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Gungnir: Crafted by a pygmy, the tip of the gun is engraved with the word Rune, and the handle is made from the branches of the Yggdrasil tree. When Odin throws it, it will emit a bright light that crosses the sky, and the people on the ground call it "lightning", and it will definitely hit after throwing; This gun is also sacred, and once you swear to it, you can never go back......

- The above is derived from Norse mythology that has been passed down from generation to generation

Wednesday, December 9, 1942 - This day is the Sunday of Odin in Norse mythology and the first day of the Kungunir Project, also known as the Grand Plan. Hoffman originally wanted to mischievously name this plan for landing in North Africa "Overlord", but after a round of consultation, it was proposed to call it the Kungunir Plan, which was considered a key shot to penetrate the Anglo-American blockade system. Hoffman agreed, and for the sake of secrecy, it was internally called the Grand Plan, and December 9 was D-Day—a title that was retained.

However, unlike the historic Normandy landings, the D-Day of the Grand Plan, although also affected by the tides, wind direction and weather, was not an exact date at the beginning, because it was subject to two factors: first, the presence and defense of British troops in North Africa; Second, the sorties of the Japanese Combined Fleet. Only when these two prerequisites are fulfilled will the real D-Day come. So not to mention that Guderian couldn't figure out when the order would be given and when it would land, even Hoffman himself didn't know what day it would be.

Now. The real D-Day has arrived.

At noon, Hoffmann was escorted by 48 fighters, accompanied by Field Marshal Keitel, Chief of the General Staff of the Supreme Command, General Zeitzler, Chief of the General Staff of the Army, and General Jodl, Director of the Operations Bureau of the Supreme Command. The Greater German Panzer Division, the 5th SS Viking Panzer Division, which had been transferred from the Eastern Front more than three months ago, the 5th SS Viking Panzer Division (the first two divisions were originally Panzergrenadier Divisions, but they were upgraded to Panzer Divisions, and all tanks were replaced with new No. 4Gs), the 20th Motorized Rifle Division, and the Paratrooper Brigade were already geared up and ready to go.

In the course of three months, they not only carried out sufficient reinforcement and equipment improvement, but also used Crete to conduct targeted amphibious landing training and exercises. Due to the need for a high degree of secrecy, no one knew that such a secret and huge number of troops were hoarded on this island, and even the nearly 60,000 officers and soldiers did not know where their real goal was. With the exception of a very small number of high-ranking officers who knew that they would land in North Africa, everyone thought they were preparing for the landing of the "Sea Lion Project" in the UK.

And the supreme commander of the entire campaign, the commander of the entire Kungunir Army, was also a big surprise, it was Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the "Desert Fox" who had disappeared for a long time and was rumored to have been secretly imprisoned and even strangled because of his involvement in the traitorous group. And standing next to Rommel at this moment is Major General Gauss, the former chief of staff of the African Army.

Hoffman, who got off the plane, held Rommel's hand tightly: "Erwin. You have been wronged. ”

"Nope! Monarch! This incident has made me more mature. Rommel stood up straight, his gaze revealing determination.

Hoffmann shook hands with Gauss warmly, and not only praised his work to Keitel and others, but also said to Rommel with a pun: "Congratulations on having a good chief of staff!" ”

"Yes, Führer, I have never been so fortunate to have the help of General Gauss."

Gauss, a former general of engineers, was born in East Prussia, and he was younger than Rommel. Not only is he meticulous in his work, but he is also able to lead the whole picture, before he comes to Africa. General Streicher had warned him: "You won't be able to put up with Rommel for too long." But Gauss was more adaptable than anyone could have estimated, and he got along well with Rommel, whom he regarded as a mischievous big boy and never provoked him. He quietly did all the groundwork that Rommel neglected, filled in the loopholes of the other side, and worked out everything that was in line with Rommel's personality and worked out tactically and logistically. Since Hoffmann chose Rommel as commander, he could not help but match Gauss with him.

The rumours about Rommel are not outrageous - he was admitted to the army hospital in Berlin and then kept under close guard, not to mention that no one could visit him without Hoffmann's permission, and even if anyone wanted to, most of them would be frightened enough. For most of the time Rommel did not live in a ward, but in a room next to the morgue on the ground floor of the hospital, in a place that did not see the light of day all the year round, and that became Rommel's temporary headquarters, and that he and Gauss, together with a few colonel-level officers who knew the ground and volunteered to follow them, formed a very lean staff team, and outside they were all labeled as traitors.

General Yodel had only been to such a ghost place once, and he did not dare to come again the second time, but Rommel stayed there for two whole months, and it was not until the last one month, when the rumors and rumors about the traitorous group had become weaker, that he secretly led his command to Crete.

