98
Berchtesgaden, the Berghof
Bavarian Alps
“THIS HAD BETTER WORK,” Thomas Bauer said to Erich von der Haas, as they stood at a table over a large map of Obersalzberg, a region outside Munich and the location of the Berghof, Hitler’s retreat in the Bavarian Alps. “Do we even know he’s here?”
“He’s here, Bauer,” said von der Haas.
“How do you know?”
“Two things. Before he arrives, they fly the big swastika flag from the flagpole on the carpark in front of the Berghof, his chalet. The flag is flying right now.”
“And what else?”
“Wherever Hitler goes, so goes the Führerbegleitkommando. Several of his security detail were seen at the tavern at the Hofschaffner Inn in Berchtesgaden last night. He’s here in Obersalzberg, Bauer. He’s staying at the Berghof.”
Nearly a year after their last attempt at the Bürgerbr?ukeller, Hitler’s influence and power were at their zenith.
Over the last several months, Germany had rolled through much of western Europe, invading, defeating, and occupying Belgium, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Luxembourg—and, most notably, France.
The Germans had just begun aerial bombing of England, targeting its large population centers—mostly London—and military and industrial facilities.
The new prime minister, Winston Churchill, was pleading with the United States for intervention.
“Fair enough.” Bauer leaned on his hands, looking over the map. “Show me.”
“This is the newly renovated Berghof and the surrounding property the Nazis purchased.”
“They bought all this from the other owners and farmers?”
“Well, they bought it or just took it. Who’s going to say no to Hitler?”
“All right, so this is all Nazi property,” said Bauer. “And you want me to enter it by crossing the Larosbach River?”
“Yes, there’s a bridge right… here.” Von der Haas pointed on the map.
“You’ll head toward the compound. The area is mostly wooded.
Some shrub and undergrowth. At times you’ll be covered, other times you’ll probably have to crawl.
You will reach this spot here, this x that I’ve drawn where these roads intersect, Oberau and the Führerstra?e.
There is a concrete bypass right there. See where I’ve marked? ”
“I see it. But why do I care about being within sight of a concrete bypass?”
“Because at some time between ten and eleven on any given morning, Adolf Hitler will walk across it.”
Bauer drew back, then looked at the map again. “The red dotted line,” he said.
“Exactly. That meandering half circle red dotted line reflects a path Hitler will walk every day he’s at the Berghof. It’s a ritual, rain or shine or snow, any time from ten to eleven in the morning—he walks from the Berghof to the teahouse on the Mooslahnerkopf.”
“I’ve heard of it. The teahouse on the hill.”
“Yes. Sometimes he walks only with his two German shepherds. Other times, he is with guests. They eat tea and cake at the teahouse. Sometimes Hitler gets sleepy, and they drive him back to the Berghof. But he always walks there.”
“So I have to get him on the way there,” said Bauer. “What is this orange line?”
“The orange line is a wire fence. You’ll be on the other side of the fence.”
Bauer shook his head. “So I’ll have to shoot him through a wire fence?”
“You’ll have to cut a hole through it. But not too big a hole, or they’ll notice.”
“That sounds easy!” Bauer threw up his hands. “Okay. So around ten.”
“Yes, but not before then. The RSD runs a dog patrol through there before he takes his walk, so the key is to arrive right around ten, not earlier.”
“And SS patrols,” said Bauer. “I take it the red lines on the map are SS patrols?”
“Yes. They patrol the path routinely. When Hitler walks it, they keep a respectful distance. So you should have a clear shot. But they won’t be far away. And there are sentry towers—one near Goring’s residence here, and a second by the theater hall they are building here.”
“So a lot of visibility.”
“Yes. And some measure of unpredictability. I cannot tell you precisely where the SS patrol units will be at any given time. All I know is that they rarely patrol beyond the wire fence. But that’s not a guarantee, Bauer. And the escape? The escape will be tough.”
Bauer chuckled. “Tougher than the approach?”
“Yes,” said von der Haas. “But not impossible. I have an idea.”