Chapter 7 Chapter Six

Dieter Frank drove the Hispano Susa in the dark, accompanied by his young assistant, Lieutenant Hans Hesse.The car has been driven for ten years, but its stout eleven-litre engine is full of power and never tires.Last night, Dieter found several bullet holes in a graceful curve on the rear fender, which were souvenirs from the firefight at the Place Saint-Cécile, but the mechanical performance of the car was not damaged, while he Think those few bullet holes add charm to the car, like the scars on the cheeks of a Prussian officer after a duel. Lieutenant Hesse covered the headlights as they drove through the dark streets of Paris and took them off when they were on the road to Normandy.They took turns driving for two hours each, although Hesse preferred to let him drive alone the entire time.He loves the car and adores its owner like a hero.

Dieter sat in the passenger seat, hypnotized by the endless stretch of country road in front of the headlights.He seemed to be asleep, imagining his future.Will the Allies retake France and drive the occupying forces out?He was inevitably depressed at the thought of Germany's possible defeat.Maybe there will be some kind of peaceful solution where Germany gives up France and Poland but keeps Austria and Czechoslovakia.But that doesn't seem to be much better.He found it hard to imagine returning to Cologne with his wife and family after the thrills and indulgences he had experienced with Stephanie in Paris.Whether against Germany or against Dieter, the only perfect ending was for Rommel's army to push the invaders back out to sea.

Before the damp dawn, Hesse drove into the small medieval village of La Roche-Guillon on the Seine between Paris and Rouen.He stopped at the roadblock at the entrance of the village, but the sentry knew they were coming and let them go quickly.They passed silently from house to house with closed gates and arrived at another checkpoint at the gate of an ancient castle.Finally, they parked in a large cobbled yard.Dieter left Hesse in the car and walked into the building by himself. Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, commander-in-chief of the German Western Theater, is a senior general from the old officer class and is trustworthy.He was under Marshal Erwin Rommel, who was in charge of the defense of the French coast.The castle of La Roche-Guillon was Rommel's headquarters.

Dieter Frank felt close to Rommel.Both were the sons of schoolteachers—Rommel's father had been a headmaster—and so could sense the icy arrogance of the German army in the likes of von Rundstedt.But other than that, they are very different.Indulging in pleasures, Dieter appreciated all the cultural and sensual pleasures that France had to offer him.Rommel is a person who is addicted to work, does not smoke or drink, and often forgets to eat.He had only met one girlfriend and married her, and wrote three letters to her a day. In the hall, Dieter met Rommel's adjutant, Major Walter Model, a man with a cold personality and an extremely complicated mind.Dieter respected the man, but could not like him.They had spoken on the phone in the middle of the night the previous day.Dieter briefly talked about the problems he encountered with the Gestapo, and said that he hoped to see Rommel as soon as possible. "Come here at four in the morning," said Model.Rommel was always at his desk at four o'clock in the morning.

Now Dieter wonders if he should.Rommel might have said: "How dare you bother me with such trivial matters?" Dieter thought Rommel would not.The commander always liked to grasp the minutiae, and he was almost certain that Rommel would support him and grant his request.But that's hard to say, especially when commanders are under pressure. Model nodded slightly as a greeting: "He wants to see you now. Come with me." As the two passed through the corridor, Dieter said: "What's the news from Italy?" "It's all bad news," said Model. "We're leaving Arce."

Dieter nodded with a firm expression.The Germans were fighting like hell, but they still couldn't stop the enemy's advance north. A minute later Dieter walked into Rommel's office, a spacious and ornate room on the first floor.Dieter notices a priceless 17th-century Gobelin tapestry hanging on one wall, and is instantly envious.There wasn't much office furniture here, but a few chairs and a huge antique table that Dieter thought might be as old as the tapestry.There was a lamp on a table, and behind it sat a small man with a receding hairline and light brown hair. Model said: "Major Frank is here, Field Marshal."

Dieter waited nervously.Rommel read on for a while, then marked a piece of paper with the gesture of a bank manager checking the accounts of his most important customers.And when he raised his head, he immediately changed into another look.Dieter had seen this face before, but every time he saw him, Dieter felt overwhelmed.It was the face of a boxer, with a flat nose and broad chin, eyes set close together, and an expression of undisguised aggression that made Rommel unique. A legendary commander.Dieter remembered Rommel's story in World War I, his first battle.He led an advance party of three men to encounter twenty French troops.Instead of retreating for reinforcements, he opened fire and bravely charged into enemy lines.He was lucky to survive—but Dieter remembered Napoleon's famous quote: "Lucky generals are all I want." Since then, Rommel has favored bold surprise attacks over carefully planned ones.He was the polar opposite of his desert counterpart, Montgomery, whose view was not to attack until victory was assured.

"Sit down, Frank." Rommel said briskly, "What do you think?" Dieter has already done some rehearsals. He said: "According to your instructions, I visited key facilities that may be attacked by resistance forces and improved the security defenses in these places." "very good." "I've also been trying to assess the likelihood that the Resistance will wreak havoc. Are they going to actually hold us back for an invasion?" "What's your conclusion?" "It's worse than we thought." Rommel snorted in disgust, as if an unpleasant guess had been confirmed. "What's your reason?"

Rommel was not going to bite off his head, which made Dieter relax a little.He talked about the attack in Saint-Cecile yesterday, and stated the unique plan of the resistance organization, a large number of weapons and ammunition, and most importantly, the bravery and tenacity of those fighters.The only detail left unsaid is the beautiful blonde girl. Rommel stood up and walked towards the tapestry.He kept his eyes on it, but Dieter believed he was not looking at the tapestry. "That's what worries me," said Rommel, his voice very softly, almost to himself. "I can repel an attack, even if I have only a few teams, as long as I remain mobile—but if I If the communication is down, I will definitely lose."

Mordel nodded in agreement. "I think we can take this attack on a telephone exchange and turn it into an opportunity," Dieter said. Rommel turned around and gave a wry smile. "My God, I wish all my officers were like you. Go on, what do you want to do?" Dieter felt that the meeting had gone his way. "If I can interrogate the captured prisoners, they will let me find other groups. With any luck, we can hit the Resistance hard before the invasion." Rommel was a little skeptical. "Sounds a bit self-inflated." Dieter's heart sank, and Rommel continued: "If someone said such a thing, I would send him away. But I remember your achievements in the desert work. You can get those people to pull out confessions without them even realizing it."

Dieter was delighted, and he took his advantage and continued: "Unfortunately, the Gestapo refused to let me interrogate those prisoners." "They're just that stupid." "I need your intervention." "Of course." Rommel turned to Model, "Call Foch Avenue." The Gestapo's French headquarters is located at 84 Foch Avenue in Paris. "Tell them that Major Frank is going to interrogate the prisoners today, or have someone from Berchtesgaden call them." He was referring to Hitler's Bavarian fortress.The field marshal had the privilege of direct access to Hitler, and Rommel never hesitated to use it when it was time to use it. "Okay," said Mordel. Rommel walked around his 17th-century table and sat down again. "Let me know immediately, Frank," he said, and went back to his papers. Dieter and Model left the room. Model sent Dieter to the gate of the castle. Outside, it was still pitch black everywhere.