RANSVESTIA

The Major shook hands with me and thanked me for accepting.

"This may sound like flag waving, Sir," I replied, "but when I en- listed I swore to defend my country, and if this is the best way I can serve, then I'll do it. Besides, I think I'll enjoy this assignment, at least during the training period."

"Very well," he said. "Report back to the Colonel — and thanks again, Sergeant." "You're welcome, Sir," I said, and left his office.

The Colonel was waiting for me. "Thank you, Top, for accepting," he greeted me, “and now to business. You will return to the Coast this evening, pack all your belongings and will be transferred here for further assignment overseas."

"Overseas?" I queried.

"Yes," he replied, "before you can become Greta Prein, Sergeant Larker has to disappear. You will be assigned to the Legation Guard in England, but — your plane will crash at sea. The co-pilot will be the only survivor to verify the deaths of you and the pilot." He smiled at my bewilderment. "The pilot and you will be picked up by a submarine and brought back here. The co-pilot will be picked up by a merchant vessel."

A few days later, we boarded the plane for my 'transfer to England.' We left in the evening and shortly after dark, the pilot sent out several "Mayday" signals as he set the plane down— not too gently — in the ocean. We got into a rubber boat and paddled away from the slowly sinking plane. The pilot fired tracers at the plane until the fuel caught fire and exploded. A few minutes later a submarine surfaced alongside

us.

The skipper looked over the conning tower at us and said, "There are two ships on their way here and will arrive in about three hours. You passengers come aboard, but we'll hang around awhile to make sure you get picked up."

We went aboard, and when the radar indicated one ship was only twenty miles away, we submerged and headed back to port, arriving late the next afternoon. I called Colonel Anderson when the ship-to- shore telephone was hooked up. He came to the dock and picked me up.