Fog bound Encounter2


By Katzmarek





Author’s note:



Although the L 68 existed, everything else is my imagination. Although implausible as the incident might 
seem, stranger things have happened and I have tried to make it as real as possible.
This story of course is mine alone and may not be re-posted for profit with out my express permission.






Kimi loved the old oak tree. It was a warm day in the little Kent village where he lived with his mum and 
dad and he loved playing in the old tree.


He liked to gather the acorns and target the cows in the paddock over the hedgerow. He’d hide among the 
branches with his homemade slingshot until they ventured within range.


He looked across at the stone cottage, where he lived, this fine summer evening because he thought he 
could hear his mother calling.
“Kimi, come down, now,” his mother called.


Little Kimi hid in the tree. He liked to play games with his mother and watch from his hiding place as she 
scoured the backyard for him.
“Kimi, it’s late. Come down.”
‘She can’t find me,’ he told himself.


His mother’s voice was getting urgent. Kimi hugged the tree harder. Then he heard his father’s voice too, 
they were both searching for him. Kimi liked the game.
“Kimi, you’ve been up there long enough, come down.”
‘Oh no,’ he thought, ‘she’s found me.’
“Kasemann!” said his father.


They were talking to each other below his perch, now.
“He can’t hear us,” his father said.
“You’ve got to get him, someone will have to go up,” said his mother.
“No, it is too dangerous,” his father replied.
‘Dangerous1’ Kimi thought, ‘it’s not dangerous up here. He’d never fallen.’


Kimi felt a sudden chill.
‘ It’s getting cold all of a sudden. It must be time for dinner,’ he decided.
“Get him down, he’s blacked out!” said his dad.
“Kimi! Kimi!” his mother’s voice was panicky.


Someone was grabbing him by the feet, pulling him down. 
‘Careful, I’m going to fall,’ he thought, ‘ don’t touch me.’
He tried to kick with his feet but nothing happened, his legs didn’t work.
Someone was holding him now, putting something around his waist.
They were talking to him but he didn’t understand the words.




The pain in his hands and feet woke him. The first thing he saw was the light, swinging from the ceiling 
above his head. He was swathed in blankets, they covered half his face, and he was sweating from the heat.


There was an arm around him, whose? It was across his chest, and someone’s warm breath fanned his 
cheek. He tried to speak but the blanket muffled his words.
“Kimi?” his mother said, “you’re awake?”
“Mutti?”
Not his mother, another voice, higher pitched.
“What?” the voice said.


His brain was beginning to work now. It took in the view above him, resolving the information.
“Where?” he croaked in a voice which didn’t sound like his own.
“Kimi? Mr. Kasemann, are you awake? How do you feel?” the voice said.
“Where am I?” he managed to say.
“In my cabin,” the voice said, “I’m so glad you’re awake.”
Realisation began to dawn on him.
“Eliza!” he said, “what happened?”




Swinging above them, another little drama was taking place. On the Kaiser’s ‘Luftschiffe’ L68 Chief 
Radioman Schultz was listening intently to his headphones.
“Leutnant?” he called, “I think we have a problem.”


As Radiomen, Schultz and his deputy Forster held a privileged position on the airship. Regarded as 
something of a dark art by the regular Naval Officers, the infant technology of radio communications was 
either regarded in awe or with suspicion, depending on the mindset. Schultz as the most experienced man at 
the craft was generally regarded as something of a wizard.


“What is it Chief,” the duty watch officer replied.
“I think we have a vessel heading this way, a naval vessel and a big one.”
“Shit! I’ll call the Captain,” the Officer said.




Von Leichtenfels looked haggard as he descended the ladder into the control car. His once immaculate 
uniform was now open at the collar and was crumpling about him.
“What have you got Chief?” he asked.
“A Naval vessel sir, trying to talk to the Stavanger.”
“How do you know it’s the Navy?”
“Well sir… I know his hand… I recognise the operator, sir”



“Do you know if Kasemann has disabled their transmitter,” the Captain asked the Watch Officer.
“Yes sir, he has the transmitting valve.”
“Good, we must speed up the work. Have you got hold of him yet?” 
“No sir, The Stavanger’s skipper said he was sick.” The Officer told him.
“Wake him up. It’s an hour before daybreak. In two hours we are going to lift off, no matter what.”
“Sir.”




