CODENAME: ATHENA (2025 Edition) by Michel Poulin - HTML preview

CHAPTER 29 – NEW INMATES

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 at attention. They had been told only one 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 gruppenfuhrerin22, 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.

22 Gruppenfuhrerin: auxiliary rank equivalent to captain

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“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 February.”

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.

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“Films, music, sports activities, dance nights with neutral American soldiers from

their embassy. 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 having been 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.

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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

Oberhelferin Susanna Berghof, a tall blonde auxiliary of the

Kriegsmarine who could easily have 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?’’ asked 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 who then killed her would-be assassins.’’

‘’Damn! She decidedly is 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 from a young auxiliary from the SS Corps. The

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latter noticed Ingrid’s frigid attitude towards her and threw her a suspicious look as she

climbed the stairs, while Ingrid stared back hard 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 during her

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 who 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.’’

‘’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 which had been attacked this morning.

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“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 in the morning. 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 concerning 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 for 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?’’

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‘’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.’’

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‘’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 woman, 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 destroyed the camp. They massacred the

camp guards and then left with the prisoners who had been held in the camp. Colonel

Laplante was personally in command of the British and French soldiers who 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 ambivalent 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.

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‘’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 companion 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,

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which also sank all the German warships docked in Wilhelmshaven, including the

battlecruisers 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 who 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

then 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 a pile of dead German soldiers surrounding 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 with her pistol 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.”

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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, with two female British guards watching them closely. 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

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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 hardline 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 truly

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 also felt a near fatherly affection towards Ingrid and would

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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 Nancy told me what the Nazis will do to the

Jews of Europe in this war. For me, the Nazis are now as much enemies of me as of

you. One day, when Germany will have washed thoroughly the stain that the Nazis will

leave in history, maybe I will come back to visit my country of birth.’’

Browning was actually more shaken by her anti-Nazi declaration than by her confession

of being a Jew.

‘’But, how can you be sure that the Americans will accept you?’’

Ingrid thought for a moment before answering with a question.

‘’Sir, could I ask you why you asked me what I would do after the war? Was it

because you were thinking of adopting me?’’

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‘’I…I would be both proud and happy to do so, Ingrid.’’

That answer brought tears to Ingrid’s eyes.

‘’So much kindness have I found here. I thank you with all my heart for this, sir,

but I can tell you that the Americans will take me. Why? Because I am in reality only

fifteen years old and thus a minor, and because I have already been adopted by an

American three months ago. I already possess an American passport, which is

presently held for safekeeping for me at the American embassy.’’

Stunned, Browning however understood quickly who could have adopted the young

German.

‘’Major Crawford! I should have known! But, then…that would mean…’’

‘’That Nancy Laplante also adopted me? That’s correct, sir. She is risking a lot

to help me like this but she acted strictly out of love for me, not because she has any

sympathies towards the Nazis. Too many people here in England would however be

glad and too ready to ask for the firing squad for her if they ever learned that she

adopted a German girl, and that despite all that she has done to help you win this war. I

know that you are a good, kind man and that you will keep that secret to yourself, sir. I

would have been happy to have you as a grandfather, sir.

Both happy and overwhelmed, the old brigadier took one step and hugged Ingrid, tears

in his eyes.

‘’Thank you, Ingrid. I hope that you will be happy in your new life in the United

States.’’

08:31 (GMT)

Sunday, May 18, 1941

Tower Green, Tower of London

Sergeant Bailey had just finished the morning prisoners’ call-up and was ready to

dismiss them when a delighted scream from Ingrid Weiss made her turn her head

towards Bloody Tower.

“NANCY! NANCY IS HERE!”

Effectively, Bailey could now see Nancy Laplante coming through the gate of Bloody

Tower in a wheelchair pushed by Major Crawford. Following the couple were three

British officers pushing a cart filled with Nancy’s electronic equipment, plus a thin woman

in civilian clothes who was walking besides Nancy’s wheelchair.

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“Hold it there, Ingrid!” ordered Bailey as the teenager was about to run out of the

ranks. All the new inmates were now looking with curiosity at the woman they had heard

so much about during the last days. Nancy Laplante had her left arm in a sling and her

left leg was sticking out, lying on a support frame. Otherwise, she seemed well and

waved at Ingrid while smiling. As was customary for her Sunday visits at the Tower, she

was dressed in civilian clothes, in this case a loose-fitting two-piece fleece outfit. Mike

Crawford was also wearing informal civilian clothes and attracted a lot of attention from

the new inmates. Anna Hauser, who was standing behind the group of auxiliaries, saw a

sudden expression of panic appear on the face of Erika Muller as she was eyeing

Nancy’s group. Intrigued, Anna made her mind to watch closely Muller in the minutes to

come.

