Iron Cross

Keitel asked Hoffman: "Is it true that British and American officers and soldiers will be lenient as long as they surrender with leaflets?"

"certainly."

"There must be a lot of fake elements in there."

"It doesn't matter if it's fake." Hoffman laughed. "When a soldier leaves enemy leaflets to save his life, can you still expect him to fight to the end? These words are not for the African enemies, but for the still-unknown soldiers." People who stay in the United States, listen! They still have millions of troops in the country, from all ethnic groups. Guess who Roosevelt can safely send to fight?"

Keitel was stunned for a moment, then laughed. He did not ask the enemy, "What should we do if they try the same thing?" Such a silly question, not to mention that the proud and victorious German officers and soldiers would not have such thoughts, etc. After the African campaign, the German and American armies were about to disengage, and there was simply no one to surrender to.

Neither Hoffman nor Goebbels expected that the "Voice of Europe" they established would have such a huge impact on the United States:

After the bombing of Berlin and the war in Africa were publicly reported, the number of Americans listening to "Voice of Europe" skyrocketed, especially at 12 o'clock in the middle of the night. Families with relatives who have joined the military, especially those who served in the Eighth Air Force or in Africa, were heartbroken. It's all tight.

Among the mainstream media, Time Magazine publicly reported on the war on the front and the tragic situation of American troops in Africa. Although the slogan still called for perseverance and fighting back bravely, the confidence was no longer enough. The radio station followed up and the host proposed the tradition of hanging yellow ribbons. They prayed for the front line, and the next day the big trees in major cities were covered with yellow ribbons wishing for the safe return of their loved ones.

Although the FBI under Hoover's control tried its best to interfere with the radio station and explicitly ordered not to listen to the "enemy station", there was always unstoppable news spreading quietly, and even government departments, the media, and members of the National Guard themselves were organizing Listen, for the FBI, which has only over 1,000 people, going door-to-door is obviously a thankless task, not to mention that it can't really confiscate people's radios - the president himself relies on radios to deliver his "fireside chat" Spread it.

The only thing that was good for Hoover was that his idea of ​​strengthening surveillance and news control was recognized by more and more congressmen. Funds were quickly allocated and staff expanded rapidly. Hoover even knew that some KKK was mixed in. Party member, but he pretended not to see it. As for the news published by Time Magazine, it was also released with Hoover's nod. The reason is very simple: some bad news must be released, not at all. The news praising victory everywhere is too different from the facts, and I'm afraid it will cause trouble. Public opinion is fierce - even a pressure cooker must be equipped with a pressure reducing valve.

After Roosevelt passed out and was hospitalized last time, his physical condition has not been ideal. Although he still insists on working, all he hears is bad news, which inevitably makes him more anxious. The latest bad news comes from his confidant, who was established during the war. Brought by William Joseph Donovan, Director of the Office of Strategic Services.

"The situation of the German radio station has been initially identified: it is headquartered in Berlin, with three transfer stations in Spain, Portugal and the Azores. The signal has been greatly strengthened and multiple frequencies have been added. Except for the Azores, we can "Except for the bombing, the rest can't be dealt with." Donovan smiled bitterly, "And the transfer station in Azores seems to be on a boat. It's such a large area of ​​water and it starts working at night, so it can't be caught."

"Hell, have you made diplomatic contacts with Spain and Portugal?"

"After contacting them, the other party said that freedom of the press is both a commercial activity and cannot be interfered with. If we need to, we can also set up a transfer station with them!"

"A bunch of bastards!" Roosevelt was furious.

Hoover had told him that broadcasting to Germany was of no use. The Germans did not have a high share of radios. Many publicly sold radios did not even have shortwave bands, so the other party who broadcast to Germany could not hear it at all. With the Gestapo's all-pervasive posture, how could any German dare to listen to the "enemy station"? To put it bluntly, even if Germans were willing to listen to American radio, what would be reported? Repeatedly broadcasting sermons about freedom and democracy, and smearing the Führer and the National Socialist Party have no effect at all. In the final analysis, the needs of Germans and Americans are different. Germans are not afraid of war. What they want is victory and long for strength. The United States' calls for freedom and democracy can only get a lot of blank looks. Moreover, if the United States really wants to set up a transit station, it does not need to look to Portugal and Spain. The United Kingdom is a better location for the transit station.

"The radio station is still a small matter. Anyway, the situation on the front line cannot be hidden from the all-pervasive media. As long as effective control is carried out, the situation can be stable. What is worse is the other two pieces of information." Donovan mentioned it carefully, and then looked at the exhausted man. Roosevelt seemed very hesitant again.

"You said..." Roosevelt smiled bitterly, "I can hold on!"

"The first is the issue of intelligence leakage. The day before yesterday, on May 17, the Royal Air Force dispatched more than 130 heavy bombers to carry out the bombing operation against the Ruhr Dam. It was originally investigated in advance that the German defense force in this area was not strong. As a result, on the same day, The low-altitude raiding aircraft group encountered nearly 200 enemy aircraft and temporarily deployed anti-aircraft artillery units to accurately ambush them. Only 21 aircraft returned safely to the UK, and the losses were heavier than the Berlin air raid..."

