The summer in London is warm, and even if the sun is shining brightly, it rarely exceeds 30 degrees Celsius. The cool breeze has made people lose their heavy clothes on the cold day, and the streets are full of graceful and beautiful images. The European war rekindled after a year, and the British are far less anxious and panic than the summer of 1940. Not only because the main battlefield is thousands of kilometers away from the British, but also in terms of relative strength, the opponents of the Soviet Air Force and Navy have not yet reached the threat to Britain during the heyday of the Third Reich. Even if you take a step back, no matter how strong the Soviet army is, it is impossible to cross the natural barrier of the English Channel. The only thing that makes the British feel less at ease is the "nuclear weapon" in the hands of the Soviets. The nuclear explosion in the Norwegian Sea attack on the British Emperor

The losses caused by the family navy are completely bearable, but the burn marks left by the wounded are quite similar to those of Hiroshima and Nagasaki's post-war survivors, which also makes Western countries generally believe that the enemy has indeed mastered atomic bomb technology. Moscow is likely to own or be about to create multiple atomic bombs. It is entirely possible that they use submarines or other secret methods to carry out retaliatory counterattacks on Western allies. In this case, London, Paris and even major cities far away in the United States have implemented wartime controls, some densely populated areas have been evacuated, and the new air defense system has also been designed and constructed according to known nuclear war standards. A melancholy mood that is different from being directly invaded by the enemy has gradually become the mainstream of this era...

On a seemingly ordinary day, on the road to St. James Square, a military jeep painted in the front lane was leading the way, and a black Ford sedan followed closely. In the back row of the Ford sedan, a wrinkled and vicissitudes of old-fashioned man leaned against his seat with his eyes closed. He was wearing a German military uniform with a rustic gray tone, and only the simplest ornaments were retained on his uniform and cap. There was no red-bottomed marshal's collar, no exquisite Oak Leaf Knight's Cross, and no rumored ferocious, bloodthirsty and violent. When the bright and blazing sun shone on his face through the window on the right, Germany

Marshal Fritz Erich von Manstein, one of the three famous generals in the minds of the Chinese people, slowly opened his eyes as if he had woken up from his sleep. In the slightly shaking car, he looked at the bustling streets and pedestrians outside with a desireless look. Everything here was strange and inseparable to him. It was possible that the Third Reich could still attack the island of Britain in one fell swoop, and that everything had long been buried deep in memory with the annihilation of hope. From the Nuremberg Prison to the British senior German officer detention center, the change in his eyes was only a wall.[]

After arriving at St. James Square, the two cars finally stopped in front of the famous Norfolk Hotel. From January to September 1944, the Supreme Command of the European Allied Expeditionary Force was located in this hotel. Later, as the Allies opened a second battlefield in France, the headquarters moved to Europe. The hotel was used as the headquarters and general liaison office of the United States army in the United Kingdom, and planned to end the lease contract and return it to the United Kingdom after the U.S. military further cut the number of occupied troops. As it turned out, the plan always could not keep up with the changes. Just over two months ago, he had already served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army.

General Eisenhower once again served as the supreme commander of the European Allies' Expeditionary Force, and millions of American soldiers also traveled across the ocean to return to Europe. The Norfolk Hotel once again appeared on the glorious surface of history. However, the Allied Command was not located in London far away from the battlefield, but directly located in Bremen, Germany on the European continent. Now, with the victory of the Western Allied forces in Eastern Europe, the Allied Command, composed of Eisenhower, Montgomery, and Leclerc, as the military representatives of the United States, Britain and France, will soon move east to Poland to facilitate more direct and convenient command of front-line wars.

There were no extra audiences and no applause from flowers. Manstein was greeted by a group of American and British officers with complex expressions. On the steps in front of the hotel, an American general and a British general were waiting for the arrival of this former strong enemy with their hands hanging down. After Manstein walked up the steps, he took the initiative to extend his right hand to greet him in English. The German Field Marshal did not refuse this normal etiquette. He simply responded in German "Hello" and turned around and walked into the hotel.

The unfamous Allied generals walked a little quickly. Manstein was obviously half a beat slower. When he walked through the stairs and went up to the second floor, they had already pulled down two or three positions. The US and British generals had to stop and wait. Finally, the three of them entered the office of the military affairs director of the Supreme Command of the European Allied Expeditionary Force and the Supreme Commander of the US Army in Britain, and the current British local defense commander Marshal Harold Alexander was also waiting here.

Judging from the prestige and status during the war, Devus, Alexander and Manstein were not the most dazzling stars in their respective countries, but they had many similarities: their commendable military talents, served as commanders of the army group level, and performed well on the battlefield. Now, Devus is carrying the temporary four-star general rank. Although Alexander is a marshal and strong, he is a little sad under the glory of Montgomery. As for Manstein, he has not been reused since he was dismissed by Ghitler in the spring of 1944. He was arrested by the British army after the war. There has not been a formal trial yet. He can only wait day after day for the fate of his decision.

