In killing the mans wife i think that some of that was revenge the rest was buisness. Although i find it interesting that they did this covertly when the Germans got ahold of partisans they normally made their deaths a big production.
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Kurt Steiner: Hears about what? Nothing happened. 
HKslan: Exactly.
Kampf_Machen(1): Max is a little surprised at Helmut's actions, but he's the sort that stays loyal to his friends.
trekaddict: True. Though Max would have done things differently himself, he understands what was motivating Helmut.
kiahoga: You are correct. Henri, as the leader of the group, was the main focus of Helmut's anger. He wiped out Henri's resistance cell because it had to be done and to get a measure of revenge. What he did to Henri, however, was personally satisfying. Well, there's really nothing covert about killing over a dozen people and setting a house on fire. It's not the actions of that night that Helmut wanted to hide, but his involvement in them. He was, after all, operating far outside his boundaries and without orders. This will be covered further in the next update.
Kampf_Machen(2): Helmut had to be careful. His superiors would not be happy with him for running about without orders or informing them of what he was doing, and the Gestapo would probably not appreciate him stepping on their toes.
HKslan: Exactly.
Kampf_Machen(1): Max is a little surprised at Helmut's actions, but he's the sort that stays loyal to his friends.
trekaddict: True. Though Max would have done things differently himself, he understands what was motivating Helmut.
kiahoga: You are correct. Henri, as the leader of the group, was the main focus of Helmut's anger. He wiped out Henri's resistance cell because it had to be done and to get a measure of revenge. What he did to Henri, however, was personally satisfying. Well, there's really nothing covert about killing over a dozen people and setting a house on fire. It's not the actions of that night that Helmut wanted to hide, but his involvement in them. He was, after all, operating far outside his boundaries and without orders. This will be covered further in the next update.
Kampf_Machen(2): Helmut had to be careful. His superiors would not be happy with him for running about without orders or informing them of what he was doing, and the Gestapo would probably not appreciate him stepping on their toes.
Helmut has turned into a ruthless killing machine....I fear that he may never be able to step back from the abiss.....but I pity the poor Frenchies who are gonna pay.....and pay bigtime!!!
They pissed off the wrong dude.....God help their mortal souls.
KLorberau
They pissed off the wrong dude.....God help their mortal souls.
KLorberau
My thoughts: well-done.
Both the post, and the flesh of those poor partisans :rofl: .
Keep it up!
Both the post, and the flesh of those poor partisans :rofl: .
Keep it up!
KLorberau: I could not have put it better myself!
TheHyphenated1: Thank you, I will indeed keep it up. In fact, the next update will post before the weekend is out.
TheHyphenated1: Thank you, I will indeed keep it up. In fact, the next update will post before the weekend is out.
The French are that he is Infantry though, imagine he had been with a Panzer Regiment....
trekaddict: That would be pretty scary.
**********************************************************
March 9, 1940
Paris, France
Max sat smoking with Skorzeny and Kuefer in the sitting room of Skorzeny's suite at the Hotel Ritz. Achen and Durr stood by the windows, looking down on the garden below. Conversation was muted and often forced. All of them were wondering what was happening behind the closed door leading from the sitting room. They had slipped into the hotel a little under an hour ago with the prisoner. Once they were safely inside Skorzeny's suite, Helmut had made a brief phone call and then had shut himself away with the prisoner. Every so often Max would jump as a muffled shout of pain emanated from behind the closed door.
The door suddenly opened and Max turned to see Helmut emerging from the dark room. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to the elbow and he was wiping his hands on a towel. Max could not help but notice that Helmut was staining it red as he did so. Helmut tossed the towel onto the floor and crossed the room to where Max was sitting. At his gesture, Max tossed him his pack of cigarettes and a matchbook. After he had lit his cigarette and taken a long pull, Helmut sat himself down next to Max and closed his eyes with a long sigh. Max was starting to wonder if he had fallen asleep when Helmut mumbled, "He should be here soon."
"Who's that?", asked Max.
Helmut, his eyes still closed, answered simply, "A friend." A moment later the men were startled by a sharp knock on the door. Durr crossed to it and looked through the peephole. Turning back to the room he hissed, "Christ, it's the Gestapo."
Max jumped to his feet in alarm, but Helmut just smiled and said, "Open the door, Durr. It's alright."
