“One of the advantages of serving the Führer is that the officers share some of the benefits.
When he visits this facility, this is his private dining room,” Reiniger explained.
“When he is not here, this is the officers’ dining room.”
Both Rauch and Schneider were clearly impressed.
The room had a beautiful ornately designed ceiling with various versions of moldings and carvings.
Fine carpets covered the floors.
One in particular was a huge representation of the Nazi Party Flag.
The walls were a burgundy hue that went perfectly with the dark mahogany wainscoting.
The lighting fixtures were gold with elegant fine crystals.
A large single crystal chandelier hung majestically in the center of the room.
On one end were several beautiful pieces of artwork.
One in particular was
The Astronomer
, painted by one of Hitler’s favorite artists, Johannes Vermeer.
Originally owned by a Frenchman, the work was stolen by the Nazis and became one of the Führer’s most cherished paintings.
On the other end was a massive portrait of Hitler himself.
Rauch and Schneider were amazed at the opulence in this “bunker” as it had been called.
“Gentlemen, when you are finished with your meal, please report to the conference room just across the hall.”
Reiniger turned and motioned to the service manager standing near the double doors at the end of the room.
“Thank you,” Schneider answered meekly.
Rauch simply nodded in silence.
Almost immediately two serving staffers dressed in white entered the dining room and set several fine china dishes in front of each officer at the table.
Within 30 seconds another waiter brought two large platters, one of carved roast beef and the other of various cooked vegetables, and placed them on the table.
A platter of bread and fresh fruit soon followed.
Two bottles of French Bordeaux also appeared, perfectly decanted.
“Sir, do you believe this?” a wide-eyed Schneider asked.
“This is magnificent!”
Trying not to seem impressed, Rauch perused the table.
“Schneider, what do you expect?
This is the Führer’s dining room; nothing but the best!”
Rauch smiled broadly acting as though this was regular fare at SS officers’ mess.
Both officers filled their plates and began their meal.
Neither had eaten this well in several months.
After nearly an hour, the officers finished their meals and prepared for the journey ahead.
Schneider deftly stashed an apple and pear in his pocket for later.
He had not seen fresh fruit in eight months.
He was not about to pass up such a fine chance.
In fact, if he could, he would have taken the entire platter with him.
March 30, 1945
Bunker Conference Room;
4:00 a.m.
Back in the conference room the three men sat down.
Their coats and gloves were still there.
Reiniger left the room for a minute, returning with a leather pouch.
Rauch immediately recognized the pouch.
It looked similar to the one he initially received back at regimental headquarters.
Reiniger opened the pouch and placed the orders on the table in front of him.
After briefly looking them over, he stacked the pages neatly and returned the stack to the pouch.
He calmly placed his hands on the table.
“Your orders are to transport this cargo in these trucks to the railhead at Ohrdruf.
From there you will go to Rostock.
You are to accompany this cargo with the full detachment of men you have here to be joined by a guard group in Ohrdruf.
Once in Ohrdruf there will be a train waiting for you.
Transfer the cargo to the train and further accompany the cargo to the destination denoted, Rostock.
You will be contacted by the SS commander at the rail station in Rostock for the final destination.
Gentlemen, do you have any questions?” asked Reiniger.
Rauch and Schneider looked at each other.
“Perfectly clear, sir,” replied Schneider.
Reiniger handed the SS pouch to Schneider.
He placed it on the table before him and nodded to Rauch.
“Good,” nodded Reiniger.
“You leave immediately.”
Reiniger stood to attention, “Heil Hitler!” snapping his right arm up in the Nazi salute.
“Heil Hitler!” answered Rauch and Schneider as they both bolted up to attention returning the salute.
With that, Rauch and Schneider picked up their belongings and the pouch.
Reiniger turned and led the two men back through the checkpoints until they found themselves back at the mouth of the original bunker entrance.
The loaded trucks had been brought around and were parked, running, just behind Rauch’s staff car.
The two officers walked briskly to the car, Schneider opening the rear door for Rauch as he got in.
A quick few steps around the car and Schneider was in the opposite door and they were away; back into the darkness and cold.
“My God, what have we gotten ourselves into?” asked Rauch quietly, not expecting an answer.
Schneider stared ahead.
“Whatever it is, this is big, very big.
Sir, can you believe that facility?
And it was the Führer’s private facility?
I just cannot believe we were privileged to be there.
What an honor!”
Rauch looked out of the window.
There was just a hint of light in the eastern sky.
This fool Schneider has no idea of the significance of what we just witnessed.
Rauch’s mind was speeding furiously.
What exactly was that place? What was in those crates?
Why was it so important?
