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hmm.. It does indeed.. lemme try and rename them.. Maybe that'll help..
ANyone know of a good alternative to Photobucket?
ANyone know of a good alternative to Photobucket?
What goes on within these walls?
Looking so innocent, yet inspiring such terror.
October 3rd – 1935 Berlin.
It had taken him more than two weeks to sort out the various links and hints of the file, get a team together and go through each lead, to figure out where it would end up. It was all gathered around him now, in a four room office in the uppermost basement floor of the Gestapo HQ.
Beyer, sitting at his desk at the back of the room, slowly let his eyes follow the lines on the blackboard, from where they started, at the dead spy, to where they each vanished into the unknown. No matter the fact that Gestapo had information on everybody, there was only so much to derive from papers describing the past. Now it was time to act, although with a velvet touch, so as not to reveal their hand prematurely.
“What do you think Kurt?” He asked his partner, who was a natural part of the team, since Dietrich wouldn’t even consider doing something as dangerous and delicate as this without the one man, he absolutely trusted, by his side.
“It’s risky, but it needs to be done, if we want to get anywhere.” Kurt replied.
Beyer agreed with him. It had to be done. Mentally, he ran over the list of events outlined in the file, which was locked safely within the big box beside his desk. At first glance, it all seemed so simple:
Lenz Eichmann, 47, a senior functionary of the Reichsbank, the German national bank had committed suicide, or at least, so it seemed.
The initial police investigation, standard procedure for a man of Herr Eichmanns position, seemed to indicate that nothing was out of the ordinary, except for the fact that Herr Eichmanns widow, Amelia Eichmann, continuously claimed that her husband would never commit suicide and that their life was a happy one. This last statement seemed credible, based on the Eichmann home, which was a beautiful small house, filled with fine furniture, art and silverware. In fact, so nice was the interior of the home that one of the officers got suspicious about how the Eichmanns could possibly afford such luxury, since even though Herr Eichmann was a senior functionary, his salary could not possibly account for the money spent here.
At first, it was suspected that Herr Eichmann might’ve committed fraud in the bank and that this might in some way have led to his suicide, but a careful examination of his records as well as all accounts under his jurisdiction at the bank, brought no evidence of such actions to light, in fact, quite to the opposite, it was discovered that Herr Eichmann had created several accounts under various aliases, but all leading back to himself, with a large sum of money, completely out of his economical reach, which seemed to have been fed into the bank, not taken out of it. This, of course, baffled the investigators, who sent a request to the Gestapo for all information available on Lenz and Amelia Eichmann, as well as any family and close friends of the couple. Little was found in the files and since it didn’t conflict with the Gestapo’s area of interest, or so it was believed, the files were sent to the investigators. What they found, however, most definitely fell within the area of interest of the Gestapo.
Lenz Eichmann had a very close friend, Otto Ritter, 51, whose nephew, Florian Ritter, 26, worked and lived in Britain. This in itself wasn’t particularly special, although it did catch the investigators’ interest and they looked into it. After a lot of digging, the necessity of which seemed rather odd, the investigators found that the nephew worked at the Bank of England.
On the theory that this might in some way be a case of company espionage, although the funds in the hands of Herr Eichmann seemed to indicate something even more serious, the investigators continued to dig and found that Herr Ritter’s sister, the mother of Florian, died at his birth and that he was then brought up in England with an aunt, Herr Ritter’s Fathers Sister, Johanna Ritter. At this point, being thorough professionals, the investigators approached the Abwehr and asked them to, discreetly, obtain information about Frau Ritter and Florian Ritter’s life in Britain. It was soon discovered that Johanna Ritter had died many years ago. This again could have been rather innocent, but when another employee of the Bank of England was approached on the matter of Florian Ritter, it was discovered that although his name was registered there as an employee, no-one there had ever heard of him, not even in the department where he was supposed to work.
At this point, it was discovered that Florian Ritter was, in fact, not in Britain, he was in Germany, presumably on holiday, although he had not, at any point, been seen at the Ritter residence and Herr Ritter claimed he had not seen his nephew in some years. The investigators called the Gestapo and presented the case to them, since it seemed more and more clear that the case was outside of their jurisdiction and belonged in that of the State Police. However, when two agents of the Gestapo went to Florian Ritter’s address to question him, they found him in his bed, dead from an overdose of morphine. A thorough search of his rented apartment led to the discovery of several sets of identity papers, all either bearing the name of Florian Ritter or his image. One in particular was of interest, since it identified him as a member of MI6, the British intelligence service. Why he had brought such identification with him confounded the agents, but they reasoned that there had to be some reason for it, even if they didn’t what it was supposed to be. At least not yet.
Fact was however, that Florian Ritter had undeniably been identified as a British Spy and it stood to reason that his uncle either knew about it or was somehow involved with it. When the agents returned to Herr Ritter’s home however, they found clear evidence that he had fled in haste. Still, it took them little time to track him down, but before they could arrest him, he met with a man, unknown to the agents. As they moved in to arrest both men, the unknown person drew a gun and fired upon them, while Ritter tried to run for it once more.
Unfortunately the unknown man was killed in the shootout, which also saw the death of some civilians, but he was later identified by the Gestapo as Jürgen Keller and much more disturbingly, as an agent of the Abwehr.
After the shooting, one agent pursued Herr Ritter, who in his desperation hurled himself out in front of a car, to avoid capture. He is currently held under guard at a state hospital, lying in a coma from which it is unknown, whether or not he will awake. He does however, apart from being in a coma, only have minor injuries.
The most troubling part of this affair however, is the fact that the body of Jürgen Keller and all paperwork associated with him have disappeared from Gestapo keeping. At the same time, one of the two agents responsible for his death have had a fatal accident in his service car, while the other very narrowly survived what is suspected to be an attempt at poisoning. Whoever is involved in this is unknown, but it seems obvious that someone at the Gestapo Headquarter must be involved.
Kurt meanwhile, knowing his friend and superior had kept quiet, allowing him to think in peace. He looked at the wall instead, mentally tracing the different clues and links, the team had uncovered in the last couple of weeks:
Several employees within the Reichsbank had been arrested by the Gestapo and questioned, most of them found to be of little or no interest. Two however stood out above the rest, the first being Meinhard Abt, a friend and colleague of Eichmann, who, it was discovered, had supplied Eichmann with access to the highest levels of financial secrets of the Reich. Those secrets and dealings of course, which the bank had been involved in, which was, unsurprisingly, most of them.
