Chapter 9 Once was a lilac garden - 1

The famous American poet Walt Whitman wrote an elegy in memory of Lincoln in 1871, entitled "When the Garden Was Full of Lilacs".The author quotes this poem title here to mourn the death of Roosevelt. ——Translator When we talked about the American soldiers who attacked Italy, they were still struggling in the brown-black mud under Monte Cassino, hoping that the weather would warm up and break through the German defense lines.That was in 1943.By 1944, things were no better.The Germans also controlled 2/3 of Italy, including Rome. On January 22, 1944, the Allies attempted an amphibious offensive, landing at Anzio in the enemy's rear and outflanking the enemy's defenses.But the commander of this wonderful move was mediocre and incompetent.After winning by surprise, he did not take advantage of the victory to advance. Instead, he took every step on the beach and stagnated. As a result, he fell into the siege of Marshal Kesselring again.Anzio became a trap for the U.S. military. They were unable to advance or retreat. For more than four months, they were trapped on the beachhead, with increasing casualties and helpless. However, the German army regarded them as targets and raised their marksmanship.A news reporter said: "The U.S. military lives here like primitive people. Their appearance may be more decent than using machine guns. It's hard to imagine how they survived that harsh winter."

When spring came, heavy rain washed away the portable bridge. The ruts on the road surface were as hard as iron, but now they are muddy and difficult to walk.Yet the Allies held on pointlessly.Whether it is the Fifth Army of the U.S. Army or the Eighth Army of the British Army, on the east and west sides of the Apennine Mountains in the boot waist of Italy, they are attacking the enemy frontally and suffering heavy losses.The best they could hope for was to hold down and wear down some German divisions from filling Hitler's Atlantic coastal defenses—on which the Allies would soon have to storm across the Channel to test their edge.But this kind of war of attrition causes losses to both sides, and what is worse is that the attacking side costs more than the defending side.Allied casualties increased, morale declined, and friction among the allies was developing, which is always a red flag.At this time in Italy, apart from Mussolini who was put under house arrest by the anti-fascist Italians, Lieutenant General Mark Clark was considered the most unpopular person.He blamed the bombing of Monte Cassino on General Bernard Friber of New Zealand, a celebrated hero.This approach, no matter how well said, is nothing more than an unseemly buck-passing, and at the time, bombing seemed to be a military necessity.

Anzio's Allied forces were in desperate need of rescue, and the Allied High Command could only think of one way, which was to march on Rome in a large scale. At 7:30 p.m. on June 4, 1944, Clark personally took the lead and commanded some troops of the U.S. Fifth Army to march into Venice Square in this immortal city.The victor was greeted with flowers, cheers, kisses and wine, and he was overwhelmed.Faced with this kind of scene, any warrior would inevitably feel complacent, but Clark didn't know where to stop.The next day, he summoned all the corps-level commanders to a meeting. It turned out that Clark wanted them to play supporting roles in the press conference.At the request of the photographers, Clark put on all kinds of mighty postures and took photos again and again, which made his American and allied generals feel ashamed, and even some military reporters also blushed.But Clark turned a blind eye and prepared to make a short speech instead. "Today," he began, "is a big day for Fifth Army."

The reporters looked at each other.The Fifth Army! What about the Eighth Army? The British journalists were quite angry and murmured to each other. Didn’t the Eighth Army fight from Cairo to Rome step by step? There are also Polish troops, and troops from other countries. Eric Sevared thinks it's more than that: isn't every victory over Hitler a victory for the enslaved people in Europe, or a victory for the Jews waiting to be slaughtered in the Nazi killing factory? A victory for those who have made great sacrifices and are still suffering... But Clark doesn't see it that way.He fully met the needs of photographers and journalists, and opened up communication circuits so that news pictures and manuscripts could reach the editor of the newspaper the next morning.Everything went as planned, but Clark was unlucky.It turned out that the next day was June 6, 1944, the day the Allied forces began to land in Normandy.

Just north of Portsmouth Dockyard, there is a magnificent English mansion called Southwick House.In the hazel forest near the mansion, there is an old trailer. Among its special furnishings, there is a red telephone, which is a frequency-changing security telephone for direct calls with Washington; green.In this trailer, Dwight Eisenhower, already wearing four generals, drafted two telegrams sometime during the stormy week before the launch of the largest amphibious offensive in history.The first telegram was to congratulate the troops preparing for the Normandy landing.This has already become a well-known document ("You are about to start 'Jihad'").The other is a bulletin prepared for publication in the press in case of a repeat of the Dunkirk retreat:

Our troops have landed in the Cherbourg-Havre area, and having failed to gain a proper foothold, I have ordered the withdrawal of troops.My decision to attack here and now is based on the best intelligence we have.The armed forces of land, sea and air have all performed their duties and fought bravely.Any shortcomings and errors are entirely my own responsibility. So long has historical events occurred that such a development seems inevitable.When we recalled the European landings, we always thought that the German army in France was at the end of the road—Eisenhower’s army was gathered, supplies were endless, the strait was covered by a huge British and American fleet, and the air force fleet was circling above.Even those who knew the situation were not immune to such grotesque thinking; Montgomery later wrote: "The battle was carried out exactly according to the plans before the attack." It was not.

