{Seven Mile Island – June 1945}
For two days, Franz Schmidt remained unconscious, only to awake groggily to the distant sound of construction noises. With great difficulty, Franz sat up and began to focus on his surroundings of saltwater, aquatic plants, and high grasses.
While sitting in the middle of a vast wetland region, he quickly assessed that the activity came from the east since the sun was rising above a land formation just beyond a large body of water. He estimated that it was about a mile away. Then, peering to the south, he noticed a slight rise in the landscape about a quarter mile away. After assessing the area for several minutes, he concluded that it had to be some kind of narrow causeway or land bridge that cut directly through the wetlands, likely connecting two substantial landmasses.
Franz then made a decision to head toward the elevated land and somehow found the strength to navigate through the marshes. While trudging along, he began to recollect the recent events on the U-boat, including being thrown from the vessel, the turbulent waters, and a massive storm. After almost an hour, he finally reached the top of the land bridge, which was a narrow gravel-treated roadway.
Once standing on solid ground, Franz sighed in relief as he examined his own battered body. While he certainly was scraped and bruised by the ordeal, he was thankful that he had made it through with no significant injuries.
Without a plan, Franz simply turned toward the construction sounds and began walking. Because his shoes and most of his clothing had been stripped away by the force of the storm waves, Franz moved slowly and cautiously.
After a few minutes, he realized that he was extremely hungry. He ignored the feeling and focused on how grateful he was to be alive. He also started questioning his whereabouts. While he had no way of knowing, he hoped that he had landed in a friendly country.
As he continued walking, Franz noticed an abandoned pickup truck near the roadway. Though the truck's front end was buried in the marsh waters, the rear of the vehicle was still on dry land. It was then that he saw a silver Ford emblem displayed on the truck’s tailgate, along with a tan license plate that read “N.J. 44.” At that moment, Franz felt strongly that he was in the United States. He shook his head in amazement and uttered in English, “This must be America!”
Franz then reflected on his extensive military education and training in Germany. That was an optimistic time for the young German officer, who spent many hours mastering the English language. He had believed that learning to speak English would be very helpful as soon as Germany ruled England, Europe, and America. Deep in thought, Franz continued to walk slowly forward along the roadway.
A short time later, Franz noticed a small barn-like structure that sat along the south side of the causeway. It was just a few hundred yards west of a small bridge. As he approached the barn, Franz saw an elderly man struggling to lift several large boards out of a farm trailer. In a goodwill gesture to assist him, Franz rushed over and grabbed one end of the pile, helping to move the wood to the barn.
“Hey, thank you. I’m Sam Sharp, and I own Sharp’s Fruits & Vegetables.”
Franz responded in his best American-style English, “My pleasure, sir. Do you need more assistance?”
Sam wiped his brow, looked at Franz, and replied, “I sure do. But before I let you do anything more, I better get you some clothes. You look like you’ve had a rough time, young man.”
Franz was quick to react. He explained in great detail how he had been working on a large fishing boat that was cruising along the coast. “We were not prepared for the storm’s strength,” he said in a dramatic manner. Franz then described how the large vessel had capsized, and somehow, he’d ended up in the surrounding marshland.
Sam felt badly for the battered fisherman. “You’re lucky to be alive, young fella. Seven Mile Island was hit hard by that devilish storm! I was more fortunate. My property only suffered minimal damage compared with most others.”
Franz thanked Sam for the clothing, and together, the men spent the rest of the day removing debris from the property and fixing several damaged sections of Sam’s small barn and house. As they worked, Franz listened and learned. Sam talked continuously about his life in “the good old USA,” and Franz quickly noted that Sam’s business was located on the outskirts of Seven Mile Island, which Franz learned was one of New Jersey’s southeastern coastal islands.
Sam continued, “Well, lad, my business may not be big, but it’s important to the local residents. Seven Mile Island has two towns, Avalon in the north and Stone Harbor in the south. And I have the pleasure of serving the best farm produce and fish to everyone!”