The other person was Ilsa Hahn, the private secretary of Walther Strauss, one of the members of the Board of Directors. Herr Strauss of course, had been thoroughly interrogated as well, but so far it didn’t seem as if he was involved. It didn’t make any difference of course. He would remain in the custody of the Gestapo for a very long time. As for Ilsa Hahn, she admitted to have had an affair with Eichmann for several years, something which several of her colleagues eagerly confirmed. Her part in the Eichmann Group, as the Reichsbank operation was now called, had been to keep an eye on the Board of Directors through her boss's private files, as well as, of course, providing access for Eichmann to Strauss’s and the BoDs papers. All in all, these three people seemed to have access to all the important information within the bank due to their jobs. It was a rather unpleasant surprise to discover just how vulnerable the Reich’s financial secrets really were.
This seemed to be the limits of the Eichmann Group, which was selling secret documents through Ritter and Florian to the British, in return for money, lots of money. But while this operation was serious enough and had dangerously weakened the position of the Reich, in and off itself, it was neither the most important nor the most dangerous discovery.
When they changed their focus from Lenz Eichmann to Otto Ritter, the team discovered that they had put their hand into the proverbial hornet's nest:
Herr Ritter had in his life held several positions within the pre-Nazi government and it seemed that during that time, he had made quite a few connections with various people, some of which continued to be part of the government structure, albeit in lesser places and some of which held positions, a few quite high, within the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine. This was where it got really complicated, since a few of the names discovered in the search held titles of considerable power within the Third Reich. One name, however, stood out from the rest. Not because of the level of power possessed by the person, but rather because of the position that person held, a position within the Gestapo itself. It seemed they had found their traitor.
Getting hold of this person however, would carry immense risks, both personally to Mauer and Beyer, but also professionally, since the chance that this particular person operated alone within the Gestapo was literally none and neither Beyer nor Mauer dared to let their team dig into this anymore. They might already have gone too far, since whether or not the team-members themselves were somehow affiliated or knew some who were, was unknown.
What they, or rather what Dietrich had decided to do, left a sour taste in Kurt’s mouth. On one hand he didn’t really like involving any outsiders into this and on the other, it could backfire hard on the both of them.
But it had to be done.
Trekaddict: Thanks for the suggestions, but it seems Photobucket is working at the time being.. It doesn't seem to like the name of Hitler.. And who can blame it really? 
And yes, high level machinations indeed. I hope the outline of the plot presented here, suits your taste..
volksmarschall: It is I who thank you sir! Your praise spurs me on to (hopefully) write even better in the future.. Please let me know the moment I fail in this endeavor.
Enewald: or something else? *whistles innocently*
Myth: Isn't that the point, really?
Cecasander: And not a moment too soon either.. And thank you very much.
Everybody: I apologize dearly for the long delay in updates. It seems I have yet to learn a fairly important lesson: Don't announce complex plotlines before you even have the slightest idea what they're gonna be..
I spent almost a week thinking this stuff up and just a day writing it.. Sigh.. I hope I'll get better at planning things like this, as the story unfurls..
I do have some more bad news though.. Tuesday I'm leaving on vacation for a week to a place of no uplink. So I'm afraid that it'll be a week to ten days or so, before the next update arrives.. Please forgive me.
However, as we're getting nearer to the point of game start, you'll soon see some more game-related updates.. And no, I wont tell you what to expect..
Edit:
Trekaddict: Why do you always manage to reply before I'm done with the follow-up? tsk tsk..
And I'm please I've managed to fill even a tiny part of your hunger for intrigue my friend.. One day I may be successful enough to give you a stomach-ache with it..
And yes, high level machinations indeed. I hope the outline of the plot presented here, suits your taste..
volksmarschall: It is I who thank you sir! Your praise spurs me on to (hopefully
) write even better in the future.. Please let me know the moment I fail in this endeavor. Enewald: or something else? *whistles innocently*
Myth: Isn't that the point, really?
Cecasander: And not a moment too soon either..
And thank you very much.Everybody: I apologize dearly for the long delay in updates. It seems I have yet to learn a fairly important lesson: Don't announce complex plotlines before you even have the slightest idea what they're gonna be..
I spent almost a week thinking this stuff up and just a day writing it.. Sigh.. I hope I'll get better at planning things like this, as the story unfurls..
I do have some more bad news though.. Tuesday I'm leaving on vacation for a week to a place of no uplink. So I'm afraid that it'll be a week to ten days or so, before the next update arrives.. Please forgive me.
However, as we're getting nearer to the point of game start, you'll soon see some more game-related updates..
And no, I wont tell you what to expect..Edit:
Trekaddict: Why do you always manage to reply before I'm done with the follow-up? tsk tsk..
And I'm please I've managed to fill even a tiny part of your hunger for intrigue my friend.. One day I may be successful enough to give you a stomach-ache with it..
I'm glad you like it..
And please remember, this is only the initial information available. As soon as Dietrich found this out, he stopped the digging. And then there're the parts I only hinted at, of course..
Well, I'll be back from holiday in a week, bursting with fresh creativity and even some new ideas..
See ya'll then..
Rob
And please remember, this is only the initial information available. As soon as Dietrich found this out, he stopped the digging. And then there're the parts I only hinted at, of course..
Well, I'll be back from holiday in a week, bursting with fresh creativity and even some new ideas..
See ya'll then..
Rob
Lichterfelde Military Academy, home of the SS-Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler
October 4th – 1935 Berlin.
Kurt was afraid, genuinely afraid, although he tried his best to keep it hidden within himself and not let Dietrich see it. This was a risky move, one which would surely anger some very powerful people, the kind that did not forgive insults lightly, if at all.
He was wearing a black SS uniform with the insignias of a sturmbannführer, or major as the army would call it. He wasn’t exactly comfortable wearing this uniform, not least because he was neither a member of the SS nor any kind of officer, but Dietrich had been adamant about it and Kurt knew his partner and superior had the authority, even if only temporarily, to get away with such things. As a matter of fact, now that Kurt thought about it, he might actually be an SS Sturmbannführer now, since Dietrich gave him the order. He made a mental note to ask his partner about it. He might not like the idea very much, but at least he wanted to know the truth of it. Kurt looked up from the bench where he was sitting, when he heard steps approach. It was Dietrich, in the same black uniform, wearing the insignias of an SS-Standartenführer, the army equivalent of which would be a colonel.
“Are you ready Kurt?” Dietrich asked, his voice hard. Kurt nodded and looked at his partner. The black uniform somehow seemed to fit Dietrich perfectly, not just in a physical sense but somehow more completely than that. It seemed ominous somehow and Kurt felt the shivers down his spine, as his partner put on a pair of skin-tight, black leather gloves. “Let’s get this over with then.”
