their discovery. Upon orders from Berlin, Schrader conducted further experiments until he produced a nerve agent so deadly that many of the army scientists dubbed the liquid tabun. Taboo. The nerve agent was named sarin, an acronym for the names of the four scientists who developed it.”

The industrialist from IG Farben spoke up. “Our company stopped manufacturing the sarin when the military chose not to purchase it from us. We had no other use for such a deadly substance.”

The room fell silent as the men looked from the Farben representative to Dr. Blome. Himmler was the first to speak.

“Production has not ceased. It is now under the auspices of Herr Doktor Blome at Riems Island.”

The room burst into whispered conversation. The production of sarin was considered taboo, not only because it was contrary to Hitler’s wishes, but because its use was deemed unhumanitarian, even for the Nazis, who hadn’t hesitated to use Zyklon B to exterminate the Jewish race. From the Nazi perspective, Zyklon B, the poisonous gas commonly known as hydrogen cyanide, resulted in suffocation. Sarin was considered a more brutal death.

“I did not know this!” protested the representative from IG Farben. “We will have no part of this.” He began to rise from his chair to leave.

With the man standing in front of the fire staring at Dr. Blome, Himmler spoke. “Is there anyone who objects to the manufacture of sarin gas and its use as a weapon of war?”

One other man, a banker, stood and shook his head before lowering it. He was ashamed to disagree with Himmler, but he was given the option to distance himself from the nerve agent.

Without saying another word, Himmler led the two men to the only doorway leading into the crypt. Outside, two SS guards awaited them. Himmler’s words were whispered and ominous.

“These two gentlemen do not wish to participate further in our conversation. Please see to them.”

As the SS guards escorted the men through the labyrinth of hallways, Himmler shook his head in disappointment. He had no problem sentencing men to their death. He’d preferred loyalty and cooperation. However, they were now privy to information that could not see the light of day. Within ten minutes, the two men would be executed and their bodies fed to the incinerator in the bowels of the castle.

Himmler returned to the attendees. “To each his own,” he said with a slight shrug and a barely noticeable smile. He suspected those two men would be more than contrarians. Those who would be chosen to take their positions would remain in lockstep with his Himmler’s plan. “We’re at war, and sometimes you must act rashly.”

“Reichsführer Himmler, may I speak freely now?” asked Dr. Blome.

“Yes, of course.”

“Based on our present manufacturing capacity at Riems Island, we are capable of producing twelve thousand kilograms of sarin within twelve months. Currently, we have two thousand kilos stockpiled.”

“You will be provided the resources to step up production,” said Himmler.

“Yes, thank you, Reichsführer Himmler. There is the matter of the delivery system. Am I to understand that the use of aerial armaments is off the table?”

“Yes, but only in our battle zones,” Himmler replied. “We are in the process of identifying experten, our highest scoring flying aces, to lead a special fighter force organized under General der Jagdflieger. Herr Herbst from Messerschmitt AG is here to speak to their aircraft.”

“Thank you, Reichsführer Himmler. We have increased production of the Messerschmitt 262, the Sturmvogel.” Sturmvogel, or Storm Bird, was the fighter-bomber version of the Messerschmitt aircraft. It was faster and more heavily armed than any Allied fighter jet.

Himmler interrupted. “These advanced aircraft will be dispatched on strategic bombing runs behind our enemies’ lines. They will be capable of carrying a total of five hundred kilograms of sarin.”

“Am I to focus on other potential delivery systems?” Dr. Blome asked.

Himmler paused and studied each of the men in the room. He had a response to the scientist’s question, but it was not necessary to inform the others. He’d divulged enough to get Project Tabun underway.

Chapter Seven

August 14, 1944

German Army Kommandantur

Palais du Rhin

Strasbourg, France

After the Franco-Prussian War of 1871, Strasbourg and the rest of Alsace-Lorraine in France was annexed by the kaiser of the German Empire. As the new capital of the province, the kaiser needed a residence symbolic of his imperial power. During the many decades of war in Europe, the massive structure passed hands until it was occupied once again by the Germans in 1944.

Reichsführer Himmler called a meeting of trusted members of the Nazi party and the military. It had been three weeks since the failed attempt on the life of Hitler at the Wolf’s Lair, his headquarters, in Poland. Known as Operation Valkyrie, or the 20 July Plot, a group of military conspirators and their civilian allies became convinced the only way to save Germany from destruction was to remove Hitler through assassination.

Led by a young staff officer, Lieutenant Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, the conspirators stayed one step ahead of the Gestapo, who’d received word that a coup attempt was imminent. Himmler was aware of the coup, and many of the conspirators saw him as a potential ally.

By mid-July of 1944, Himmler was convinced the war was unwinnable, hence his decision to initiate Project Tabun. However, he wanted no part of the assassination plot. Nor did he want to expose it. Most likely, it was he who would become Hitler’s successor, which would allow him to negotiate a peace with the Allied forces.

The bomb planted in the Wolf’s Lair conference room was not powerful enough to kill the Nazi leader. The failed assassination attempt served to strengthen the ties between Himmler and Hitler. As a result, Himmler was able to pursue his endeavors counter to the Führer’s wishes with impunity.

After Operation Valkyrie failed, the upper echelon within the Nazi party began to see the handwriting on the wall. They viewed Hitler as a weak, increasingly unhinged leader, who’d lost the respect of most of his immediate underlings. There

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