"Martin Manstein! Welcome!" Devs stood up to greet the famous German general who had never met on the battlefield. His tone was full of enthusiasm, and the expression on his face was kind and a very subtle show of kindness.

The US military does not have the marshal's organization, and the five-star general is the highest level. Devs' four-star player is also a sufficiently powerful interlocutor. Manstein was always straight, looking straight at the other party, and responded in German without being humble or arrogant: "Hello, thank you!"

Compared with the American attitude of not grudges, Marshal Alexander, who had never fought with his opponent on the battlefield, seemed more generous. He gave Manstein a clear smile, and the long-term handshake with the other party also showed a kind of open-mindedness of cherishing heroes. However, this was not enough to melt the indifference on Manstein's face. He still just greeted him politely.

Under Devs' guidance, Manstein sat down on the sofa, Alexander and Bradley sat on one side, and the two American and British generals who came in sat on the chairs that had been arranged behind the large sofa, and another young man in a British army uniform served as the translator.

"I'm used to living in England for the first time!" Devs asked.

After the translation and retelling, Manstein replied unhurriedly: "It's okay."

Devs said at a slow speed: "Although the German newspapers delivered to you usually have one or two days delays, I believe that they can still give you a very intuitive understanding of the external situation. We are now in a direct war with the Soviet Union. In a sense, we are walking on the footprints you left, which sounds a bit ironic, but things don't always go as people wish."

Before listening to the translator, Manstein sat upright motionlessly. This posture was also an inherent impression left by the German soldiers to the world. At the end, he just nodded slightly without making any statement.

Devus glanced at Alexander, then went straight to the topic and said, "Today, you are invited to come mainly because you have fought with the Soviets for four years and have a good understanding of their way of fighting, and you are Germany's leading military expert, so... we hope you can provide some help to us in a way you think you can accept, so that we can do our best to help you and your colleagues and fellow citizens."

Manstein was still not in a hurry to speak after hearing this. He sat there like a rock, his eyes staying on Devs' face for a long time, forcing Devs to look at Alexander for help.

Alexander Piao Astronomy Network: "We can provide you with a formal senior military advisor position at the European Allied Command, and make it public or confidential according to your wishes. We believe that your insights will definitely be of great help to our military operations. For this reason, we can use the way of comrades to help you get rid of the trouble of imprisonment. After the war with the Soviet Union, you can return to Germany with your own identity, and never ask about political affairs, or rejoin the West German army, it is up to you to decide!"

Out of the most basic etiquette, when Alexander spoke, Manstein had eye contact with him, and the British offered more detailed conditions, which was also quite tempting for a defeated soldier who lost his own life and had an uncertain future. Manstein thought about it for half a minute, spoke a few words of German, and translated it into English quickly: "I have served as a staff officer and military commander for many years and are tired of it. I personally do not hate Soviet soldiers. They just stand on their own stand and exercise their duties as soldiers. In this process, they are inevitably bad behaviors of some people."

After hearing this, Alexander seemed a little disappointed, while Devs said calmly: "We understand and respect your ideas. If I were to do so, I might choose to think quietly instead of re-entering the war. In fact... we are still considering another plan, which is to rebuild the German army."

If it were ten years or ten years later, it would not be surprising that this would be said. A country like Germany, which is equivalent to a European crossing, could not be in a military vacuum for a long time, and its army is the most military-friendly and easy to command. But in 1946, only 14 months have passed since Germany's defeat. Those who were imprisoned in Allied prisoners of war camps were soldiers who swore allegiance to Adolf. Ghittels in the old Third Reich era, the SS, the National Wehrmacht and various levels of reserve forces. Some of them were indeed misled and recognized the truth of the war, but more people were probably unwilling to accept it, such as those predecessors who actively ran for the restoration of the German Emperor after the end of World War I, who were waiting for the call from the darkness.

The reason why famous generals can become extraordinary people is that the more important the moment of the big trouble, the more calm and clear the mind. Manstein was not at all lost by Devs' words. He thought calmly and asked back: "The Soviets are already using their captured German soldiers to participate in this war, right?"

Devs exchanged eyes with Alexander in surprise, and then replied: "Based on the information we have, the Soviet Union did have such a plan. German prisoners of war who thought they could trade battles for their own operations will be used to engage in dangerous work such as field engineering, front-line mine clearance, etc., and those who were confused or assimilated by the ideas of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union may even be sent to the front line to participate in the battle. We have reason to believe that the Soviets could spare no means in order to win. From our standpoint, we would never want to see hundreds of thousands of German troops become accomplices of the enemy. From your standpoint, we also do not want our compatriots to be placed in such a desperate situation, so we have a common position on this point."