Kurt arose and followed Dietrich through the back-hallways of the Gestapo HQ. Most people ignored them, seeing only the black uniforms and not the people wearing them, but some gave the pair rather startled looks and a few even had glimpses of fear in their eyes, rather unusual for members of the Gestapo. Kurt mentally gathered the names of those who seemed somewhat chagrined by the sight of the two men, noting that he had to check up on their files later. He might not be in a situation he particularly enjoyed, but he was still a Gestapo agent and his eyes missed nothing.
The pair left the building and walked to the black car, which awaited them at the front. The driver too wore an SS-uniform, this time a genuine one as Dietrich had actually ordered a car with chauffeur for the occasion. The driver saluted them tightly, his heels coming together with a sharp clack, which almost made Kurt flinch. Both he and Dietrich returned the salute and then entered the car.
“Lichterfelde.” The simple word was enough, every member of the SS and most who wasn’t knew what the name implied. Not the village, which had become part of greater Berlin in the twenties, but rather the military academy which lay there. The headquarters of the Leibstandarte.
When they arrived, Dietrich ordered the driver to wait and then proceeded into the large headquarters building, Kurt close on his heels. They had already studied the layout of the building and knew where they were headed, so they walked briskly down the hallways until they reached a large, ornate door, in front of which a pair of SS-troops stood watch.
Without pausing even for a moment, Dietrich opened the door and entered the office, where a young Obercharführer or staff sergeant immediately stood to attention. Dietrich gave him a cold look.
“Is he in?” He asked sharply, half turning towards the only other door in the office. The staff sergeant paled slightly.
“The Obergruppenführer is busy at the moment, Herr Standartenführer.” He replied, his voice hardening as he spoke. After all, the man was SS and not easily cowed. “If you will leave your name, I will make an appointment for you.” Dietrich looked at him again.
“Is he in?” He asked once more, neither his face nor his voice indicating that he had already asked the same question and been rebuffed. For a moment the sergeant’s eyes held fear, but then he pulled himself together.
“I am sorry Herr Stand…” He never got any further as Dietrich simply went over to the door to the next office and opened it. The room on the other side was splendidly furnished with expensive furniture and leather. The three men inside looked up sharply and the one behind the desk, the Obergruppenführer Sepp Dietrich half arose from his chair a look of outrage on his face.
“What is the meaning of this?” He asked, angrily. Instead of replying Dietrich went up to the desk and placed his briefcase on it. While the SS-general’s face turned almost red with rage and insult, Dietrich calmly opened the briefcase and pulled out a single piece of paper, which he held up to show the general.
With a command on his lips, which might very well have sealed the fate of both Dietrich and Kurt, who had marched into the office close behind him, the general glanced quickly at the paper before yelling his command. He never got any further. The name written on the paper instantly cut his charade short and although he did not show any fear, he was, after all, close to the Führer himself, he went quiet and sat back down, ordering the two other men in the room to leave with a wave of his hand.
“So what can I do for you Standartenführer?” He asked, his face and voice already calm, which spoke volumes of his self-control.
“This Herr Obergruppenführer.” Dietrich replied and pulled out a file from his briefcase, handing it to the general.
“What is this?”
“A strike-plan Herr Obergruppenführer.” The general seemed amused, yet interested at this point.
“And what are we going to strike then?” He asked.
“There is a list in the file Herr Obergruppenführer.” Dietrich replied. “It is on the first page.”
Seeming even more amused, the general opened the file and looked at the first page. His eyes instantly widened and he looked sharply at Dietrich.
“You are not serious!” He exclaimed, his calm seemingly shattered by what he had seen on the first page.
“I would not have come here, if I wasn’t, Herr Obergruppenführer.”
Sepp Dietrich looked at the cold-eyed man standing in front of him for a moment, studying him. He was a hard man the general judged, a hard and dutiful man who had a lot of courage, as his entrance had shown.
“Why did you muscle your way in here like that?” He asked, curiosity peeking his interest even more.
“To get your attention Herr Obergruppenführer.” Dietrich replied blandly. The general was momentarily shocked. Then, almost involuntarily, he began to laugh.
“You got that. You most certainly got that.” He chuckled. “By the way, what is your name?”
“Kriminalinspektor Dietrich Beyer of the Geheime Staatspolizei, Herr Obergruppenführer.” Dietrich replied, shocking the general even further. “And this is my partner Kurt Mauer, also of the Geheime Staatspolizei.”
“You are Gestapo? Why are you in those uniforms then?” This time, the humor was less obvious, but still there.
“It suits the purpose of the mission Herr Obergruppenführer.” The general nodded, something resembling respect slowly entering his eyes.
He was silent for a long moment, his eyes going from Dietrich to Kurt and back again, while he seemed to consider the situation.
“Alright.” He said then and motioned for them to sit down. “Tell me how the SS-Leibstandarte may serve your mission.”
Kurt was afraid, genuinely afraid, although he tried his best to keep it hidden within himself and not let Dietrich see it. This was a risky move, one which would surely anger some very powerful people, the kind that did not forgive insults lightly, if at all.
He was wearing a black SS uniform with the insignias of a sturmbannführer, or major as the army would call it. He wasn’t exactly comfortable wearing this uniform, not least because he was neither a member of the SS nor any kind of officer, but Dietrich had been adamant about it and Kurt knew his partner and superior had the authority, even if only temporarily, to get away with such things. As a matter of fact, now that Kurt thought about it, he might actually be an SS Sturmbannführer now, since Dietrich gave him the order. He made a mental note to ask his partner about it. He might not like the idea very much, but at least he wanted to know the truth of it. Kurt looked up from the bench where he was sitting, when he heard steps approach. It was Dietrich, in the same black uniform, wearing the insignias of an SS-Standartenführer, the army equivalent of which would be a colonel.
“Are you ready Kurt?” Dietrich asked, his voice hard. Kurt nodded and looked at his partner. The black uniform somehow seemed to fit Dietrich perfectly, not just in a physical sense but somehow more completely than that. It seemed ominous somehow and Kurt felt the shivers down his spine, as his partner put on a pair of skin-tight, black leather gloves. “Let’s get this over with then.”
Kurt arose and followed Dietrich through the back-hallways of the Gestapo HQ. Most people ignored them, seeing only the black uniforms and not the people wearing them, but some gave the pair rather startled looks and a few even had glimpses of fear in their eyes, rather unusual for members of the Gestapo. Kurt mentally gathered the names of those who seemed somewhat chagrined by the sight of the two men, noting that he had to check up on their files later. He might not be in a situation he particularly enjoyed, but he was still a Gestapo agent and his eyes missed nothing.
The pair left the building and walked to the black car, which awaited them at the front. The driver too wore an SS-uniform, this time a genuine one as Dietrich had actually ordered a car with chauffeur for the occasion. The driver saluted them tightly, his heels coming together with a sharp clack, which almost made Kurt flinch. Both he and Dietrich returned the salute and then entered the car.