Pointing at the long causeway, Sam continued. “You see, my place is directly between the mainland and the island. That means that every vehicle that travels on the Boulevard must drive by here. I just try to make sure that I have plenty of fresh goods for all my customers.
Sam was grateful that Franz unexpectedly appeared that day. He thanked Franz with an offer. “Why don’t you stay for dinner? And if you need a place to shack, I have a spare bedroom too.”
That evening, Sam continued to talk about his small farm business and how he worked with several local fishermen and farmers to provide the island community with fresh fish, produce, dairy products, and general goods. He also talked about many of his island friends and described how he managed just fine even though he lived alone and had no living relatives.
As he listened to Sam, Franz devised a devious plan that would help him assimilate seamlessly into this rural island community. Recalling his years of military training, which included lengthy lessons on the topics of infiltration and reconnaissance, Franz coldly rationalized that he must kill the elderly man in the very near future! By doing so, he could easily assume the role of Sam’s long-lost nephew, who came to the island to help his elderly uncle run the business. Franz reasoned that by temporarily filling this new role, he could easily search for the U-boat without raising anyone’s suspicions. Once he located the sub, Franz believed that he could secure the valuable cargo and then find a way to continue his journey to Argentina, where he’d serve his Führer!
That night, Franz crept into Sam’s bedroom as the older man slept. Silently standing next to the bed, Franz coldly forced a pillow down upon Sam’s face and smothered his helpless victim. Deprived of oxygen, Sam unfairly died that night all because he welcomed the newcomer to his home.
Franz experienced no remorse. Instead, he justified his actions by believing that he was acting as a loyal servant of the Fatherland and the Führer. In a trancelike state, Franz obsessed, “To continue the Führer’s mission, I’ll survive by any means possible. I must find the U-boat, secure the cargo, and continue to Argentina!”
The next morning, Franz waved to a fire truck traveling along the causeway. Much to his surprise, the truck stopped, and the local fire chief yelled out the window, “Hi. I’m Chief Wilson. Just checking to see how you made out from the storm. Do you need any help of any kind?”
With some quick thinking, Franz fabricated a story about how he and his uncle had worked very hard the previous day to clean up the property, which sustained various damages from the storm. “By the way, I’m Sam’s nephew, Frank Sharp. I’m staying with my uncle this summer, helping him run the business.”
The fire chief exited his truck, and the two men shook hands. The chief then commented on how the storm had hit the area hard, noting, “Everyone’s chipping in to help restore the island community. I actually just left the causeway bridge at 21st Street. We worked all night to unjam the swing drawbridge. I was on my way to pick up supplies in Middle Township when I saw you wave. By the way, where’s Sam this morning?”
“I think he’s still in bed. I’ll go check.” Frank walked into the small house located behind the barn. A minute later, he cried out, “Chief Wilson, come quickly!”
The fire chief responded by running into the house, where he examined Sam Sharp in his bedroom. A few minutes later, the chief looked at Frank and said, “I’m truly sorry, son. This is just terrible. Your uncle has gone and died. The stress of the storm and working so hard yesterday seem to have gotten the best of him.”
The chief called for an ambulance to transport Sam’s body to the local funeral home. While waiting, the chief completed an accident report. He then asked Frank Sharp to read and sign the document since he was Sam’s nephew and the only surviving relative.
Before driving away, the chief said, “I know this must be difficult for you. Old Sam was a good man. Please let me know if there is anything I can do.”
From that day forward, Franz Schmidt was known only as Frank Sharp, the new owner of Sharp’s Fruits & Vegetables. Because Frank claimed that all of his identification papers were lost in the storm, the sympathetic town and county officials assisted him with obtaining all new papers, easing the process of officially transferring the property to its new owner, Frank Sharp.
In the years that followed, Frank did a masterful job of hiding his true identity. He established himself as a competent businessman and a good neighbor to the island community. Even so, Frank Sharp could not rid himself of his unceasing quest to find the U-boat that had seemingly vanished with its golden cargo during the great storm!