On 22 May, the "Storm Commandos" set out from Germany on Heinkel HE-111 bombers under the leadership of Otto and headed for the Storm Commando in the direction of the Storm Commandos. Fly in the direction of Madarena. However, no one expected that during the flight, they were attacked by the British Air Force, and the plane crashed into the sea, but fortunately it was rescued by an Italian steamer, which happened to be there to transfer Mussolini, but the crew did not suspect Otto and his gang, but enthusiastically gave them some clothes to change into, and let them land on Sardinia.

At this time, news came, according to the head of the Wehrmacht espionage, Wilhelm? Canaris reported that Mussolini was imprisoned on the island of Elba, where Napoleon had been imprisoned, and that Otto intended to "first of all to Ra. Madarena sent a German warship for a courtesy visit, while R boats (high-speed minesweepers) full of SS and special forces personnel were brought into port.

On the same day, the captain went to visit the command of the Italian naval base, and in the evening the ship temporarily docked in the port. Early the next morning, the R boat carrying the commandos rushed to the pier with the support of the German ships in the harbor, and after the crew came ashore, the R boat quickly marched to the Karen Hill to rescue Mussolini. ”

Two days later, Otto and Vargan, disguised as sailors, returned to Sardinia, but Mussolini had already been transferred to the Apennines on 24 May. The first rescue plan was declared bankrupt.

Otto returned to German-held territory in northern Italy and continued to inquire about Mussolini's whereabouts, but intelligence was hard to come by. One day, Otto's communications squad stumbled upon a wireless telegram from the Italian Ministry of the Interior, "The security measures in the area of the Great Sasso Mountains have been completed. Kujerifa. "Koujeri is a general. He was specifically responsible for guarding Mussolini. Otto then turned his attention to the summit of the Apennines, 120 kilometers northeast of Rome, the Gran Sasso. Halfway up the mountain, at an altitude of 2,000 meters, there is a winter sports center built before the war, and in the center of the sports center there is a hotel called Kangbao? Because of the Pelatlet, it is reported that Mussolini was imprisoned here.

A German stationed in Italy, who had lived here for a few weeks five years ago, provided information on the topography, but it was very little detailed because of the distance. As for the exact information, it is only based on a tourist brochure. There is a cable car from the village below the mountain to the hotel. Although there is a trail up the mountain, you usually use the cable car to get to the hotel, so it is the best place to inmate prisoners.

Otto confirmed that Mussolini had been placed under house arrest in the hotel. The next day, they reconnoitred the terrain in the vicinity. And aerial shooting was carried out. According to reconnaissance. The route up the hill is heavily guarded, and the hotel sits on a small terrace surrounded by snow-covered rocks. There is a small overgrown triangular clearing behind the hotel, which is consistent with the information previously obtained. Otto's mind immediately came up with the idea of a glider to rescue him, and the clearing was just the perfect landing spot.

When Italy's Bardolio regime declared its independence from the Axis powers on 28 May and concluded an armistice with the Allies, Mussolini was likely to be extradited to the Allies. Otto decided to use a glider to carry out the rescue, but the air force objected: "If ground operations are difficult to implement, there are only two options: paratroopers or gliders."

However, the open space behind the hotel is too small for the airborne space required by both methods. Besides, the high altitude of Mount Gran Sasso and the thin air make it suitable for both paratroopers and gliders. In addition, to deal with a guard force of 200 people, at least the same number of troops must be used. However, both paratrooper parachute jumps and glider landings are limited to about 20 people due to the landing site. However, Otto did not back down in the face of pressure from all sides, and he resolutely decided to use the method of glider landing to carry out the rescue operation.

Otto planned to use the Lufthansa light aircraft to tow 12 DFS-C1 gliders, each carrying a total of 11 officers and men, including the pilot. The specific tasks of each glider are as follows: No. 1 and No. 2 aircraft land first to cover the landing of subsequent aircraft; Otto took plane 3 and rescued Mussolini with plane 4; Aircraft from No. 5 to the next were responsible for suppressing enemy fire.

In addition, Otto further studied the essentials of ground operations such as entering the hotel, withdrawing from the battle, and covering support, as well as the relevant details such as the time of entry, the place of entry, the essentials of landing, and the equipment to be carried. As for the method of withdrawal, he decided that the "storm commandos" would first suppress the Aquila airfield, 20 kilometers south of Mount Great Sasso, and then respond with "Lufthansa" light aircraft or Fiselle Monster Bird liaison aircraft.

The glider, which was supposed to fly from Rivera, did not reach the Pratek, 25 kilometers south of Rome, on time? Morality? The Mare base, which led to the early morning sneak attack, could not be carried out, and had to be changed to a strong attack during the day, which was a great opportunity for the attack because the Italians had a habit of resting for a long time in the afternoon.

Otto immediately began to work up a rescue plan, and he felt that this triangle was the solution to all problems, because the difficult terrain made it impossible to enter from the ground, and because of the thin air and strong winds in the high mountains, ordinary "storm commandos" could not land at this altitude.

Otto proposed a bold plan: 12 gliders, each carrying 10 commandos (including the pilot), descended from the sky, used this triangle as a landing point, stormed the hotel and rescued Mussolini, and in the same way let the commandos land in the valley, capture the cable car platform, prevent the Italian army from reinforcing to the top of the mountain, and then send Mussolini to the Aquila airfield in the low mountains, where he was transferred to Hitler's headquarters.

The rescue plan was reported to General Student, and the battle-hardened veteran couldn't help but be secretly surprised when he saw it. He submitted the plan to the headquarters for discussion, and almost no one believed that it could succeed, but others couldn't think of any other way for a while, and they didn't want to offend the commando leader personally assigned by Li Mo. In the end, Student brought in the 1st Group of the 2nd Glider Wing, which was already operating in Italy, to provide the necessary aircraft for the operation.

However, Otto thought the Go242 glider was too large to land on the ground next to the hotel. To this end, Student immediately ordered the DFS230 gliders of the 3rd Group of the 1st Glider Wing to be transferred from their base in the south of France. Each of the 12 DFS230 assault gliders used for the mission can carry nine heavily armed paratroopers. This could transport a total of 108 soldiers, which is equivalent to 2/3 of the hotel's defenders.

In Studenter's view, the tactics of a surprise attack and the superior firepower of the Germans could more than compensate for the lack of personnel. It was agreed that Otto would lead the search for Mussolini in the hotel, with Belpsch's paratroopers in charge of suppressing the defenders. Student assigned gliders No. 3 and No. 4 to Otto and his men. (To be continued......)