While the three British officers following Nancy turned towards King’s House with

the equipment cart, the thin woman followed Nancy and Mike up to Tower Green, where

the prisoners and their guards stood. Sergeant Bailey greeted Nancy with a salute.

“Would you like to inspect the prisoners, Colonel?”

“With great pleasure, Sergeant! However, I would like to make this as informal

as possible, to put the new inmates at ease. Would you mind if I inspect them alone with

Major Crawford?”

“You’re the boss, maam!”

By now, Mary Bailey was accustomed to the easygoing manner in which Nancy dealt

with the Germans, something which would have raised cries of indignation if done by

any British soldier. She was however a special case. Nancy was about to present

herself to Lisa Hartmann when the civilian woman, who was very thin and gaunt, raised

an accusing index while staring with pure hatred at Erika Muller.

‘’YOU?’’

Muller started to back up, possibly in a futile attempt to flee, but Anna Hauser cut her

path.

‘’Get back in the ranks, Helferin Muller!’’

Muller, in a near state of panic, pushed Anna aside and started to run but was stopped in

her track by a baton strike to the belly from one of the British female guards. The SS

woman, her breath taken out, collapsed to her knees, then was brutally put back on her

feet by two guards and dragged towards Nancy, who eyed her severely.

‘’Why are you so afraid of Janet Harlow, Helferin?’’

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‘’Because she knew that I would recognize her, Colonel.’’ answered for Muller the

S.O.E. woman. ‘’This woman was one of the worst guards in the Neuengamme camp.

She liked nothing better than to beat a prisoner. She even flogged to death a French

resistance woman and bragged about it in front of us.’’

‘’But,’’ protested weakly Lisa Hartmann, ‘’Helferin Muller told us that she was just

a telephone switchboard operator in Neuengamme.’’

Nancy shook her head slowly while pointing at Muller’s vest.

‘’She wears the uniform of a SS-Kriegshelferin, the SS general auxiliaries

charged with guarding female prisoners in concentration camps. She doesn’t wear the

breast insignia with runes or the sleeve insignia of transmission specialist of a SS-

Helferin. The way she tried to flee when she saw Miss Harlow, who was interned in

Neuengamme, was by itself a confession of culpability. If she would have really been

only a telephone switchboard operator, then she would have had nothing to fear from

Agent Harlow. Sergeant Bailey, put this woman under arrest for war crimes and advise

Brigadier Browning of this at once.’’

‘’Right away, Colonel! Corporal Donovan, go warn the Governor of the Tower.

Privates Barclay and Anderson, go lock Helferin Muller in a cell of the Martin Tower and

keep an eye on her until further notice.’’

As Erika Muller was pushed towards Martin Tower by two British female guards,

with three British soldiers backing them up, Nancy looked at Lisa Hartmann, who was

now confused and didn’t know anymore what to think.

‘’Well, now that we are here, why not continue with the

inspection, Gruppenführerin Hartmann?’’

“Er, of course, Colonel! Please, proceed!”

Pushed by Mike Crawford, Nancy slowly went through the three

ranks of the prisoners, asking a few polite questions to each of

them. Mike couldn’t help smile in appreciation when they stopped

in front of Frida Winterer and Susanna Berghof. Frida was the

perfect embodiment of a jailbait, while Susanna could have won

hands down most beauty contests. Both blondes were smiling

warmly at Mike. Nancy smiled herself as she looked at Mike’s face.

“Hmm… looks like stiff competition for me, Mike.”

“Six months ago, maybe. Now, only you count.”

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“You smooth talker! However, I want to be present as a chaperone if you

massage them.”

Frida and Susanna giggled at that as Nancy stopped next in front of a petite Luftwaffe

oberhelferin who appeared quite nervous. Nancy offered her hand.

“And you are?”

“Oberhelferin Katharina Fischer, from the Focke-Wulf factories in Bremen,

Colonel.” answered the German while shaking Nancy’s hand.

‘’Welcome to the Tower of London, Helferin Fisher. I would like to talk with you

about the Focke-Wulf factories after this parade, if possible.’’

