‘Have you heard of him, Colonel?’

‘Sure. Of course. He was an important guy in the Third Reich, a hero.’

‘Then you’ll be alarmed to know that he managed to escape from Dachau.’

Appache was thoughtful for a few moments. ‘And you think you’ll find him in the village – what was it, Schwarz something?’

‘Schwarzenkirche. It’s his home village.’

‘Well, goddamn it, that’s a hell of a thing.’

‘And we’ll be OK with the troops?’

‘You think this is good use of their time?’

‘We’ll find out, won’t we.’

‘OK, let’s go in just before dawn. I’ll be with you.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Oh, and keep me in the loop with developments like that. Don’t spring stuff on me, Professor. That was the problem with Collingham and Harper. Their death left us in the dark. Proper up-to-date briefings, OK?’

*

The soldiers came to Schwarzenkirche in the last of the twilight. A company of two hundred American troops, heavily armed, and led by Colonel John Appache. Their vehicles had been parked two miles distant and they made their way to the village on foot, splitting into four groups to approach the settlement of pretty Bavarian chalets from east, west, south and north.

Their boots were silent on the lush grass of the flowery meadow that surrounded the village. Mountains towered on three sides and pine forests bordered the meadows with ancient rocky paths through to the higher pastures.

At a signal from Appache, the soldiers came to a halt fifty yards outside the village. They all knew their role. A quarter were to remain outside the village to prevent any escapes, while the main body moved in as one, three men to each of the forty-eight houses.

Heck was leading the squad from the north, while Wilde was second in command to Appache in the southern squad coming from the alm above the village. It had to be that way, Appache had said. ‘I’m afraid I can’t ask my men to obey orders from a college professor, so in theory I will be leading. In practice, you will take the lead because this is your mission. As Lieutenant Heck is an officer in the British military, my men are obliged to accept his command, even if it’s under sufferance.’

A detailed outline of the village had been supplied at Dachau, having been sketched by the small squad who went to Schwarz-enkirche in the initital search for Julius Boden. Major Clausen had led that raid and he had answered all Wilde’s questions. Now he was in the team waiting outside the village.