One Thousand Thirty-Seven Give Up

Looking out the window at a group of German infantrymen squatting on the ground smoking and gathering firewood for cooking, a decent man in a suit frowned. He looked at these uninvited guests passing by the town through the thick curtains, feeling indescribable in his heart.

These German soldiers with guns on their backs are bound by orders. They don't easily disturb the lives of the locals. They just pass by in a hurry. Even if they stop their steps, they just leave after eating a meal. Because of this, the locals did not regard these soldiers from Germany as outsiders, and some even sold cigarettes and drinks to these enemies who came from afar.

Is this the first batch of German soldiers passing by the door today? At the beginning, it was the armored scouts sitting on the armored vehicles. Those people passed by extremely fast and very cautious. Immediately afterwards, German tanks rumbled across the road in the town, filled with German grenadiers holding guns.

Then there are German cavalry on tall horses, mechanized infantry in various vehicles, and artillery of various calibers behind those trucks, including 75mm field guns and 105mm cannons. Then came these ordinary German infantrymen who were desperately rushing on two legs. Their speed was not fast, and they would stay in the small town for a meal before leaving.

The man put down the curtains he was pinching, and walked back to his room. He checked the door and windows again, so that he could delay the time if someone outside wanted to enter the house. Then he returned to his second floor, the room where he was observing the German soldiers, and pulled out a small and exquisite radio from a hidden compartment behind the desk.

He can be said to be a very successful businessman in the local area. He owns a shop of his own. In the eyes of his neighbors, he is an amiable and nice gentleman. The child throws some candy.

However, his real identity is a grassroots spy trained by the United States. He has been lurking for a long time recently and was used to monitor whether Italy can fulfill the basic expectations of the United States on the issue of breaking away from the Axis powers. Require.

He thought about it for a while, and then sent out a telegram, which contained very simple content: "The German captain drove straight in!" The person who sent this telegram did not know how much it was, but He is only responsible for transmitting what he sees to the intelligence station in the distance, and is not responsible for analyzing the meaning of the intelligence representative. This was his job, an important job that had been assigned years ago.

The deployment and use of spies is a long-term job. What Akado did more than ten years ago was just to expand the work that all major countries are doing. In fact, every country has old spies lurking in the other side's camp. Sometimes they lurk for decades and never use it until they die. Such old spies are often very innocent and very powerful when used.

After he sent this telegram,

He carefully put away the telegraph in his hand and stuffed it into the hidden compartment behind the desk. Then he walked back to the window and looked at the German infantry outside the yard who had already started eating with those expressionless eyes.

Several carriages dragging 75mm infantry guns passed by these soldiers. The artillerymen sitting on the carriages leaned on the ammunition boxes, shaking their bodies slightly as the carriages shook. They were so anxious to get to the real front that they crossed the town and headed farther and farther south without even stopping to rest.

The man made a sign of the cross on his chest with his own hand, and then murmured the thoughts in his heart: "Almighty Lord, I hope you can bless America and defeat such a powerful enemy! Amen."

...

At the same time, in the building of the US intelligence agency on the other side of the ocean, more than a dozen telegraph machines received telegrams from various regions. The US deployed in Italy, obviously not only one spy. These latent intelligence personnel are finally needed most in the US When they arrived, they sent back vital news.

"Sir! The No. 4 intelligence station has just received news that the Germans have occupied the city of Milan! There is no large-scale battle!" An officer in charge of translating the code stood behind the head of the intelligence department, standing at attention and saluting loudly. .

Another officer ran over in a hurry, handed another document to the frowning intelligence officer, and then breathlessly reported the news he had received: "Information station No. 6 According to the news, he saw a large number of German troops passing through his area."

"What's going on at Intelligence Station No. 9? Is there any news? I need exact information. Where has the German army advanced and where are their armored units?" The intelligence chief threw the message in his hand on the table. Go up, then raise your head and look at the huge map that a group of lady officers are constantly modifying.

