Un-Sung Hero

I stood watching my reflection in the pendulum of our grandfather clock, it was hard to accept this would be the last time.

Dad lost to cancer after a 3 year long fight. With huge medical bills to settle and completely drained savings, Mom made the call on “Estate Sale”. The House and everything in it to be sold to the highest bidder, with our memories attached.

“Arty, help me load this chest.” Mom called

“Are we taking that with us?

We never opened it since Dad dragged it from Grandpa Johann’s”.

Midst of WWII, Oberleutnant Johann Mueller and his wife Heidi ran away from Germany to Canada in 1944, while still a senior & decorated officer of the Third Reich.

Suzy and I grew up with Bedtime stories of their life in Pre-war Germany, Grandpa’s adventures in the war, their hasty escape from Germany to Canada and settling down in Kimberly BC.

After they passed in quick succession, four years back, dad got this box over

“My parents came to this country with just this box” he said “it holds precious memories”

These memories make another journey today as we relocate to Mom’s childhood house in Kelowna, to stay with Grandma Maggie. “Till life somewhat, sorts itself out” said mom.

The drive from Kimberly to Kelowna was pretty quiet with me dreaming up plots for my next story. We reach “Roddenberry Estates” in the afternoon.

Grandma Maggie comes out to welcome us and mom leaves me to unload the car. After a few trips back and forth, I get to the last piece, Grandpa Johann’s box.

“where do you want this mom?”

“Put it in Grandpa Rogers study in the Attic.”

I carry it up and put it on Grandpa’s desk in the attic.

This room was out of bounds, when Grandpa was around. Filled with maps, books and curios to get any kid excited and absolutely alluring for an imaginative mind like mine.

I plunk myself into Grandpa’s swivel chair and swivel around. “Ooops” the car keys go slipping out of my pocket and under the desk. Swith on my phone’s “flashlight” shining it under the desk. “Where did it go?”

Looked like a floorboard had come loose covering a hole of sorts on the floor, the keys must have slid in there. Lying flat on the floor I reach under and remove the floorboard and reach in and pull out the keys. My fingers touch something else.

Reaching in a little more, I pulled out a small book. Black leather cover with golden “RR” embossed. Grandpa ‘Roger Roddenberry’ the great Explorer and Cartographer, I thought.

“Why would you be hiding a diary” I thought.

I opened the yellowed pages filled with handwritten notes, sketches, maps.

I go down to the kitchen “Grandma Maggie, did you know Grandpa had this diary hidden into the floorboard of the attic?”

“Roger used the attic for his Cartography work and we kept clear of that place. Never sure what he had in there” she said casually.

“After Roger died, Leo emptied the attic into his antique shop. He might know something about this stuff. Ask him when he comes to dinner tonight.”

“Its has Co-ordinates, names of places and some maps have “Xs”. Do you think Grandpa found treasures during his expeditions and made maps to find them.”

“I hope you and Leo find some treasures, we could do with some money now.” Mom says with a wink to Granny

I sat peering into the pages, but the maps, icons and notes made no sense to my 17 years old mind. “What secret did Grandpa Roger hide in here?”

Uncle Leo, the proud owner of “Leo’s Curios” Antiques, pulls up the gravel driveway.

He enters and I dive right in

“Uncle Leo, did you know Grandpa Roger hid this treasure map in a hole in the attic”

“Nice seeing you too Arty” he says sarcastically. “What’s this now” he says, taking the dairy.

“Dad used these for field notes during his expeditions, not sure why he would hide this one. Bring it to the shop tomorrow Arty, we can crosscheck with dad’s other diaries”.

Dinner conversation turns to the Kimberly estate sale, school for me and job prospects for mom at a Bakery owned by Brian, Leo’s friend.

Next day, after Breakfast, I head back straight back to the Attic. Start

Browsing the net, researching places named in the diary. I need to write this stuff down,

“where’s a pen when you need one.” Nothing in the drawers and my backpack is downstairs….. “Argh”

Grandpa Johann’s chest catches my eyes. “Perhaps something in there to write with.”

Opened it, there was Grandma Heidi’s needlepoints, monotone faded pictures of the Muellers in Germany, their first house in Kimberly, BC, Dad’s stuff as a kid ……. the usual memories ….. but no pen.

That’s when it caught my eye, the small metal box at the bottom.

Inside were more Photographs of Grandpa Johann’s with men in uniform, a broken wristwatch, a medals, some paper with German writing and A Pen !

I open the cap, “that’s a funny contraption, what kind of a pen is this?” I think, while trying to scribble with it. “Nothing!”

“Come on down Arty, we have to get to town” mom calls.

Mom drops me Leo’s Curios and head out to Brian’s.

Uncle Leo called out from the back room as I entered. I head over to his “office Room” him and I hand over the diary and the pen.

“Look at this funny pen Uncle Leo, I found it in Grandpa Johann’s box of Memoires.”

He opens the cap and chuckles…. “This is a Fountain Pen Arty, I don’t think you ever saw one.”

I quickly change this embarrassing topic and point at the Diary, “Lets start”.

After many going back and forth between browsing the net, looking into Grandad’s other Diaries and comparing the hidden one … Uncle Leo shakes his head.