Durr opened the door and the Gestapo man stepped in. He was of average height and was well built though he was perhaps losing the trimness that he had enjoyed in younger days. He regarded the men in the room with a friendly smile on a warm and open face. If not for the uniform, he would more easily bring to mind a favorite uncle than a member of one of the Reich's most feared entities. The newcomer swept his gaze across the room until he spotted Helmut, who had risen from his seat. His smile growing even wider, the Gestapo agent crossed the room to Helmut who put his hand out in greeting. The man knocked Helmut's hand aside and embraced him saying, "It's been too long for just that."
Once they had broken, Helmut stepped back and said, "It has been too long, Ralph. It's good to see you again."
"You as well.", replied Ralph. "Of course, I should have known when you called that you wanted help. That once again, you needed good old Ralph to bail you out of some such mess."
"When have I ever needed you to bail me out of anything?", asked an incredulous Helmut.
Ralph put a finger to his lips as if in deep thought and responded, "How about every time we worked together? You remember that time in Cottbus?"
Helmut winced and said, "Yeah, I remember."
Max looked from one man to the other and asked, "I take it that you're old friends?"
Ralph nodded and replied, "We are indeed. We joined the Sicherheitsdienst together and worked as partners frequently. Of course, that was before Helmut became Heydrich's golden boy and got too good for the likes of a little guy like me."
Helmut looked down at the floor and said in a quiet voice, "That's not how it was, Ralph."
Ralph laughed and punched Helmut in the arm as he said, "Relax, I was just kidding with you." Looking to Max he said, "You know, I knew him back when he had an actual sense of humor."
Max smiled and responded, "I wonder what that must have been like."
Ralph held his hand out flat and rotated it side to side in a so-so gesture saying, "The only problem with his sense of humor was that he wasn't half as funny as he thought he was. Still though, he was a good partner and a good friend. That's why I came over right away when Hershel here said he needed a favor."
Skorzeny raised an eyebrow and asked, "Hershel?"
Ralph smiled and responded, "A little nickname I gave Helmut after our first mission together." Helmut made a warning gesture, but Ralph ignored him and explained, "Our first assignment after being recruited into the Sicherheitsdienst was to go Breslau. This was in '33. There was this newspaper that was putting out pro-communist propaganda and attacking the Fuhrer. We were to shut it down, arrest the editor, and find out if he could lead us to any communist organizations in the area. Well, he somehow found out we were coming and slipped over the border into Poland. We asked around and were able to determine that he had fled to a small village near Cracow. We didn't want to come back empty-handed from our first mission, so Helmut suggests that we go after him. After some discussion, he convinced me and off we went."
"Into Poland, just like that?", asked Max in surprise.
Ralph laughed and said, "We figured that we could get a hold of him and bring him back without anyone knowing. I suppose that we were just too young and inexperienced to think about the consequences of what we were doing. Anyway, we crossed the border and started looking for our target. As we looked around, it quickly became apparent that Helmut couldn't speak Polish and knew nothing about the culture. Remember now that this was his idea! In between ridiculing him, I taught him a couple of simple phrases and told him to come up with an alias. He couldn't very well introduce himself as Helmut Wolf and expect to blend in, after all. So Helmut, a little miffed at my constant and hilarious ribbing, waved his hand toward a nearby business and said that he would use that name. I looked over and saw that he was pointing to a kosher deli. Helmut had decided to go undercover as the only blond-haired and blue-eyed Jew in Poland!"
Ralph finished the story with a laugh and was joined in his mirth by the rest of the suite's occupants, with the notable exception of Helmut who was staring red-faced at the floor. Once the laughter had died down Max asked Ralph, "Did you catch the editor?"
Ralph nodded, "We sure did. Brought him back to Germany with no trouble and no one ever found out about our little trip." Turning to Helmut he asked, "Where is the prisoner?"
Helmut jerked his thumb over his shoulder and replied, "In there. I've already had a conversation with him and he'll tell you what you want to know about other cells in the area. Is your team at Rue Navier?"
Ralph nodded, "Should be. The official story will be that we were investigating reports of a suspicious gathering and were fired upon. The cell was then wiped out with the exception of one prisoner. No one will know that you were ever there."
"Thanks, Ralph. I appreciate it."
"No thanks necessary, Helmut. You know that I'm happy to help you out. Now, if you would bring me my prisoner I'll be on my way."
As Helmut went to collect the prisoner, Max stepped closer to Ralph and asked him, "If you were in the Sicherheitsdienst with Helmut, why are you in the Gestapo now?"
