Cam was the first to enter her lecture hall. The theater-style seating rose from the floor level to the ceiling, allowing up to a hundred attendees at a time. Gunner and then Bear filled the entrance as they quietly entered the room.
“Welcome!” she shouted from behind her lectern. “Come on down. You can’t hide from the professor today.”
Professor Bale was in a jovial mood. She enjoyed teaching, even to those who were there for reasons other than higher education. The information she could provide Gunner and his team would be unique and potentially beneficial to their ongoing investigation into who had rushed to the bottom of the Atlantic in search of those canisters.
After the introductions, Professor Bale began.
“I spoke to an interesting member of your team, Theodora, I believe her name was. Very cerebral. I truly expected her to be along with you today.”
“She’s more important than we are,” Cam quipped. “If something happened to us, they’d just find three more like us to do the job. Jack—I mean Theodora is indispensable.”
“She certainly had a working knowledge of what we’re about to discuss. She seemed to anticipate my questions and was quick to volunteer the pertinent information I requested. Let me start with how I came to study this topic.” Professor Bale turned and pushed a button on a remote device. A screen showing a map of Europe appeared on the monitor centered on the wall.
She continued. “Many high-ranking Nazi Party officials began to realize in 1944 that the war would be lost. Some attempted to convince Hitler to negotiate a surrender that would allow them to keep their positions within the Reich as well as the conquered territories of Poland and Austria. At the time, some within the British government appeared to be open to the proposal.
“Hitler, however, adamantly refused. In many respects, he was surrounded by yes men. That was an evolving situation because those who disagreed with him were immediately marked as treasonous. One of the most intellectual, as well as street-smart, individuals in Hitler’s inner circle was Himmler.
“Himmler, in most respects, was a better planner than Hitler. The difference between the two men was Hitler’s charismatic nature. Himmler was not interested in glory. He sought results. History has shown that Himmler also saw the war as being lost but never enunciated this to Hitler. Instead, he had plans of his own—Odessa.”
“As in Ukraine?” asked Gunner.
“No, actually. No relation whatsoever. Odessa was an acronym, more or less, for an organization of former SS members. Now, history has been rewritten over the years as American intelligence agencies have claimed to have generated this code name for the escaping Nazis. In reality, the American counterintelligence corps, or CIC, tried to cover up their inability to find all of the high-ranking Nazi officials. Odessa was designed and implemented by Himmler. It was known throughout the Nazi ranks and was used as a watchword during their secret conversations while held in internment camps immediately after the war.”
“What was the purpose of Odessa?” asked Gunner.
“Himmler had plans for a post-war Germany. If Hitler wouldn’t negotiate a surrender, he wanted to have a means to give his top Nazi Party officials and military leaders an opportunity to escape capture. Toward that end, ratlines were established.”
“Ratlines?” asked Bear.
“Yes,” replied Professor Bale as she brought up another slide. “Depending upon the Nazi’s final destination, they used a number of escape routes. Austria was a first stop, as a number of convents and holy orders provided them refuge. Switzerland, which remained neutral during the war, gave many sanctuary. And through the efforts of German clergy, in particular Bishop Alois Hudal, travel visas were arranged to Rome, where the Nazis gained the protection of the Vatican.”
“Where did they go from there?” asked Gunner.
“Many remained in Switzerland, while others chose the Middle East. Mostly, the Nazis made their way to South America. Adolf Eichmann made his way to Buenos Aries through Italy. Josef Mengele escaped to Brazil. Horst Wagner landed in Argentina. By most estimates, ten thousand former German soldiers and Nazi Party members escaped Germany into the Middle East, Northern Africa, and South America.”
Cam was intrigued. “Okay, these guys proved they were smart enough to escape. Weren’t they rounded up over time?”
“Yes, and no,” replied Professor Bale. “Many of the high-profile Nazis were captured or killed. Naturally, over the passage of time, those who evaded the international manhunts have died. Think about it. Even the youngest German soldiers who escaped would be over one hundred years old at this point.”
“In other words, they won’t be of any assistance to us,” said Cam.
Professor Bale furrowed her brow. “They may not, but their families and ancestors might be. You see, the purpose of Odessa, in my opinion, was more than assisting the escape of the Nazis. It was to continue the Reich in some form.”
“Do you believe the Nazi Party still exists?” asked Bear. “I’ve seen these skinhead types. They’re just a bunch of delusional fools.”
“Let me differentiate,” she responded. “Aryan Nation. Neo-Nazis. Nordkreuz. These are all very real, but they certainly aren’t organized and skilled political forces as envisioned by Himmler. They are a criminal element of racists who are more anarchist than true believers of a reinvented Reich. The Nordkreuz, a German-based neo-Nazi outfit, are the most politically astute of them all. There are some of my counterparts in Germany tracking their activities.”
Cam asked, “What about the Nazi hunters? Are there any still active who can help us?”
“Honestly, no,” replied the professor. “They were active decades ago, but as the Nazis aged and died out, they became intent on persecuting the descendants. That didn’t sit well with many, so they backed off. At this point, even the most