Roosevelt slapped the armrest of his chair and mused, "Intuitively, I think there's something wrong."

Hoover was very nervous: "Does the British have any clues about the leak of intelligence from the Eighth Air Force? Through this incident, I suspect that the Berlin air raid was carried out by the same spy."

Donovan nodded: "The British are also suspicious, but the tracing situation is not ideal. Except for the specific execution troops, only the top brass of the Royal Air Force, senior staff and cabinet know about the air raid on the dam. Even our people don't know." Knowing that, coupled with the pursuit of the failed Berlin operation, MI5 concluded that the information leaked at the senior staff or cabinet level - all big people."

"The bombing of the Azores was also very unsatisfactory. German jet fighters have appeared on the island. The Royal Air Force bombers suffered equally heavy losses because they did not have fighter escorts." Donovan said with a wry smile, "When the Eighth Air Force retreated, it left the British He had hundreds of heavy bombers, and more than 200 were lost in a few days. Prime Minister Churchill was furious and ordered a strict investigation into intelligence leaks. Based on analysis, Big C believed that the previous super secret was destroyed because someone leaked the information - he believed this. The character level is very high.”

"To what level?"

"The core ministers of the cabinet, the chief officers of the British armed forces and the main staff members are suspected of no more than 20 people..." Donovan explained, "Prior to the investigation, Prime Minister Churchill has ordered a suspension of large-scale bombing of the European continent to avoid unnecessary Loss. A strict internal investigation is underway, including the Prime Minister’s secretary and aide, but there are no clues.”

"That's really bad news," Hoover sighed.

"The second bad news is that the combined fleet has returned to Japan."

"Really? When?"

"It was 9 a.m. on May 17th, Italian time." Donovan explained, "Germany and Italy organized a farewell ceremony. Hitler and Mussolini both showed up. The scene was very lively. The newspaper published the news yesterday, and our people also I got in and sent the message back after repeated confirmations.”

"This news is very important. We have convened an emergency meeting and we will discuss specific response strategies."

After listening to the information about the combined fleet, Admiral Jin frowned: "Is it another conspiracy to make a false shot?"

"I'm afraid it's true this time. Our intelligence agents in Greece also saw the mighty fleet two days later. There's another chance to verify whether it's true - the fleet must pass through the Suez Canal to return to the Far East. Normally, it should pass through the canal in a week. "I have told our people to keep an eye on it." Donovan's mood was obviously not too high. "After Germany took control of Egypt, there were a lot fewer British expatriates and pro-British people. Coupled with the Gestapo's pervasive infiltration, the intelligence agents suffered huge losses. It is unrealistic to send them there in the short term. Egypt's voice of friendship with the allies is very weak. In the past, we were in the open and had huge power, and the Germans could only sneak around. Now the situation is reversed, and many people cannot adapt. "

"No matter how difficult it is, we must persevere." Roosevelt sighed and asked thoughtfully, "Whether the Japanese go back to the Far East, they are getting mixed up with the Germans, and the pressure on us in the Atlantic is too great."

"I'm afraid we may not necessarily go back to the Far East now. If we go to other places, I'm afraid we will have bigger troubles." Admiral Jin walked to the map, pointed to the location of South Africa and said, "The Germans have taken control of Tanganyika. There are no less than 20,000 troops on the northern front line, and then there are Guderian's Afrika Korps in the direction of Kenya, and at least 80,000 more mechanized troops. Ike is already retreating - this means that we no longer have any troops in the interior of Africa. defense force, the enemy can pounce on South Africa in the next step.”

"South Africa?" Everyone was thoughtful.

"How is the withdrawal going?" Roosevelt turned to Arnold and asked.

"It's going well. As of 17:00 local time on the 18th, we have successfully evacuated more than 6,300 Australian and New Zealand troops. Before that, we also evacuated more than 3,000 wounded." Arnold, who has been worrying about Africa's aerial arteries for days, has completely sunken eyes. Gloomy.

"Where are our people?"

"The second batch of retreat." Marshall added and explained, "Ike sent me a telegram. British Army Lieutenant General Ramsden offered to stay and lead the surrender on behalf of the Allied forces. The only request was to let the Australian and New Zealand troops be the first batch. retreat."

"You bastard, how can you agree to such conditions?" The furious General Jin was the first to curse. Now he could no longer care about the fact that he was not in charge of the army's affairs at all.

"I agree with this matter, and the President also approved it." Marshall explained helplessly, "There must always be troops left to stop the attack. If our troops are the first to retreat, I am afraid that the Australian, New Zealand and British troops will collapse at once. In the end, no one can escape. In this situation, order can still be maintained. "

Everyone's hearts were heavy and they couldn't say a word.