Chapter 194 Chapter Thirty-One Five Minutes After Midnight, or "The Captain Sinks with the Ship" (6)

Hitler's closest ally is also doomed.Since Skorzeny saved him from his face, Mussolini has been considering some kind of "Italian political solution" to end this disastrous war.He sent his son Vittorio to the Archbishop of Milan with a verbal proposal to open negotiations with the West.The Vatican passed this advice on to the allies in time - but it was rejected. Mussolini did not tell Hitler about the move, as he had had little contact with him of late.Nor did he hide his opinion from the reporters: he disagreed with Hitler's "melodramatic" attack on Russia.He admitted that he was nothing more than a German prisoner.His own fortune has been lost. On April 25, he left Milan (his convoy consisted of only 10 cars) and headed north to meet his loyal "Black Team" for the last time.There is an "Alfa-Romeo" car in the convoy, with Spanish license plates, and his mistress Clara Betaci is sitting in it. "I only accept my fate," she wrote in a letter to her friend, "I don't know what will happen to me, but I can't question my fate." Mussolini did not take his wife with him, including Churchill's letter All the documents were handed over to her.The documents, he hopes, will allow her to cross the border safely with the children. "If they block you or hurt you," he said, "tell them to hand you over to the British."

At dawn on the 26th, Mussolini and his party headed north along the winding road along the west bank of Lake Como (despite the drizzle, the lake and mountains are still beautiful).After driving 25 miles, they rested in a hotel, waiting for 3,000 black-clad players to join them.But none came; the next day they had to continue north.They were captured by guerrillas near Dongo, and two factions emerged in the guerrillas: one faction advocated the immediate execution of these fascists; the other faction advocated their handing over to the Allies.There was a quarrel between the two sides. On April 28, three executioners came from Milan to solve this problem.They shot Mussolini and Clara Bettassi with machine guns.

By that morning, almost all German forces on the Eastern Front had disintegrated.The commander of the unit also almost openly mutinied.For example, Mantefil's Third Panzer Corps, defying Hitler's orders to resist resolutely, retreated west while fighting.His goal was to surrender to Britain and the United States. The disintegration of the military organization was also evident inside the bunker.At dawn, the three of Bowman, Krebs and Burgdorf got blushed and thick necks after they got drunk. "Nine months ago, I accepted this task with all my ambitions," Burgdorf roared. "I tried again and again to reconcile the army with the party." Therefore, he said, his Colleagues despised him and even said he was betrayed. "Today, these accusations are all justified. I was completely futile. My ideals were misplaced. Not only that, I was naive and stupid!"

Krebs had asked him to be quiet, but the shouts in the room had woken the two lieutenants sleeping in the next room.They heard Burgdorf's roar, yelling at Krebs, who was trying to compromise. "Leave me alone, Hans—I have to say all this! Maybe, in another forty-eight hours, I won't be able to say these words... Thousands of loyal and ideal young officers have died .For what? For the motherland? No! They died for you!" Burgdorf turned his attack on Bowman. He roared that millions of people died so that the party members could climb the ranks. "For your extravagant life, for your desire for power. You destroyed our ancient culture and our German nation! This is a heinous crime you committed!"

"Dear man," Bowman said reassuringly, "you don't want to attack personally. You can't hold me responsible even if someone else has pocketed it. I swear by everything holy. Be careful of hurting your body, I My friend!" In the next room, two eavesdroppers heard the clink of glasses.After that, there was no sound. Throughout the morning, General Wendeling was carefully formulating a plan to break out of Berlin-divided into three echelons to break out.Apparently, the Russians will soon storm the Chancellery. "Skinny Monkey Karl" is full of confidence, thinking that Hitler's approval will be obtained at the military meeting in the evening.Therefore, he ordered all commanders to report to the bunker in the middle of the night.

Madame Goebbels was writing to her son by a previous marriage - a captive of the Allies.The "glorious ideal" of Nazism, she told him, was in vain, "and with it all that was good and noble that I had known in my life." A world without Hitler and National Socialism was not worth living in. Survival.That's why she brought the six children into the bunker.Children are too noble to live a life of failure that is not worth living, "the merciful God will see why I don't let them live this life... let my God give me the strength to do my last It is the most difficult responsibility." Bowman also sent a telegram to his wife saying, "It's all over" and he has no hope.She should leave Berchtesgaden immediately and go to Tyrol with the children and five or six kidnapped children.