“Lichterfelde.” The simple word was enough, every member of the SS and most who wasn’t knew what the name implied. Not the village, which had become part of greater Berlin in the twenties, but rather the military academy which lay there. The headquarters of the Leibstandarte.
When they arrived, Dietrich ordered the driver to wait and then proceeded into the large headquarters building, Kurt close on his heels. They had already studied the layout of the building and knew where they were headed, so they walked briskly down the hallways until they reached a large, ornate door, in front of which a pair of SS-troops stood watch.
Without pausing even for a moment, Dietrich opened the door and entered the office, where a young Obercharführer or staff sergeant immediately stood to attention. Dietrich gave him a cold look.
“Is he in?” He asked sharply, half turning towards the only other door in the office. The staff sergeant paled slightly.
“The Obergruppenführer is busy at the moment, Herr Standartenführer.” He replied, his voice hardening as he spoke. After all, the man was SS and not easily cowed. “If you will leave your name, I will make an appointment for you.” Dietrich looked at him again.
“Is he in?” He asked once more, neither his face nor his voice indicating that he had already asked the same question and been rebuffed. For a moment the sergeant’s eyes held fear, but then he pulled himself together.
“I am sorry Herr Stand…” He never got any further as Dietrich simply went over to the door to the next office and opened it. The room on the other side was splendidly furnished with expensive furniture and leather. The three men inside looked up sharply and the one behind the desk, the Obergruppenführer Sepp Dietrich half arose from his chair a look of outrage on his face.
“What is the meaning of this?” He asked, angrily. Instead of replying Dietrich went up to the desk and placed his briefcase on it. While the SS-general’s face turned almost red with rage and insult, Dietrich calmly opened the briefcase and pulled out a single piece of paper, which he held up to show the general.
With a command on his lips, which might very well have sealed the fate of both Dietrich and Kurt, who had marched into the office close behind him, the general glanced quickly at the paper before yelling his command. He never got any further. The name written on the paper instantly cut his charade short and although he did not show any fear, he was, after all, close to the Führer himself, he went quiet and sat back down, ordering the two other men in the room to leave with a wave of his hand.
“So what can I do for you Standartenführer?” He asked, his face and voice already calm, which spoke volumes of his self-control.
“This Herr Obergruppenführer.” Dietrich replied and pulled out a file from his briefcase, handing it to the general.
“What is this?”
“A strike-plan Herr Obergruppenführer.” The general seemed amused, yet interested at this point.
“And what are we going to strike then?” He asked.
“There is a list in the file Herr Obergruppenführer.” Dietrich replied. “It is on the first page.”
Seeming even more amused, the general opened the file and looked at the first page. His eyes instantly widened and he looked sharply at Dietrich.
“You are not serious!” He exclaimed, his calm seemingly shattered by what he had seen on the first page.
“I would not have come here, if I wasn’t, Herr Obergruppenführer.”
Sepp Dietrich looked at the cold-eyed man standing in front of him for a moment, studying him. He was a hard man the general judged, a hard and dutiful man who had a lot of courage, as his entrance had shown.
“Why did you muscle your way in here like that?” He asked, curiosity peeking his interest even more.
“To get your attention Herr Obergruppenführer.” Dietrich replied blandly. The general was momentarily shocked. Then, almost involuntarily, he began to laugh.
“You got that. You most certainly got that.” He chuckled. “By the way, what is your name?”
“Kriminalinspektor Dietrich Beyer of the Geheime Staatspolizei, Herr Obergruppenführer.” Dietrich replied, shocking the general even further. “And this is my partner Kurt Mauer, also of the Geheime Staatspolizei.”
“You are Gestapo? Why are you in those uniforms then?” This time, the humor was less obvious, but still there.
“It suits the purpose of the mission Herr Obergruppenführer.” The general nodded, something resembling respect slowly entering his eyes.
He was silent for a long moment, his eyes going from Dietrich to Kurt and back again, while he seemed to consider the situation.
“Alright.” He said then and motioned for them to sit down. “Tell me how the SS-Leibstandarte may serve your mission.”
Enewald: Not necessarily, the plot is somewhat complicated and I've chosen to leave out quite a few bits, to heighten the suspense as the plot unfurls. Hence, while Dietrich and Kurt knows a lot of things already, my readers will have to wait their turn..
Everybody:
I know it is far later than I promised, which shows that I need to make fewer promises. I've had a time, after my vacation, where I simply couldn't gather my thoughts enough for writing and so, I've waited until my inspiration returned to me.
Hopefully, it's worth the wait..
Still, I need to make it clear, that in the future, such periods of silence will most likely happen if not frequently, then at least from time to time. It's just the way I am I suppose and this time I've decided to be honest about it.
that way I hope I'll ease some of the self-imposed pressure and thus make it easier for me to write in the long run.. In my last AAR, I became to ashamed towards my readers to post after some time, with broken pledges and long delays and eventually I stopped posting at all. This time, with honesty, I hope to prevent this from happenning. So while updates may come at infrequent times, they will come and continue to do so..
Hope you all bear with me..
Rob.
Everybody:
I know it is far later than I promised, which shows that I need to make fewer promises. I've had a time, after my vacation, where I simply couldn't gather my thoughts enough for writing and so, I've waited until my inspiration returned to me.
Hopefully, it's worth the wait..
Still, I need to make it clear, that in the future, such periods of silence will most likely happen if not frequently, then at least from time to time. It's just the way I am I suppose and this time I've decided to be honest about it.
that way I hope I'll ease some of the self-imposed pressure and thus make it easier for me to write in the long run.. In my last AAR, I became to ashamed towards my readers to post after some time, with broken pledges and long delays and eventually I stopped posting at all. This time, with honesty, I hope to prevent this from happenning. So while updates may come at infrequent times, they will come and continue to do so..
Hope you all bear with me..
Rob.
An update is neither late nor early, it arrives exactly when I want it to.
Anyway, now on to actually reading it...
Anyway, now on to actually reading it...
With such a great AAR like this, any wait is worth it!
And the plot thickens with the apparent aid of the SS to help with a relatively unknown cause at the moment... Great work!
And the plot thickens with the apparent aid of the SS to help with a relatively unknown cause at the moment... Great work!
The Reich Chancellery, which was in use until 1938
October 5th – 1935 Berlin.
Obergruppenführer Josef Dietrich, nicknamed Sepp briskly walked down the hallway of the Reich Chancellery, ignoring the countless civilians and members of the various military and quasi-military organizations, which all seemed to migrate to the center of power.
