They Dared Return by Patrick K. O’Donnell

Author:Patrick K. O’Donnell [Patrick K. O’Donnell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon and Schuster

25

THE TABLES ARE TURNED

The heavy metal bars of the cell door clanked open on the sunny afternoon of April 24. Güttner stepped through the entrance along with a mysterious, uniformed Nazi whom Mayer vaguely remembered as the man who stopped the vicious beating he had received days earlier. Bearded and bearing the visible bruises of torture, while wearing only an oversized tunic, pants without underwear, and shoes that didn’t fit, Mayer looked up at the two Nazis.

The uniformed Nazi stared back and said, ‘Follow me.’

He escorted the American agent through the halls of the Gestapo headquarters and out to the courtyard to his black BMW convertible, where Franzl, his chauffeur, dutifully waited at the wheel. In the backseat of the convertible, the Nazi told Mayer who he was – Dr Max Primbs, deputy to Franz Hofer, the Gauleiter of the entire area. With far-reaching and immense power, Hofer was essentially the governor of the area and controlled its troops and defences. Primbs then admitted to Mayer that he and several other Germans had admired him for his courage during the three days of torture he had endured.

Mayer placed a glimmer of hope in this individual. Several days earlier during the torture session, it was Primbs who had stopped the beating. Mayer flashed back to a few days before when he had feigned unconsciousness. He learned that not only was Primbs a medical doctor who had known that he was faking, but he was a renowned plastic surgeon, well-known and respected in the region. A small part of Frederick Mayer began to trust Dr Primbs. While the good doctor was talking, the BMW cruised eastward through the bucolic Alpine countryside toward the small town of Hall. Primbs told Mayer that they were heading toward the Gauleiter’s mansion, Lachhof. Within twenty minutes the ride was over, and the black BMW rolled up the winding driveway of the estate. Mayer got out of the car and was escorted by Primbs through the foyer and into a dining area inside the house, filled with several guests.

The doctor told Mayer that he was to meet Franz Hofer, Gauleiter of Tyrol and Vorarlberg. Mayer did not know it at the time, but the meeting would never have taken place had it not been for Matull’s brilliant lie convincing the SS that Mayer was a powerful figure in the U.S. military.

As Mayer and Primbs entered the room, the doctor introduced Fred to the entire group: ‘This is Frederick Mayer. He’s an American agent.’ There they were greeted by the infamous Franz Hofer. Blond with a closely cropped haircut and a chubby face that masked his symmetrical features, the rotund Hofer then introduced his beautiful blond-haired, blue-eyed wife. Next, he introduced Mayer to Rudolph Rahn, the German ambassador to Mussolini’s rump state in northern Italy, and several other dignitaries. Rahn approached Mayer, extending his hand and greeting him before introducing the other people in the room. On top of the large fine wooden table in the main dining area was a cornucopia of fine food.

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