Watching Fritz

Chapter Sixty-One

David broke the long silence as the five of them sat around the table staring at the food. "We have four vehicles and only three drivers. I should have thought to have all of you learn. You'll do that when you get back to Sonnenhang."

"How do we return the cars to Frau Schneider? Hans asked.

"I'll follow you and Dolf, then bring you back here to the lorry." He picked up a slice of bread from the basket. "We should eat."

"How'll we blow the gasworks with all them guards?"

"The French bombers can reach here now, Manny. We'll investigate that approach first."

"Means we ain't comin' back here?"

"There'll be other projects. The war seems far from over." He picked up his cup and took a sip. "Coffee's getting cold. Let's eat and carry on."

Twenty-five minutes later, outside at the cars, David said to Dolf and Hans, "Rick and Manny will ride with me, and you two follow us. I'll stop a block or two short of Frau Schneider's, and you carry on to return the cars. It might appear suspicious if I'm there with you."

As they drove toward Mannheim, David asked Rick to describe the layout of Pirmasens. "I didn't see it. I stopped north of town and waited by the tracks. Hans, explored it twice, so he'll have a good picture."

Half an hour later, on their way back to Ludwigshafen, Hans offered his impressions. "It appears to be bigger than Schaffhausen, probably twice the size; more like Offenburg."

"Does it have a prosperous feel?"

"Not like this area, but better than we saw in the towns and cities when we drove to here last week. It's cut by shallow ravines and valleys, some with streams or small rivers, so many of the streets are winding, and there are a lot of big factories that block the view."

"And where are the gasworks?"

"Along a broad ridge to the northwest of the town's centre. Less than two kilometres. I saw the tall steaming stacks from a long distance."

David pulled in behind the lorry in front of the inn, and the five of them remained in the car for several minutes as he continued debriefing them from their investigations. When he finished, he said, "I'll remain in this area for a day or two; I have work to do."

"You're goin' to Pirmasens, ain't ya?"

"I need to be able to describe the site and its surrounding terrain so the pilots can identify it from the air."

"With all them soldiers there?"

"An innocent Swiss watch salesman shouldn't cause any concern. I also need to find the coal gas plants. But they should be easy with coal barges and tank cars together at riverside sites."

"I could stay here with you," Rick said. "Help you locate the ones on the river and find the way to Pirmasens."

Manny laughed. "You just wanna keep whompin' 'em with your trouser monster, Prick."

Rick reddened. "I thought we agreed you're not to call me that."

"Well, strewth. The way you're —"

"Keep it to yourself."

"Gentlemen! Enough!" As the two verbally tussled, David had quickly considered the implications of Rick remaining. He quieted them, then said, "That might make my task easier, Rick. Also, I could show you how I operate. See if you have an aptitude for working that way."

"I've been curious. I would enjoy the opportunity."

After Dolf, Hans and Manny had driven south in the lorry, David and Rick followed the Rhein upstream, locating what appeared to be coal gas plants. "These should be easy for the bombers to identify. On the river, coal barges and tank cars next to a complex with large tanks, pipes and stacks."

David marked his sketch map with the location of the one at the south edge of Germersheim. "That's five of them, now. Even if we destroy the gasworks in Pirmasens, they still have these, so we also need to look at ways to stop the coal barges."

"We saw trains of coal heading through Kaiserslautern."

"In what direction?"

"Eastward. Toward the river."

David unfolded the roadmap, located Kaiserslautern, and ran his finger along the road and rail lines to its west. "The valley leads from the Saar coal basin."

"What's that?"

"A large area of coal deposits around the Saar River." David shook his head. "Have to admire them for their infrastructure. They have alternate sources and contingencies.

He passed the map to Rick. "Navigate me to Kaiserslautern. Let's go count coal cars. Assess the volume."

Rick directed David to Neustadt, and from there, they followed the road into the hills along the narrow, winding valley, the railroad alternately disappearing and reappearing as they drove. At twenty past eleven, they arrived in the city, having met three coal trains during the hour and a quarter drive.

"Makes no sense to continue counting. We've already confirmed the rail line is a major target. The pilots should be able to identify it from the air."

"I was wondering when you said French bombers earlier. So, they're now dropping bombs from aeroplanes?"

"Their flying range is improving, and the load of explosives they can carry is increasing. They've been bombing trenches and deployment areas at the Front, and they're now expanding their efforts to strategic targets well behind the lines. That's what we're identifying; strategic targets."

"Where do you learn all this stuff? We always wonder when you arrive with so much information. With maps and figures and... and everything."

"It's an essential part of my duty. I need to know what our resources are and what we're capable of doing. And I need to continue discovering the same about Fritz."

"So, where do you do that? Since we blew the rail lines two months ago, you've spent very little time at Sonnenhang."

"I work out of an office in the Embassy, and I travel."

"And the travelling is for selling watches? I'm trying to picture how you gather information that way."

David pointed to the map. "Direct me to Pirmasens. Let me show you how to learn about the gasworks."