Ralph thought a moment and replied, "I made a mistake that got me into trouble with Heydrich. Not enough to warrant my dismissal, but enough to effectively end my career. A guy I knew in the Gestapo got them to offer me a job. It was a promotion and more money so I went for it."
"Why would the Gestapo take you if you were in trouble with the SD?", asked Max.
Ralph smiled and responded, "Because they didn't know. The SD and the Gestapo treated each other like major rivals you see. If one made a mistake, they kept it quiet so the other group wouldn't find out about it."
Max frowned and said, "But Helmut made a mistake of some kind in the past and was pushed out of the SD. I'm not sure what he did, but it was common knowledge that he was on the outs with Heydrich. Apparently his mistake wasn't kept quiet."
Ralph laughed and said, "That's the difference between Helmut and me. When I screw up, I keep it small and limit the awareness of it. When Helmut screws up on the other hand, he takes out ad space."
The two men were still laughing over the little joke when Helmut reappeared with the prisoner who was looking much worse than he had the last time Max had seen him. Ralph took possession of him and led him out the door. He paused in the doorway and said to Helmut, "As payment for this I'll expect you to be buying me a few beers. I'm thinking tomorrow."
Helmut smiled and replied, "That's a deal, Ralph. See you tomorrow."
Ralph smiled and said, "Good. Maybe I'll tell your friends about the time you chased that Russian agent into a brothel and then, ah, 'got lost' for about an hour."
Helmut slammed the door on Ralph and turned to see Max and the rest staring at him in shock. He smiled weakly and said, "It wasn't for an hour. Not even close."
"I'll bet it wasn't.", muttered Max.
"What was that?", asked Helmut
"Nothing."
**********************************************************
March 9, 1940
Paris, France
Max sat smoking with Skorzeny and Kuefer in the sitting room of Skorzeny's suite at the Hotel Ritz. Achen and Durr stood by the windows, looking down on the garden below. Conversation was muted and often forced. All of them were wondering what was happening behind the closed door leading from the sitting room. They had slipped into the hotel a little under an hour ago with the prisoner. Once they were safely inside Skorzeny's suite, Helmut had made a brief phone call and then had shut himself away with the prisoner. Every so often Max would jump as a muffled shout of pain emanated from behind the closed door.
The door suddenly opened and Max turned to see Helmut emerging from the dark room. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to the elbow and he was wiping his hands on a towel. Max could not help but notice that Helmut was staining it red as he did so. Helmut tossed the towel onto the floor and crossed the room to where Max was sitting. At his gesture, Max tossed him his pack of cigarettes and a matchbook. After he had lit his cigarette and taken a long pull, Helmut sat himself down next to Max and closed his eyes with a long sigh. Max was starting to wonder if he had fallen asleep when Helmut mumbled, "He should be here soon."
"Who's that?", asked Max.
Helmut, his eyes still closed, answered simply, "A friend." A moment later the men were startled by a sharp knock on the door. Durr crossed to it and looked through the peephole. Turning back to the room he hissed, "Christ, it's the Gestapo."
Max jumped to his feet in alarm, but Helmut just smiled and said, "Open the door, Durr. It's alright."
Durr opened the door and the Gestapo man stepped in. He was of average height and was well built though he was perhaps losing the trimness that he had enjoyed in younger days. He regarded the men in the room with a friendly smile on a warm and open face. If not for the uniform, he would more easily bring to mind a favorite uncle than a member of one of the Reich's most feared entities. The newcomer swept his gaze across the room until he spotted Helmut, who had risen from his seat. His smile growing even wider, the Gestapo agent crossed the room to Helmut who put his hand out in greeting. The man knocked Helmut's hand aside and embraced him saying, "It's been too long for just that."
Once they had broken, Helmut stepped back and said, "It has been too long, Ralph. It's good to see you again."
"You as well.", replied Ralph. "Of course, I should have known when you called that you wanted help. That once again, you needed good old Ralph to bail you out of some such mess."
"When have I ever needed you to bail me out of anything?", asked an incredulous Helmut.
Ralph put a finger to his lips as if in deep thought and responded, "How about every time we worked together? You remember that time in Cottbus?"
Helmut winced and said, "Yeah, I remember."
Max looked from one man to the other and asked, "I take it that you're old friends?"
Ralph nodded and replied, "We are indeed. We joined the Sicherheitsdienst together and worked as partners frequently. Of course, that was before Helmut became Heydrich's golden boy and got too good for the likes of a little guy like me."
