. She told the British how to build all their new weapons and equipment, like the hovercrafts that so impressed you. She told me that she doesn’t think much of many British generals, calling them incompetents as far as combined arms operations are concerned. Don’t forget that she knows about everything about the future of war for the next 71 years. Judging Nancy according to common standards about women would be a very big mistake indeed.”
‘’Mein Gott! That woman could cause the destruction of Germany.’’
‘’Wrong, Gruppenführerin! Yes, she could cause our defeat, but I firmly believe that she does not wish the destruction of Germany. In her future, Germany is a good ally of Great Britain. That is why she insists that German prisoners of war be treated correctly and that German civilians be spared as much as possible.’’
‘’Why do you mention German civilians, Helferin?’’ Asked Hartmann, intrigued.
‘’Can I ask you if the British did bombard German cities in the last months, Gruppenführerin?’’
‘’Er, they did not, in fact. They concentrated their bombings against weapons factories and military bases, striking from low altitude in daylight. That switch from their previous night raids from high altitude has caused heavy damage indeed. Why did you ask?’’
‘’Because it proves a point that I want to make about Nancy. She is violently opposed to bombarding civilians and I believe that she convinced the British to abandon such bombardments.’’
Lisa and the other newcomers kept silent for a moment, digesting this. A Kriegsmarine unterfuhrerin named Grete Meissner resumed the conversation.
“As for me and my three girls here, we were working the night shift at the telephone exchange of the Kriegsmarine headquarters in Wilhelmshaven when a fleet of British skimmer boats entered the harbor and sank every ship in it, including the battlecruisers HIPPER and LUTZOW. While our men tried to defend against them, the base was attacked on the landside by British mechanized forces with dozens of tanks. Apart from completely destroying both the port and the Kriegsmarine headquarters, they also took the senior officers quarters. I’m sorry to say that they captured Admiral Donitz, along with most of his staff.”
“They took Admiral Donitz?” Yelled a number of the women at the same time. Grete Messner nodded her head dejectedly. Without Donitz, the German submarine force would never be the same again. A petite Luftwaffe oberhelferin of about thirty years of age who had sat quietly at a far corner of the table then spoke with a resigned voice.
“I’m Katharina Fischer, from the air liaison office at the Focke-Wulf factories near Bremen. Apart from seizing and completely destroying the factories this morning, the British also captured many of the top design engineers there. I also saw them destroy the Vulkan submarine yards and the port installations in Bremen. Later, on their way out, they stopped in Bremerhaven and also destroyed that port.”
The 22 women, stunned by so many bad news at once, were quiet for a while. Ingrid Weiss, who was looking with insistence at the SS helferin, suddenly asked her a question in a neutral tone.
‘’And you, where were you captured?’’
‘’Me?’’ Said the SS auxiliary, apparently made uncomfortable by Ingrid’s question. ‘’I was captured near Hamburg, in Neuengamme.’’
‘’And what is there in Neuengamme, apart from a concentration camp for political prisoners and European resistance members?’’ Insisted Ingrid, making the SS even more nervous.
‘’Why are you asking this?’’
‘’Why? Because I am not ashamed about my work in Wissant, where I was plotting British raids over France. You were working in the Neuengamme concentration camp, right?’’
‘’Uh, yes! I was one of the camp telephone switchboard operators.’’
Anna Hauser, made suspicious by the hesitations of the SS auxiliary and remembering Ingrid’s previous words, bent forward to fix the young SS woman in the eyes.
‘’Then, you can certainly tell us what happened in Neuengamme, no?’’
‘’Uh, of course!’’ Said the SS, while her body language screamed the opposite. ‘’The British came in the same sort of machines than at the other places, coming with tanks and troop carriers and then destroying the camp. They massacred the camp guards and then left with the prisoners held in the camp. Colonel Laplante was personally in command of the British and French soldiers that took the camp. I saw her as she was giving orders to her soldiers.’’
‘’Wait a minute!’’ Said Susanna Berghof, seeming confused. ‘’I understand that the British would attack the other places, which were military bases or weapons factories, but why attack a prison camp? Neuengamme is even further up the Elbe than Hamburg, making it a riskier target for the British. Was there an important French or Belgian politician or general held in Neuengamme?’’
‘’How could I know?’’ Protested the SS auxiliary. ‘’Why harass me with questions like this? I was just a telephone switchboard operator, dammit!’’
‘’And what is your name, if it isn’t too much to ask?’’ Said Anna, now skeptical about her story.
‘’Helferin Erika Muller, Unterführerin.’’
Lisa Hartmann, herself feeling somewhat ambivalous about Muller, then decided to intervene, to avoid a split in the group.
‘’I believe that it is getting late. Let’s cut this discussion and go to bed. Be all ready for tomorrow morning’s inspection at eight.’’
