Chapter 0.1: Mission Briefing (Jenden, Randel)
The meeting took place on the uppermost floor in the Eastern wing of the Renthof hotel, in what must have been a luxury suite back in the days but was now stripped bare, with benches put down on the floor.
The roof had mostly survived the bombings, but there were a couple of strategically placed buckets to catch water in the event of rainfall.
When Arthur arrived last, there were about two dozen men in the room, spread out across the benches, a mix of British and American soldiers.
Two MPs were ushered out by Colonel Solomon, closing the door behind them. Everybody shuffled to take a seat, with Solomon waiting for the commotion to quiet down.
"Gentlemen, now that Staff Sergeant Randel has found the time to grace us with his presence, I think it's time we an begin. Needless to say, everything that is said from here on out is top secret."
He paused, for emphasis. "For any of you who haven't met me, I'm Colonel Solomon, and I'm the head of OSI field operations in this little corner of the world. I would like to introduce you to Operation Baskerville. This team have been put together for one hopefully last mission behind enemy lines. You'll also be behind friendly lines, which may not be as friendly as... ah, I'm getting ahead of myself."
He drew the men's attention to a large map of the region around Berlin, with red flags marking the main Soviet armies in the vicinity. They were pretty close to the Nazi's capital. Twice as far away: blue flags for the Western Allies.
"The Nazis, especially the SS, show no sign of giving up. Allied Command will leave Berlin to the Russians. It going to be a brutal fight."
He turned around, facing the men again. "And you'll be right in the middle of it. The Nazis have run a secret operation that we don't know much about, but they have done so at least since 1942, under the codename "Sonderkommando N". We don't know what the N stands for, but it's likely not standing for Niceties."
That drew a chuckle from some of the Brits, but the Americans staid all quiet and intensly focused.
Solomon raised an eyebrow. "Tough crowd, eh? Well, nevermind. Your mission is two-fold: We've had intelligence that the head of Sonderkommando N, one Franz Kemmel of the SS is in Berlin, overlooking the final stages of the project. You will capture him. Take him alive if at all possible. Randel - I'm counting on you to keep him alive if he's wounded. Alive is good enough, he doesn't need to be comfortable.
Second: You will extract a spy that has lived right under the nose of the Nazis for the last 5 years or so. She will be able to identify Kemmel on sight. We unfortunately don't have a picture of him. She's a nurse in a makeshift field lazarett about here."
He tapped at a point in Western Berlin. "Near or in the Olympic Stadium. Please make sure she's well, she has risked and endured an awful lot."
He sighed and pointed at the red flags. "Now, the complication. The Red Army will begin their assault on Berlin within the next few days. To prevent them from shooting you, you'll be given a codeword. And let's hope they pass it down the chain of command. Do not open fire on the Russians. We don't want to encourage Uncle Joe's boys to keep marching to Paris."
He looks at his watch.
"Timeline: We're still preparing how to get you there. Elements of the Third Army will secure an airfield close to Berlin and we'll fly you in. That should be done within the next week. Then you take a leisurely stroll towards Berlin, get our girl, take Kemmel and any intelligence you may find on this Sonderkommando, tip your hat to the Russians and be back in time for tea."
He smiled and clasped his hands behind his back. "Any questions?"
This message was last edited by the player at 12:14, Fri 10 July 2020.