People said a lot about the bad weather and how it affected the landing operations.In fact, this is a godsend.It was because of the bad weather that the main German generals were not at headquarters when the battle broke out.Rommel, Hitler's most capable field marshal, was off that day to celebrate his wife's birthday in Ulm.The Germans had ten highly mobile armored divisions that could have driven the invading army across the English Channel, but on the day of the landing, only one armored division went into battle.Although only one division, it also broke through the British line at Caen and advanced as far as the sea.Of course, this force is too small. If three of the ten armored divisions were involved in the Battle of Normandy, "the Allied forces will be driven into the sea before they can consolidate their footholds." This is the famous British military strategist Liddell Hart said in his book.

If Rommel had not been so devoted to his wife, he would have stayed in France and the Allies might have been wiped out.Of course, the marshal had to call Hitler for instructions first, but the head of state originally advocated that troops attacking across the strait should be kept away from the coast; Lucky", and "will end this life in some prison".Oddly enough, Hitler had an intuition from the start that the landing site would be in Normandy.But later he listened to the opinions of his cronies and changed his view. "Calais," he said, "that's where the main force landed, and Normandy was just a feint." In this way, Eisenhower had the best of luck.The tasks facing his troops were difficult enough.Over the past year, the Germans have laid mines along the coastline, piled steel tripods to defend tanks in the ground, built six-foot-thick concrete blockhouses, reinforced concrete tunnels, and interwoven various military barriers. Stand up and form a natural fortification.They drove all the slave laborers to complete these defense works.The British landings at Juno Beach and Sword Beach went as planned from the start.However, the US military attacked Omaha Beach and Utah Beach only after paying a huge price.Then, advancing inland, the soldiers encountered the hedgerows that criss-cross Normandy, which would have been of great advantage to the obstinate garrison.

Across the Atlantic, 100 million Americans fidgeted in front of the radio, waiting for the latest news from France.Roosevelt was one of them.He personally took care of every detail of this huge battle preparation.He knew that the landing craft used would go out to sea along the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers after they were built on Lake Michigan, sail east across the ocean, and then pick up American soldiers in British ports.He knew from daily reports, the tank landing craft (L·S·T) built in California, and how they were loaded with tanks, bulldozers and trucks for sea trials.He kept abreast of Ike's postponement of the landing date and the vexing but pointless weather forecasts of the military meteorologists.It was also reported to the President how Eisenhower lingered on the cinder road outside the trailer, handling the auspicious silver coins brought back from the invasion of North Africa and Sicily.Finally, the general seemed to have a choked throat and said: "I really think it's time to give an order... I don't want to do this, but I have to do it..." Then he slammed his right fist into the palm of his left hand Roosevelt also got a report from the Supreme Command of the Expeditionary Force on all this.

After Eisenhower finished those few words, the massive march into Hitler-occupied continental Europe began.Ed Murrow was in England at the time, a practical, non-fantasy man, but standing beneath the roaring bombers flying towards France, he seemed to hear the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" echoing in the air.As for the president as the supreme commander, he was not as close to the scene as Murrow was, so he had to pray and pray from afar.Yes, he was really praying then.That weekend at the home of Adjutant "Uncle" Watson in the village of Charlottesville, he re-read the "Common Prayer Book". "It is used for reciting in unison. ——Translator, I am going to find a paragraph to pray for the landing. On the night of Tuesday, June 6, he led the nation in a chorus of prayers for God to bless "our children... the essence of our country. Lead them and make them faithful." He added, "Let them be strong physically , strong in heart and strong in faith. God, they need your blessing. For they have a long and rough road to go. The enemy is strong and may drive us back. It may not be quick, but we will fight again and again ’” Then he prayed to God to guide those (he was one of them) watching the battle from afar at home. "Give us faith—faith in you, faith in the sons of our country, faith in our people, faith in the allies we fight together..."

