Know that I share in your sorrow.
Plans have been set in motion to secret you off to the United States of America. The archdiocese there will offer you a sanctuary that we, amidst this horrific war, cannot provide. The USA remains a neutral entity. They will offer you safety and the promise of a brighter future.
My assistant has coordinated your departure from a secluded airfield south of Rome. You will take flight under the cloak of the new moon tomorrow night.
With deepest condolences,
Tears welled up in Hannah’s eyes as she absorbed the pope’s somber words, his stillborn attempt to save her parents. Her emotions were a whirlwind, a tumultuous mix of grief over her lost parents and hope for a better future in a far-off land. The anti-Semitism of the United States, she had heard, was a far lesser evil compared to the horrors she had witnessed in Europe. At least the Americans had the decency not to round up Jews for execution.
She closed her eyes, offering a silent prayer for her parents’ souls in Heaven. She took three deep, shuddering breaths, attempting to steady herself in the face of this devastating news, but it was to no avail. She collapsed onto her side sobbing uncontrollably, her face buried in a pillow, the crumpled letter clutched in her trembling hands.
There was no comfort for Hannah in her loss. She was now utterly alone in the world. As far as she knew, all her relatives had met the same cruel fate as her parents in the Treblinka extermination camp. How could she possibly carry on?
Chapter 56
22 August 1941
Rome, Italy
Hannah Goldstein, along with a band of Jewish refugees who had miraculously evaded the Gestapo’s clutches, were guided to the verdant expanse of a secluded airfield. Each of these persecuted souls had entrusted their properties and estates to the Vatican’s safekeeping, a desperate gamble in the face of the Nazi onslaught. The Vatican, in turn, pledged to restore these assets once the monstrous tide of war had receded.
The night was a cloak of impenetrable darkness, the absence of the moon amplifying the cold that seeped into Hannah’s bones, stirring a wave of nausea. She steeled herself against the discomfort, refusing to let her physical state jeopardize her chance to escape the war-torn continent.
Two Vatican staff, their flashlights dimmed to mere pinpricks of light, shepherded the Jewish group towards the silhouette of a DLH Junkers Ju, its formidable dual propellers a promise of salvation. The Vatican had managed to secure this air transport from Deutsche Luft Hansa airlines, who had secretly contracted to ferry the Jews hidden in Castel Gandolfo to the relative safety of the United States. Despite the chaos engulfing Europe, the pope and the Vatican still wielded powerful influence over factions sympathetic to the Catholic Church, thereby aiding Jews in their desperate flight.
The group ascended the aircraft’s stairs one by one, each step a leap towards an uncertain future. Hannah was the last to enter the aircraft, her heart pounding in her chest.
As she disappeared into the belly of the plane, the Vatican staff, shrouded in black, retreated, leaving the pilot to prepare for the long journey. The engines roared to life, the grass beneath trembling under the force of their power.
The DLH airplane taxied down to one end of the private airstrip, the grassy runway stretching out before it. With a surge of power, the brakes were released, and the DLH Junkers Ju hurtled forward before lifting off into the inky abyss.
The moment it reached a thousand feet, a sudden explosion ripped through the hull in a blinding flash that lit up the fields below. The plane had been sabotaged, a deadly trap set by the pope’s assassin to ensure no one ever bore witness to the pope’s indiscretions.
Chapter 57
9 May 1941
The Art of War
#17 All warfare is based on deception
The Council has orchestrated a daring mission for Rudolf Hess to penetrate the heart of England. He will meet with the British Government’s highest officials and convince them to become spectators in our European war.
Hess will negotiate the terms of the peace proposal with the British Government, which includes relief from the Luftwaffe air raids. The peace proposal promises Hitler will withdraw the Nazi military from Western Europe and cease all war operations in the West. Hitler demands that no country will be burdened with reparations from the war.
With the British cowed into complacency, Hitler can then unleash the full might of the Nazi military upon the Soviet Union. It shall be the Third Reich’s crowning glory in the expansion of its territory. The Tzar’s treasure will soon belong to the Vatican.
Chapter 58
6 May 1941
Rome, Italy
“Iwish for you to fly to England to negotiate a peace proposal with the Duke of Hamilton,” Pope Pius XII commanded Rudolph Hess over a secure phone line, his voice full of authority.
“Yes, Your Holiness. I am your loyal servant.”