He opened a small, insignificant looking door placed among several identical doors along one of the hallways and entered a small office, empty but for two armed SS-guards, standing on each side of the door opposite the one he just entered. In stark contrast to most other guards, these did not even flinch or in any way indicate that they were even alive instead of exceptionally life-like statues, when he entered and only the knowledge that they were, in fact, among his own elite troops, made Dietrich feel relaxed in their presence. They were his Leibstandarte and their presence meant that the people he had come here to meet had already arrived.
He opened the door between the two guards and entered a small office with a thick wall-to-wall carpet on the floor and heavy bookcases standing against each wall. In the middle of the room was a single small table around which stood four chairs, two of which were already occupied, one by Reinhard Heydrich the head of the Gestapo and the other by the Reichsführer himself, Heinrich Himmler.
“So good of you to join us Sepp.” The Reichsführer’s deceptively mild voice greeted him. “Have a seat.”
Sepp quickly moved to obey his superior’s command and sat down in one of the two empty chairs.
“You mentioned in your report that Dietrich Beyer had come to see you in your office. Please elaborate.”
Sepp nodded and took only a second or two to gather his thoughts before speaking. Being close to the Reichführer always made him feel as if standing close to a serpent, which slowly entwined itself around him, making ready to crush his bones. He always felt an almost tangible feeling of release, when he left such meetings alive and well.
“Inspector Beyer came to me dressed as an SS-Standartenführer and ordered me to assist him in arresting several individuals, whom he suspected to be traitors to the Reich.” He began, but quickly stopped, when Heydrich held up a hand.
“He was dressed as an SS-officer?” The Gestapo Commander asked. “Why?”
Sepp shrugged. “I am not entirely certain, but he said it suited his mission. Personally I was just happy that no one saw a pair of Gestapo officers march into my office, as if they owned it.” Sepp halted briefly, a look of comprehension dawning on his face. “Come to think of it.” He continued slowly, “I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the main reason for the uniforms in the first place. He entered the way he did to get my attention, or at least so he told me, but perhaps he didn’t want anyone to think the Gestapo had an interest in me.” He nodded to himself, a look of respect passing across his face so speedily that only Heydrich seemed to catch a glimpse of it.
“That may be so, Sepp, but please continue. Some arrests, no matter how many, doesn’t seem to be reason enough to include the Leibstandarte.” The Reichführer’s voice was even milder now, which instantly warned Sepp that he was on dangerous ground somehow. He wasn’t stupid though and he deduced easily that for some reason, Himmler disliked Inspektor Beyer intensely and he made a mental note to himself to be very careful not to put too positive a light on the Gestapo officer.
“Well.” He continued, “There is more to it of course. From the file he showed to me, I could tell that several members of the Gestapo were among those to be arrested and I deduced that Beyer didn’t want to risk using personnel who might have conflicting loyalties in these arrests. I guess the same holds true for the other arrests, although the fact that the arresting officers might very well meet armed resistance might certainly play a part as well.”
“Hmm.” Himmler nodded, clearly considering Sepp’s words.
“Who are the Gestapo agents?” Heydrich asked rather intently. Sepp could easily understand his reasons, as commander of the Gestapo, Heydrich might very well risk some trouble if people he had personally trusted were to show up as traitors. Sepp recalled that there had been some troubles before concerning Heydrich and if the current issues proved troublesome enough, Heydrich might face severe problems.
“There are nine in total, five of which are merely to be taken for questioning, because of their close association with the primary agent. The last four consists of Kriminaldirektor Ernst Keller and three of his immediate subordinates, who seem to have been with him for a long time.”
As Sepp mentioned the name of Keller, he noticed that both Himmler and Heydrich seemed highly surprised, even chocked.
“Keller?” The Reichführer’s voice had lost all its sweetness and seemed slightly sick somewhat, which made Sepp look at him sharply. “Are you certain?” Sepp nodded.
“There is no doubt about it according to the file Beyer showed me. Director Keller served with Otto Ritter one of the main antagonists of this entire affair, in the Great War, where they became close friends. It seems they have kept up the friendship and Beyer is certain he has found the Gestapo link in the conspiracy.”
Heydrich nodded seriously. “It makes sense.” He said, “Keller was the one who suggested Beyer in the first place, perhaps because he thought he could control him.” Before Sepp could comment on that, Heydrich turned to Himmler, who had become deceptively silent. “I’ll walk the Obergruppenführer out Herr Reichführer.” He said and arose, prompting Sepp to quickly follow him.
When they had left the office, without so much as a comment from Himmler, which worried Sepp quite a bit, Heydrich quickly threw a look up and down the hall, before he halted his steps.
“Listen closely Dietrich.” He said, something quite ominous in his voice instantly catching the attention of Sepp. “The Reichführer is very, very displeased with Inspector Beyer and we don’t want to give him any more reason to dislike him than absolute necessary, undertand?” Sepp nodded, something in the other man’s bearing indicating that he wouldn’t take no for an answer. And although they were equal in rank, no one in his right mind refused Reinhard Heydrich, if they could possibly avoid it.
“What is the problem?” He asked carefully. Heydrich snorted, something vaguely resembling a grin.
“The Reichführer doesn’t like that piece of paper Beyer has in his possession.” Heydrich replied. “Besides, it was he who suggested Keller, as he seemed to know of him and now Keller has turned out to be a traitor. Very embarrassing for the Reichführer if that ever came out. And very dangerous for those he may wish to put the blame on.” Heydrich paused, while Sepp, finally understanding both Beyer’s and even his own peril, waited, hoping Heydrich had at least some good news.
“You might want to let Beyer know that it would be very problematic if Keller’s involvement in the investigation ever came out and that perhaps it would be best if only he and you had anything to do with the investigation of Keller.” Sepp nodded. “And by the way Sepp.” Heydrich continued. “For some reason, I like Beyer, he reminds me a bit of myself and I don’t want him to end up dead or disgraced. Are we clear on that?” Sepp nodded again, privately satisfied.
“For some reason I quite like him myself.” He replied, which made Heydrich smile. “I thought you might. Have a good day Herr Obergruppenführer.”
“And you too Herr Obergruppenführer.” Sepp replied.
Obergruppenführer Josef Dietrich, nicknamed Sepp briskly walked down the hallway of the Reich Chancellery, ignoring the countless civilians and members of the various military and quasi-military organizations, which all seemed to migrate to the center of power.
He opened a small, insignificant looking door placed among several identical doors along one of the hallways and entered a small office, empty but for two armed SS-guards, standing on each side of the door opposite the one he just entered. In stark contrast to most other guards, these did not even flinch or in any way indicate that they were even alive instead of exceptionally life-like statues, when he entered and only the knowledge that they were, in fact, among his own elite troops, made Dietrich feel relaxed in their presence. They were his Leibstandarte and their presence meant that the people he had come here to meet had already arrived.
