Post by Diarist on Aug 13, 2016 18:29:00 GMT 1
I have today off work but I drove Sally to the office this morning because I need the car later. Irvine is also taking the next couple of days off to be with our guests. Sally and I met him at the hotel yesterday evening and told him about the changed plans for Friday. At lunch yesterday I gave John four copies of each AM Spec. to distribute to Gloster, Hawker and Supermarine plus one for his files. We'll be flying to Gloster next week if there is a good weather forecast. Hopefully everything is now sorted out....
Irvine arrived at 10 o'clock and we enjoyed the early lunch that Mum had cooked for us. I drove to the airport arriving just after 13:00. Irvine remained in the car while I went in. I managed to find a senior customs official, showed him my credentials and explained that I'm expecting a couple of guests on the flight from Berlin. "Could the formalities for them be expedited, please?" Ten minutes after the arrival of the Lufthansa aircraft they emerged from Customs.
"Willkommen in London, meine Herren. Ich habe ein Auto draußen."
I stowed their luggage in the boot and they sat in the rear of the car. "To Windsor, please."
It took a few moments then Heinz Guderian said, "Erwin! Mein Gott. Es ist Erwin." We parked the car at the next pub then went inside.
"My name is Irvine Miller and I am a Lieutenant-colonel in the British Army," he announced.
"We thought you were dead. There was a car crash in Spain," Wilhelm Canaris said.
"All arranged by our MI6. Last month I received a phone call from Lisbon that a German colonel is in the hotel where I stay when I'm there and he is trying to contact me. I called the hotel and Erwin said he's with his family and wants to go to England. We smuggled him out and our intelligence people arranged his 'death' so that the Gestapo won't come looking for him. So everybody thinks Rommel is dead?"
"Yes."
"Good because this young man is LTC Irvine Miller. Rommel and family are dead. Alles klar, Herr Oberst?" I said to Guderian.
"Alles klar. You could arrange the same for me?"
"Not with your family in Germany and not in a car crash in Spain. Now that you are commanding the 2nd Panzer Division are you still a colonel?"
"Yes, but it's not a division yet."
"Bob's been promoted," Irvine said.
"Again? Why aren't you in uniform?"
"You are not very good in the intelligence business, are you?. I'm now a Kabinettsminister, Minister für die Koordinierung der Verteidigung. I must have impressed a few people."
"A few?"
"A few key people. I'll tell you later. Let me drive, Irvine."
"What do you do in the British Army? You don't even speak English."
"I'm learning, Admiral. Military English isn't that difficult."
"And he's been told not to tell you anything about his job, Herr Intelligence Officer." I added. "You can tell him, Irvine. It's nothing top secret."
"I work at TRADOC and I'm a project officer for a firm that produces trucks for the British military."
"They produce vehicles that are similar to the Krupp Protze. Artillery tractors."
We were at Windsor and I pulled off the road. We had a magnificent view of Windsor Castle. "That, Gentlemen is where you will be sleeping Saturday night. Windsor Castle."
"It is huge. We're really sleeping there?"
"Yes, as guests of Crown Prince Edward. That's why you have your Ausgehanzüge. You did bring them?"
"Of course."
An hour later we arrived at Irvine's house. "This is my new home," Irvine told them. We brought their luggage into the guest house then after a few minutes we walked over to the main house and they were introduced to Irvine's family.
"You have a very nice home," Heinz commented.
"Bob helped me buy it. Irvine was in a manoeuvre just after we arrived in England."
"We were hiding him at our forward HQ until it was decided what to do with him. I have to go home. Irvine will you bring them to my house in an hour? We'll be eating at the hotel this evening. Gertrude works there at the weekend as a waitress."
Irvine arrived at 10 o'clock and we enjoyed the early lunch that Mum had cooked for us. I drove to the airport arriving just after 13:00. Irvine remained in the car while I went in. I managed to find a senior customs official, showed him my credentials and explained that I'm expecting a couple of guests on the flight from Berlin. "Could the formalities for them be expedited, please?" Ten minutes after the arrival of the Lufthansa aircraft they emerged from Customs.
"Willkommen in London, meine Herren. Ich habe ein Auto draußen."
I stowed their luggage in the boot and they sat in the rear of the car. "To Windsor, please."
It took a few moments then Heinz Guderian said, "Erwin! Mein Gott. Es ist Erwin." We parked the car at the next pub then went inside.
"My name is Irvine Miller and I am a Lieutenant-colonel in the British Army," he announced.
"We thought you were dead. There was a car crash in Spain," Wilhelm Canaris said.
"All arranged by our MI6. Last month I received a phone call from Lisbon that a German colonel is in the hotel where I stay when I'm there and he is trying to contact me. I called the hotel and Erwin said he's with his family and wants to go to England. We smuggled him out and our intelligence people arranged his 'death' so that the Gestapo won't come looking for him. So everybody thinks Rommel is dead?"
"Yes."
"Good because this young man is LTC Irvine Miller. Rommel and family are dead. Alles klar, Herr Oberst?" I said to Guderian.
"Alles klar. You could arrange the same for me?"
"Not with your family in Germany and not in a car crash in Spain. Now that you are commanding the 2nd Panzer Division are you still a colonel?"
"Yes, but it's not a division yet."
"Bob's been promoted," Irvine said.
"Again? Why aren't you in uniform?"
"You are not very good in the intelligence business, are you?. I'm now a Kabinettsminister, Minister für die Koordinierung der Verteidigung. I must have impressed a few people."
"A few?"
"A few key people. I'll tell you later. Let me drive, Irvine."
"What do you do in the British Army? You don't even speak English."
"I'm learning, Admiral. Military English isn't that difficult."
"And he's been told not to tell you anything about his job, Herr Intelligence Officer." I added. "You can tell him, Irvine. It's nothing top secret."
"I work at TRADOC and I'm a project officer for a firm that produces trucks for the British military."
"They produce vehicles that are similar to the Krupp Protze. Artillery tractors."
We were at Windsor and I pulled off the road. We had a magnificent view of Windsor Castle. "That, Gentlemen is where you will be sleeping Saturday night. Windsor Castle."
"It is huge. We're really sleeping there?"
"Yes, as guests of Crown Prince Edward. That's why you have your Ausgehanzüge. You did bring them?"
"Of course."
An hour later we arrived at Irvine's house. "This is my new home," Irvine told them. We brought their luggage into the guest house then after a few minutes we walked over to the main house and they were introduced to Irvine's family.
"You have a very nice home," Heinz commented.
"Bob helped me buy it. Irvine was in a manoeuvre just after we arrived in England."
"We were hiding him at our forward HQ until it was decided what to do with him. I have to go home. Irvine will you bring them to my house in an hour? We'll be eating at the hotel this evening. Gertrude works there at the weekend as a waitress."