Helmut looked down at the floor and said in a quiet voice, "That's not how it was, Ralph."
Ralph laughed and punched Helmut in the arm as he said, "Relax, I was just kidding with you." Looking to Max he said, "You know, I knew him back when he had an actual sense of humor."
Max smiled and responded, "I wonder what that must have been like."
Ralph held his hand out flat and rotated it side to side in a so-so gesture saying, "The only problem with his sense of humor was that he wasn't half as funny as he thought he was. Still though, he was a good partner and a good friend. That's why I came over right away when Hershel here said he needed a favor."
Skorzeny raised an eyebrow and asked, "Hershel?"
Ralph smiled and responded, "A little nickname I gave Helmut after our first mission together." Helmut made a warning gesture, but Ralph ignored him and explained, "Our first assignment after being recruited into the Sicherheitsdienst was to go Breslau. This was in '33. There was this newspaper that was putting out pro-communist propaganda and attacking the Fuhrer. We were to shut it down, arrest the editor, and find out if he could lead us to any communist organizations in the area. Well, he somehow found out we were coming and slipped over the border into Poland. We asked around and were able to determine that he had fled to a small village near Cracow. We didn't want to come back empty-handed from our first mission, so Helmut suggests that we go after him. After some discussion, he convinced me and off we went."
"Into Poland, just like that?", asked Max in surprise.
Ralph laughed and said, "We figured that we could get a hold of him and bring him back without anyone knowing. I suppose that we were just too young and inexperienced to think about the consequences of what we were doing. Anyway, we crossed the border and started looking for our target. As we looked around, it quickly became apparent that Helmut couldn't speak Polish and knew nothing about the culture. Remember now that this was his idea! In between ridiculing him, I taught him a couple of simple phrases and told him to come up with an alias. He couldn't very well introduce himself as Helmut Wolf and expect to blend in, after all. So Helmut, a little miffed at my constant and hilarious ribbing, waved his hand toward a nearby business and said that he would use that name. I looked over and saw that he was pointing to a kosher deli. Helmut had decided to go undercover as the only blond-haired and blue-eyed Jew in Poland!"
Ralph finished the story with a laugh and was joined in his mirth by the rest of the suite's occupants, with the notable exception of Helmut who was staring red-faced at the floor. Once the laughter had died down Max asked Ralph, "Did you catch the editor?"
Ralph nodded, "We sure did. Brought him back to Germany with no trouble and no one ever found out about our little trip." Turning to Helmut he asked, "Where is the prisoner?"
Helmut jerked his thumb over his shoulder and replied, "In there. I've already had a conversation with him and he'll tell you what you want to know about other cells in the area. Is your team at Rue Navier?"
Ralph nodded, "Should be. The official story will be that we were investigating reports of a suspicious gathering and were fired upon. The cell was then wiped out with the exception of one prisoner. No one will know that you were ever there."
"Thanks, Ralph. I appreciate it."
"No thanks necessary, Helmut. You know that I'm happy to help you out. Now, if you would bring me my prisoner I'll be on my way."
As Helmut went to collect the prisoner, Max stepped closer to Ralph and asked him, "If you were in the Sicherheitsdienst with Helmut, why are you in the Gestapo now?"
Ralph thought a moment and replied, "I made a mistake that got me into trouble with Heydrich. Not enough to warrant my dismissal, but enough to effectively end my career. A guy I knew in the Gestapo got them to offer me a job. It was a promotion and more money so I went for it."
"Why would the Gestapo take you if you were in trouble with the SD?", asked Max.
Ralph smiled and responded, "Because they didn't know. The SD and the Gestapo treated each other like major rivals you see. If one made a mistake, they kept it quiet so the other group wouldn't find out about it."
Max frowned and said, "But Helmut made a mistake of some kind in the past and was pushed out of the SD. I'm not sure what he did, but it was common knowledge that he was on the outs with Heydrich. Apparently his mistake wasn't kept quiet."
Ralph laughed and said, "That's the difference between Helmut and me. When I screw up, I keep it small and limit the awareness of it. When Helmut screws up on the other hand, he takes out ad space."
The two men were still laughing over the little joke when Helmut reappeared with the prisoner who was looking much worse than he had the last time Max had seen him. Ralph took possession of him and led him out the door. He paused in the doorway and said to Helmut, "As payment for this I'll expect you to be buying me a few beers. I'm thinking tomorrow."
