Chapter 1035: Abandon

A well-dressed man in a suit frowned as he watched a group of German infantrymen squatting outside the window, smoking and gathering firewood to cook. Through a gap in the thick curtains, he observed these uninvited visitors passing through the town, an indescribable feeling in his heart.

These German soldiers, carrying their rifles, were bound by orders. They did not disturb the lives of the locals, but merely passed through quickly. Even if they did stop, it was just to eat a meal before leaving. It was for this reason that the local people did not treat these soldiers from Germany as outsiders; some even sold cigarettes and wine to these enemies who had come from afar.

How many batches of German soldiers had passed his door today? At first, it had been armored reconnaissance troops in their armored cars. Those men had passed through at extremely high speed and had been very cautious. Immediately after, German tanks had rumbled down the town’s main road, with German grenadiers, clutching their rifles, sitting on top.

Then came the German cavalry on their tall horses, and the mechanized infantry in all kinds of trucks. Those trucks were towing artillery of various calibers, some 75mm field guns, some 105mm. Following them were these ordinary German infantry, who were desperately trying to keep up on their own two feet. Their pace was not fast, and they would remain in the small town for a meal before leaving.

The man let go of the curtain he was holding and walked back into his room. He re-checked the door and windows, so that if any outsider wanted to enter the house, it would buy him some time. He then returned to his second-floor room, the same room from which he had just been observing those German troops, and from a secret compartment behind his desk, he pulled out a small, exquisite radio set.

In the local area, he was a very successful businessman, with a shop of his own. In the eyes of his neighbors, he was an amiable and kind gentleman. Sometimes he would even sit on the town’s only main street and toss some candy to the children who passed by.

But his real identity was that of a low-level spy, trained by the Americans. He had been dormant for a long time and had only recently been activated, to monitor whether Italy, on the issue of breaking away from the Axis, could fulfill the basic requirements that the United States had hoped for.

He thought for a moment, then transmitted a telegram. The content was very simple: “German army advancing unimpeded!” The man who had sent the telegram did not know its true value, but he was only responsible for transmitting what he had seen to the distant intelligence station. He was not responsible for analyzing the meaning of the intelligence. This was his job, an important job that had been arranged for him several years ago.

The deployment and use of spies was a long-term job. What Akado had done more than a decade ago was just to expand this work that all the major countries were doing. In fact, all countries had old spies hidden in the enemy’s camp. Sometimes they would lie dormant for decades, and would not be used even once until their death. This kind of veteran spy often had a very clean identity, and when activated, their power was also very great.

After he had finished sending this telegram, he carefully put away the radio set in his hand and stuffed it into the secret compartment behind the desk. He then walked back to the window and, with his expressionless eyes, watched the German infantry who had begun to eat outside in the courtyard.

Several horse-drawn carts, pulling 75mm infantry guns, passed by these soldiers. The artillerymen on the carts leaned against the ammunition boxes, their bodies swaying slightly with the rocking of the carts. They were in a hurry to get to the real front, so they didn’t even stop for a rest, but passed through the small town and headed for a more distant, more southern place.

The man made the sign of the cross on his chest and then muttered his thoughts in his heart: “Almighty God, I hope you can bless America, to defeat such a powerful enemy! Amen.”

At the same moment, far across the ocean, in the headquarters of the American intelligence department, a dozen or so radio sets were receiving telegrams from various regions. The Americans had, clearly, deployed more than one spy in Italy. These dormant intelligence personnel had finally, when America needed them most, sent back crucial news.

“Sir! A message just came in from station 4. The Germans have occupied the city of Milan! There was no large-scale battle!” an officer in charge of code-breaking stood at attention behind the head of the intelligence department and reported loudly.

Another officer rushed over, handed another document to the frowning intelligence official, and then, panting, reported the news he had received: “A message from station 6. He has seen a large number of German troops passing through his area.”

“What about station 9? Is there any news? I need exact news, just where have the Germans advanced to, and where are their armored units?” This head of intelligence threw the telegrams in his hand onto the desk, then looked up at the huge map on the other side, which was being constantly updated by a group of female NCOs.