He opened the door between the two guards and entered a small office with a thick wall-to-wall carpet on the floor and heavy bookcases standing against each wall. In the middle of the room was a single small table around which stood four chairs, two of which were already occupied, one by Reinhard Heydrich the head of the Gestapo and the other by the Reichsführer himself, Heinrich Himmler.
“So good of you to join us Sepp.” The Reichsführer’s deceptively mild voice greeted him. “Have a seat.”
Sepp quickly moved to obey his superior’s command and sat down in one of the two empty chairs.
“You mentioned in your report that Dietrich Beyer had come to see you in your office. Please elaborate.”
Sepp nodded and took only a second or two to gather his thoughts before speaking. Being close to the Reichführer always made him feel as if standing close to a serpent, which slowly entwined itself around him, making ready to crush his bones. He always felt an almost tangible feeling of release, when he left such meetings alive and well.
“Inspector Beyer came to me dressed as an SS-Standartenführer and ordered me to assist him in arresting several individuals, whom he suspected to be traitors to the Reich.” He began, but quickly stopped, when Heydrich held up a hand.
“He was dressed as an SS-officer?” The Gestapo Commander asked. “Why?”
Sepp shrugged. “I am not entirely certain, but he said it suited his mission. Personally I was just happy that no one saw a pair of Gestapo officers march into my office, as if they owned it.” Sepp halted briefly, a look of comprehension dawning on his face. “Come to think of it.” He continued slowly, “I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the main reason for the uniforms in the first place. He entered the way he did to get my attention, or at least so he told me, but perhaps he didn’t want anyone to think the Gestapo had an interest in me.” He nodded to himself, a look of respect passing across his face so speedily that only Heydrich seemed to catch a glimpse of it.
“That may be so, Sepp, but please continue. Some arrests, no matter how many, doesn’t seem to be reason enough to include the Leibstandarte.” The Reichführer’s voice was even milder now, which instantly warned Sepp that he was on dangerous ground somehow. He wasn’t stupid though and he deduced easily that for some reason, Himmler disliked Inspektor Beyer intensely and he made a mental note to himself to be very careful not to put too positive a light on the Gestapo officer.
“Well.” He continued, “There is more to it of course. From the file he showed to me, I could tell that several members of the Gestapo were among those to be arrested and I deduced that Beyer didn’t want to risk using personnel who might have conflicting loyalties in these arrests. I guess the same holds true for the other arrests, although the fact that the arresting officers might very well meet armed resistance might certainly play a part as well.”
“Hmm.” Himmler nodded, clearly considering Sepp’s words.
“Who are the Gestapo agents?” Heydrich asked rather intently. Sepp could easily understand his reasons, as commander of the Gestapo, Heydrich might very well risk some trouble if people he had personally trusted were to show up as traitors. Sepp recalled that there had been some troubles before concerning Heydrich and if the current issues proved troublesome enough, Heydrich might face severe problems.
“There are nine in total, five of which are merely to be taken for questioning, because of their close association with the primary agent. The last four consists of Kriminaldirektor Ernst Keller and three of his immediate subordinates, who seem to have been with him for a long time.”
As Sepp mentioned the name of Keller, he noticed that both Himmler and Heydrich seemed highly surprised, even chocked.
“Keller?” The Reichführer’s voice had lost all its sweetness and seemed slightly sick somewhat, which made Sepp look at him sharply. “Are you certain?” Sepp nodded.
“There is no doubt about it according to the file Beyer showed me. Director Keller served with Otto Ritter one of the main antagonists of this entire affair, in the Great War, where they became close friends. It seems they have kept up the friendship and Beyer is certain he has found the Gestapo link in the conspiracy.”
Heydrich nodded seriously. “It makes sense.” He said, “Keller was the one who suggested Beyer in the first place, perhaps because he thought he could control him.” Before Sepp could comment on that, Heydrich turned to Himmler, who had become deceptively silent. “I’ll walk the Obergruppenführer out Herr Reichführer.” He said and arose, prompting Sepp to quickly follow him.
When they had left the office, without so much as a comment from Himmler, which worried Sepp quite a bit, Heydrich quickly threw a look up and down the hall, before he halted his steps.
“Listen closely Dietrich.” He said, something quite ominous in his voice instantly catching the attention of Sepp. “The Reichführer is very, very displeased with Inspector Beyer and we don’t want to give him any more reason to dislike him than absolute necessary, undertand?” Sepp nodded, something in the other man’s bearing indicating that he wouldn’t take no for an answer. And although they were equal in rank, no one in his right mind refused Reinhard Heydrich, if they could possibly avoid it.
“What is the problem?” He asked carefully. Heydrich snorted, something vaguely resembling a grin.
“The Reichführer doesn’t like that piece of paper Beyer has in his possession.” Heydrich replied. “Besides, it was he who suggested Keller, as he seemed to know of him and now Keller has turned out to be a traitor. Very embarrassing for the Reichführer if that ever came out. And very dangerous for those he may wish to put the blame on.” Heydrich paused, while Sepp, finally understanding both Beyer’s and even his own peril, waited, hoping Heydrich had at least some good news.
“You might want to let Beyer know that it would be very problematic if Keller’s involvement in the investigation ever came out and that perhaps it would be best if only he and you had anything to do with the investigation of Keller.” Sepp nodded. “And by the way Sepp.” Heydrich continued. “For some reason, I like Beyer, he reminds me a bit of myself and I don’t want him to end up dead or disgraced. Are we clear on that?” Sepp nodded again, privately satisfied.
“For some reason I quite like him myself.” He replied, which made Heydrich smile. “I thought you might. Have a good day Herr Obergruppenführer.”
“And you too Herr Obergruppenführer.” Sepp replied.
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Trekkadict: He he.. Thank you my friend..
Enewald: Well, the newest update should give a hint to that..
volksmarschall: Thank you sir, thank you very much..
Everyone:
I am relieved and grateful and humbled by your show of support and I thank you all for it. It makes it easier to know that my somewhat erratic posting record hasn't scared everyone away..
That said, while infrequent posting may mean that sometimes there's a week or two between updates, as you can see, it may also mean that sometimes there's only a matter of hours between them..
Enewald: Well, the newest update should give a hint to that..
volksmarschall: Thank you sir, thank you very much..
Everyone:
I am relieved and grateful and humbled by your show of support and I thank you all for it. It makes it easier to know that my somewhat erratic posting record hasn't scared everyone away..
That said, while infrequent posting may mean that sometimes there's a week or two between updates, as you can see, it may also mean that sometimes there's only a matter of hours between them..
So we might get a third update today?
Ach, so they need SS Leibstandarte to arrest Keller?
Everyone likes Beyer.
Ach, so they need SS Leibstandarte to arrest Keller?