Helmut smiled and replied, "That's a deal, Ralph. See you tomorrow."
Ralph smiled and said, "Good. Maybe I'll tell your friends about the time you chased that Russian agent into a brothel and then, ah, 'got lost' for about an hour."
Helmut slammed the door on Ralph and turned to see Max and the rest staring at him in shock. He smiled weakly and said, "It wasn't for an hour. Not even close."
"I'll bet it wasn't.", muttered Max.
"What was that?", asked Helmut
"Nothing."
I'll just ask....
Which kind of brothel?
The past of Helmut seems as interesting as his future... I wonder... if Heydrich would still have some kind of interest about Helmuth or he just crossed good old H out?
Which kind of brothel?
The past of Helmut seems as interesting as his future... I wonder... if Heydrich would still have some kind of interest about Helmuth or he just crossed good old H out?
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very nice update. imagine what the Hotel Ritz maids will think of all the bloodstains
Lol Helmut has come along way as a special operator since 1933 but I like that your showing us some of a younger not nearly as ruthless Helmut and lightening the mood a bit.
Hahahaha.....Helmut seemed a little uneasy at having some of the details of his "youth" told to the others......Has he been keeping his early life a secret even to Max??
And how long was he in the brothel??
KLorberau
And how long was he in the brothel??
KLorberau
Hilarious update, loved it. Almost makes you forget someone was getting tortured. A little inconsiderate to have requisitioned Skorzeny's suite for this, it must be pretty awkward for Ralph to have to walk this mess of a man through the lobby of this extravagant hotel. :rofl: I foresee the manager making complaints to the very powerless Vichy establishment in the occupied north.
Great update. Rather funny conversation between Helmut and Ralph.
An another note brought up by Herr Steiner: does Heydrich still want good ol' Helmut as a protege of sorts? Or are they done?
An another note brought up by Herr Steiner: does Heydrich still want good ol' Helmut as a protege of sorts? Or are they done?
Kurt Steiner: Is there any kind other than the good kind? Heydrich views the people around him as tools more than anything else. If Helmut was to gain his notice favorably, anything could happen.
SeleucidRex: If they're smart they'll think it's none of their business!
kiahoga: I thought that it was time to go to the lighter side after the dark tone of the last several updates.
KLorberau: Helmut has told Max some things about his earlier days, but not everything. He has kept his more embarrassing exploits to himself. He was in there for awhile, but not too long. Perhaps we'll get some more clarification on that in the future.
HKslan: In the last update everything seemed normal and fun while, behind closed doors, something terrible was happening. I found it kind of fitting. The hotel manager should, like the maids, look the other way if he's smart.
Kampf_Machen: Heydrich wants anyone he can use to further his own ends. If he feels that Helmut has once again become such a person, who knows.
The next update should post sometime over the next couple of days.
SeleucidRex: If they're smart they'll think it's none of their business!
kiahoga: I thought that it was time to go to the lighter side after the dark tone of the last several updates.
KLorberau: Helmut has told Max some things about his earlier days, but not everything. He has kept his more embarrassing exploits to himself. He was in there for awhile, but not too long. Perhaps we'll get some more clarification on that in the future.
HKslan: In the last update everything seemed normal and fun while, behind closed doors, something terrible was happening. I found it kind of fitting. The hotel manager should, like the maids, look the other way if he's smart.
Kampf_Machen: Heydrich wants anyone he can use to further his own ends. If he feels that Helmut has once again become such a person, who knows.
The next update should post sometime over the next couple of days.
Finally caught up. After reading about how you lost in Spain and had issues in Cracow, Namur and Bulgaria, I was wondering if you really knew how to play the game. o
Good to see Helmut loosing that wimpy oh-I-kill-people-I'm-a-horrible-person schtick. I'm a little surprised at how disturbed Max is by all this. When do we get back to 1st Panzer? I want to see if Otto ever gets to see the side of Rommel that his subordinates weren't terribly fond of.
Looking forward to the next update.
o Good to see Helmut loosing that wimpy oh-I-kill-people-I'm-a-horrible-person schtick. I'm a little surprised at how disturbed Max is by all this. When do we get back to 1st Panzer? I want to see if Otto ever gets to see the side of Rommel that his subordinates weren't terribly fond of.
Looking forward to the next update.
The side that was very grumpy? Yeah, I'm sure he'll see it. I hear it was pretty far reaching.dublish said: