ABSTRACT
my previous success in sneaking back to berlin to see Hildegard for a weekend gave me the idea of trying another travel order ruse to attend her opening night on New Year’s Eve. My standing FIAT travel orders stated that Mr. Gunther S. Stent, a U.S. civilian attached to the 6800th Field Information Agency, Technical, was authorized to proceed for temporary duty to Leverkusen, Germany, and return from there to his permanent station. Mr. Stent’s standing orders did not mention the location of his permanent station. So I reckoned that, using these ambiguous orders, I could book a round trip on the Berlin Express at any time. Going, I’d declare at the Frankfurt RTO (Railway Transportation Office) that I’m returning from temporary duty in Leverkusen to my permanent station in Berlin. And coming, I’d declare at the Berlin RTO that I am proceeding on temporary duty to Leverkusen from my permanent station in Berlin. So I made up my mind that after spending the 1946 Christmas holidays with my family in London, I would weasel my way to the Schiffbauerdamm Theater in time for Hildegard’s New Year’s Eve première.
