Snow fell in heavy waves from the sky. The morning light was gloomy from the storm. It was perfect weather to spend the day studying and continuing our lessons. By seven, we were hard at work sending and decoding transmissions. I had paired with Will that morning and Franz with Karl. Henry had a large set of prepared messages. The length of the message could be anywhere from a few words to a full page. He gave us three letters to begin with, using only the transmitter. Will transmitted, and I deciphered as he tapped along. Each pair was at opposite ends of the table to help avoid confusion. When we sat next to each other the day before, hearing three different transmissions made it hard to decipher just one. Now we were indeed at it. Precision, focus, and, above all, accuracy became of the utmost importance.
When Will completed his transmissions, I completed deciphering. I took up my transmitter and began tapping out the three messages Henry had given me. At the same time, Will filled the role of transcribing. We were hard at this process when Elsa announced breakfast. Will and I barely paid attention to the announcement. However, Karl, Franz, and Henry left immediately, joking about almost starving from all the hard work. We must have been at it for some time. Klaus quietly approached, waiting for us to stop. “Mein Herr, would you like coffee and breakfast brought in.” I looked to Will, who needed to say nothing.
“Yes, Klaus, we would be most grateful,” I said before resuming my transmission.
Henry returned with Klaus. “You gents staying with it, are you?” He went to his folder and pulled out several more pages. He laid a small stack with each of us. “Just lay the transcription on top of them as you finish. You are missing an impressive breakfast,” he said, heading back out. Klaus poured coffee, which he set just out of our way. He set out plates, silverware, and napkins and covered the trays. On my subsequent transmission, I stopped briefly so we could each enjoy some coffee and then resumed without conversation. Will and I were cut from the same cloth, in a way. If Franz and I had not been raised together, I always thought Will would probably have been my closest friend. We just meshed together. Franz and Karl were the same way. Their thought processes, actions, and beliefs were remarkably similar. To say nothing of their appetites.
Will was born in Rosenheim, Germany, just over the border. The Von Dorn’s were Austrian by birth. His father was awarded the “von” for his service rather than lineage. Will was the first Bavarian to be born into the family. His parents had relocated to Rosenheim to be closer to their business holdings a few years before he was conceived. Two years our senior, he had come to Stella Matutina late. The Von Dorns thought their son was mentally challenged. Many of the doctors they had sought out diagnosed him as retarded. Will, it seemed, felt speech unnecessary. The Von Dorn’s tried everything, wives' tales, doctors, punishment, spoiling, anything they or anyone else could think of. Yet Will stubbornly refused to speak. Doctors proved that his vocal cords were fine by using nefarious means, torturing the poor boy with anything that would cause him to scream. Still, Will refused to form words. They gave up all hope of an average child, keeping him home, allowing him almost free rein in the household when all other tactics failed.
At seven, while sitting in his father's study holding a book, he spoke his first words. His father had been working through some difficulty on paper and had been reciting the problem aloud to himself. Will’s response, clear and precise in perfect German, was the solution. His father, dumbfounded at first, asked him to repeat his words. Indeed, Will repeated the answer, walked over to his father, and looked at the papers on the desk. He reached out, pointed at the difficulty on the form, and repeated the solution.
The Von Dorn household went into an immediate uproar. Everyone they could think of was sent for. Professionals appeared and poked, prodded, and tested Will. As fate would have it, Wilhelm Von Dorn’s IQ surpassed anything thought possible for a boy of seven. Furthermore, he articulated perfectly and picked up pieces of several languages. Will read at an advanced level and had a natural understanding of science and mathematics. Several months after his first words, Von Dorn’s brilliant son was shipped off to Stella Matutina to begin his formal education. Will, never having had the benefit of playmates, friends, or interaction with anyone close to his age, all but shut down upon arrival. He was bunked in with Franz, Karl, and I. We took an instant liking to each other, and within a week, Will felt more at home than he had anywhere in his life. In total, there were about a dozen of us in our group. We four formed a core, with our friendships branching out into others.
In a particular twist of irony, Will loved languages, as did I. At Brother Joseph’s insistence, we began with Latin, as did every boy. We quickly mastered the language, and Brother Joseph allowed us to move on to French. We learned every language they could teach us. We then acquired books with others. When we entered University after the war, we would take linguistics lectures and then deep dive into usage, slang, and grammar for each.
Although no discussion took place, we both knew the goal. Master the transmission and transcription as quickly as possible. Then move into coding messages. After a few more communications, the smell of food from the trays won our attention. A bite of a sausage-stuffed roll just crossed my lips when the telephone rang. I stepped out of the study to answer it. Klaus would be busy enough in the dining room. On the line was a long-distance operator calling for Henry. I asked them to wait, set the receiver on the table, and made my way to the dining room. Henry saw me enter, look at him, and excused himself immediately. “Long distance for you,” I said as he joined me, returning to the study. “If you need privacy, take the set to the library.” Henry thanked me, taking the set and receiver, the cord trailing behind in the direction of the library.
