“Your man sends you a daily report on Il Duce’s whereabouts?” Hitler asked.
“Yes, my Führer. He has previously reported that Mussolini will be taken—as soon as safe travel can be arranged—to the Campo Imperatore Hotel.”
“Tell the admiral, Himmler, who Hauptmann Skorzeny is,” Hitler said softly.
“SS-Hauptmann Otto Skorzeny is something of a legend within the Waffen-SS, Canaris. I assigned him—as the best man for the job available to me—to track Il Duce when the Italians betrayed us and Mussolini was arrested. I can’t believe he made a mistake like this.”
“I can,” Hitler said. “Which leaves us with something of an administrative problem.” He fixed his eyes on Canaris. “You will lea
rn, Admiral, if you already haven’t, that the reward for someone who doesn’t make mistakes is that other onerous chores are soon added to what chores he is already bearing by those who do make mistakes.”
Canaris thought: Someone like yourself, you mean? Who is incapable of making a mistake, and is thus doomed to correct the errors of others?
Hitler looked around at the other senior officers who were still standing in a rough semicircle behind him. He didn’t see what he was looking for, and he turned his attention to the officers lined up against the wall.
“General von Wachtstein, would you be good enough to join us?”
Von Wachtstein walked over to Hitler, who went on:
“General, Reichsprotektor Himmler and Admiral Canaris are about to return to Berlin, where, together with General Student, they will replan and execute the liberation of Il Duce from his captors. Replanning is necessary because if the original plan—General Student’s Fallschirmjägers taking the Campo Imperatore Hotel in Abruzzi with irresistible force—had been executed, Il Duce would not have been there.
“A little mistake on the part of one of the Reichsprotektor’s men. Or perhaps on the part of the Reichsprotektor himself; he didn’t consider it necessary to consult with the chief of Abwehr intelligence vis-à-vis the actual location of Il Duce. Why should he? The SS is perfect and knows everything.
“Your role in this, General von Wachtstein, is to witness the discussions between these gentlemen and, when they have made any decision at all, to relay that decision to me so that I will have the chance to stop any blunders before they occur. Telephone each decision these gentlemen reach to Obersturmführer Günsche, who will pass it to me. Any questions?”
“No, my Führer,” von Wachtstein said.
“That will be all, gentlemen,” Hitler said.
And then he walked to Gehlen.
“I very much appreciate the good work Abwehr Ost has been doing, Herr Oberstleutnant. Please convey my compliments to your associates when you return to the east.”
“Jawohl, my Führer. Thank you, my Führer.”
Hitler walked back to the map-covered table and leaned over it.
One by one, Himmler, von Wachtstein, Student, Canaris, von und zu Waching, and Gehlen walked to the door, gave the Nazi salute, and left. Nobody seemed to notice.
[THREE]
Tempelhof Airfield
Berlin, Germany
1605 19 August 1943
Himmler said virtually nothing to anyone on the flight to Berlin.
Canaris wondered if Himmler really was fascinated with the contents of his briefcase, or whether he was angry with him for making him look like a fool with Hitler.
Canaris went over what had happened at Wolfsschanze several times in his mind. With the exception of that very long three or four seconds during which he felt sure he was about to feel Hitler’s often irrational rage, everything had gone well.
And Hitler hadn’t mentioned Operation Phoenix at all. Canaris wondered if Bormann had told Himmler about that encounter with the Bavarian corporal.
On reflection, Canaris didn’t think he was going to get into any difficulty about the operation to rescue Mussolini; his only contribution to that was going to be providing the intelligence regarding the deposed Italian dictator’s location. And he was sure he knew. His man with Il Duce was solid as a rock.
As the Heinkel taxied up to the curved Tempelhof terminal building, Canaris saw that a small convoy of cars was waiting for them.