The decisive battle, meanwhile, took place among the hedgerows and poppies of Normandy.After 11 days of fighting, Bradley released the first casualty figures: 3,283 dead and 12,600 injured.However, he lost a lot and won a lot, and London has new reasons to claim a record; because on June 14, Werner von Braun Braun became an American citizen in 1955 and became a member of the Aeronautics and Space Administration. One of the leaders of the program.Fifteen American colleges and universities have awarded him honorary degrees.V-1 missiles have been used, launched from Nazi bases in France and Belgium, and massacred many British civilians.In this case, Allied leaders demanded victory, front-line generals demanded larger ports to deliver supplies, and everyone demanded an end to bridgehead fighting.But the port of Cherbourg was not taken until Tuesday, and the Germans had done everything they could to destroy it.They breached the breakwaters, smashed the cranes, and laid mines and booby traps at the various piers.The sappers will have until August to clean up the mess.At this time, the expeditionary force in Europe could only rely on the man-made port code-named "Mulberry" to transport supplies.This was carried by the expeditionary force to Europe and laid in the water in the village of Arromanches in northern France. Despite this, landing personnel and supplies came in a steady stream. On July 4, Eisenhower reported to Washington that the number of troops landing in France had reached 1 million, with 566648 tons of supplies and 171532 vehicles.Moreover, although the battle at the bridgehead was protracted, it became a good thing.Due to the fierce fighting, most of the German troops on the western front were drawn to the Cotentin Peninsula.In order to plug the gap in the defense line, the German army broke the organizational system and scattered the armored divisions into battle, but they were annihilated one by one by the US military.Behind this peninsula lay the open plains of the French heartland, where the Nazis would soon have the greatest need for mobile power.However, the Battle of the Peninsula caused the German mobile power to be lost.At the same time, Hitler issued an order not to give up an inch of ground, which restrained the front-line commanders and prevented them from implementing a tactical retreat.As a result, the British army captured Caen on July 9, and the American army captured Saint-Lo, a transportation hub between Normandy and Brittany, on July 25.At this time, General Patton came to the front line and was in a hurry to supervise the battle. On July 25, he led a powerful armored force to attack Avranches and rushed into the Brittany region.By August 10, the U.S. military had spread throughout the Brittany region and cut off contact with other regions.Lord Beaverbrook's London Express said: "The Americans have proved to be a valiant and warlike people, and rank at the head of all armies." On Friday, August 25, the convoy of General Leclerc of Free France entered the outskirts of Paris.On the following Saturday, General de Gaulle made his triumphant entry into the French capital.So, on the other side of the Atlantic, Lily Pons, a female singer wearing the uniform of the United Service Corps, was born in France and later became an American citizen. ——Translator, singing "Marseillaise" in Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan.Paris was liberated, and the people were ecstatic.However, observers in Paris discovered that the aftermath of the restoration of Paris was more complicated than expected.The de Gaulle faction and the underground French Inland Army have blacklisted, saying that 700,000 people are collaborating with the enemy.The French girl who slept with the Germans had to confess, then cut off her hair and shaved her head.But many collaborators escape humiliation and spend money to buy freedom.The situation in Paris made some Americans feel very uncomfortable.It doesn't look like a ravaged capital at all. Compared with London, Paris is simply prosperous and prosperous.Ed Murrow was surprised by the abundance of richly dressed women in the streets.Not only did the French textile industry thrive during the war, but the French were the first to make practical TV transmitters and televisions.Famous clothing stores in the past, such as Molino, Lanvin, Schiaparelli, etc., are still operating as usual. The skirts worn by female customers are still full-length and pleated, and the upper part of the sleeves can be fat and wide. American and British women who are restricted by clothing material rationing, Such fashion has long been out of the question.A Paris fashion designer and a British reporter sighed when talking about the liberation