User:The Mercenary 73/Kurt Steiner (fictional character)

Kurt Steiner is a fictional World War 2 German paratrooper, he was created by author Jack Higgins for his novel The Eagle Has Landed. He was portrayed by Sir Michael Caine in the film version.

Background

Kurt Steiner is the son of Karl Steiner, an artillery General of the German Army during World War 2. He joined the Fallschirmjager because he desired the prestige and action that came with being part of an elite unit, after qualifying as a paratrooper, Steiner was assigned to the Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment as a 2nd Lieutenant (Leutnant). Steiner first saw the action he craved when his unit parachuted on Narvik in Poland, it was here that he first met Ritter Neumann who would become his best friend. Steiner and his unit next saw action in Belgium, during May 1940, when they assaulted the key fortress of Eben Emael and the nearby bridges over the Albert Canal. Steiner was wounded at the Albert Canal and evacuated, later being promoted to 1st Lieutenant (Oberleutnant). Steiner now found himself in Greece preparing for the airborne invasion of the island of Crete, as part of General Eugen Meindl's force that was to take the airfield at Maleme. During the assault Steiner was severly wounded, shot through a lung, and was one of many of Fallschirmjager who were killed or wounded taking the Greek island. While Steiner recovered, some of his unit including Neumann were sent to serve in North Africa. When Steiner was finally fit to return, his unit was sent to the Soviet Union and the dreaded "Eastern Front". It was here that Steiner first became sceptical of the way the war was going for Germany, as his unit was posted to the siege of Leningrad. Following Leningrad came the hell of Stalingrad, after months of fighting, Steiner, Neumann were some of the last to be evacuated while aircraft were still able to fly. With the Fallschirmjager being re-organised, Steiner now found himself leading his own unit, with Neumann promoted to 2nd Lieutenant as his second-in-command. Sturm-Detachment Steiner was to be used as a special service unit that would be sent to areas where the Soviets were threatening to break-through, and surround the local German units. It was in the Ukraine that the 300 men in Steiners unit were called on to save trapped divisions, parachuted in behind enemy lines they would then lead the trapped troops back to German lines. After three such missions Steiner was awarded the Knights Cross with oak leaves, he was personally presented the award by the Fuhrer Adolf Hitler himself. One more mission followed, as usual they were to rescue surrounded German troops, but as the detachment was being transported back to Germany following the mission Steiner fell foul of the S.S..

The Eagle Has Landed

The Eagle Has Landed finds Steiner and his remaining 35 men returning from the Eastern Front, when they arrive in a Polish railway station. Steiner leads his men off their train to "stretch their legs", while on the other side of the station SS troops are loading jewish prisoners onto a train bound for a concentration camp. From this group a young girl escapes from the SS and runs into Steiner's group, followed by a handfull of SS troops. The SS officer demands Steiner to hand the girl over but Steiner instead puts the girl on a passing goods train, to escape, leaving the Fallschirmjager and SS in a stand off with weapons pointed at each other. Its at this point that an SS General named Stroop arrives and places Steiner and his men under-arrest for assisting an enemy of the reich to escape. Steiner's story then is forwarded to Alderney, where his men and him are part of a penal unit assigned to suicide missions (Operation Shark). Unbeknown to Steiner at that time Lieutenant-Colonel Max Radl of Section 3 of the Abwehr has selected Steiner's group for a special mission, and thus saving them for now from a certain death. As Radl and Liam Devlin arrive on Alderney, Steiner and Neumann are returning from a mission with two dead paratroopers. Radl orders the island's commandant to stop Operation Shark at once and he is to speak to Steiner immediately. On the quayside as his men remove the bodies of their dead comrades, Steiner is propositioned by Radl on the grounds that they would receive a pardon if they kidnapped Winston Churchill and bring him to Germany. Steiner only agrees after gaining the approval of his men, and Radl has the remaining 16 men transported to Landsvoort on the western coast of Holland.

The Eagle Has Flown

Although at the end of The Eagle Has Landed leaves Steiner dead in a failed attempt on the life of Winston Churchill, the reader quickly finds out that Steiner did'nt die and miraculously survived being shot twice in the chest. Now recovering from those wounds, Steiner is being held in the Tower of London and Heinrich Himmler does'nt intend this situation to stay. Himmler organises a recue plan on the premise to rescue a hero of Germany, but really to bring Steiner back to Germany and silence him before Hitler finds out about the failed mission to kidnap Winston Churchill.