Kimi tried to take his first steps. His legs throbbed with pain as he tried to restore command to them. Eliza 
held him tight around the waist, he leant against the slight woman for support.
“Take it easy,” she told him, “ it is too soon.”
“I must get on my feet,” he replied.


As they reached the door, they looked up to find it blocked by the Stavanger’s skipper.
“So, you’re up finally,” he said.
“Yes,” said Eliza, “he’s much better now, see?”
“Stop mothering him, Eliza. Listen! I suppose you think you’re a hero?”
“Um.”
“Well let me tell you,” the Skipper continued, “ I have commanded vessels for 20 years and I have never 
lost a crewman. You would be a lump of ice on that mast, Kasemann, if it hadn’t been for my crew. They 
put themselves in danger to get you down. I told them to stay on the deck, but no, they wouldn’t leave you 
up there. When I order you down to the deck, YOU WILL DO AS YOU ARE TOLD ON MY SHIP. YOU 
HEAR ME.
“Sir,” Kimi replied stiffly.


After he’d gone, Kimi asked Eliza,
“What was all that about?”
“Don’t you remember?” she replied, “you took your turn, cutting, up the mainmast. You were up there too 
long. It was so cold there was ice on the deck and the mast. The airship kept shifting slightly and the saw 
blade was jamming. You were trying to free it and Mr. Sondquist told you to come down but you said 
you’d free the saw first.”
“Oh.”
“He was yelling for you to come down but you ignored him. Then you must have passed out from the cold. 
Lars Hedwigsdotter and Erik Anders volunteered to climb up to get you. Mr. Sondquist told them to stay on 
deck but they told him to jump overboard, they weren’t going to leave you up there. Mr. Sondquist was 
very cross.”
“I bet.” Kimi replied.


“So?” he asked Eliza, “ you shared your bunk… with me… all night?”
Eliza blushed furiously,
“It wasn’t like… I mean, you were suffering from hypothermia… you had to have my… body heat… I’m 
sorry… you may have died… Everyone had jobs to do… um.”
 Eliza thought for a moment,
“Would you have preferred Lars?” 
Remembering the big bearded Norwegian crewman Kimi hastily answered,
“No, no… you were just fine.”
Eliza blushed furiously again.




“Kasemann, get up here!” Stavanger’s skipper hollered, “ your ship is calling you.” Kimi struggled up the 
companionway to be handed the telephone.
“There’s a panic on,” the skipper said.
“Kasemann, where the hell have you been?” Unteroffizier Lehman said on the ‘phone.
“Sick, hypothermia, sir.”
“The English are on us. How are you going with the mast.”
“Not sure sir, I’ll check.”
“Don’t worry about it. We are going to lift off in 45 minutes. We are going to wrench it free by letting go 
our forward ballast. The mast is mostly sawn through up here so it should snap free. Tell those Norwegians 
and get back up here. We will send the car down for you.”
“Yes sir.”


Kimi relayed the information to the Stavanger and asked if he could borrow the dinghy. It was then he 
realised that it was dawning fine and clear and the fog had disappeared. As he was preparing the dinghy 
there came shouting from the control car, above him,
“Kasemann, forget it… too late… smoke on the horizon… we’re going now… no time… throw the 
telephone over the side… good luck.”
“Hey!” Kimi yelled back, “wait for me.”
“No time… sorry,” came the reply.


Just then a cascade of water descended from the airship, drenching everyone on the schooner. There were 
cries of,
“Fuck, what are they doing,” and, “bloody Huns are trying to drown us.”