of Paris, spread their hands in a typical French gesture, and said: "What will I do if this trouble continues? My regular customers are all in concentration camps. Of course, they are all Because they served the Vichy government." The situation in London is still more dangerous than Paris. On 8 September, after 1,843 blackout nights, the British capital was lit up again.Julie Andrews, then eight years old, saw the city lights up for the first time in her memory.But the return to light did not last.Because on that night, von Braun launched a V-2 missile to Britain.The British call it Bob Hope. Bob Hope (Bob Hope) was originally a famous American movie star.But there are other meanings here, see the explanation in parentheses. ——Translator (“Fall to the ground, hope nothing happens”).It seems that it is advisable to restore the blackout.The Allied troops in France, and the common people in England, had for weeks been telling one another wishful thinking that the war was basically over.The battered German army seemed doomed; it was assumed that even Hitler must have realized he was doomed. On September 12, the U.S. military crossed the border and entered the German territory near Eupen and Trier, and began a tentative attack on the outer fortifications of the Siegfried Line of Defense.By now the western part of mainland Germany had also been attacked.In the autumn of that year, one after another made rapid progress. The Canadian army drove the German army out of the Scheldt, and the US First Army captured Aachen, thus breaking through the main body of the Siegfried Line.Patton's Third Army captured Metz and Strasbourg, and other American forces reached the Rolle.This is for December 3rd.But within two weeks, Hitler's sudden and massive counterattack caught the Allies by surprise.Some elite German troops swooped on the U.S. troops.Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt personally shouted and cheered: "This is a glorious moment in your life. Powerful troops are marching towards Britain and the United States today. At this moment, I don't need to say more, you know everything in your heart Chu, this is an important moment of critical survival. For the sake of the motherland and the head of state, you must fulfill this sacred duty beyond the reach of ordinary human beings." This is the so-called "Battle of the Salient Area" and "Battle of the Salient Area" is the common name for the last large-scale counteroffensive before the German surrender.The location is in the east and north of Belgium, and the direction of attack is the Ardennes Forest. It once broke through a gap as wide as 60 miles in the British and American Allied defense lines.It was defeated by Allied forces in January 1945. - The translator's prologue.Then came the devastation in Belgium by German troops speaking English and wearing American uniforms; the heroic blockade of the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne; Stoney's famous strategic outflank, during which 30-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Creighton Abrams of the 4th Armored Division personally drove the leading tank to attack... and so on, are already well-known military stories in the United States.This was the heyday of the U.S. military in Europe.Someone asked Montgomery how he turned the tide of the war, and he replied: "It is because of the bravery and good fighting of the American army. I salute these athletes! I salute these brave American soldiers! I never thought that I could fight side by side with better soldiers than myself. I even thought, I would be proud to be a member of the U.S. military.” The "Battle of the Salient" was Hitler's last desperate gamble, and it fell apart. In January 1945, the Russians began their final general assault. At the beginning of February, the Allied forces completely liberated the Netherlands, captured the Saarland region, captured a bridge in Remagen that the German army had no time to blow up, and then erected a temporary bridge on the Rhine River, nine more than the temporary German army erected at the beginning of the war. .It then surrounded the Ruhr area, took 325,000 prisoners, and then captured Mannheim and Frankfurt am Main.The war is drawing to a close, and the Europeans are aware of this.While London continued its month of blackout, Paris was already lit up all night for the first week in early April.Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden, Essen, Dusseldorf, Nuremberg and Frankfurt have all been reduced to rubble.Hitler's 56th birthday was two weeks away, but there were no plans to celebrate it. At noon on April 11, 1945, the U.S. Ninth Army arrived at the Elbe River. At 6 a.m. on the 12th, Roosevelt slept in a secluded bedroom in the hot springs.He went to bed the night before expecting to read the latest news on the development of the war situation in the morning, but the mail arrived late.Among his regular readers are the New York Times, New York Herald Tribune, Baltimore Sun, and Washington Post.But that day he only saw the local Atlanta Charter.The headline of the newspaper is: Ninth Army is fifty-seven miles from Berlin Fifty miles a day, U.S. and Russian militaries are expected to join forces soon Pacific side, Marines gain ground in Okinawa fierce fighting One hundred and fifty super sky fortresses daylight raid on tokyo bombing for two hours Here in Georgia, early April has been unseasonably warm.The dogwood and wild violets were in bloom; a neighbor was going to arrange for Roosevelt an open-air dinner of a whole pig, and a chair under an old oak tree where he could sit and admire the astonishing beauty of the valley.Since the mail was delayed, the large number of documents he had to review every day had not been received on time, so there was really nothing to do except to have people continue to paint his portrait.Two years ago, Lucy Rutherford had invited the artist to paint a watercolor portrait of him, and now he himself asked the artist to paint another one, which he planned to give to Lucy's daughter as a gift. The president moved here, and Bill Hassett and Dr. Bruin were relieved.They have begun to lose faith in the president's return to health. When his entourage carried him from the train to the platform of the Spa station on March 30, they all heard the astonishment of the crowd.When he was put on the wheelchair and pushed towards the car, he lay weakly and half-lying, his head tilted involuntarily with the movement of the wheelchair.His condition improved slightly and he was able to drive here, but they had long experienced this kind of temporary improvement and no longer had confidence.In the evening, after the President had rested, they looked at each other with great concern.Hassett said Roosevelt was at stake.His strong, dashing signature was not as good as it used to be, and looked worse than a forger's hand.He is the president of the United States, and he can't even sign his own name.Brunn, a cardiologist, diagnosed his condition as hopeless unless he was freed from work stress.Hassett said it couldn't be done, that the president couldn't live in isolation.The two were helpless and almost shed tears.Hassett wrote in his diary: He looked amazing--gaunt, tired, exhausted.Seemed to be ok when I saw him in the morning.He has been losing weight, he says 25 lbs.Weakness, loss of appetite, and fatigue easily.It's very obvious once you see him that way after noon.I have reported the situation to Dr. Brunn again.He thinks the situation is very worrying. They all agreed, however, that he looked much better this morning.The fight went well, which helped him emotionally.The mail didn't arrive again, which was also a godsend.Once more they consoled each other that he might have survived, despite all indications to the contrary.How many times have they said that in the past few weeks. On the President's desk in Washington, there was a long list of papers to be processed, including a dispatch from Albert Einstein with an opinion from Leo Szilard.Both demanded that the president immediately stop developing the atomic bomb.They say the situation in the world has changed dramatically.What they took for granted in the past has now been proven not to be true, and it is no longer an excuse.Atomic weapons might confer a temporary military advantage on the United States, which would be offset by political and psychological losses and damage to American prestige.Einstein also believed that by doing so, the United States might trigger a worldwide atomic arms race. Obviously, something must have happened in Hitler's Reich, or, on the contrary, something that should have happened had not happened.In short, the reality is that the Nazis did not have atomic weapons.Scientists from the allied countries found this situation incomprehensible, and at first they even suspected that this was an illusion put on by the German army.Samuel Guzmidt, head of the intelligence team code-named Alsos ("Little Jungle") who accompanied the landing in Normandy, believed that the Nazis had three most outstanding physicists: Karl von Weizsäcker, Max von Laue, Werner Heisenberg.The latter two are Nobel Prize winners.With the support of the German government, even these three people could also make an atomic bomb.This is what Guzmidt believed until the 1970s.Intelligence Team Asks German Scientists: What Really Happened? At the time, the Germans blamed Hitler for whatever problem they had.However, on this