“Bohle, despite his position, lacks the necessary prominence within the Nazi ranks to effectively communicate our peace proposal. We need to dispatch someone whose stature mirrors that of Hitler himself.”
“What about Adolf?”
The removal of Rudolf Hess from Hitler’s side would sever the pope’s direct line of communication with the Führer. The Council had stressed the importance of keeping Britain out of the war so that the German war machine could focus all its efforts on the Soviet Union front. Pacifying Britain at this juncture was crucial. The Third Reich needed to capture more territory to project ultimate power over Western and Eastern Europe. In Hess’s absence, the pope would have to resort to slower coded messages to communicate with Hitler.
“You will meet with Hitler tomorrow. I will call on a secure phone line to explain the details of your mission to England. Convincing Hitler to temporarily release you from service for this critical mission will be a task in itself.”
7 May 1941
Berlin, Germany
“Outrageous!” the Führer’s voice thundered through the room, his fury inescapable over the pope’s audacious demand. “Wilhelm Bohle is already en route to negotiate with the British.” He could hardly believe the pope would dare alter his plans without first consulting with him. Ernst Wilhelm Bohle, the Foreign Minister of the Nazi Party, was Hitler’s chosen envoy.
Pacelli chose his words carefully, a blend of flattery and logic designed to sway Hitler. “Mein Führer, the British are not biting,” he countered, his voice steady in contrast to Hitler’s heavy breathing. “Bohle has failed to make the progress we need. We must send a figure of greater prominence, someone who commands your level of respect and authority. Who better than your deputy to convince the British to accept this proposal? It is by divine providence that your loyal assistant is a man who truly understands your vision for a thousand-year Reich. His presence alone will command the attention of the British and ensure the ratification of this peace proposal.”
Sensing Hitler’s hesitation, the pope delivered his final argument. “To expand the empire’s territory, you cannot afford a war on two fronts,” he stated, invoking the wisdom of The Art of War. “It is absolutely crucial we pacify Britain so you can focus on expanding into Soviet territory, Mein Führer.” The Council would not risk stretching the Nazi army thin across two fronts. The attacks needed to remain consolidated on one military front, and that front was the Soviet Union.
Hitler fell silent, his mind whirling with the pope’s words. His mentor had been a steadfast ally in his rise to power, guiding him to become the Führer of the Nazi Party then all of Germany. Surely, the pope would not propose something that could jeopardize the fate of the Third Reich?
The problem was, Hitler knew the pope was correct—Hitler’s chosen foreign affairs representative wasn’t the right man for this mission. He was weak. It would take someone of Hitler’s own stature to convince the British to accept this peace proposal. The British needed to believe in the sincerity of Germany’s peace offering, and who better than Rudolf Hess to convince them?
Hess sat in the dimly lit Führerbunker near Hitler, his gaze fixed on his master. The Führer’s face was a canvas of emotion, shifting from stubborn defiance to reluctant acceptance as he absorbed the pope’s words. It was becoming clear to Hitler that the pope’s argument was irrefutable—Hess was the only man capable of executing this critical mission.
As the line went dead, Hitler turned to Hess, his face a mask of resignation, haunted by the realization that he might be bidding his closest ally a final farewell. “This mission could very well be a one-way journey for you, my friend.”
“I will persuade the British that I am an emissary, and they will ensure my safe return to Germany,” Hess responded, his voice brimming with confidence. He had faith in the pope’s wisdom, even if it meant severing the pontiff’s direct line of communication with Hitler.
As they moved into the anteroom, Hitler draped his arm around Hess in a rare display of affection. “Hess, you really are stubborn. I will miss you.”
10 May 1941
Augsburg, Germany
Rudolf Hess, in a daring act, commandeered a Messerschmitt Bf 110D from Augsburg, Germany, taking off a mere thirty-one miles west of Munich. His target was the Grand Dungavel House, the Scottish stronghold of the Duke of Hamilton. Their acquaintance traced back to the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Hess was banking on leveraging this connection to secure a meeting with Prime Minister Winston Churchill. He remained devout in his mission to secure the strategic peace proposal with the British government on behalf of Germany.
Fate, however, had other plans. Hess, flying over the rugged Scottish landscape, missed his intended landing site by a staggering twelve miles. With his fuel reserves dwindling, he was forced to parachute from his plane, landing in the pastoral fields of a farmer named David McLean in Eaglesham, Scotland. The sight of the flaming Messerschmitt with its Nazi insignia was enough to send McLean out into the field, pitchfork in hand.