Straight away there came a loud groaning of straining metal. One of the forward motors, ‘Abel’ banged and 
a large cloud of smoke enveloped it. Kimi saw the props on all six motors were beginning to rotate as the 
motormen cranked them over.


The crew on the schooner rushed for cover with cries of, 
“Lookout! The mast will come down. Watch those cables… the spreader’s falling… watch out!”


More motors were beginning to fire up and clouds of smoke drifted along the underside of the Zeppelin. 
With a loud CRACK the mast snapped just above the spreader and the schooner lurched in response. The 
remaining mainmast wobbled crazily, threatening to collapse.


Kimi watched the telephone cable fall from the control car, his last link with his ship was gone. As he 
heaved the telephone over the side he noticed his ship was already 1000 metres up and climbing rapidly. 
The motors were winding up to a rhythmic droning sound. As the airship moved away from the schooner 
and began to turn to the south, Kimi sat down on the soaking deck and put his head in his hands. His 
friends were gone.




“Your friends… gone,” Kimi heard the big Norwegian crewman’s broken English.
“Lars,” he replied, “thank you for pulling me down… from the mast.”
“You… block of ice!” he said grinning, “sorry… you lost… ship… gone away… fly! You come with us… 
I fix it.”
“Thanks Lars,” Kimi told the big man.
“Ah… here come… wife,” he said bellowing with laughter.


“Mr. Kasemann,” Eliza called, “they left you behind?”
“Yes. They had to leave in a hurry. There is an English warship approaching.”
“That’s not fair,” she said, crouching next to him, “ they could have waited long enough to pick you up.”
“They can’t risk the ship for one man. I understand.”
“What will you do?
“I don’t know, Lars said they’d look after me. He said he’d talk to the skipper.”
“Yes, I’m sure Mr. Sondquist will look after you.”




“No, Eliza,” Mr. Sondquist told her, “he will have to be turned over to the Royal Navy. That is the law.”
“But you are a neutral vessel.”
“And we can’t harbour fugitives, Eliza. Besides, you are English, Germany is at war with your country and 
you cannot hide him. That would be treason.”
“I know… but.”
“But he is a charming boy and you like him,” the skipper interrupted, shaking his head.




The Stavanger’s crew and passengers watched the boat pull out from the British ship. Kimi stood beside 
Eliza dressed in his new oilskin coat. On his feet he'd exchanged his felt airship shoes for a pair of shiny 
boots, one size too large.
“Don’t stand so straight,” Eliza whispered to him, “you look like you’re on the parade ground.”
“We don’t have to whisper, they can’t hear us.”


Kimi idly recalled the watchman’s course he’d done at the Naval School at Friedrichshafen. He ran the 
recognition charts through his head and decided the ship was HMS Sussex, a four-stack County class 
cruiser. It stood broadside to them on the glass-like ocean, dirty black smoke drifting lazily in the still air.


The boat bumped up against the fenders, put out by the Stavanger’s crew and a British Officer skillfully 
leapt aboard, followed by two seamen. Mr. Sondquist stepped forward, and spoke something in Norwegian.
“Lieutenant Warburton, sir. Er have you anyone who speaks English?”
The crew gave a collective sigh of relief.


Kimi stepped forward alongside the Skipper,
“James Cheeseman sir. We’ve glad you’ve come,” Kimi announced, giving the English form of his name.


“Say, Cheeseman, a Hun Zeppelin bumped you eh? What a mess! You won’t be hoisting a mainsail for a 
while, eh?”
“No sir, we have lost the topmast, and the gaffe has gone. The Hun made off with it.”
Eliza put her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle.
“The beggar!” Warburton continued, “did you see any markings on it?”
“No sir, sorry.”
“Blast! It was a big blighter alright, one of their latest I’ll bet.”


The Stavanger’s Skipper looked to each of the speakers with a convincing puzzled expression.
“Say! Can we offer you a tow? We’ll take you to Aberdeen if you like,” the Lieutenant enquired.
Kimi looked at the skipper who gave a slight nod.
“Yes sir, we would be most grateful,” Kimi told the Officer.
“Good then, we’ll organise it shall we,” he said climbing back into the boat. “I’ll leave Seamans Blake and 
Johns with you, they will help you get ready, good day.”