issue, what they say is quite reasonable.The anti-Semitism of the Führer expelled the best German physicists from abroad, the Nazi bureaucracy was not interested in long-term military research, and there was a shortage of technical equipment; Duo, this is also a typical example.The research on atoms is not coordinated. The Ministry of Education, the Ministry of War, and even the Ministry of Postal Service are all doing their own things. On June 6, 1942, just as American scientists were nearing a breakthrough, the Germans had also reached a turning point.That Saturday, Heisenberg reported to Hitler's munitions minister, Albert Speer, on the progress of Reich research on uranium.He said there was solid evidence that the Germans could technically build a uranium reactor to obtain atomic energy and, theoretically, produce the explosive material for an atomic bomb from it.The next step should be to study manufacturing technology issues, such as critical mass issues and whether chain reactions are possible.By then, he and von Weizsäcker were talking about not just using the reactor itself as a weapon, but about using the reactor to drive the production of weapons.Speer expressed tentative agreement that the test could continue, but on a smaller scale, with the goal of using the reactor to generate atomic energy.Speer was merely repeating Hitler's ideas.The Führer was so sure that victory was in sight that he had ordered a halt to all new weapons development except those that could be used in the field within six weeks. Speer was later convicted as a war criminal in Nuremberg and served 20 years in prison.He said that Hitler had mentioned to him the possibility of building an atomic bomb. When he talked with the head of state on May 6, 1942, he raised the issue of going all out to build an atomic bomb.He suggested that Goering be appointed as the chairman of the Imperial Research Committee to show his importance.Later it did the same. On June 23, 1942, Speer reported again to Hitler.At this time, the Führer was still interested in the plan, but he knew nothing about the basic theory of physics, so the plan was temporarily put on hold.German physicists spoke to Speer of plans to produce an atomic bomb within three or four years.However, according to his recollection: "I ordered the development of an engine powered by uranium for use as a ship propeller, and the Navy was very interested in it because they wanted to use it on submarines." Speer made it clear that if he had Imagine that the United States is carrying out the Manhattan Project, even if he goes to heaven and earth, he will try to catch up with the Americans.He later asked about this situation from time to time, but Hitler had already poured cold water on him.The Führer's old cronies in the party constantly ridiculed the fact that the United States is known for its efficiency. He also echoed others, calling the whole of physics Jewish physics.But if the German dictator at that time had let his scientists let go, as Roosevelt did, the map of Europe, and even the map of the Western Hemisphere, might be very different. However, the above-mentioned situation was not known to foreign countries until General Patton captured Strasbourg on November 23, 1944.That Alsos intelligence team had gone straight to the University of Strasbourg, into the newly built laboratory.Sam Guzmidt's search targeted Weizsäcker, a professor of theoretical physics at the university.But the target had escaped three weeks earlier.Guzmidt originally considered whether to ask other physicists at the university, but the German scientists refused to deal with the enemy and had to give up. So under the search of the intelligence team, Strasbourg was full of ups and downs for a while, and finally Weizsäcker's private documents were found.At this time, the sound of gunfire on the east bank of the Rhine was still vividly heard. Guzmidt and his assistants read and translated the documents by candlelight. Although they were playing cards with a group of American soldiers in the room, they were there trying to figure out this clue and that. Hints, searching for scholarly citations, or unintentional but possibly relevant references.Suddenly they shouted with joy.The nervous U.S. military next to them was confused for a while, and hurriedly reached for the M-1 rifle and grenades.It turned out that the two scientists discovered a thick stack of densely typed documents-this is the complete file of the Imperial Uranium Program and the Uranium Institute.Of course, there were a few missing pages, and there was no record of the last three months; but by all indications, this was the most complete European archive of Nazi research on uranium. Until that night, Allied