Everyone likes Beyer.
Gestapo HQ - Berlin
October 12th – 1935 Berlin.
It had taken them a week exactly, to set up the operation, planning each and every strike with a precision even the military would be hard put to match. But then again, Beyer was an experienced Gestapo official and he was well used to timing raids on the minute, to get as many criminals as possible, at the same time, without anyone being able to warn one another.
Because of this, Beyer was without his partner at the moment, Kurt being in charge of another part of the operation and he felt quite alone and somehow exceedingly vulnerable without his trusted friend by his side. But it had to be done this way, not just because of the timing. A few days ago, he had had a very private, very serious talk with Sepp Dietrich about the need for some very specific actions on his part, if he wished to be alive at the end of this operation or for more than a few days afterwards and this just if he succeeded. Any failure on his part would most likely end with his immediate execution and no one and nothing would be able to save him.
This was why the arrests were going to take place in the Gestapo Headquarters themselves, rather than in each agent’s private residence as would otherwise have been the case. By conducting the arrests at the headquarters, the eyes of all but those already in the know would be blind to what happened, as the men would simply be transported into the basement directly from their respective offices. This would hopefully mean that as little embarrassment as possible would reflect upon Reinhard Heydrich. And by using SS-troops for every part of the operation, Beyer hoped to please the Reichführer enough to prevent Himmler’s wrath from being unleashed the moment the operation was finished and his borrowed power vanished. He placed a lot of hope on the fact that Heydrich had taken a liking to him, as far as Sepp Dietrich had said, but would it be enough to stem the Reichführer’s anger? Beyer didn’t know, but while he worried about it a lot in private, he pushed any thoughts about his future and his own mortality aside, whenever he came to work. He had a duty to the Reich and to the office which he represented and if there was one thing characterizing Dietrich Beyer, it was his sense of, and dedication to; duty.
He had come to work in his customary clothes that day, leaving the uniform at home, not wanting to alert anyone to what was going to happen. They would soon know very well, but hopefully not before the Leibstandarte troops had sealed off the various exits from the building. Even now, more than a hundred armed troops were waiting in the basement, where Beyer and Mauer had placed them last night, making certain that no one had noticed anything out of the ordinary. Or almost no one anyway, as one overly observant agent now shared the quarters of the troops, tied and gagged to prevent him from doing anything to jeopardize the operation. He looked at his watch and noticed that the time was almost ten, the hour of which the entire operation would unfurl with near to a hundred people being picked up or out and out arrested all over Berlin and where a few people were concerned, outside the city borders.
Beyer arose, as someone knocked on the door. It opened and he looked into the face of a young Rottenführer or Team Leader of the SS.
“Franz?” Dietrich exclaimed rather surprised, but then remembered that Franz Reiniger, his son Ulrich’s best friend was in fact a member in good standing of the Leibstandarte.
“Jawohl Herr Inspektor.” Franz replied with a quick grin, before his face and eyes turned serious.
“We are ready.” He said then and Beyer instantly arose and was almost halfway out the door before the last syllable had left the young man’s lips.
Outside, four men dressed in black uniforms and armed with Lugers and MP34 submachine guns awaited him and Franz, clad and armed alike, took his place in front of his men. Beyer quickly looked them over and liking what he saw, gave them an approving nod before he turned right and went down the hall. Whenever they met someone, he or she gave them a startled look and quickly stood aside. The employees of the secret police were not used to seeing armed troops in their own headquarters, but they instantly recognized the fact that whatever was underfoot, they did not want to be part of it.
Soon, the six men found themselves in front of a door, which Beyer had entered and left more times than he dared count. He opened it and went inside, the troops following close on his heels.
“What? Dietrich? What is happening? Why are…?” Steffi, Keller’s secretary looked from him to the armed soldiers and back again, her face pasty white and her voice cut off by the hard look in Beyer’s eyes.
“I am sorry Steffi.” Beyer replied. “We are here for the Direktor and for you." One of the black clad soldiers quickly went over and placed on hand on Steffi’s shoulder, gently but firmly keeping her in place, while two more took up positions on each side of the office door. Beyer went to the next door, leading to Keller’s office, the last two remaining soldiers, Reiniger among them, close on his heels.
Without knocking, he opened the door and entered, somehow managing to surprise Keller, who sat at his desk, seemingly engrossed in his work. Beyer hadn’t really counted on being able to get Keller without a fight and had given orders accordingly, when he had marched to the office. So as soon as they entered, Reiniger held up his MP34, while the other man, who had handed his over to another man outside, sprinted across the room and took hold of Keller’s hands, before the Inspektor had even managed to utter a protest.
“What’s this?” He objected angrily, half-wrestling with his captor, although he soon realized the futility of this and stopped. “Release me at once Beyer!” He half shouted, “I demand an explanation!”
Beyer just looked at him in silence, observing the mannerisms of the man he had worked under for the last couple of years now. “You know why I am here.” He said at last, “Please come along quietly.”
Keller was about to say something more, but Beyer cut him short. “If I have to order these men to silence you, you won’t be able to talk for quite a while Direktor.” Either it was the way he said it or the threat itself that silenced Keller or perhaps the fact that for the first time ever, the Inspektor was on the receiving end of Gestapo attention, with a full and complete knowledge of all the horrors lying in wait for him in the near future. Whatever the reason, he stood up quietly, had his gun removed without objection and was lead out of the office quietly. Steffi too was quiet, although in her case it seemed more a matter of her being too shocked to say or do anything except follow orders.
Ten minutes later, both Steffi and Keller had been placed in cells in the basement, along with the other suspects and business in the headquarters slowly returned to normal, the agents of one of the most feared institutions in the world, shocked to the core about what had happened, afraid for their own lives and professional enough to know that silence and disinterest were the two best ways to ensure their continued survival.
It had taken them a week exactly, to set up the operation, planning each and every strike with a precision even the military would be hard put to match. But then again, Beyer was an experienced Gestapo official and he was well used to timing raids on the minute, to get as many criminals as possible, at the same time, without anyone being able to warn one another.
Because of this, Beyer was without his partner at the moment, Kurt being in charge of another part of the operation and he felt quite alone and somehow exceedingly vulnerable without his trusted friend by his side. But it had to be done this way, not just because of the timing. A few days ago, he had had a very private, very serious talk with Sepp Dietrich about the need for some very specific actions on his part, if he wished to be alive at the end of this operation or for more than a few days afterwards and this just if he succeeded. Any failure on his part would most likely end with his immediate execution and no one and nothing would be able to save him.