There are more and more places where the German army is found. Obviously, this is not the situation that the Allied forces want to see. The battle for the border defense line that Mussolini had promised, and which the Allies wanted to see, did not break out—on the contrary, the German army drove straight in, and there was no real exchange of fire with the Italian army at all.

"This is not the speed of advancement in combat! This is faster than an army rushing on its way! I need to confirm whether there are any troops resisting the Germans in Italy, and whether Mussolini can control the situation!" Angrily, the intelligence chief ordered all the intelligence stations to take action to find out in the shortest possible time whether Italy really broke with the Axis powers, or whether this was just a huge trap dug by Germany and Italy for the Allies.

A few hours earlier, the secret diplomatic mission in Rome, Italy, had sent back its last telegram, claiming that it was being attacked by German special forces, and then there was no news. Losing the intelligence station closest to Mussolini, the Americans' control over the entire situation in Italy began to become chaotic.

They don't know whether Italy will continue to cooperate. They don't know whether Mussolini's decision to break away from the Axis powers is a trap to lure the United States into a trap, or a second battlefield that has really been opened up.

We must know that all the foundations of the American raid are based on the premise of Italy's rebellion. After arriving in Italy, the local troops must be supported, and only with the cooperation and support of the local people can this force play its due role. If Italy is solid and clear, the Americans cannot rely on tens of thousands of people to fight a landing battle in the hinterland of the Axis powers, that would be really crazy.

Therefore, what is Italy's attitude is really very important to the United States. Thinking of this, the intelligence chief quickly dialed the number directly to the White House: "Pick me up, Mr. President! I have something important to report to him!"

He waited for just a few seconds, and Roosevelt's voice came from the phone. After all, Roosevelt was also concerned about the situation in Italy, which could become the key to changing the situation on the battlefield at any time, so he couldn't help but not care: "I am Roosevelt!"

"Mr. President! According to the information just received, the northern defense line of Italy collapsed in an instant, and the German army has already driven straight in..." The director of the intelligence department thought about the wording, and then said the worst situation at present: "The situation there is very chaotic now. , we are not even sure whether Italy is fighting back, or has surrendered."

"..." President Roosevelt was silent for a while, and then he asked: "I don't care about what is going on in Italy anymore. I ask you a question, please answer truthfully... From the analysis of the existing intelligence, do you think How likely is it that the German army has the information that Italy is breaking away from the Axis powers in advance?"

"Mr. President! Based on the analysis of the information we have so far, the possibility of the German army knowing the news in advance and preparing for it is at least 90%!" The other party answered very simply, which also confirmed Roosevelt's point of view worry. Since the German army was able to enter Italy so cleanly, it would be a joke to say that they did not prepare in advance.

President Roosevelt closed his eyes, stretched out his hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose, as if thinking about an important decision. Now that intelligence had almost confirmed what the Germans had prepared in advance, the whole Italian plan was no longer viable. Because all these plans are based on Germany's paralysis.

In fact, thinking about it now, it is a bit self-deceiving to believe that the intelligence and confidentiality work of Italy and the Allied forces can hide the Germans. If the United States could not find a way to attack Germany, and if the benefits of the entire plan were not enough to change the entire war situation, the US intelligence agencies would not have discovered at the last second that everything seemed to have almost fallen into the trap of the Germans. middle.

"I think that two days ago, our intelligence personnel discovered that the German fleet that went out for training in Wilhelm Military Harbor did not return to Hong Kong on time. This information should also be true." Roosevelt asked suddenly.

"Yes, I think, the German fleet should have ambushed near Gibraltar, waiting for us to take the bait." The official of the US intelligence agency said helplessly. Italy's performance was too abnormal, and it disappointed the Americans too much. Even if they were lucky enough to break through Gibraltar, what was waiting for the Americans would be Italy, an Axis power that had to land in order to fight.

"Then! Copy all the information obtained by the intelligence department to the navy and the army..." Roosevelt sighed, and ordered: "Call our fleet back, and the action plan-cancel."

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