scientists thought that German physicists were far ahead of them.But now, as Guzmidt squinted at the Weizsäcker papers by the flickering candlelight, he knew with certainty that the Nazis were two years behind the Los Alamos scientists.Germany has no factories for refining plutonium-239 and uranium-235.It seems that they don't even have a furnace that can be called uranium.He telegraphed his findings to Washington, where he was warned that the Weizsäcker papers might be a hoax.He replied that the arguments in the document were true and the document was serious.The War Office cautioned that there might be other scientists building atomic bombs elsewhere in the Reich.Guzmidt replied sharply: "A man who uses a fake check may think he is resourceful and become a military genius overnight. A champagne salesman may pass himself off as a diplomat. But such a layman is absolutely impossible." Gain the real knowledge to make the atomic bomb." Even so, the search had to continue.There is a Heisenberg in Germany who is keen on making atomic weapons.It is entirely possible that he, along with other equally enthusiastic scientists, would conduct his own secret experiments despite the official indifference to the possibility of fissile matter.In fact, there have been cases like this. In the winter of 1943-1944, Heisenberg and his assistants, in spite of air raids, built a small reactor with three tons of uranium and heavy water at Dahram College.In order to avoid the attention of Allied bombers, they moved the laboratory to a high warehouse.This warehouse belongs to a brewery in Stuttgart, in the hilly area of ​​the Swabier Alps in southwestern Germany.They removed the beer kegs, papered the interior of the warehouse in silver foil, fitted it with a powerful electric power plant and set up workshops in a textile mill wing. But even this corner isn't remote enough, with Hitler's European fortress starting to crumble.Heisenberg shared allied concerns about secrecy.So they moved again, to Tübingen, 17 miles south of the city of Stuttgart. —in a large cave dug out of the rock near the translator.It was here that the Germans really got down to business in February 1945, building a massive reactor about the size of a reactor built by Allied scientists on an old soft-court tennis court at Chicago's Steiger Field.In the spring, an atomic furnace was built, and heavy water, uranium blocks, and graphite deceleration sleeves were all available.The Germans are making quick progress in accumulating critical mass.Batches of uranium lumps arrive daily from the Thuringian Forest, where Dr. Carl Diebner builds a second atomic furnace.It should be said that there is still a big gap between Heisenberg and Oppenheimer in terms of progress, but this gap is also rapidly narrowing.Guzmidt advocated that all experimental results be preserved, but the Alsos team had a nominal leader, a colonel, who sent a commando to the cave and ordered them to destroy the German equipment. It made Guzmit very difficult.But it was a good idea to send troops, because the Heisenberg staff tried to smuggle the uranium lumps in the haystacks of the bullock carts in the rush; and the Hechingen peasants had no idea what the uranium lumps were. , but I guess it must be worth a fortune and can be sold to the French, who stole the other uranium nuggets and have now recovered them.Soon after, all Nazi physicists were put under Allied custody, even Heisenberg, who was good at dodging.Guzmit was overjoyed at this time.He said to an army major who was sent out as a team liaison: "The Germans don't have atomic bombs. Isn't that great? Now we don't have to use atomic bombs." The major showed a look of surprise. , replied: "Sam, of course you understand that if we had such a weapon, we would use it." Since then, the military officers and scientists who participated in the Manhattan Project have been divided into two factions.One faction advocates throwing an atomic bomb once it is made; the other faction shudders at the thought of using an atomic bomb.This disagreement cannot all be described as a divide between the military and civilians.Edward Teller, for example, had always been a hard line; but it was nuclear physicists who initially advocated banning the use of the atomic bomb.Even before the rumor that Germany had an atomic bomb was clarified, some of them believed that the United States should share this achievement with the scientific community of various countries.At their urging, Niels Bohr went to see the President at 4 p.m. on August 26, 1944, to discuss this issue.It wasn't right to go to him.He was very verbose, and it took him half an hour to get to the point, and Roosevelt's time was precious.In any case, Roosevelt disagreed with Bol and sent him away.So Boll went to see Churchill again.