‘’Uh, no problem, Colonel.’’ answered weakly the auxiliary, who was in her thirties

and clearly older than the average of the rest of the auxiliaries. Nancy then went on to

the third rank, which was made up of the women captured in Wissant. Nancy

exchanged happy greetings with each of them before letting Ingrid hug her. The

teenager had tears in her eyes as she kissed Nancy on the cheek.

“Nancy, I was so afraid for you when I saw your picture in the Thursday

newspapers.”

“Tell me about it.” said Mike, a trace of bitterness in his voice. Nancy made a

brave face of it.

“Come on, you two! You know that I’m harder to kill than weeds.”

“Yeah, but you’re not invulnerable either.”

Her inspection finished, Nancy returned to speak to Hartmann.

“Gruppenfuhrerin, you can dismiss your subordinates now, except for Helferin

Weiss and Oberhelferin Fischer. I would like to speak to them in private.”

“As you wish, Colonel!” replied an intrigued Hartmann. Lisa then shouted a few

short orders to her subalterns, making them go back into Gaoler’s House with Mike

Crawford and Janet Harlow. Letting Ingrid push her chair; Nancy went with Fischer to a

deserted spot near the inner wall of the fortress and made sure that no British soldier

was near before speaking in a low voice to the petite auxiliary.

‘’Sorry about all that cinema, but you will be the first to agree with me that what

we will discuss must stay strictly between us, Flugkapitan Hanna Reitsch.’’

As Ingrid stared at ‘Fischer’ with wide eyes, Nancy smiled to the Nazi female test pilot.

‘’Hanna Reitsch: first woman test pilot in history; first woman to pilot a helicopter

and, at least in my history, first woman to have piloted a rocket plane. You know that

you were one of my childhood’s heroines, Flugkapitan Reitsch?’’

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‘’Your childhood’s heroine? But I don’t understand, Colonel. If you know me that

well, then you must know that I am devoted to the Nazi cause.’’

‘’I know, Flugkapitan, but I know enough about you to also know that you are able

to accept the bitter reality once you will be aware of everything the Nazis did, and to then

reject that criminal regime. Before you ask why I am ready to protect your identity, I will

answer you right away: by simple humanity. I’m an open-minded person and I am also

not from this time period. The British of 1940 are actually as alien to me as the Germans

of 1940. The British may be much less barbaric in this war than the Germans, Soviets or

Japanese, but they do however interrogate thoroughly important prisoners, sometimes

for months, using harsh mental techniques which are very close to physical torture.

Prisoners like you, Flugkapitan Hanna Reitsch.”

The German test pilot stepped back, apprehensive. She had been involved with most of

the German secret aircraft projects and had even flown a piloted version of the V-1 flying

bomb, earning an Iron Cross medal from Adolph Hitler himself in the process. If the

British learned about her, she would indeed be in for a lot of unpleasantness. Nancy

was now looking at her with hawkish eyes.

‘’I would normally give you away to the British for interrogation, except for one

small detail: I already have files about you that would make your eyes pop out. About

the only thing I am not sure of about you is the complete list of your lovers.”

“Thank God that the historians didn’t research that part of my life.” replied Hanna,

attempting some humor in order to relax. That made Nancy smile.

“Don’t yell victory yet on that point. I know that you were due to meet, and date,

another childhood hero of mine: Otto Skorzeny, a Waffen-SS officer due to become the

most famous expert on special operations in this war.”

“You… you are plain incredible, Colonel! What am I supposed to say to this?”

“Nothing! I simply wish to avoid you a lot of unnecessary unpleasantness. I may

be fighting against Germany now, but I am not a barbarian or a sadist. Just keep

masquerading as Oberhelferin Katharina Fischer and keep quiet about the whole thing.

I am playing with my head on this. In return, I am only asking you to open your mind to

the realities of this war and to think hard about what the Nazi cause really represents.

Ingrid has already been educated by me on these realities, of which Janet Harlow is a

living example.’’

‘’Ingrid? Why do you put such confidence in her, Colonel?’’

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‘’Because she is a fifteen-year-old war orphan. Because me and Major Crawford

secretly adopted her three months ago. She is now legally an American citizen and

could in theory leave this fortress anytime, but you can imagine what the consequences

would be for me if the British learned about that. I know however that you will keep that

secret to yourself, like I will keep your secret.’’

‘’You, the infamous Die Wolfin, you adopted a German girl? But you could face

the firing squad for that!’’

