- Contributed byÌý
- rachelkellett
- People in story:Ìý
- Karl Hendrick Wagner
- Location of story:Ìý
- Berlin, 1943
- Article ID:Ìý
- A4035656
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 09 May 2005
1943 Peenenumde betrayal.
On 30 January 1943, from the wreck of Stalingrad, Germany's great Sixth Army surrendered. Some ninety thousand German soldiers and their Romanian confederates emerged blinking from their miserable makeshift shelters to face the whim of their captors.
When it came time for my next leave, February 1943, the mountains were closed to all skiing or hiking. Feeling that their grip was loosening, the Gestapo worked even more vigilantly, tightening their control over the occupied peoples. With great reluctance, I went to Berlin. It was bitterly cold and desolate. Seeking warmth, I made contact with an old school friend I had not seen in 20 years.
Arnold's eyebrows furrowed. After a silence, he asked me,
'Can you make contact to England?'
'Not directly…'
'Not directly? You mean indirectly then?'
It turned out Arnold was one of Reichs chief scientists, working on the V1 and V2 bombs.
'For some time now I've been trying to find a way to make the English aware of Peenemünde'
I returned to Norway, absolutely focused and inspired by my mission. Through Trygve, my quiet red-headed technician, we got the information to Oslo and London.
On 18 August, Radio London reported: 'At a few minutes past midnight, Pathfinder Mosquitoes marked Peenemünde with red flares, before bombers hit the target of the German V weapon site. The raid was a success.'
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