Very well plotted, with some interesting twists of motivation and manoeuvres:-)

Thank you for this excellent story.

Not only you have found a realistic way for the heroes to regain lost trust, in themselves and each other, but also painted Hochstetter as human and freed him from being just a caricature.

Everybody, including your very good OCs, acted in character and believable. Despite the serious story line it had a lot of clever and funny parts full of humor.

Thank you for taking the time and writing this story.

This has to be one of my absolute favorite stories. This was a wonderful tale all on its own, but the added bonus of putting a What-Happened-Next tag on the end of this episode was perfect. I absolutely love your narrative voice, it is so natural and easy to read. I also loved your ability to keep all our boys perfectly in character. (...And a little bit of Newkirk Abuse, mentally or physically, is never a bad thing, eh? ;) ) Thank you so much for sharing this!

This was an excellent story, and I enjoyed it very much. My heart went out to Newkirk, especially since you showed how much he regretted his mistake with Gretel and how hard he worked this time to prove himself. In the end, they came together as the brothers they are. Your OC's were all terrific, and I loved the way you played Hochstetter as conflicted over his family and yetstill obsessed. A fantastic job, indeed!

I just realized I never reviewed this story, even though I've read it multiple times. It's one of my absolute favorites! The characterizations are perfect, and the final ploy at the end was delightful. Great job!

Wow! I didn't see that last little bit coming - well done!

Nicely done - excellent tension.

Incredible! This was a super Hogan's Heroes story. You got all the characters just right-I could "hear" and "see" them perfectly-the plot was excellent, and all the plans worked out perfectly. And although I loved the focus on Newkirk, I really appreciated Hochstetter's introspection at the end; he was, briefly, almost human. Thanks!

With the 10 Golden Oldies category in mind, I finally (bad, bad me...) got around to reading this story. I don't know - most of your stories I jump at the moment they pop up, while others just don't seem to catch my interest, and this was one of the latter group.

Read it now in one go, and really, it's very well written - as I have come to expect from you :-) The plot is highly plausible, on the more serious side of "just like an episode", and very well developed, and there wasn't a single dull moment in the story.
I particularly liked the insight into the group dynamics of the Heroes, and into Hochstetter's secondary motives with Elise, but all in all, IMHO this story is nothing out of the ordinary. It's *good*, don't misunderstand me, but going by my personal standards, I've seen better stories aplenty from your hand. Or rather: *more captivating* ones. And one of the reasons for that might be that your unique ability for capturing the true HH humour - hardly ever entirely quenched in your other dramas - seems to have gone completely AWOL here... A pity, really. I was hoping to see a little of it at last around Addison's rugby game, but unfortunately, that opportunity for a few laughs, too, was glossed over very quickly :-(

But I do hope we'll get to see Rolf again one day. He seems like a worthy asset to the Underground!

Here it is, more than a year later, and I decided to read this story again. And it's even better than I remembered.

Several things struck me as I read the story.

First was the connection with the "Sticky Wicket Newkirk" episode, and how it necessary it was for Newkirk to make this journey, not just to regain the trust of his commander and mates, but to regain trust in himself and his own judgment.

Second was the depth of the characterization of Hochstetter: that which was implied as well as what was stated. I guess "Les Mis" is too much on my mind, but in this story Hochstetter strikes me as Javert-like in his determination to uphold the law, no matter how unjust or cruel that law may be. And in the end that determination is uppermost, now that his family ties are cut with Elise's escape. But the ability to care for another human being and risk his own safety to assure hers speaks volumes about what Hochstetter is capable of, and it lays the foundation for further revelations of his humanity in "Deep Water" and "The Middle Man". I can't wait to read more about Hochstetter in future stories.

Lastly I am impressed once again by the sheer skill with which you tell your story. Overall it's very somber, but your turns of phrase and brief yet vivid and often amusing descriptions of the guys at Stalag 13 (and the ways they get the job done) provide enough leavening and ambience to give this a true HH feel, and few chuckles along the way.

This was a work of art, just like one of Hogan's better-laid plans, only told in much more detail. The suspense from chapter to chapter, the vivid descriptions, the evolving relationships, the spot-on dialogue; all of these made for a very enjoyable story.

And of course my favorite part was the part that Hochstetter played in all this; you really had me guessing at first, and when all was revealed, it was a very convincing portrait of a complex man. He had my sympathy over the loss of his brother, but it's clear he's back on track with his obsession with Papa Bear.

Max, Bruno and Rolf were all great additions to the tale, too. Terrific story all around, both as an adventure and as character exploration.

Fascinating.

I love the comments about how Newkirk was able to relate to the kid; I can definitely picture a young Newkirk acting like that.

I agree that the fact that the mystery of Elise's words makes them that much more powerful. And I especially loved the description of Newkirk being back in the circle of friends.

Sorry to see this story end. It was very well written and thoroughly enjoyable. Looks like Hochstetter was trying to save his brother's wife and now that she's safe, it's back to the old Hochstetter which is what I would expect.

I really liked how you didn't tell us what Elise's last words to Newkirk were but for some reason the way she said it to Carter was enough for me to understand her feelings. This line especially tied it all together for me perfectly, "If he'd saved Elise, it seemed she'd rescued him, as well."

I also liked Hochstetter's role in this but I especially liked how in the end it was back to the same old Hochstetter. I wouldn't have believed anything else.

A great ending to an excellent story. I am really looking forward to your next one.