Griffin W.E.B. - Honor Bound 03 - Secret Honor

"Herr Reichsftihrer," Frau Gertrud Hassler announced.

"Herr Korvettenkapitan Boltitz, from Minister von Ribben trop's office, is here." Korvettenkapitan was the German

Navy rank equivalent to major.

The Reichsfiihrer-SS was not busy, but that did not mean he was prepared to be interrupted by the woman every time a messenger arrived in the outer office.

"And?" the Reichsfuhrer-SS said impatiently.

"He insists that you personally sign for the message, Herr

Reichsfuhrer-SS."

"Mein Gott! Well, show him in, please, Frau Hassler."

Himmler rose from his desk and walked toward the double doors to his office. A moment later, one of them opened; and a tall, blond young man in civilian clothing stepped inside. In his hand was a briefcase. He raised his arm straight out from the shoulder. "Heil Hitler!" he barked.

Himmler raised his right arm at the elbow. "Korvet tenkapitan Boltitz, how nice to see you," Himmler said.

"Herr Reichsfiihrer," Boltitz said. "I regret the intrusion on your valuable time, Herr Reichsfiihrer, but I was directed to give this to you personally."

Himmler knew that Boltitz's assignment to the office of

Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop meant that he was really Admiral Wilhelm Canaris's man-read spy-in the

Foreign Ministry. Canaris was Director of Abwehr

Intelligence. Neither he nor von Ribbentrop was really a member of Adolf Hitler's inner circle, and Himmler wasn't entirely sure either of them could be completely trusted. "I understand," Himmler said, and put out his hand for the message.

Boltitz opened the briefcase and took from it a clipboard, whose clip held an envelope. He removed the envelope, and then handed Himmler the clipboard and a pen. Himmler scrawled his name, acknowledging receipt of the message, and the young man then handed him the envelope.

"Thank you, Herr Reichsfiihrer."

"Are you to wait for a reply?" Himmler asked. "No, sir, but I am at your disposal if you wish to reply." "Just a moment, please," Himmler said, then tore open the envelope and read the message.

CLASSIFICATION: MOST URGENT

CONFIDENTIALITY: MOST SECRET

DATE: 15 APRIL 1943 1645 BUENOS AIRES

TIME

FROM: AMBASSADOR, BUENOS AIRES

TO: IMMEDIATE AND PERSONAL ATTENTION

OF THE FOREIGN MINISTER OF THE GER MAN REICH

HEIL HITLER!

STANDARTENFUHRER-SS JOSEF GOLTZ RE QUESTS THAT APPENDIX ONE ATTACHED

HERETO BE IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT TO THE

ATTENTION OF REICHSFUHRER-SS HEIN RICH HIMMLER.

MANFRED ALOIS GRAF VON LUTZENBERGER

AMBASSADOR OF THE GERMAN REICH TO

THE REPUBLIC OF ARGENTINA

BEGIN APPENDIX ONE

TO: REICHSFUHRER-SS HEINRICH HIMMLER

FROM: SS-STANDARTENFUHRER JOSEF

GOLTZ

SUBJECT: OPERATION PHOENIX, PROGRESS

REPORT

HEIL HITLER!

THE UNDERSIGNED HAS THE HONOR TO

REPORT TO THE HERR REICHSFUHRER-SS THE

FOLLOWING:

(1) ALL ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO

OFF-LOAD THE SPECIAL CARGO ABOARD THE

MOTOR VESSEL COMERCIANTE DEL OCEANO

PACIFICO EARLY IN THE MORNING OF 19

APRIL 1943.

(2) ALL ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO

TRANSPORT AND STORE THE SPECIAL CARGO

UNDER THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE SECURITY

ONCE IT IS ASHORE.

(3) ALL ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO

EFFECT THE TRANSPORT OF NAVAL OFFICERS

FROM THE GRAF SPEE FROM THEIR PLACE OF

INTERNMENT TO PUERTO MAGDALENA ON

SAMBOROMBON BAY ONCE THE ACTIONS

DESCRIBED IN (1) AND (2) ABOVE HAVE

BEEN ACCOMPLISHED.

(4) THE NAVAL OFFICERS WILL FIRST BE

TAKEN ABOARD THE OCEANO PACIFICO AND

THEN REPATRIATED TO THE FATHERLAND AS

SPACE BECOMES AVAILABLE ABOARD U-BOATS

RETURNING TO EUROPEAN PORTS.

(5) WHILE THE UNDERSIGNED HAS ASSUMED

PERSONAL COMMAND OF OPERATION PHOENIX

SINCE ARRIVING IN ARGENTINA, HE WISHES TO ACKNOWLEDGE

THE CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY AMBASSADOR

GRAF VON LUTZENBERGER AND MEMBERS OF

HIS STAFF, IN PARTICULAR FIRST SEC RETARY ANTON VON GRADNY-SAWZ, MILI TARY ATTACHE OBERST KARL-HEINZ GRUNER

AND ASSISTANT MILITARY ATTACHE FOR

AIR MAJOR FREIHERR HANS-PETER VON

WACHTSTEIN. THEIR IMMEDIATE GRASP OF

THE IMPORTANCE OF OPERATION PHOENIX

AND THEIR DEDICATION TO THE PRINCI PLES OF NATIONAL SOCIALISM AND THE

FUHRER HAS EARNED MY ADMIRATION.

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:

JOSEF LUTHER GOLTZ

STANDARTENFUHRER SS-SD

END APPENDIX ONE END

MESSAGE

The Comerciante Oceano Pacifico, a Spanish-flagged merchantman, had been sent to Samborombon Bay in the

Argentine section of the River Plate estuary ostensibly with the clandestine mission of replenishing the increasingly des perate South Atlantic U-boats. Replenishment was not, how ever, its only secret mission. It was also charged with smuggling into Argentina equipment and supplies intended to aid the escape from internment of the crew of the German pocket battleship GrafSpee, which had been scuttled in the harbor of Montevideo, Uruguay, in December 1939, after a running battle with the Royal Navy.

The repatriation of the GrafSpee crew was especially dear to the heart of Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, who had himself escaped internment in Argentina during the First World War.

There was a third, far more secret, mission for the Oceano

Pacifico. It had become clear to a number of Hitler's highest ranking associates that the war might be lost-and probably would be-and that the life span of the Thousand-Year

Reich was likely to be only a matter of years, perhaps less.

With that in mind, it was deemed prudent to establish in

South America a place of refuge. "Operation Phoenix" was set in motion. Money was obtained, largely from Jews, either from the dead-jewelry, gold fillings, and the like-or from the living, by way of extortion.

The equivalent of $100,000,000 (in various currencies, including American dollars) was aboard the Oceano Paci fico. Once smuggled ashore, along with the material for the interned Graf Spee crew, the money would be covertly placed in Argentine banks and used to establish a South

American refuge for Nazis who not only hoped to escape punishment for their crimes, but who also sought a place where the Nazi philosophy could be kept alive for an even tual return to Germany.

Himmler raised his eyes to Korvettenkapitan Boltitz.

"Please be so good as to thank Herr von Ribbentrop for me," he said.

"Jawohl, Herr Reichsfiihrer."