Manstein thought for a while and asked sharply: "Did you allow the German army to rebuild, and do you want our soldiers to build bridges, dig trenches and mines for you, and even fight with the Soviets on the front line?"

"Yes! We have our position, you have your position, and cooperation can only be carried out when two positions have intersected areas. We need your military help, and you need to obtain autonomy. To put it bluntly, it's very simple!" Devs replied without hesitation, and even Marshal Alexander was surprised. On these details, the two important American and British generals obviously did not communicate fully.

Before the translator translated Devs's words, Manstein was already in a state of deep thought. This time he thought for a long time, so Devs couldn't wait to throw out a deeper temptation: "As long as we defeated the Soviet Union, it is obvious that our previous agreement with the Soviet Union to divide and occupy Germany would lose its effect. We can choose to re-dividend and occupy Germany by the United States, Britain, and France, or let it return to a state of unity. Taking the right path with the supervision and support of the allies, you Germans should hate division and desire unity!"

"Aren't you worried about the rumors about the remnant power of the Third Reich?" Manstein still raised his own doubts in a rhetorical manner. Judging from the reactions of Devs and Alexander, they must have realized that the famous German general in front of him was a thorny target with a strong subjective consciousness. This should be the main reason why he was abandoned in the late stage of the war.

"Most of us think that is the guise used by the Soviet Union to divert the public's attention, because after the United States mastered the atomic bomb technology, they were afraid that the United States would use this super weapon to attack and dismantle them. Unless they had the same super weapon, they had no ability to resist and counterattack!" Devs said quickly, "Now we launched a full-scale offensive to eliminate the threats facing Europe and the world once and for all before the Soviets created more atomic bombs."

Manstein suddenly laughed - this was not a hearty laugh, but a cold smile that made people feel scared, so smile that Devs and Alexander looked at each other.

"What puzzles me is why the United States wants to mobilize troops to launch a fierce air and ground offensives in conjunction with Britain, France and other countries. Isn't a fire of atomic bombs enough to solve the problem?"

This problem suddenly made Alexander stunned, and Devs, a general who was called "powerful man" by his colleagues in the United States, said calmly: "No, Mr. Manstein, a fire of an atomic bomb cannot solve all problems, but can complicate the problem. It is very simple to make a metaphor that a village has landlords and peasants. The landlords have always bullied the peasants. If we set a few fires in the village or even burn the landlord's yard in one breath, it is likely that the people in the village will stand on the side of the surviving landlord's family because of fear, anger and sympathy, and resist our attack with the same hatred. If we adopt a smarter way and occupy a household, we will awaken the poor peasants who have to swallow their anger on the ground, and they will stand on our side one by one, eventually isolate and eliminate the big landlords, and the village will also gain long-term stability."

This is not a clever metaphor, it just barely dealt with Manstein's problem. As for the deeper issues behind this, Americans regard it as a secret, and outsiders can only think about it based on their own thinking.

"I have no interest in being a staff officer and an adviser. I just want to make more contributions to our motherland in my lifetime. If I can participate in the reconstruction of the German army, I am willing to provide some positive and effective analysis and suggestions for the military operations of the allies. As for whether to adopt it or not, you will decide for yourself."

When Manstein said this, he finally showed his arrogant side. You should know that his "Manstein Plan" helped the German army to quickly defeat France unexpectedly. He directed the exciting and soul-stirring Battle of the Crim Peninsula without prevailing troops, captured the Sevastopol Fortress Group, which was known for its sturdyness. As the commander of the Southern Army Group, the Kharkov counterattack, which was of great strategic significance and exquisiteness in the entire history of World War II military, almost changed the situation alone. He was good at using armored troops, emphasizing quick battles and winning surprises. Although there were also the regrets that the 6th Army, which was trapped in Sturm, failed to rescue the 6th Army trapped in Sturmland, was still the most outstanding military commander of this era.

"You made a very wise decision." Devus, as if he was afraid that the cooked duck would fly away, quickly covered his pot with this sentence, and added: "Of course, you also know that rebuilding the German army is not an easy task. From planning to implementation, it involves relations between parties. There will be new changes every day in the frontline war. Therefore, we hope that you can fulfill your duties of providing analytical advice for our military decisions as soon as possible, and we will also use personality as a guarantee to fulfill our commitment to you."

"I can clearly distinguish between objective and human factors in this." Manstein reminded coldly.

At this time, Marshal Alexander, who was relieved, smiled at Manstein again: "What a wonderful scene it would be if we could fight side by side on the battlefield one day!"
Chapter completed!