As the auxiliaries were starting to disperse to their respective rooms, Susanna Berghof blocked the way of Erika Muller to ask her a question in a low voice, her expression cold.
‘’Tell me if I’m wrong, Muller, but I believe that the SS auxiliaries working in the transmissions department wear a double rune insignia on the chest, plus a transmissions insignia patch on the left arm. You are wearing none of those patches, Muller. Maybe you could explain that to me?’’
Susanna didn’t miss the look of alarm in Muller’s eyes, something that only reinforced her suspicions.
‘’It is simple, indeed: we did not receive enough patches for everybody in Neuengamme.’’
‘’I see!’’ Said Susanna, not believing her for a second but not wanting to push her further…at least not yet. ‘’Then, good night, Helferin Muller.’’
‘’Good night, Oberhelferin Berghof.’’ Replied Muller, then hurrying up the stairs. She grumbled to herself once Berghof was out of sight.
‘’Damn traitor! All traitors, starting with that young bitch of Weiss.’’
07:12 (GMT)
Thursday, May 15, 1941
Waterloo Barracks, Tower of London
Ingrid Weiss was finishing her breakfast, sitting alongside her inmates at the table reserved for them in a corner of the dining room of the Waterloo Barracks, when a female guard came to her and dropped a British newspaper in front of her.
“Here, Ingrid, I thought that this could interest you and your comrades.”
Grabbing with curiosity the morning edition of the Daily Telegraph, she immediately caught on the big title on the front page. Ingrid was now by far the most proficient of her group in English. Urged on by her curious comrades, she translated the main points of the newspaper for them.
“The Royal Guards raid Germany. Yesterday morning, the Royal Guards Brigade, reinforced by soldiers from the Canadian 2nd Infantry Division and by a battalion of Free French troops, landed in Germany and devastated the ports of Hamburg, Bremen, Bremerhaven and the German naval base of Wilhelmshaven, on top of destroying the Luftwaffe regional headquarters at Stade, near Hamburg. Also attacked and destroyed were the western lock gates of the Kiel Canal and a number of refineries along the Elbe River, plus the concentration camp of Neuengamme. The Guards were transported with their tanks and armored troop carriers by a fleet of over 200 hovercrafts, which also sank all the German warships docked in Wilhelmshaven, including the battleships HIPPER and LUTZOW, plus over a dozen submarines and seventeen other warships. Another raiding force, led by the famous Colonel Laplante and composed of British and French troops, liberated the inmates of the concentration camp of Neuengamme, situated near Hamburg. One of the inmates that were liberated there was a British female intelligence agent named Janet Harlow, who was found nearly starved to death and who bore the marks of repeated beatings and torture. Over 9,000 prisoners were freed in Neuengamme. See pages two to five for more details on this fantastic operation.”
Quickly turning to page two, Ingrid scanned the various pictures and text on it. Her eyes caught on a picture showing Nancy Laplante helping a gaunt-looking woman walk.
“Colonel Laplante, consoling and helping Janet Harlow immediately after her liberation in Neuengamme.”
Ingrid was shocked by the pathetic state of Harlow and threw a dirty look at Erika Muller, who sat tense on her bench. Anna Hauser, along with others who were reading over her shoulders, was also repulsed by the picture.
“Turn the page, Ingrid, before this makes me throw up.”
Ingrid had no longer turned the page that she yelled in alarm.
“MY GOD, NANCY!”
All the other German women from Wissant then crowded Ingrid to look at the large picture of Nancy Laplante, as she stood on one knee in Hamburg, a bayonet impaling her left leg, a pistol in her right hand and piles of dead German soldiers around her. Her voice shaking, Ingrid translated the caption under the dramatic picture of her wounded mentor and secret adoptive mother.
“Nancy Laplante leads a bayonet charge by the Welsh Guards in Hamburg. The Prime Minister’s Special Military Advisor prevented a major disaster by counter-attacking a whole regiment of Waffen-SS which was threatening the main landing force in Hamburg. In turn overwhelmed by an enemy ten times more numerous, with herself and most of her men out of ammunition, she led a bayonet charge that broke the enemy’s back. Seriously wounded in the left leg and left arm and surrounded by enemy soldiers, Colonel Laplante kept resisting, killing in the process over thirty Germans by herself before being rescued by the main landing force. She is expected to recover fully from her wounds within a few weeks.”
Tears came to Ingrid’s eyes as she looked in detail at another picture of Nancy, showing her lying down and receiving first aid. Erika Muller saw that and became incensed.
“How dare you cry for an enemy? You should care for the brave German soldiers she killed instead, you traitor!”
All heads in the dining room turned towards them, with two of the female guards starting to take out their clubs. Now angry herself, Ingrid jumped to her feet and faced the SS woman.