“Sorry Arty, these are just field notes, same as all others. I don’t know why he would hide this one.”

“Maybe he did not hide it, probably just fell down and slipped into that hole…” He hands me back the Diary “finders keepers” and just like that my treasure hunt was over before it started.

“Could I keep this pen for a bit”

“Sure” I said .

Mom returns and has a chat with Uncle Leo. “Brian wants to sell a stake of the Bakery and move to Vancouver, leaving me running the Bakery here. I do hope there is $7000 left over from the estate sale. this is such a great opportunity!”

We leave for the next best thing after a failed treasure hunt, ‘Ice Cream’!

Just around dinner, we heard Leo’s pickup come to stop in the driveway.

“as many visits in as many days.” jibed Granny, as he entered.

He heads right over to me “where did you find this pen Arty? what else was with it.”

I take him upstairs to Johann’s metal box. He removes the contents of the box and carefully laid them out on the table… Medals, Photos, Papers and places the Pen with them. He takes Pictures of this spread with his phone.

He picks up everything and Chooses two Photographs from the lot. One of Grandpa Johann in his uniform and another of Johann with another officer, missing his right hand.

He gathers us all around the dining table and lays out the content of the box, picks up the Pen, clears his throat and starts

“This caught my attention after Arty mentioned it belonged to Johann, I wanted to see if it has any antique value?”

This is a German made Pelikan D100 pen. The pre-war versions with with gold nib & clasps fetch over $10,000.

Pelikan’s owner Beindorff supported Hitler to become Chancellor of Germany. An ingratiated Hitler ordered Pelican the official pen for German government and army. It made the Pelikan a famously infamous brand.

Pre-war rationing in Germany forced Pelican to change gold nibs to Palladium and then to Chromium Nickle which were marked with a “Cn” on the nib. He opens the cap and points at the Nib.

This “Cn” mark and missing gold bands on the Cap, makes this a post 1939 Model. Unfortunately, commonplace as an antique.

He then points at the CS inscribed on the Cap.

“That’s not Grandpa Johann’s initials.” I add.

“That’s what got me here tonight. I had to check what else was with the pen.” He points at the stuff he laid on the table and continues

“We know Johaan escaped from Germany mid of 1944, Many other in his position did too, but not till mid 1945.

So why would Johaan escape in 1944 while there was still hope for German victory”

“These items tell us the story of the real Johann and if not for Arty’s treasure hunt, we would never have seen these”.

He picks the two the photographs he selected

“This officer without a right hand, you see with Johann is Oberst ClausVon Stauffenberg. A dis-enchanted German officer who masterminded the plot to assassinate Hitler in July 1944. He would activate plan “Valkyrie” & take over the government and negotiate peace with the Allied.

The plan failed and everyone involved were executed ….. or so we thought!”

“So how is Johann involved in this” Mom asks

“You see Johann Mueller in this pictures with Stauffenberg, but that was not his name in Germany. He was OberLeutnant Werner von Haeften, adjutant to Col. Stauffenberg.

Werner was clearly involved with Col. Stauffenberg’s German Resistance to Nazism, dedicated to remove Hitler, end the war and return Germany to peace.”

“This medal and citation” he said, holding them up “is awarded to Werner von Haeften.

This second photograph of Johann wearing the Iron Cross confirms his identity as Werner.

“…th…the… Pen !

I stuttered “does CS stands for Claus Stauffenber?

“yes.. Stauffenberg lost his right hand in Tunisia, probably never used a pen again. He might have given his pen to his trusted friend and aide, Werner”.

“but everyone involved in the plot executed !” Mom asked

“that’s what we know, but obviously Johann escaped. Which explains why he had fled Germany, almost overnight, in 1944.

“We spent all these years disrespecting Johann, thinking he escaped to avoid capture by the Allied army. I remember Dad being outright rude to his face and yet Johann never said a word.” Mom added, a tear forming in the corner of her eyes.

I was dumbstruck, a legend in the family we knew nothing about, “I want this story told for our Un-sung Hero. Werner’s attempt to bring a tyranny to its end, should be known to the world.

“You could self publish it Arty, if you decide to sell these stuff” says Leo. We have over $50,000 in value here.

“No, I want to keep the Medal and the pictures in respect of Grandpa” I said.

“Lemme reach out to some guys” said Leo “The photographs & citations proves the provenance of the Pen. While it was of little value buy itself, the history makes it worth over $20,000 to private collectors of WWII memorabilia.

“Mom,” I said “this is like a gift from Grandpa Johann and Dad who kept these things as memories. You can pay the deposit for the Bakery from this sale and follow your dream ….”

I would like to use whats left of the money visit Germany and find Grandpa Johann’s relatives. I want to tell them how his life panned after leaving his beloved Germany, reconnect our families with them and perhaps publish my story in German too.”

Uncle Leo says “Werner’s brother Hans Haeften was executed in Plotzensee Prison in 1944, but his family is alive and well respected in present day Germany. You should start by reaching out to them. What a great story that will make for your next story Arty”

“I think I will rename the Bakery Der Werners.” says mom!