‘’Quite true! My life is thus in your hands, while your mental health is in my

hands.’’

“You can count on my discretion, Colonel.” said Hanna gravely. “I see that

Ingrid’s admiration towards you was well deserved.”

“Blah blah blah!” replied Nancy, grinning. “All in a time traveler’s work! How

about going to talk a bit with the other women? I brought with me a sales catalog from a

big retail store in 2012. We could discuss future female fashion before we go see a few

films made in the future.”

“Now you are talking! Let me push your wheelchair.”

“Are you cleared to pilot wheelchairs, Hanna?”

“Another joke like that and I will pilot you out through a window, Colonel.” replied

the smiling test pilot.

10:14 (GMT)

King’s House, Tower of London

The new inmates stopped cold as they entered the reception room in King’s

House now used weekly as a TV lounge: standing around Nancy’s television and DVD

unit where the three British officers who had brought in her equipment. Lisa Hartmann

growled at a graying RAF wing commander and walked to him, then pointed an accusing

finger at his face.

“YOU? How dare you come here and taunt us?”

Wing Commander Humphreys pointed at himself with an air of pure innocence.

“Me, taunt you? My dear Gruppenführerin, I was just bringing in Colonel

Laplante’s equipment.”

Grete Meissner charged towards Lieutenant Commander Stilwell, forcing him against a

wall.

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“And him? He was in Wilhelmshaven. Is he also a simple mover for Colonel

Laplante?”

“Me? A simple mover? Please, I have my dignity.”

“Please, people, no need to get excited here.”

All eyes turned towards Nancy, who smiled sheepishly.

“Alright, I confess: these are two of my assistants, while Wing Commander

Humphreys was loaned to me for the operation in Germany. I brought them here, not to

taunt you, but to make things up at a personal level. If Miss Harlow was able to visit you,

then I hope that you won’t resent my officers visiting you. Now, please relax and try to

be civilized to each other while I prepare the first film of the day.”

“Which one is it, Nancy?” asked Ingrid eagerly.

“It is called ‘WHAT WOMEN WANT’ and it is a comedy about a man able to read

women’s minds.”

“That would be the day!” said dismissively Susanna Berghof, making Peter

Stilwell puff up with fake indignation.

“I beg your pardon, miss! I know perfectly well what women want.”

Susanna grinned as the others around her listened to the exchange with anticipation.

“Let me see, now. Weren’t you the one who pointed a pistol in my face in

Wilhelmshaven and said to me quote move your ass, Blondie unquote?”

“Sorry, that was purely business talk, miss.” replied Stilwell, making Nancy, Ingrid

and a few others giggle. The exchange was not finished, though.

“Oh, I’m now miss, instead of Blondie?”

“Well, unless you prefer Blondie…”

“Susanna will do just fine, Lieutenant Commander.”

“Just call me Peter, like my friends and other perverts do.”

“Hey, talk for yourself, Peter!” objected George Townsend, standing nearby. “At

least, I have more male clothes lying around my apartment than there are female

clothes.”

“Is it my fault if women keep forgetting their things at my place?”

“Like panties and bras?”

“At the price bras are, I sure wouldn’t leave them behind.” interjected Nancy,

making heads snap around. Mike gave her a funny look.

“Was your last visit at Peter’s place before or after our marriage?”

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“It was before and it was at my place, not his. Ask George about the sordid

details.”

A concert of giggles and exclamations followed those words, as Susanna looked with

amusement at a blushing Peter Stilwell and George Townsend.

“My! A two on one? Kinky!”

“Pardon me, but there was another woman present. We just swapped around a

bit.”

“Better and better. Any other perversions I should know about?”

“Well, I’m in the navy. What else do I need to say?”

“I’m in the navy too, you know.”

“Alright, enough!” said Nancy, plugging her ears. “There are young persons

around here.”

“So?” replied Ingrid. “Do I look like a virgin to you?”

“Er, could we get on with the film, Colonel, before this degenerate into an orgy?”

asked Anna Hauser, getting a nod from Nancy.

“Good idea! ALRIGHT, EVERYONE: PLEASE SIT DOWN! THE FILM WILL

NOW START!”

As Susanna Berghof took one of the front row chairs, Peter Stilwell sat beside her and

whispered in her ear.

“Actually, it went down to a three on one.’’

Susanna nearly strangled herself with laughter at those words.