They Dared Return by Donnell Patrick K O'

Author:Donnell, Patrick K O' [Patrick K. O’Donnell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781847378637
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

After Gretel was almost arrested in the apartment and then released, she immediately travelled to Oberperfuss. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest as she raced against the clock to warn Weber and Wynberg about Mayer’s capture. First, she stopped at the Krone and found Weber, who immediately rushed over to the safe house where Wynberg had set up the radio operation.

‘We don’t have much time. Pack everything,’ Weber blurted to Wynberg after bursting into his attic room.

Quickly the two men packed their radio and most of their belongings into their rucksacks and barrelled out the back door. In their haste, Wynberg left behind his beloved chemistry book and some radio parts. They looked up at the sky and saw the moon shining through the wispy, rapidly racing clouds as puffy, fresh snowflakes pelted their faces. Weber knew the trails in this area where he had grown up and wanted to move as quickly as he could to the west. Realizing that Mayer’s arrest had taken place in Gretel’s home, the two operatives assumed that the SS would soon be in Oberperfuss because of her close ties to the village. Leaving footprints, they could only hope that the falling snow would cover their fresh tracks. As the two ran for their lives, they made their way down winding paths through the thickly forested hills west of Oberperfuss. Fir and larch trees closely lined their route, giving it a tunnel-like feel as they made their way toward the village of Ranggen.

Luckily, Mayor Koecheles Luis knew a farmer who could be trusted and earlier had recommended to the two operatives that in the event of trouble they hide in his hay loft. That night the men took turns posting watch for the SS and the Gestapo patrols, which were combing the area.

‘There were only a few moments when I became mildly religious,’ recalled Wynberg about that night. ‘One of those moments was when there was a knock on the door and four uniformed German firemen entered.’ Weber and Wynberg had drawn their weapons, and peering through the cracks, they could see the uniformed men below talking to the farmer. Adrenalin rushed through their bodies when they placed their fingers on the metal triggers of their weapons. They were prepared to shoot their way out. Luckily, the farmer was able to convince the uniformed Germans to leave. ‘They were merely part of the German forest service on a routine patrol. The firemen were merely checking on the facilities [which were] very vulnerable to fires,’ recalled Wynberg and were not associated with the Gestapo or SS.

As Güttner’s patrols relentlessly searched the nearby villages and farmhouses throughout the course of the week, Wynberg and Weber remained in the safety of the loft, right under their noses.

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