Bad love strikes, p.11
Bad Love Strikes, page 11
The Pud, Meatball, and Hannah set out on foot with tools in their backpacks for cutting small branches, and army shovels to fill any ruts or holes along the planned path of the B-17 landing zone. Not too far from their cottage, Hannah recognized a path leading off the road. She said, “I am sure that I have been down that path before; it leads to a grove with a fishing pond. I recognize it because of that giant pine tree growing in the middle of that path. It is a beautiful area in there!”
“We’ll have to spend a day there sometime and catch some fish!” Meatball joked.
She smiled sweetly and responded, “I’ll make sure of that, Meatball.”
They kept walking and came to the dirt road turnoff just as Goondoggy and Crazy Ike appeared on their motorcycles. Goondoggy spoke up. “I have good news and bad news. The good news is that Pud, you did good with finding this landing zone. From the back end of the landing zone where this dirt road dead ends, to the country road where the field starts, is over four thousand feet. It is generally flat, provided you make a few small repairs. For the centerline of the landing, look from where this dirt road dead ends to the old farmhouse, just across the country road at the other end of the field. Make the centerline connect those two points. Ike and I rode that line several times, and it is smooth enough for the big wheels of the B-17. It should have no major issues landing, with its two big wheels straddled along that line.” Crazy Ike also mentioned that the dirt road was easily passable—so long as they drove slowly, because of the ruts and turns—using the truck in the morning to get the rescued folks to the landing zone.
The Pud asked, “So what’s the bad news?”
Goondoggy replied, “We are discovering lots of country roads on either side of the forest surrounding the landing zone. Once the Germans and local police see the plane coming in for a landing, this place is going to get real hot, real fast; we better make our escape as fast as greased lightning!”
Meatball commented, “You know Bubble Butt, AKA ‘Mr. Plan for Everything Bad;’ he’ll have something up his sleeve when this place heats up! You should probably start feeling sorry for anyone who gets in our way!” They agreed to meet back in a few hours, then Goondoggy and Ike took a right turn. The pair headed further down the road they had come in on, which was parallel to the other side of the forest lining the edge of the landing zone.
The Pud, Meatball, and Hannah walked the winding dirt road until it dead-ended at the landing zone. Along the way, Hannah asked, “Who is this ‘Bubble Butt’ guy, anyway?”
“You can call him BB for short, but he is the guy who basically masterminded this entire scheme to rescue you guys from your fate at the Chelmno extermination camp,” Meatball answered.
The Pud chimed in, saying, “Yeah, he has somehow managed to plan all of our adventures growing up, since we were little kids. For some reason, he has total confidence in getting things done; he tries to make it a little bit dangerous, and a whole lot fun. Our Bad Love Gang motto is ‘Live dangerously, have fun, don’t die!’ Speaking for myself, I feel the most alive whenever we go on these crazy adventures. I sure never thought that I’d be a time traveler, and right here on this day!”
The three of them came to the end of the dirt road and found themselves staring straight down the field to the old farmhouse that Goondoggy had mentioned. They could see some of the tire tracks from Goondoggy’s and Crazy Ike’s motorcycles going directly in that line of sight. To their left, in the back corner of the landing zone, Goondoggy and Ike had left a small “present.” They had gathered four large logs to make a square fire pit and had stacked dried sticks beside it, ready for a smoky signal fire, with dry leaves as the starter fuel. That was one item off their to-do list.
The Pud, Meatball, and Hannah proceeded to walk the imaginary centerline of the landing zone from the back to the front. There was forest on either side of length of the field, but it was open at the other end to the country road. Hannah walked the centerline with the Pud thirty feet to her left and Meatball thirty feet to her right. The wingspan of the B-17 was nearly 104 feet. They decided to try and make certain that there were no hidden holes or other obstacles, and brought the army shovels to make the landing strip as smooth as possible. They wanted a flat landing path 100 feet wide, as much as they could make that practically happen, and the field itself was at least 600 feet wide all along its length. The B-17’s landing wheels were 56 inches in diameter with 16-ply tires, and could take small bumps or ruts in stride. Fortunately, using the centerline connecting the back of the landing zone to the old farmhouse, the strip of field they walked and groomed was generally flat with no deep ditches or ravines on close inspection. They walked down to the country road and back, filling small holes and leveling small rises. It was tedious work that took several hours, but they talked and joked as they went. The Pud filled Hannah’s ears with many stories about Meatball, some of which were true and others that somewhat stretched the truth, and the time flew by. In the end, they felt proud and satisfied with the product of their work: a landing strip over 4,000 feet long and 100 feet wide.
