It was with mixed feelings that she returned to Berlin. She could now confidently report to McFarlane that two fugitives had escaped by submarine to Argentina, just as he had suspected, but now she was equally convinced that it wasn’t Hitler and Eva Braun.
That said, there was something about that description of the man. Sybilla felt certain that the two seamen were describing Heinrich Müller!
McFarlane Plans
Brigadier Robert McFarlane slumped uncomfortably in the captain’s chair at the head of an oblong table in a borrowed conference room in Lancaster House, the headquarters of the Berlin Area Troops, his face stern and his brow furrowed. He had flown to Berlin after reading the reports from two of his agents, which had caused him some concern.
Sitting at the side of the table to his right was his Chief of Staff, Major James Farquharson, former Scots Dragoon. Farquharson was referred to in military circles as a ‘Mayfair Highlander’, an officer in a Scottish regiment, born and brought up in the home counties. This was not strictly true of Farquharson, in that he was, in fact, a Scot, but years of education in Eton and later Oxford had all but eliminated his Edinburgh accent. Farquharson was tall and slender with fair skin and sandy hair. His attempt at a moustache was, by his own admission, a disaster. It would have been easy to underestimate James Farquharson. He was industrious, tenacious, shrewd and highly intelligent. It was this mix of characteristics that had come to the attention of McFarlane and led to his recruitment into MI5.
To the right of Farquharson, further down the table, was Sybilla Thorstaadt—code name Skadi—one of the few but increasing number of civilian agents in the service. Directly across from Sybilla was Lieutenant Colonel Dragan ‘Dan’ Kelly.
Suddenly McFarlane sat bolt upright, his round face beaming, eyes bright and a huge, open-mouthed smile. “Well, gentlepeople”—unlike Farquharson, his broad Hebridean accent had not faded over time— “this is a fine kettle filled with very interesting fish you’ve presented me with this time! I confess myself to be completely befuddled!”
It is doubtful if anything ever had, or ever could, ‘befuddle’ McFarlane, but he liked to throw in comments like this to encourage his staff to contribute.
“Let me make my position clear,” he continued. “I have never subscribed to the idea that Hitler survived the bunker. I believe that he and Braun committed suicide. That said, I have always had a little niggle chewing away at the back of my mind, but more of that later. For now, what I’d like to do is examine a few of the issues raised in your very thought-provoking reports. Oh, and by the way, thank you for those.
“First off,” he said, looking at Sybilla, “Billa, how certain are you that the passengers on the U-530 were not Hitler and Braun?”
“Very!” answered Sybilla. “That said, the man matched the description of Müller to a tee. I’ve no idea who the woman was.”
“That damn man Müller is becoming the bane of our lives,” growled McFarlane. “What about the other submarine that crossed the big pond?”
“U-977,” said Sybilla. “I tracked down some of the crew. Most were uncommunicative, but a couple opened up. They said they were carrying a large number of wooden crates, small but very heavy, possibly gold. The crates were off-loaded and transported away before the skipper surrendered.”
“But no passengers?” queried McFarlane.
“No passengers,” confirmed Sybilla.
“Jamie,”—this to Farquharson— “do we have any persons of interest, still missing, who match the description of the man on the U-530?”
“Not really, Brigadier.” Farquharson always referred to McFarlane as Brigadier. Every other agent simply called him ‘Bob’. “We’re still looking for Bormann, but he doesn’t fit the description; Eichmann, but we think he went down the ratline a few years later; likewise, Mengele, so we’re left with Müller. I agree with Billa, he fits the description very well. I’m afraid we’ve drawn a complete blank on the woman.”
“Dan!” said McFarlane, turning to Kelly. “Your man Manteufel believes that the good Frau Hitler was with child?”
“It was actually his son who suggested it, but it does make sense. All the signs are there: the snatched conversation with Müller, the woman-to-woman chat with Constanze Manziarly and indeed, literally, the writing on the wall. If it were the case, then that would provide a huge incentive to get out of the bunker.” Farquharson was nodding in agreement as Kelly made this last point.
“Have we spoken to this Constanze Manziarly?” asked McFarlane.
“Last seen on 2 May 1945, but never seen again.”
“Wonderful!” said McFarlane, with a hint of exasperation in his voice. “What about the people who saw Hitler’s dead body? You mentioned in your report that there were four of them.”
“That’s right,” confirmed Kelly. “Bormann we’ve already spoken about, missing believed dead. Heinz Linge, the chauffeur, captured by the Soviets and still in captivity. Otto Günsche, an adjutant, also captured by the Soviets and still in captivity. Then there was the sergeant, Rochus Misch. According to Manteufel, he only had a glimpse of the bodies, so it’s unlikely that he would prove a reliable witness one way or the other. In any case, it’s academic, he was captur—”
“Captured by the Soviets and still in captivity.” McFarlane finished the