Later, Eliza and the Skipper were standing in the wheelhouse of the Stavanger watching the foaming stern 
of the British Cruiser. The rope connected them was snapping and stretching with the movement of the 
ships.
“What did you say to the Officer?” asked Eliza, “I’ve heard you greet people in Norwegian lots of times 
and…”
“I told him we have a German airshipman on board posing as a member of the crew. I must do my duty, 
Eliza,” said Mr. Sondquist. Eliza chuckled. 
“Is it my fault he couldn’t understand Norwegian?”




HMS Sussex dropped the tow at the mouth of the Dee River. Waiting for them was a small tug that puffed 
alongside. A uniformed officer jumped aboard.
‘Smith, sir. Port of Aberdeen Authority,” he introduced himself to the Skipper. “We’ll tow you in but I’m 
afraid we’ll have to leave you in the channel for the night. The port’s very busy and you’ll have to wait for 
berthage. I presume, sir, you have an agent?”
“In London,” replied the Skipper, suddenly finding his English.
“Good sir. Well I’ll leave it to you to find a slip and shipyard that will repair your mast. You can make a 
claim under the War Damage Compensation Scheme, you know. Even as a neutral. Just state you were 
carrying British citizens.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“We’ll get underway then, shall we? Tugmaster!” he called, “hook them up.” There was an answering 
shout from the tug.




Kimi sat in the bow of the little dinghy, watching the straining back of big Lars as he steadily rowed against 
the river current. The night was cold and he pulled his oilskin tight about him. Between his legs was a 
seaman’s duffel bag containing a change of clothes and a few gifted belongings. At the bottom of the bag 
his Luger 08 pistol lay, wrapped up in oilcloth.


“There’s a small jetty over there, see!” Eliza said from the stern. “I see some other boats tied up.”
“Ok,” Kimi said, “ you drop me there and go back with Lars, alright?”
“No!” Eliza replied indignantly, “I’ll take you down to London and…”
“No!” Kimi said, “It’s too dangerous for you. You cannot be seen to be assisting an enemy. They would put 
you in prison.”
“But where will you go?”
“I have relatives, in Kent. Perhaps I can get passage to Holland and back home.”


The boat bumped alongside the little jetty. Eliza helped Kimi up with his kit. They stood for a few minutes 
while Lars waited anxiously below.
“Are you sure I can’t…
“No Eliza,” Kimi interrupted.
“What’s ‘Kimi’ short for?” she asked.
“Joachim,” he replied, “ it was my father’s name.”
“Where is your father now?”
“Dead, and my mother. Papa was Chief Engineer on the ‘Wiesbaden’. He went down in the battle of 
Jutland, lost with all hands. Mama died before the war of TB.”
“You’re all alone?”
“I have relatives, Omi, my Grandmother… she lives in Danzig, on the Baltic.”
“Will I…see you again… I mean… the war can’t last forever… I’ll give you my address in London.”
“No Eliza… if I’m picked up… they might find it and it’ll get you into trouble.”
“Well, how will I find you?” Eliza asked, holding back tears.


Kimi took out a slip of paper and hastily wrote down an address. Handing it to Eliza he said,
“My mother’s sister lives in Kent… here. I will write to her from Holland… Give her your address in 
London… You must go now before Sondquist discovers you’ve gone… quick.”
Eliza threw her arms around Kimi’s neck and buried her face in his shoulder. She lifted her face and kissed 
him on the mouth. Kimi held her in an embrace, fiercely kissing her back, leaving her light headed and 
unsteady on her feet.
“Hey!” Lars interrupted, “we go now… big trouble.”
Kimi pushed her towards the boat,
“Go!”
“I love you,” Eliza said, choking back tears.
“Love you too. I’ll be back.”
Then he sprinted off into the night.

More to come.

























 