As they returned to the dirt road that ended at the landing zone, they saw Goondoggy and Crazy Ike were back. The Pud thanked them for getting the signal fire ready to light. Goondoggy, who loved playing with matches when he was too young to be trusted (and had accidently set a section of woods on fire in Oak Ridge), quipped, “Why would I let you plan a fire when I’m so good at it?”
The Pud responded, “You definitely have superior credentials in that department, Goondoggy!” The five of them then agreed to cut and gather small tree branches into a pile at the back edge of the landing zone, which they would use to mark the centerline of the landing zone in the morning. They were a bit worried about doing that task too early, just in case someone came by and saw a long, straight, suspicious line of fresh small branches in the field. Goondoggy and Ike parked their motorcycles, and they went different directions to gather the branches from the forest—with Meatball and Hannah staying together, of course.
While they all piled up small branches, Hannah and Meatball “somehow” wandered out of sight. Hannah was standing on a large, irregular stone trying to tear a low branch from a pine tree and started to lose her footing. Meatball saw her slipping, and managed to perfectly catch her as she came off the stone. He was looking into her eyes, but wasn’t quite ready for what happened next. Hannah pulled his head toward hers and summarily locked her lips with his. At first, Meatball was a bit shocked that she had initiated the kiss, but that thought quickly melted into oblivion. It was like magic, and he couldn’t even begin to grasp what he was feeling and experiencing. Their lips were a custom fit together, a match made in heaven. Hannah was also on cloud nine, and at age eighteen, knew what she was doing. She loved Meatball and was busy expressing that love in the heat of the moment. Suddenly, as if awoken from a dream, they both heard the Pud yelling for them, and the magical kiss was over.
The Pud couldn’t see them, but he did yell in the correct direction. He indicated that it was time to go, and that Goondoggy and Crazy Ike were going to finish while the three of them started their walk back to the cottage. It was by this time mid-afternoon, and a somewhat cloudy November day had given way to beautiful sunshine with partly cloudy skies. While the temperature had been in the low 40s (Fahrenheit) when they left that morning, it had reached a “balmy” 61 degrees (which was warm for that part of Poland in November). Meatball, Hannah, and the Pud started down the winding dirt road, heading back to the paved road that led to the cottage. Meatball was holding hands with Hannah, and trying his best to sort out feelings that he could not quite grasp, at age sixteen. All he knew was that he was love struck, and there was some kind of electricity being conducted back and forth between his hand and Hannah’s.
Hannah was likewise feeling very warm and cozy, happily fuzzy in spirit. She had talked to various friends about what love felt like. However, their answers generally seemed a bit superficial. And in a short time frame, their relationships had always given way to boredom and endless routines. Hannah had never before been in love, but this guy Aaron, or Meatball—who claimed to be from the future—had exactly what she admired in her own vision of the perfect partner. He was confident in himself, but humble about it. He was strong but gentle, and a good listener. He could laugh at himself (or at his friends), and he could definitely be spontaneous and go with the flow of things. Finally, his bravery in the face of a German rifle pointed at his chest yesterday had sealed the deal. Hannah was in love, and she was sure of herself.
The three of them had taken a left on the paved road and were nearing the cottage. Crazy Ike and Goondoggy pulled up on their motorcycles, and informed them that everything was ready for the airborne evacuation, except for laying down the branches to mark the centerline for the plane to land. Crazy Ike saw Meatball holding hands with Hannah and remarked, “If I had a beautiful girl like her, Meatball, I wouldn’t be headed straight back to the cottage.” He gave Meatball a big, overdone wink and a cheesy grin.