This was why the arrests were going to take place in the Gestapo Headquarters themselves, rather than in each agent’s private residence as would otherwise have been the case. By conducting the arrests at the headquarters, the eyes of all but those already in the know would be blind to what happened, as the men would simply be transported into the basement directly from their respective offices. This would hopefully mean that as little embarrassment as possible would reflect upon Reinhard Heydrich. And by using SS-troops for every part of the operation, Beyer hoped to please the Reichführer enough to prevent Himmler’s wrath from being unleashed the moment the operation was finished and his borrowed power vanished. He placed a lot of hope on the fact that Heydrich had taken a liking to him, as far as Sepp Dietrich had said, but would it be enough to stem the Reichführer’s anger? Beyer didn’t know, but while he worried about it a lot in private, he pushed any thoughts about his future and his own mortality aside, whenever he came to work. He had a duty to the Reich and to the office which he represented and if there was one thing characterizing Dietrich Beyer, it was his sense of, and dedication to; duty.
He had come to work in his customary clothes that day, leaving the uniform at home, not wanting to alert anyone to what was going to happen. They would soon know very well, but hopefully not before the Leibstandarte troops had sealed off the various exits from the building. Even now, more than a hundred armed troops were waiting in the basement, where Beyer and Mauer had placed them last night, making certain that no one had noticed anything out of the ordinary. Or almost no one anyway, as one overly observant agent now shared the quarters of the troops, tied and gagged to prevent him from doing anything to jeopardize the operation. He looked at his watch and noticed that the time was almost ten, the hour of which the entire operation would unfurl with near to a hundred people being picked up or out and out arrested all over Berlin and where a few people were concerned, outside the city borders.
Beyer arose, as someone knocked on the door. It opened and he looked into the face of a young Rottenführer or Team Leader of the SS.
“Franz?” Dietrich exclaimed rather surprised, but then remembered that Franz Reiniger, his son Ulrich’s best friend was in fact a member in good standing of the Leibstandarte.
“Jawohl Herr Inspektor.” Franz replied with a quick grin, before his face and eyes turned serious.
“We are ready.” He said then and Beyer instantly arose and was almost halfway out the door before the last syllable had left the young man’s lips.
Outside, four men dressed in black uniforms and armed with Lugers and MP34 submachine guns awaited him and Franz, clad and armed alike, took his place in front of his men. Beyer quickly looked them over and liking what he saw, gave them an approving nod before he turned right and went down the hall. Whenever they met someone, he or she gave them a startled look and quickly stood aside. The employees of the secret police were not used to seeing armed troops in their own headquarters, but they instantly recognized the fact that whatever was underfoot, they did not want to be part of it.
Soon, the six men found themselves in front of a door, which Beyer had entered and left more times than he dared count. He opened it and went inside, the troops following close on his heels.
“What? Dietrich? What is happening? Why are…?” Steffi, Keller’s secretary looked from him to the armed soldiers and back again, her face pasty white and her voice cut off by the hard look in Beyer’s eyes.
“I am sorry Steffi.” Beyer replied. “We are here for the Direktor and for you." One of the black clad soldiers quickly went over and placed on hand on Steffi’s shoulder, gently but firmly keeping her in place, while two more took up positions on each side of the office door. Beyer went to the next door, leading to Keller’s office, the last two remaining soldiers, Reiniger among them, close on his heels.
Without knocking, he opened the door and entered, somehow managing to surprise Keller, who sat at his desk, seemingly engrossed in his work. Beyer hadn’t really counted on being able to get Keller without a fight and had given orders accordingly, when he had marched to the office. So as soon as they entered, Reiniger held up his MP34, while the other man, who had handed his over to another man outside, sprinted across the room and took hold of Keller’s hands, before the Inspektor had even managed to utter a protest.
“What’s this?” He objected angrily, half-wrestling with his captor, although he soon realized the futility of this and stopped. “Release me at once Beyer!” He half shouted, “I demand an explanation!”
Beyer just looked at him in silence, observing the mannerisms of the man he had worked under for the last couple of years now. “You know why I am here.” He said at last, “Please come along quietly.”
Keller was about to say something more, but Beyer cut him short. “If I have to order these men to silence you, you won’t be able to talk for quite a while Direktor.” Either it was the way he said it or the threat itself that silenced Keller or perhaps the fact that for the first time ever, the Inspektor was on the receiving end of Gestapo attention, with a full and complete knowledge of all the horrors lying in wait for him in the near future. Whatever the reason, he stood up quietly, had his gun removed without objection and was lead out of the office quietly. Steffi too was quiet, although in her case it seemed more a matter of her being too shocked to say or do anything except follow orders.
Ten minutes later, both Steffi and Keller had been placed in cells in the basement, along with the other suspects and business in the headquarters slowly returned to normal, the agents of one of the most feared institutions in the world, shocked to the core about what had happened, afraid for their own lives and professional enough to know that silence and disinterest were the two best ways to ensure their continued survival.
Enewald: Since according to Danish time at least, it's still before midnight, the answer to your first question is yes..
As to the second the answer is both yes and no. They need outside forces to do the arrests, since using Gestapo agents might mean that some traitors or men with mixed loyalties might end up on the arresting side and thus cause trouble. Besides as mentioned in this update, quite a few people are being rounded up and using soldiers whose loyalty is beyond reproach, hence the Leibstandarte, not to mention troops armed with more than the customary Gestapo handgun, is probably a good idea, all things considered.
And even then there's the added, albeit after Beyer "recruited" them, fact that using SS troops might reflect well on the Reichführer.
And I'm glad you like him.. I hope you wont change your mind too much..
FlyingDutchie: Welcome aboard I'm glad you like the scheming, as I am being very intentional about it. I'm trying to catch the tone of everyone having ulterior motives and personal agendas in the Nazi top, which seemed to almost permeate everything they did and even dictate some very odd and sometimes hilariously stupid decissions both before and during the war.
I am very fond of hinting..
Everyone: And that will be it for today..
As to the second the answer is both yes and no. They need outside forces to do the arrests, since using Gestapo agents might mean that some traitors or men with mixed loyalties might end up on the arresting side and thus cause trouble. Besides as mentioned in this update, quite a few people are being rounded up and using soldiers whose loyalty is beyond reproach, hence the Leibstandarte, not to mention troops armed with more than the customary Gestapo handgun, is probably a good idea, all things considered.
And even then there's the added, albeit after Beyer "recruited" them, fact that using SS troops might reflect well on the Reichführer.
And I'm glad you like him.. I hope you wont change your mind too much..
FlyingDutchie: Welcome aboard
I'm glad you like the scheming, as I am being very intentional about it. I'm trying to catch the tone of everyone having ulterior motives and personal agendas in the Nazi top, which seemed to almost permeate everything they did and even dictate some very odd and sometimes hilariously stupid decissions both before and during the war. I am very fond of hinting..
Everyone: And that will be it for today..