The Haigerloch Project

Himmelmann turned to him. “The Alpine Fortress, or National Redoubt, is an area of some twenty thousand square miles of mountain terrain, taking in parts of Bavaria, western Austria and northern Italy. The Führer's personal stronghold, Berchtesgaden, lies within it. It will be the rallying point for all remaining German armed forces, led by the SS. It is here the National Socialist Third Reich will make its last stand. It is virtually impregnable….”

Dirk and Sig were staring at him. He continued.

“The area has been in preparation for a long time. It contains military supply dumps of every kind. Food, gasoline, ammunition, chemical warfare. There are large caches of poison gas. And rocket missiles. There are concrete bunkers, pillboxes, power stations and heavily fortified lines guarding underground bombproof factories connected by a network of tunnel railways. It is here the atomic bomb will be constructed — once the final, vital results of the Haigerloch test are known… the proof that makes it possible.”

Sig let out his breath. “Holy Jesus!” he whispered.

“You mentioned two items,” Dirk said. He felt sheepish. Himmelmann had had a damned good reason for contacting them. Even if contrary to their agreement. He realized he had acted boorishly. He was surprised that the tension inside him should have gotten to him that much. But — he could not bring himself to apologize to the scientist. “What's the second?”

Himmelmann turned to him.

“There has been pressure from the Führerhauptquartier—the Führer's Headquarters in Berlin. The date for the final test of the Haigerloch reactor has been moved up.” He looked gravely from one to the other of the two Americans. “It is no longer April nineteenth. It is now April tenth!”

Dirk was shocked to his marrow. Less than two weeks! There was no earthly way for them to get this vital information to Washington in time, let alone for any action to be taken.

“Will it work?” he asked Himmelmann. His voice was hoarse with anxiety.

“It will,” the scientist answered firmly. “There is no doubt. All inhibiting safeguards and theory will be thrown to the winds.” The corners of his mouth pulled down in his characteristic cynical smile. “We have been ordered to succeed. The pile will go critical. It will become self-sustaining.”

Their eyes were fixed on him. The enormity of his statements beat on their minds.

“And — and after the results are transmitted to that Alpine stronghold, how long…?”

“It is estimated it will take six months to construct the bomb.”

“Six months? Can they hold out that long?” Sig felt nauseated. He swallowed, his eyes still on Himmelmann.

“They can,” the scientist stated flatly.

“Six months,” Dirk said. “Once we know what they're up to, we'll throw everything we've got at them….”

“The Alpenfestung can be defended indefinitely. Have no illusions. No effort will be spared to buy enough time once the bomb is under construction. No resources will remain untapped. The atomic bomb will be produced for Adolf Hitler!”

The words seemed to reach Dirk from far away. He felt physically beaten. Dammit, they had done their job. They had completed their mission. All they had to do was get the information they had obtained back to Corny. One way or another. And now they found themselves with a new job. A real ballbuster. And it was just beginning….

Less than two weeks! That was all they had to stop the Haigerloch Project from being successfully completed. Twelve days. He raged against it. But he knew there was only one thing they could do. It never occurred to him not to try. They were there. They must stay. However impossible it might seem, it was now up to them to take action. Destroy the pile….

He looked around at the people standing silent in the dingy little room. He was grimly aware that he was looking at the entire strike force he could muster to stop the deadly project at Haigerloch. A frightened girl. A big, well-meaning yard worker, in over his head. Sig — who still believed the world ought to be a decent place to live. And a renegade Nazi scientist…

Himmelmann…

He would have to be a key factor in any action to be taken. He'd better remember that.

He turned to Sig.

“Siggy baby,” he said. “We start from scratch — against slightly bigger odds this time. That's the rule of the game. Return to GO. Do not collect two hundred bucks!”

Even he felt his foxhole humor fall flat. The hell with it. They still had to go for broke.

PART II The Week of 2—8 Apr 1945

1

They could not be going more than eight to ten miles an hour, Dirk estimated. He sat at the edge of the open door of the boxcar as it lumbered down the branch track. Sig stood nearby, leaning against the side, idly watching the countryside go by. They had not spoken to one another since boarding the railroad car in the yard along with the half-dozen other foreign workers.

Dirk used the time to take stock….