Hannah, who had again spotted the path to the fishing pond on her left, looked at Crazy Ike and said, “For once, Ike, you actually said something that makes a little sense. I think Meatball and I will take a nice walk down to the fishing pond before we head back to the cottage.” At this point, Ike was starting to feel a bit jealous; why couldn’t he have found a love interest on the trip? As they parted ways, Hannah told them to tell her dad that she and Meatball would be home by dark.
Hannah and Meatball headed down the small path to the meadow and fishing pond that Hannah had remembered from her youth. The path was lined with mostly pine trees, and it opened into a grassy meadow with an idyllic fishing pond that reflected the autumn sun as it sank lower on the western horizon. They saw a few wrinkles on the smooth surface of the water where some fish were surfacing for their food. They found a place in the grass by the pond to spread their coats on the ground, and sat down next to each other. Meatball settled on Hannah’s left side, with his right arm around her shoulders.
“This place is beautiful, Hannah, and I feel like I could spend the rest of my time on earth right here with you. I’m having feelings that I never imagined could be real or possible, but I know they are real!”
Hannah turned into his arms, looked into his puppy dog eyes and said, “Meatball, I feel the same way—and I just have to say, I love you like crazy!” As he started to reply, about to say “I love you too, Hannah,” she did it again: She started it! Meatball realized that Hannah had started to unbutton his shirt and unbutton her own, going back and forth from top to bottom. They embraced and locked lips again, only this time there were no further interruptions, just stars and fireworks exploding for the next 45 minutes. When they were done, they lay on their backs with Hannah’s head on Meatball’s shoulder. The world and all its troubles were gone, as if nonexistent. They were at total peace with each other, and neither of them would ever, ever forget it.
The sun was setting and just below the horizon when they headed back to the cottage. They managed to time it perfectly, walking in as it was getting dark outside. Dinner was being served, and everyone was sharing their stories of the day. David and Sarah Lieb were glad to see Hannah; both hugged her as she came inside. Crazy Ike winked again at Meatball, but Meatball wasn’t biting and ignored Ike’s warped mind. Dinner was amazing for a second night, and everyone was exhausted and ready to get some rest afterward. It was truly amazing that this group had bonded so well, but perhaps that is what sheer survival during a World War does: It breaks down any and all barriers, and makes you grateful just to be alive, safe, and with people who care. Tomorrow was another day and the concept of safety would be left at the cottage.
The Bad Love boys gathered around again at bedtime to review the plans for the airborne evacuation the next morning. Crazy Ike, Goondoggy, and the Pud (the Pud would ride on the back of Goondoggy’s motorcycle) would all leave first by motorcycle, and the three of them would get the small tree branches placed along the landing zone’s centerline. Afterwards, Goondoggy and Ike would take their motorcycles to their vantage points on either side of forest that lined the landing zone to keep watch as the plan progressed. They both had rifles with scopes as well as Smith and Wesson 9mm pistols, along with plenty of clips and extra ammunition. The Pud would build the smoky signal fire at about 11:00 AM, just in case the Bad Love B-17 came early. In addition, the Pud would have his VHF radio on, waiting to hear from BB as the B-17 approached. Meatball would bring all thirteen of the rescued folks to the landing zone at about 11:15 AM using the stolen truck, trying to time it as the plane was making its approach to land. All of them would have their walkie-talkies to communicate as needed. They all knew full well that this was going to be dicey, and they had to make the evacuation go like clockwork. They also had quiet confidence that BB would somehow show up and make this happen. When they finished talking it through, their hearts were beating faster as they thought about what they were planning to do.
Day Four: Tuesday, November 21, 1944 at 7:00 AM local time
Everyone was up early, and it had been a restless night’s sleep for almost everyone. A virtually brand new Eighth Air Force B-17G Flying Fortress named Bad Love, on its third mission ever, hijacked and commandeered by the rest of the Bad Love Gang, was about to bomb a Nazi German oil refinery, then come to pick them all up near Chelmno, Poland, and take the Holocaust victims to safety in Belgium. How crazy was that!? Yet it was happening; it was time to finish what they had started.
