This is undoubtedly a very risky operation. The night before the operation began, Otto rallied his team and said: "This operation is full of danger and can be lost at any time. If any of you do not wish to participate, you can leave, and I will never make any record of it, nor will I despise you for it. I will personally participate in and direct this operation, and those who wish to participate please take a step forward. "As a result, all the players took a step forward, which was very satisfying to Otto.

The action plan began at dawn on Sunday, June 1, but was postponed for several hours. Due to the short range of the 12?/LLG1 Henschel Hs-126 tow, the flight from Valence in southern France to Rome required several stops, and it was not until 10:00 a.m. that day that it arrived at Platica Air Base in the southern suburbs of Rome.

However, there is also an advantage to delaying the take-off, as it will be noon on the arrival of the Grand Sasso, and the Italians have a habit of taking a nap, which is bound to reduce the possibility of resistance. Otto took advantage of this time and sent his adjutant Radel to Rome to summon General Soletti, who had a good opinion of the Germans, believing that the presence of the pro-German Italian official in the hotel with the attacking troops would help to persuade the defenders to give up resistance.

There are different accounts as to whether the general was willing to take part in the operation, with some sources saying that he was willing to act as an intermediary, only to be dumbfounded after hearing their plan, but nevertheless agreed to go with him and share the plane with Otto; There are also reports that he boarded the glider under the threat of Otto's pistol.

At 11 a.m., the first group of gliders from France arrived at the airport, and Student briefed the glider pilots on their mission. The HS-126 tractors were quickly filled with fuel and the glider fleet was lined up for takeoff, but at 12:00 the air raid siren sounded over the airfield, and a short time later, a group of American B-25 bombers flew over the airfield and dropped more than 10 bombs.

Thankfully, none of the planes on the ground were damaged. At 13:05, the leading pair of Hs-126 tractors finally took off with gliders No. 1 and No. 2, and then took off one group every two minutes, and five more pairs took off. With the exception of gliders No. 11 and No. 12, which were the last to take off, crashed into craters on the runway, the rest of the gliders were successfully lifted into the air.

Inside the lead No. 1 tractor. Sitting behind the driver was Captain Langeert, Studenter's intelligence officer. Four days earlier, he had already conducted aerial reconnaissance with Otto on a He-111, so he was also the only one among the tractor crew who had actually seen the landing area. However, the two planes towing gliders 1 and 2 lost their way in dense fog and thick clouds and had to return halfway.

In this way, Otto and Soletti's glider No. 3 became the pilot. The plane rises and falls, flying through the clouds. Poor visibility inside the glider. And very muggy. General Soletti and several members of the team have developed airsickness. Otto decisively pulled out the paratrooper knife he had with him and cut several holes in the cloth walls of the glider, allowing cool air to enter the cabin. And observe the ground through this breach, and from time to time inform the driver of the correct route.

About an hour later, the group arrived at the intended area, Otto ordered the glider to disengage from the tractor, and the eight gliders began to descend from an altitude of 3,600 meters, and when they were about 1,000 meters above the ground, the troops pounced on their respective targets in two directions.

Just as Otto's plane was about to land, the driver noticed that the pre-selected triangle was not only covered with stones, but also steeper than previously estimated, and the Italians poetically described it as part of the piste in their pre-war holiday booklet! The unevenness of the field meant that the danger of landing was far greater than expected, and the pilot of No. 3, Lieutenant Heinrich, was a little overwhelmed, when Otto, who was behind him, shouted:

"Hurry up! Land as close to the hotel as possible! The pilot later recalled the scene when he landed: "The small black dot in the field of vision quickly turned into a large building. ”

Although the nose of the glider was equipped with a deceleration device, it was difficult for us to reduce our speed, so I changed course and approached the landing zone against a strong updraft from the ridge. I looked out, hoping to see the enemy's movements, but at first everything remained calm. When I flew about 150 meters above the hotel, the soldiers in the hotel poured out like ants that had been stabbed in their nests. They didn't look very hostile, though, and just stood there dumbfounded at the group of attackers who seemed to fall from the glare of sunlight. ”

After a quick judgment, Lieutenant Heinrich sharply turned the heavy glider to the left and turned on the retro again, this time the plane quickly reduced its altitude and the nose fell in the direction of the hotel. When the barbed wire fence around the landing skid (designed to shorten the distance of the landing slide) was cut like a string by the gravel on the ground, the plane vibrated violently and came to a stop just 40 meters from the hotel's main steps. ”

Otto's subordinates quickly subdued the Italian guards around the hotel, and then pushed General Soletti towards the hotel. At this time, he saw Mussolini's face appear by a window on the second floor, and hurriedly shouted to him: "Go back!" Get out of the window! Soletti, who was pale, shouted to the Italian guards: "Don't shoot!" We don't need to bleed! Some of the guards laid down their weapons and stood still, while others fled into the woods.

When the other gliders landed one after another, the follow-up personnel rushed into the hotel with submachine guns, first subdued the radio communicator in the hotel, and smashed the wireless communication equipment with the butt of the gun. The Italian guards in the hotel were in disarray, and as more commandos swarmed in, the Italian soldiers raised their hands and surrendered. Otto then went straight to the room where Mussolini was being held.

The two Italian officers in charge of guarding him in the room raised their hands and surrendered without resistance after being persuaded by Mussolini. The whole rescue process was very fast, from the landing of the first glider (No. 3) to the control of the hotel in only 4 minutes, and almost no resistance was encountered, and Mussolini was rescued without firing a single shot. The bearded fascist leader hugged Otto tightly and said in a choked voice:

"I know that my old friend Hitler did not abandon me!" When all the situation had calmed down, the Commando gliders No. 6 and No. 7 had just landed, and the last aircraft to land, No. 8, taxied and crashed into the bulging hillside outside the hotel, severely damaging the plane and injuring all the crew members, the only ones injured in the operation.

After rescuing Mussolini, the next task was to send him away safely. On the opposite side of the valley, a large number of Italian troops were defending, and it was impossible to break through and descend the mountain. Since all the radio installations were destroyed, they were also unable to communicate with the Germans stationed in Rome and did not know whether the Germans had captured the Aquila airfield. As a backup, Otto had arranged for an Hs-126 aircraft to take Mussolini away before the operation, but the plane was damaged during landing, and the fuel on board leaked, making it impossible to take off again. (To be continued......)