Returning to my meal, Will voiced my earlier thought.
“Were codes chosen or devised yet?”
“Discussed, nothing is set in stone yet, Will. Do you have preferences? After all, you are more aware than anyone what will work.”
“Well, Jim, I know the Reich spends much time and resources listening in on any transmission they can pick up. I happened upon a memo sent to my predecessor describing a new device better equipped to pinpoint radio transmission. The device is fast and frighteningly accurate. Since Austria has been monitored heavily since the Dollfuss assassination in ‘34, we should assume they are already in place. We will not be able to transmit from the same place twice.”
“Damn, Will!”
“Damn, what?” Henry asked as he entered. Franz and Karl, just behind him, took up their seats again. Will repeated what he had just relayed to me. “A new device, huh? We have heard rumors. Can you get your hands on one of these devices, Will?”
“I may be able to get a look at it, Henry, but there is no way I could procure one. The Reich is very compartmentalized. Suppose I worked in propaganda and disinformation, a unit handling intercept operations is not going to allow me to stroll through without direct orders to do so. I would have to apply for a transfer.” Will looked at Henry with a sad expression as he gave him the unwelcome news.
My mind played with scenarios. “Will, could you give us the location of a station? Preferably a remote station,” I asked.
“Yes, there is one close to Karl’s family estate. A young soldier just transferred over to my unit from there. My counterpart told me he was going stir-crazy and asked for reassignment. The location is remote, with only two soldiers and two specialists to monitor transmissions. They are assigned for months at a time” Will looked around the room. “It is conceivable we could sneak in without anyone the wiser if we plan it correctly.”
“Do we have a map?” Karl asked. Franz located a map, moved some items, and laid it across the table. We all gathered around. Karl found his estate, and Will came around, indicating the station's location.
“This terrain is not difficult. There are several roads into that area.” Karl traced different routes with his fingers. “The route right here would be the best choice. The road is only used in the summer. With skis or snowshoes, we could make short work of it, weather permitting.”
“And the plan to get a look without being found out?” Franz said, looking straight at Will.
“Two choices, a grand distraction that pulls them all out of the station, or my favorite, a little something to give them all a full night's rest.” Will laughed as he said the last.
“Perfect; who will waltz up and hand it to them?” Henry asked.
“No, he is right. Supplies will come in from Kufstein or at least through Kufstein. Give me a few days to do the research. Then we will revisit the feasibility,” Karl said, rolling the map back up.
“On that note, Golda was on the long-distance telephone call. She felt a call was less risky than a telegram. Her parents are preparing to depart Vienna. They feel leaving together will go unchecked. Consequently, none of us will need to go in to accompany them. They will arrive at their hotel in Innsbruck on the 14th.” Henry then went to the wall, took the Eigners off the top of the list, and placed them on the map in Vienna. “To get them into England, I must go with them. The number of Jewish immigrants trying to gain entry into other countries is escalating. Even if The Earl were waiting on the other side, they would never get on the ferry to cross the channel. He could bribe someone, but it is a huge risk. Only if they are personally related to a resident are they allowed in. The resident must accompany them into the country. If my estimations are correct, it will take me until the 19th to return. With perfect conditions, of course.”
Will added, “I must return to Vienna by the 17th. My leave is up on the 18th. It would be out of character for me to arrive on time or late.”
“Since on time is late,” the four of us chimed. The brothers at Stella near beat it into us in our youth.
“The best course of action is to stick with what we know,” Henry said.
“Exactly our point,” replied Franz.
The debate for codes wore on. Henry, with the smallest language vocabulary, struggled with some of our plans. English, German, and some French were the extent of his language skills. A nuance I understood that the others did not was that Will, Karl, and even Fritzy were strangers to him. They got on well, but down to it, he knew almost nothing about them beyond what I may have told him. We expected a high degree of faith in him turning over this equipment and then allowing us to determine codes he may or may not understand. We tried to explain that he would rarely be involved with any of our transmissions, so why would it matter? After all, Britain was over 700 miles away. There was no chance of them taking a message from us. Henry countered that without Britain, there would be no equipment. Franz pointed out England’s complete negligence in protecting Austria after crippling her, which created our current situation, and which sparked a heated debate for the second time.
“Enough! We are here on the ground doing the transmissions. Our ability to use codes has worked well to date. We will continue to create codes, as necessary. We all have Latin, French, and our mother tongue. Franz and Karl, do you feel you have enough Italian to use it for transmissions accurately?
Franz said, “Yes.”
“With simplicity, yes,” said Karl.