“You call me a traitor for admiring a woman like Nancy? You’re not worth a tenth of her, German or not!”
“YOU FUCKING BITCH!” Screamed Muller, jumping on the table and then throwing herself on Ingrid. To everyone’s surprise, the SS woman was grabbed in flight by the young teenager and violently thrown over Ingrid’s shoulder, slamming her back hard on the floor with a loud thud. The female British guards then interposed themselves before the fight could go on further. Sergeant Mary Bailey roughly pulled Erika Muller up on her feet, while a second guard simply grabbed Ingrid by the arm. She was however much more delicate with Ingrid than her superior was now with Muller.
“FINISH EATING, ALL OF YOU, THEN GO BACK TO YOUR ROOMS AND STAY THERE UNTIL TOLD OTHERWISE!”
Bailey then looked at Muller and Ingrid.
“You two, come with me!”
Anna Hauser shook her head as both Muller and Ingrid were led away.
“I was afraid that something like this would happen one day.”
Nobody noticed when Susanna Berghof, using the commotion of the fight, grabbed the newspaper and hid it under her jacket.
07:48 (GMT)
Brigadier General Browning’s office
King’s House, Tower of London
Browning looked successively at Ingrid Weiss and Erika Muller, both standing at attention in front of his desk. He then looked down at his own copy of the newspaper that had started the fight. He had just heard the versions of both Germans and the account of the incident by Sergeant Mary Bailey, who spoke German. This was not going to be easy. Browning finally looked back at the now much less combative Muller. He sensed that she was going to be a potential source of trouble, especially if given the chance to either influence of intimidate the other Germans into following her hard-line attitude. However, he had seen her type many times before, in both men and women: big on volume but short on real resolve.
“Helferin Muller, do you know what real courage is?”
She stared at him, confused by his question.
“Courage? Er… I believe that it is about how to face danger, sir.”
“Wrong, Helferin! Courage is about admitting that you are afraid and then do what has to be done despite that fear. Do you admire courage, Helferin Muller?”
“Of course, sir!”
“Then, why deny to Helferin Weiss the right to admire someone else for her courage?”
“Sir, she was admiring an enemy who had just killed a number of my compatriots. I found her admiration misplaced, sir.”
“To the point of calling her a traitor and attacking her? Helferin Muller, you are starting your stay here on the wrong foot. Coming from a place like Neuengamme, you should realize how lucky you are to be interned here, in the Tower of London, where officers like Colonel Laplante do care about the wellbeing of German prisoners. You however don’t seem to appreciate fully the privileges you have here. To bring you back to reality and to punish you for starting a fight, you will spend today and tomorrow in solitary confinement in a cell of the Martin Tower, with water and bread to sustain yourself. Sergeant Bailey, take her away!”
‘’Yes sir!’’
Bailey and another female guard then pushed Muller out of the office, leaving Ingrid alone with Browning and still standing at attention.
‘’At ease, Ingrid!’’
Browning then contemplated in silence the young German for a moment. His experience and his impression of her to date told him that Ingrid Weiss was a most decent girl. The manner in which she had quickly developed a bond of friendship with Nancy Laplante, while as shocking for many British as for a number of Germans, was another proof of her goodness in Browning’s eyes. He could easily understand Ingrid’s admiration towards Nancy Laplante, a truly exceptional woman. Without wanting to confess it openly, Browning felt a near fatherly affection towards Ingrid and would not have hesitated to adopt her if not for the fact that it would have clearly constituted an act of fraternization with the enemy, a crime punishable by death in time of war.
‘’Ingrid, did you agree with the version of events as described by Sergeant Bailey?’’
‘’Yes sir! I believe that Sergeant Bailey described well the incident.’’
‘’Then, I can only conclude that you acted only to defend yourself against an unjustified attack from Helferin Muller. You will not get any punishment and can now return to Gaoler’s House.’’
Ingrid hesitated then, staying where she stood.
‘’Sir, could you tell me more about the state of Colonel Laplante? Will she really recuperate fully from her wounds?’’
‘’I don’t know, Ingrid, but I will inquire about it and will keep you informed.’’
‘’Thank you, sir, from the bottom of my heart.’’
Ingrid was about to pivot on the spot to leave when Browning’s voice stopped her.
‘’Wait, Ingrid!’’
The old brigadier then got up from behind his desk and came to her, stopping a bare pace in front of her and looking gently into her eyes.
‘’Ingrid, what do you intend to do after the war?’’
The teenager understood nearly at once his intentions and eyed him with gratitude.
‘’I plan to emigrate to the United States and to start a new life there, sir. Thank you for caring about me like that.’’
‘’You don’t want to go back to Germany?’’ Said Browning, a bit surprised. Ingrid shook her head firmly.
‘’Not after what Nancy told me about this war, sir. Please keep this strictly to yourself: I am actually a German Jew and