The places where the German army had been spotted were being marked more and more. This was clearly not the situation the Allies had hoped to see. The battle for the border defense line, which Mussolini had guaranteed and which the Allies had hoped to see, had not broken out. On the contrary, the German army was advancing unimpeded and had not really engaged the Italian army at all.

“This is not the speed of an advance in combat! This is faster than a unit on the march! I need to confirm if there are any troops in Italy who are resisting the German army, and if Mussolini can still control the situation!” this head of intelligence ordered, at his wit’s end, for all intelligence stations to act, to find out in the shortest possible time whether Italy had really broken with the Axis, or if this was just a huge trap that Germany and Italy had dug for the Allies.

A few hours ago, the secret diplomatic mission in Rome, Italy, had sent back its last telegram. The telegram had stated that they were being attacked by German special forces, and then there had been no more news. Having lost this intelligence station, which was the closest to Mussolini, the Americans’ grasp of the entire situation in Italy had begun to fall into chaos.

They did not know if the Italian side would continue to cooperate, did not know if Mussolini’s decision to break away from the Axis was a trap to lure the Americans to their doom, or if it was a truly opened second front.

It should be known that the entire foundation of the American surprise attack was built on the premise of Italy’s defection. After arriving in Italy, they had to be received by the local troops, and to have the cooperation and support of the local people, for this force to be able to play its intended role. If Italy were to implement a scorched-earth policy, it would be impossible for the Americans to fight a landing battle in the heart of the Axis with just a few tens of thousands of men. That would be truly insane.

So, Italy’s attitude, for the United States, was really very important. Thinking of this, this head of intelligence quickly dialed the direct line to the White House. “Get me the President! I have something important to report to him!”

He waited for just a few short seconds, and then Roosevelt’s voice came from the other end of the line. After all, Roosevelt was also concerned about the situation in Italy. That was the decisive key that could change the tide of the battlefield at any moment. He couldn’t help but be concerned. “This is Roosevelt!”

“Mr. President! Intelligence just received. The northern defense line of Italy has instantly collapsed. The German army has advanced unimpeded…” the head of the intelligence department said, choosing his words carefully. He then spoke of the current, worst-case situation. “The situation there is very chaotic right now. We can’t even be sure if Italy is counter-attacking, or if it has already surrendered.”

“…” There was silence on President Roosevelt’s end for a while, and then he asked, “I am no longer concerned with what Italy is doing. I am asking you a question, and I want you to answer me truthfully… From the existing intelligence analysis, what do you think is the probability that the German army had grasped the intelligence of Italy’s defection from the Axis in advance?”

“Mr. President! From the intelligence we currently have… the probability that the German army knew the news in advance and had made preparations is at least ninety percent!” the other replied very crisply, which from one side confirmed Roosevelt’s worries. Since the German army had been able to enter Italy so cleanly, to say that they had not prepared in advance would be a joke.

President Roosevelt closed his eyes and, with his hand, rubbed the bridge of his nose, as if he were thinking about an important decision. Since the intelligence department had almost confirmed that the Germans had prepared in advance, then the entire Italy plan was no longer feasible. Because this entire plan was built on the foundation of German carelessness.

In fact, thinking about it now, to be so sure that the intelligence security of both Italy and the Allies could be hidden from the Germans was in itself a bit of self-deception. If it weren’t for the fact that the United States simply could not find a way to attack Germany, and if it weren’t for the fact that the gains of the entire plan were enough to change the entire war situation, the American intelligence department would not have, at the last second, discovered that everything had almost fallen into the Germans’ trap.

“I think, two days ago, when our intelligence personnel discovered that the German fleet, which was on a training exercise out of Wilhelmshaven, did not return to port on time… this intelligence should also be true,” Roosevelt suddenly asked.

“Yes, I think the German fleet is probably already lying in ambush near Gibraltar, waiting for us to take the bait,” the officer from the American intelligence department said with resignation. Italy’s performance was simply too abnormal, and too disappointing for the Americans. Even if they were to luckily break through Gibraltar, what would be waiting for the Americans would be an Axis-power Italy that they would have to land and fight.

“Then! Send copies of all the intelligence that the department has received to the Navy and the Army…” Roosevelt said with a sigh. He then gave the order, “Call our fleet back. The operation is… canceled.”

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