They ate their final breakfast at the cottage and everyone (except the two prisoners, Aleksander and Jakub) chipped in to clean the cottage like no one had been there. Meatball asked Hannah to write and leave a thank-you note for the cottage owners. When she finished, he signed it Bad Love and left a 1933 gold eagle on top of the note. The gold eagle was a United States $10 gold coin issued by the United States Mint from 1792 to 1933. It was the least they could do, he thought, for using the cottage the past few days.
At 7:20 AM Goondoggy, Crazy Ike, and the Pud took off on the two motorcycles. Turning right and heading down the paved road, they passed a man walking his dog. He couldn’t help but stare at the three of them, and this raised a red flag in Goondoggy’s mind. A little further down the road, he pulled over and had the Pud radio Meatball to warn him to lay low for a while and keep a lookout.
Most of the morning went as planned. Crazy Ike, Goondoggy, and the Pud went first to the landing zone. They took the branches that they had piled up the day before and laid them in a straight line, visually connecting the dirt road opening at the back of the landing zone to the front door of the old farmhouse, but stopping at the country road at the other end of the field. As they did so, they actually complimented the Pud for how flat he, Meatball and Hannah had made the landing strip. After marking the centerline for the B-17 landing—which took nearly two and half hours—Goondoggy and Ike took off on their motorcycles to their vantage points, reminding the Pud to keep his walkie-talkie close by. For his part, the Pud went to the back of the landing zone and made sure that he had enough extra wood and dried leaves to keep a smoky fire burning. He lit the fire at 10:45 AM, turned on his VHF radio, and began to intermittently transmit: “Bad Love One, this is the Pud. Do you read me?”
At precisely the same time, Meatball was getting the thirteen rescued folks into the stolen truck for the ride to the back of the landing zone. He had David Lieb and Daniel Roth help get their two prisoners (Aleksander Piontek and Jakub Nowak) into the back of the truck, as well; their arms and hands were duct taped behind their backs, but their legs were free to use. They had been well cared for as prisoners, and both of them knew that this group meant them no real harm. Nevertheless, Meatball instructed David and Daniel to keep a close watch on them, and to take them out of the truck in back of the landing zone when they got there. They would tape their torsos together again, preventing the guards from raising an alarm while sitting there. They would not be going anywhere until rescued by their own police force, after all the dust settled from the plane leaving.
As everyone got in the truck, Hannah told Meatball that she was riding up front with him. He smiled at her and asked, “Do I have a choice?”
She smiled back and responded, “Of course not!”
“OK, ‘Sergeant Hannah,’ I’m ‘Lieutenant Meatball,’ and I am ordering you to get in the truck now!” She felt a little tingle go down her spine, and got in on the passenger side.
Everybody was on board and at 10:55 AM they left the cottage, turned right on the paved road, and headed to the landing zone. Unknown to them at this moment, and not much more than 10 minutes behind Meatball, was a German truck driven by Nazi SS sergeant Karl Becker, accompanied by privates Werner Koch and Manfred Weber. Becker, Koch and Weber had been following a lead called in that morning that some strangers had been staying in a summer cottage in the countryside near Chelmno, reported by a neighbor who was out walking his dog. They were hoping to find the truck and Jewish prisoners that had been hijacked on Sunday, November 19th. They managed to arrive at the cottage at about 11:10 AM, minutes after Meatball had departed. The nosey, Nazi-sympathizing neighbor showed up and pointed them in the direction Meatball was headed. Becker, Koch, and Weber were in pursuit of the stolen truck and its occupants.
At 11:10 AM, Meatball had already made the right turn off the paved road, and was driving on the winding dirt road leading to the back of the landing zone. The Pud radioed on the walkie-talkie to check in, and Meatball reassured him that he would be there in just a few minutes. The Pud then returned his attention to his VHF radio and continued intermittently transmitting, “Bad Love One, this is the Pud, do you read me? Bad Love One, this is the Pud. Do you read me?” At 11:17 AM, the radio finally barked back at him.
