Read Online V-S Day: A Novel of Alternate History by Allen Steele - Free Book Online
Authors: Allen Steele
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more thing . . .”
“Yes?” Von Braun felt his face burn as he hastily looked down at the report on his desk.
“Dr. Rudolph called just before you arrived. He said that he needs to see you immediately.”
Von Braun looked up again. “Did he say why?”
“No. He only said that he needs to see you at his lab at once, and you’re to come over there as soon as you get in.” An apologetic shrug. “Sorry.”
Von Braun sighed. Although Arthur Rudolph was his best friend and right-hand man, there were times when Wernher wondered if he could tie his shoes without consulting someone. His lab was located in another building in Peenemünde East. Von Braun glanced out the window behind him; to his annoyance, it had begun to snow again, and the car that had brought him from the airfield had already left. He’d have to go out into the cold once more.
“Very well.” Von Braun stubbed out his cigarette in an ashtray and started to rise, then thought better of it. “Just a moment,” he said, as he picked up a pen and reached into a desk drawer for a notepad. “I need you to do something for me, please.”
Von Braun turned pages of the
Silbervogel
report until he found the section in which Sanger addressed the question of avionics integration within the airframe. Consulting one of the report’s many diagrams, he spent a couple of minutes jotting down the numbers Boykow needed, then tore the page from the notepad, slipped it into an envelope, and handed it to his secretary.
“Please take this to Dr. Boykow,” he said, standing up from his chair. “Wait to see if he thinks this answers his questions, and write down what he wants from me if it doesn’t.” Von Braun walked around from behind his desk, reached for his overcoat. “I’m going to see Arthur.”
“Very well.” Lise left the office before he did. Von Braun shook his head in wonder as he watched her stride down the hall, passing the two janitors on the way. Despite the fact that she’d have to cross Peenemünde East to reach Boykow’s office, she’d declined to put on an overcoat even though it was below zero outside and spitting snow. The woman must be part snow fox, he reflected as he closed his office door and followed her to the stairs. Which was a delightful notion . . .
The two janitors paid no attention to either von Braun or his secretary as their footsteps retreated down the hallway. But as soon they were gone, and the corridor was quiet again, they raised their eyes from their work and gazed at one another. Neither of them said anything, but a silent nod was exchanged. And then they quietly approached von Braun’s office.
=====
The two janitors were named Yves Callon and François Latreau, but to MI-6 they were known as Silver and Gold. For the past four months, they’d been posing as custodians at Peenemünde, just another couple of foreign workers who’d been hired from a country under Nazi occupation. Even at a high-security facility such as Peenemünde, there was a need for people to do the menial labor, so that good German men could make more meaningful contributions to the war effort. Knowledge of this fact had given British intelligence the opportunity to infiltrate spies into enemy installations, with the primary objective of gathering information useful to the Allies.
Beginning a couple of years earlier, MI-6 had heard rumors of strange occurrences in northern Germany. Although Denmark was under Nazi occupation, its intelligence operations were still active, and through them, the Danes had received reports from fishermen of “flame-tailed aeroplanes” they’d seen shooting along from the western Baltic coast, usually exploding a few minutes later. Then a member of the Polish underground relayed a conversation he’d had in a Koenigsburg tavern with a drunk German soldier stationed at Peenemünde; the Nazi had bragged about his people developing a secret weapon that would win the war for Germany. Although MI-6 initially
“Yes?” Von Braun felt his face burn as he hastily looked down at the report on his desk.
“Dr. Rudolph called just before you arrived. He said that he needs to see you immediately.”
Von Braun looked up again. “Did he say why?”
“No. He only said that he needs to see you at his lab at once, and you’re to come over there as soon as you get in.” An apologetic shrug. “Sorry.”
Von Braun sighed. Although Arthur Rudolph was his best friend and right-hand man, there were times when Wernher wondered if he could tie his shoes without consulting someone. His lab was located in another building in Peenemünde East. Von Braun glanced out the window behind him; to his annoyance, it had begun to snow again, and the car that had brought him from the airfield had already left. He’d have to go out into the cold once more.
“Very well.” Von Braun stubbed out his cigarette in an ashtray and started to rise, then thought better of it. “Just a moment,” he said, as he picked up a pen and reached into a desk drawer for a notepad. “I need you to do something for me, please.”
Von Braun turned pages of the
Silbervogel
report until he found the section in which Sanger addressed the question of avionics integration within the airframe. Consulting one of the report’s many diagrams, he spent a couple of minutes jotting down the numbers Boykow needed, then tore the page from the notepad, slipped it into an envelope, and handed it to his secretary.
“Please take this to Dr. Boykow,” he said, standing up from his chair. “Wait to see if he thinks this answers his questions, and write down what he wants from me if it doesn’t.” Von Braun walked around from behind his desk, reached for his overcoat. “I’m going to see Arthur.”
“Very well.” Lise left the office before he did. Von Braun shook his head in wonder as he watched her stride down the hall, passing the two janitors on the way. Despite the fact that she’d have to cross Peenemünde East to reach Boykow’s office, she’d declined to put on an overcoat even though it was below zero outside and spitting snow. The woman must be part snow fox, he reflected as he closed his office door and followed her to the stairs. Which was a delightful notion . . .
The two janitors paid no attention to either von Braun or his secretary as their footsteps retreated down the hallway. But as soon they were gone, and the corridor was quiet again, they raised their eyes from their work and gazed at one another. Neither of them said anything, but a silent nod was exchanged. And then they quietly approached von Braun’s office.
=====
The two janitors were named Yves Callon and François Latreau, but to MI-6 they were known as Silver and Gold. For the past four months, they’d been posing as custodians at Peenemünde, just another couple of foreign workers who’d been hired from a country under Nazi occupation. Even at a high-security facility such as Peenemünde, there was a need for people to do the menial labor, so that good German men could make more meaningful contributions to the war effort. Knowledge of this fact had given British intelligence the opportunity to infiltrate spies into enemy installations, with the primary objective of gathering information useful to the Allies.
Beginning a couple of years earlier, MI-6 had heard rumors of strange occurrences in northern Germany. Although Denmark was under Nazi occupation, its intelligence operations were still active, and through them, the Danes had received reports from fishermen of “flame-tailed aeroplanes” they’d seen shooting along from the western Baltic coast, usually exploding a few minutes later. Then a member of the Polish underground relayed a conversation he’d had in a Koenigsburg tavern with a drunk German soldier stationed at Peenemünde; the Nazi had bragged about his people developing a secret weapon that would win the war for Germany. Although MI-6 initially
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