“Then we mix in Italian too. Only Will, Henry, and I are proficient in English, so we will put that aside for now,” I told them. “Simple is key, Code 1, Code 2, Code 3, Code 4, Code 5. Transmitted as c1, c2, and so on. Which one shall we make the Matutina code?”
In the end, c5 was our school code. The only easy decision since the discussion began. C1 became the first word in Italian, 2nd Latin, 3rd French, and so on. Each code was mixed and matched. Some repeated two or three words in a language and then switched. To further complicate the code, we enacted the jumbled alphabet and numbers. Franz listed the alphabet and numbers to ten on a sheet of paper. Then he repeated the process on small slips of paper. Each was drawn out of a hat and placed correspondingly.
An example would be that the letter A was represented by the number 2, drawn first from the hat, and then placed under the letter A. Every other word, third word, and so on would be applied to this rule. So, the word would be in our language, German, but jumbled to the set alphabet. Will had a photographic memory. Accordingly, he needed only to see it, and he knew it. The rest of us required study to perfect it.
Henry, watching with fascination, asked, “How long have you been doing this? I must say, you are quite proficient at devising these.”
Franz looked up from jotting notes, “As we told you before, we have been devising codes since attending gymnasium. That translates into about 28 years, primarily with just the four of us. We already know each other so well that if one of us uses sinister in a code, we are saying left, Latin. If someone is talking about mice, little mice, a lot of mice, they are telling us a lot of muscle is involved. Therefore, a lot of troops, a few troops, and so on. Much of why we are good at ciphers is the result of many years together under many different circumstances.”
“The skills you have developed with each other are priceless. My apologies for any ambiguity earlier. I understand what you were trying to say, Jim.” Henry came over to offer his hand. I took it and patted him on the back.
“We have trust Henry, you, and I, but Franz, Karl, and Will are unknowns to you. I understand the reason for your misgivings. Fall back on your trust in me. You will not be disappointed,” and we returned to hammering out codes with no further pushback from Henry. Henry made a point of becoming a student of everything we did; the way we chose and assigned what caused something to be dismissed, or how we tested a code for weaknesses or complications. The day turned into the night. Klaus brought word of supper, and Henry, Karl, and Fritzy headed out again. Will and I continued testing the code we were working on. Fritzy returned to the study, “why don’t you both come to eat?”
“We’ll be along shortly,” Will said.
Fritzy laughed, “Just like school,” and returned to the dining room.
“You know what I could use?’ I asked, standing, and stretching.
“Bring me one too,” Will said, never looking up.
Going to the dry bar, I grabbed two glasses and a bottle of pear schnapps before returning to the table. I poured a few fingers into each glass and resumed my place. Tapping Will’s drink, I took a swallow and returned to work. Time took on no meaning when we were into a project. We had no guess of how much time had passed before Klaus showed up with a plate of food for each of us. The best estimate was sometime after the second pour of schnapps and an almost empty glass. Repeating the morning routine, he left the covered dishes and retreated without a word.
When we finished our current code, I stoked the fire, loaded wood, and we adjourned to the Chesterfield with the glasses and bottle. Elated to be done, and with supper wholly forgotten, we stretched out with our drinks in silence. My head back, eyes closed.
“Jim?”
“Will,” I answered, not moving a muscle.
“There are rumors that ring of truth. He will not stop at Austria or Hungary. He wants the world. The entire thing, to cleanse and remake it. If half of what I hear is true, the war looks like a field exercise. Extermination and subjugation of the races. Any whisper of rebellion will bring about swift retribution. Your race, creed, or position within the organization will not matter. The SS discovered an organization much the same as ours, all Germans. These were not Hebrews. These were Nordic Germans, poster children, I call them. Fair skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, Franz actually,” he laughed, “They were tortured for days, medieval torture Jim, entrails laying on the floor while they keep you alive torture.”
Will went quiet, staring at me. Somewhere in the horror of his words, his voice had changed. It pulled my eyes open and made me look at him. The look as he spoke delivered with full force what he was trying to say.
“I want to live a long and happy life. To marry Eva, grow old in our friendships, and continue loving the wonderful life with which we were blessed. Notwithstanding, I must do what I can for those same reasons. For the people who will not be allowed those very things. For Kurt, sitting in Vienna, being used like a pawn without even knowing it. For the Eigners, Frieda, and all the others. Make no mistake, Will. There is no obligation for you to do any of this. Leave now, leave the party, go to Vaduz. Take a lengthy vacation and travel the world. Do not stay there for me or anyone, Will.”
“No, Jim, I feel the same as you. It is my duty. If I can help one person, then it all pays off. I must ensure you understand what they will do should all go wrong.”
We both finished our drinks, set them on the table, and resumed our quiet reflections.