Rommel is going to fight for his fate!

What pained him the most in this treasonous incident was not the Führer's reprimand and opinion on him, nor his disdain for Stauffenberg, an old subordinate, but the opinion of the big men in the officer corps about him. As a high-ranking officer like the Field Marshal, Rommel felt that he was usually respectful and polite to the other veteran officers, but all the convicted marshals and generals in the traitorous group interceded, and even the masterminds like Ludwig Beck persuaded the Führer to let him live, saying that he was just a fool and would never succeed. Only he, the captain of the Führer's Guard, the armored hero of the French campaign, was suddenly promoted to marshal in Africa, and there was not a single big man who interceded for him - as if he deserved it!

The world is hot and cold, people are hot and cold, and when you are in a high position, you often can't see it, and only when you are in trouble can you know who is a friend and who is a gentleman. Rommel had many friends in political and military circles when he was satisfied, but after his accident, only Gauss, the chief of staff of the African Army, who had previously partnered with him and later returned to China to recuperate due to illness, firmly believed that he was wronged, and kept crying and crying for him, and even did not hesitate to face the cynicism of other old-fashioned soldiers in the officer corps and made a blunt accusation, and the matter went all the way to Hoffmann, who had long been secretly observing Gauss's movements Gauss was also sent to the army hospital to be "imprisoned" - and now no one dared to cry out for Rommel, even a straight man like Garland only dared to visit Rommel once and did not dare to say anything more.

Hoffmann had no intention of punishing Rommel, but the latter had a lot of problems, and he needed to take advantage of this incident to suppress it. Rommel and Guderian have similar personalities, with a straight temper and poor popularity, but Guderian is a little better than him and does not brag and talk big, but Rommel often fights over many trivial things because of this. Stubbornness, disobedience, and risk-taking have certainly made the Desert Fox famous, but it was these factors in his personality that caused Rommel's failure. Hoffmann clearly knew that the relationship between Rommel and Marshal Kesselring, who was in charge of North African affairs, was very unharmonious, especially Rommel relied on Hitler's favor and support, and often carried Kesselring behind his back to do a trick, and the consequences were often very serious, and then once something went wrong, they would blame each other and pull the blame, such nonsensical lawsuits often went to Berlin, and most of the time Marshal Kesselring's opinion was correct, but under Rommel's nonsense, Hitler usually played fifty boards each. Hoffmann didn't want to make the mistake of being unprincipled.

In addition to Rommel's own faults, his wife was also very problematic, a typical example of a woman's involvement in politics, even more annoying than Madame Goebbels, who often pointed fingers. In history, when stationed at the Atlantic barrier and serving as the commander of Army Group B, Rommel's wife Lucy had a fierce quarrel with Mrs. Gauss, and for this reason, she kept blowing pillow wind to Rommel, so that the latter was removed from the post of Gauss's chief of staff, leaving Gauss's overall planning and coordination, and Rommel could not do anything, but such a person was actually driven away by Rommel because of a few words from his wife, and then the chief of staff was replaced by the traitor Hans Spadal - this person hesitated, waited, wavered, The refusal to send reinforcements eventually ruined the hope of counterattacking the Normandy landings, and he became chief of the General Staff of the West German Wehrmacht after the war. In this plane, he had no such opportunity, and as a member of the conspiracy group, although Rundstead and Keitel interceded for him, Hoffmann did not hesitate to send him to the gallows.

There is no conclusive evidence or conclusion as to whether Rommel was really involved in the 720 incident in history, but Hoffmann believes from his own position that a person like Rommel, who has a flawed character and a particularly soft ear, is absolutely aware of this matter in the face of the persuasion of his trusted and respected subordinate (Stauffenberg), coupled with the pessimistic disappointment of the war situation and the pent-up dissatisfaction in his heart - the murder of the leader, let alone participating in or agreeing with it, even if he explicitly opposes it but does not report it, it is still a felony. Therefore, Hitler's decision to give him a "suicide" is not strictly excessive. The "treason" incident was exposed a little earlier, and Rommel was probably wronged, but Hoffmann still used the whole thing to teach Rommel a lesson that he will never forget - and he also maximized the secrecy of the plan.

Now, Rommel's fate has been saved, and he has a friendship with Gauss in times of adversity, which is also a profound lesson for her wife Lucy.

[It's about to be 515, I hope to continue to hit the 515 red envelope list, and the red envelope rain will be able to give back to readers and promotional works on May 15. A piece is also love, and it must be better! (To be continued.) )