The questions just erupted from Rauch’s mind.
But one thing was certain.
At least this time they knew where they were going.
March 30, 1945
Railway Station, Ohrdruf, Germany;
7:00 a.m.
Dawn was breaking when the trail of trucks arrived at the Ohrdruf rail station.
Rauch was amazed to see what looked to be hundreds of well-dressed SS guards in every direction.
As the staff car pulled up to the station leading the six trucks, an SS captain stepped off of the platform and threw up his hands to stop the car.
A veritable wave of SS troops surrounded the car and the trucks as they came to a halt next to the platform.
Schneider opened the door and ran around to open Rauch’s door.
Before he could get there, however, Rauch’s door was opened by the SS captain.
“Heil Hitler!”
the SS captain saluted as Rauch exited.
He returned the salute amazed at the sheer number of SS guards all around.
He wondered about this secret cargo they carried.
What was critical enough to have this many guards around?
It must be either something extremely valuable or immensely important.
He motioned to Schneider to get up on the station platform just as they saw the trucks being unloaded and the cargo going into several closed railcars with guards on top.
Between each car was a flatbed car with two gun emplacements and dozens of guards.
Maybe not knowing their cargo was in his best interest.
That was it.
What he did not know about he could not worry about.
He motioned to the SS captain.
“Where are we to ride, Captain?” he asked.
“The officers will ride in the passenger car at the rear,” the SS captain answered as he waved his arm back to their right, past the station toward the end of the train.
“Your guards are to ride in the cars with the cargo.
They are not to leave the cargo cars for any reason.”
“Schneider, get our bags and join me in the railcar,” Rauch ordered as he rather pompously walked by the men loading the train.
He noticed they were straining mightily with the large wooden crates being transferred to the railcars.
Rauch stopped for a second, reading the labels on the crates.
“Transport Parts” read the stencil on the crates.
But he too noted the SS emblem, Nazi eagle and swastika emblazoned on each crate as well.
Hmmm, he thought.
Official Nazi markings on crates of transport parts; not likely, he thought.
But that was none of his business.
All he wanted was to get this silly charade over and get back to his headquarters.
Rauch yearned for this war to be over.
What started as a grand and wonderful endeavor for the Fatherland was now a losing situation.
Hitler was still in charge but clearly not in charge of his own mind.
He had heard of many, many weird antics by Hitler and personally seen evidence of such when he visited Berlin just a few months earlier.
Losses on all fronts were mounting.
When the Americans got involved and began sweeping through Europe, Rauch knew the end was coming.
He wanted this war to end so he could return to his small farm near
Zweibrücken
, near the French border.
Rauch’s family had been in the area for generations.
Maybe after the war he could go to the U.S. and join some of the family there; that is if he were allowed to leave.
“We are leaving, sir,” interjected Schneider, snapping Rauch back to reality.
The two stepped quickly back to the passenger car and boarded just as the conductor began waving his lamp to signal it was clear to move the train.
They settled in as the sun broke over the horizon.
Rauch looked out the window, amazed that the mass of SS troops that were once milling around had now also boarded the train.
Again the sight of the official Nazi markings on the crates crossed his mind.
What was in those crates that warranted this many crack SS troops to guard it?
Why were the crates stored in the bunker?
Why was that bunker there?
The Nazis did not build such structures and guard them with SS troops for a non-specific reason.
Was it really Hitler’s hiding place after the war?
His mind struggled with the questions.
Rauch imagined the amount of manpower that building such a structure required; and the cost.
Actually the bunker facility, known as S/III, was a very important but secret location for the German high command.
Most of the locals had no idea the complex was even there.
The facility was built about 300 kilometers southwest of Berlin in the Jonas Valley.
The area known locally as Jonastal was a series of high, rocky cliffs overlooking the valley below.
The main complex that Rauch and Schneider had visited was imbedded in a hill on the north side of the valley between Crawinkel and Arnstadt.
Construction of the hideaway was thought to have begun in early fall of 1944 using forced labor from the nearby Ohrdruf labor camp.
As part of the giant Buchenwald concentration camp, the Ohrdruf camp supplied nearly 18,000 laborers each day to work on the system of twenty-five tunnels, some over a mile and a half long.
The underground facilities were primarily built as emergency headquarters for Hitler and his high command if they had to retreat from Berlin.
Additionally some of Germany’s best and brightest scientists were brought there to do their research.
Construction debris from the facilities was meticulously removed from the site and spread widely across areas far from the complex to hide its location.
To further ensure security, most of the concentration camp workers were later exterminated at Buchenwald.
The Germans liked their secrets kept and did not care who perished to keep them secret.