这位首相听了半小时以后，就厉声问介绍他来见的彻韦尔勋爵说：“他究竟谈的是什么呢·是谈政治，还是谈物理·” 事实上他谈的是二者兼而有之。许多科学家——可能是他们中间的多数——都认为：他们在研制原子弹的问题上，对全人类负有道义上的责任。和拥有原子弹的希特勒作战是一回事，但和日本作战又是另一回事；因为日本人在1945年在理论物理学和技术上，都没有那么先进。反对派认为，既然日本人自己制造不了原子弹，那么用原子弹来对付他们就绝不应该。这样提出问题，就把政治和物理，都提高到科学的治国才能的水平。这个问题没有先例可援。这时太平洋上战事方酣，也显然不宜对这问题进行思考。特别是这方面的敌人当时曾平白无故地以毁灭性的空袭突然发动了战争。博尔见罗斯福没有结果，亚历山大·萨克斯又去见总统。他是总统的密友，在说服罗斯福方面较为有利。五年以前，就是他劝说总统开展这个耗费达20亿元的研究。现在他和博尔看法相同。于是，1944年12月，他到白宫去见总统。据说他们进行了长时间谈话，但内容不详。罗斯福去世以后，萨克斯说当时罗斯福曾同意说：如果试验成功，就应请盟国和中立国的科学家参加，再进行第二次试验，并就使用原子弹可能引起的后果做出详细书面报告，让盟国和中立国的科学家传阅；同时应使敌人从指定区域撤出，然后，在显示炸弹的实际威力以后，再向敌人发出最后通牒：不投降就加以消灭。 萨克斯在一年后向陆军部长罗伯特·帕特森送去的这份记录，乃是一份异乎寻常的文件。里面没有罗斯福的签字，谈话时又没有其他人在场。当时史汀生是陆军部长，他总把曼哈顿计划称做X计划，他也是总统这方面的联络员。但罗斯福却没有和他提及此事。当然，萨克斯为人正直，不会凭空编造。但总统最善于揣摩别人的心理，讲他们觉得中听的话；但又留有余地，恰好避不承担责任——比如假设一些前提，或者巧妙地使用虚拟语气等等。在这次谈话中，他可能对这问题还是举棋不定。他这个人就是这样的：非到万不得已，很少做出决定。萨克斯的记录似乎不如史汀生在1945年3月15日所写的日记更为可信。那一次是罗斯福和陆军部长最后一次讨论X计划。史汀生写道：“我和他讨论，如果原子弹实际可用，对战后控制原子弹研制，现在就有两派不同的意见。一派认为由当前掌握原子弹的国家，实行秘密的、不让他国参与的控制，另一派则认为应根据科学自由的原则，由国际共同控制。我对他说，在执行这个X计划之前，必须解决上述问题。他必须准备好一份声明，待这计划一执行，就向人民公布。他同意我的看法。” 瓜达尔卡纳尔岛的争夺和斯大林格勒的决战同时进行，从1942年8月中旬至1943年2月，在六个月内都是胜负难分。海军陆战队在人力悬殊的情况下英勇作战，深得众望，但是，实际上决定胜负的则是两国的海军。两方的海军将领在六次交战中拼力争夺制海权。 19世纪的水兵，会把这种鏖战称为“猛打呀，法兰那根”的这是英国谚语。法兰那根是人名。源出于S·华伦所著《一年一万磅》，这里引用，是猛打猛冲之意。 — translator.双方损失都极惨重，各自损失了12艘舰只。海员称瓜达尔卡纳尔、图拉吉和萨沃岛之间的海域，是“铁甲海峡”不易通过之意。 ——译者，陆战队员则称之为“不眠的咸水湖”日夜作战之意。 — translator.以损失的舰只吨位计算，可以说是打个平手。但实际并非如此，因为战役结束时，海军陆战队仍然控制着瓜达尔卡纳尔及其简易机场，而日军则阵亡2.5万人，撤离该岛。他们那时还自诩为天下无敌，并在新乔治亚岛上，把蒙达基地加固，这样，“零”式机和“塞克”式机飞向斯洛特狭道轰炸美国海军陆战队，有个停留点。但是，局势已经转折，日本在太平洋战争中已开始转入守势。 问题还不止此。当时在太平洋同时进行着两个战役，都是为了保卫澳大利亚，两个战役也都是成功的。瓜达尔卡纳尔战役只是其中之一，另一个战役是在麦克阿瑟战区的新几内亚进行的。日军在珊瑚海战败后并未气馁。1942年7月，他们又在新几内亚岛尾端占领了沿巴布亚北岸的一系列村庄，想发动一个海陆钳形攻势，包抄南岸莫尔兹比港。英国的殖民官员带着无线电发报机躲在密林中对海岸情况进行密切监视。他们向美国人报告说日军的海上攻势正指向这个半岛尾端的米尔恩湾。美军舰只首先抢到那里，打退日军的海路威胁。敌人的陆路进攻则从布纳村出发。那里和莫尔兹比港的直线距离不过100英里。但是中间有个使人望而生畏的1.3万英尺高的欧文·斯坦利山脉，日军要翻越此山，只能靠两条腿。于是澳军在离莫尔兹比湾20英里的地方把日军阻截，并协同美军第32师，开始反攻。 敌人在山中节节后退，艾克尔伯格将军于1943年1月2日进入布纳村，这场苦战便告结束，但伤亡较之瓜达尔卡纳尔还大。两个星期后，澳军占领附近的圣纳南达，但日军又复纠集援军，用八艘运输舰载来反攻部队，企图登陆。3月3日，B-25机群在俾斯麦海发现日军护航舰队，就进行了低空海面轰炸，把八艘运输舰和四艘护航舰全部击沉。七千日军在海里淹没，能泅水上岸的，又被岛上土著按当地习俗砍掉脑袋。后果可称惨不堪言。东京于是郑重宣布，莫尔兹比港并无军事价值。 但是拉包尔则是有军事价值的，敌人想保住它。事实上，他们要控制南太平洋，也非把它保住不可。拉包尔固若金汤，强攻难破，于是美军就把它搁一边。1943年夏天，美国陆军和海军陆战队开始开进新乔治亚岛，猛扑蒙达基地。他们的进攻需要通过丛林、涉过泛滥的河流，面对躲在碉堡内、穿上钢甲背心的日本鬼子。但是到了8月，他们还是把简易机场占领了，美军在斯洛特狭道上取得了立足点。他们越岛进攻，占领韦拉·拉维拉岛和科隆班格拉岛，肃清了中所罗门群岛。到了哥伦布日即10月12日，哥伦布发现美洲的日子。——译者，第三海军陆战师开进了布干维尔岛的奥古斯塔女皇湾布干维尔岛是所罗门群岛的最大岛屿，奥古斯塔女皇湾是当时日军重要要塞。——译者，就在新月初上第三天的晚上登陆了。从当年太平洋战局发展的情况看来，这是迈进一大步。只要海军工程兵和陆军工程兵能在这绿色黏土地上修建一个大型机场，拉包尔便在美国空军歼击机攻击范围之内了。 敌人认为这是不大可能的事。他们从海上和空中对美军进行阻击，但是他们总以为美军之所以利用奥古斯塔女皇湾是有其他目标，所以把最精锐的部队保存下来，暂不出动。到了圣诞节那天，美国工程兵在比瓦河岔口上游建成了大型简易机场，称之为“比瓦大叔”，由“亚美利喀”师这支部队是在新喀里多尼亚岛组编成，故以“亚美利喀”取名。威廉·小卡利在25年后在这师任下级军官。和第37师用重兵把守。后来日军精锐第六师团气汹汹地扑向这个机场时，竟被美军死死顶住。到了这时，拉包尔已快要陷入重围。埃米鲁和格林群岛已被美军占领；第112骑兵师已经到达阿拉瓦，第一海军陆战师已攻占新不列颠的格洛斯特角，第五骑兵师(这是支历史悠久，由内战时期美国南部邦联总司令罗伯特·E·李将军亲自建成的骑兵师)部分部队和卡斯特将军的第七骑兵师也已在阿德米勒尔提群岛登陆。规模巨大的机群从“比瓦大叔”向拉包尔频频出击，使这个基地的日军无处藏身。日军无计可施，只好把拉包尔放弃。他们把所谓“慰问团”即朝鲜妓女撤走。美国轰炸机如入无人之境，无需战斗机护航，每日飞抵拉包尔上空，把弹仓里的炸弹全部扔下，留下来的日本守备部队就只好活受罪了。 与此同时，战争的特点也在起变化。形势迫人，非变不可。至此为止，美国不过是在日本扩大了的帝国的外围进行蚕食。他们花了九个月的时间，才在中所罗门群岛中推进了250英里，而距离东京则还有五千英里。但是，新式装备这时已源源运来。原来为了优先照顾欧洲战场，这里应付急需的都是第一次世界大战期间的各种火器。现在代之以火箭、水陆两用牵引车，带轮子的汽艇(DUKW，代号称为“鸭子即水陆两用的，重两吨半，有六个轮子，又有推动器、有防水外壳的汽车。——译者”)和能绕射的火焰喷射器。海军的各式新装备就更多，由“埃塞克斯”级舰率领的、由巡洋舰船身改装的运输舰就有50艘，只要尼米兹指挥的舰只更靠近日本，他的潜艇就可以摧毁日本的商船队伍。这些潜艇当时已把敌人100万吨的补给物资炸沉海底。日本和英国同样是个岛国，使用潜艇攻击，和当年德国潜艇在大西洋战役大捷时所起的作用是一样的。只要基地更加靠近，就可以空袭东京；而航程达1500海里的B-29超级空中堡垒，不久就将出击。因此，解决的办法是在中太平洋开辟一个新战场。这个任务于1943年11月20日由第二海军陆战师担任。人们早知道这不是一件轻而易举的事，因为吉尔伯特群岛日本守军密集，这是人所共知的事情。人们无从意料的，则是塔拉瓦塔拉瓦是吉尔伯特群岛的首府。——译者之战。 这场战斗美军几乎失利。敌军指挥官曾吹嘘说：就算用一百万大军打一百年也没法把这个环形珊瑚岛群的主要岛屿贝提奥岛打下来。塞缪尔·埃利奥特·莫里森历史学家。曾受罗斯福委托写第二次世界大战的美国战史。——译者说：“比之贝提奥岛，科雷吉多尔简直是不设防城市。”除了敌人顽强而外，进攻的海军陆战队还有其他难题：海军炮击火力太弱，对潮汐涨退估计不准，错过了发动进攻的时刻。这样，进攻的第一天，占领了宽度仅为20英尺的滩头阵地。军官们站在深可齐腰的水里，用无线电指挥作战，并祈求上帝不要让日本人反攻。事实上日本人之所以没有反攻，只是因为通讯系统出了故障。第二天，美军海军陆战队冲杀过去，把敌人防线切成两截，但这次进攻损失了三千人。接着下个月，占领马绍尔群岛中的夸贾林岛和埃尼威托克岛，付出的代价小些。然而，从开辟中太平洋战区起，每次战斗都为时较短，但战况惨烈。在夸贾林岛浴血战斗的第四海军陆战师，在整个战役中作战不过61天，但伤亡人数却达全师兵员的75%。 伤亡人员骤增有几个原因。敌人在瓜达尔卡纳尔岛曾受到美军的突然袭击，要他们再措手不及就不可能了。另外，美军强攻的马绍尔群岛和马里亚纳群岛，从第一次世界大战以来就由日本托管，他们在这里筑垒挖壕，已有1/4世纪之久。然而，太平洋战区伤亡之所以较大，最主要是由于日军战术的突然改变。这些东方人原是两栖进攻的老手，现在转而进行坚壁防御。帝国大本营电令前哨各阵地，必须作好准备，战斗到最后一个人。有个前哨做到有过之而无不及。在形如鸟状的新几内亚岛的尾部，有一个名为比阿克的小岛，驻有敌军1万人。司令官葛目直行上校觉得：葬身滩头固然不坏，但战死内陆岂非更好，于是他把岩洞和峭壁都巧加利用，这样，得以拖延时日，结果多杀了些被一个日本兵在日记里蔑视为“得天独厚的美国人”。 葛目这个做法，是逐岛战争期间迫使美军付出伤亡代价最大的一个创举。事有凑巧，比阿克岛是在麦克阿瑟向菲律宾推进的路线上，不然的话，东京倒可能没有注意到他的这一做法。麦克阿瑟把新几内亚岛的尾部扫荡以后，于1944年春正向腹部跃进，采取了一种“交互跃进”式的新战术。其实这种战术不过是美军的偶然发现。在中途岛之战时，山本曾占领阿拉斯加群岛中的阿图岛阿图岛是阿留申群岛西端一岛屿。——译者和基斯卡岛基斯卡岛是在阿拉斯加以西的一个岛屿。——译者，企图以此转移尼米兹的注意力。当时美军要夺回这两个岛，但又没有力量兼顾，于是指挥作战的军官们就把基斯卡岛绕过不管。但夺回阿图岛之后发现，日军已悄悄地自动撤出了基斯卡岛。这一下使麦克阿瑟恍然大悟。4月下旬，他跳过其他岛屿，向荷兰蒂亚荷兰蒂亚是西新几内亚的首府。——译者跃进。一个月之后，第41师又攻下了比阿克岛。在这以前所发动的攻势，伤亡并不大。但是由葛目率领的躲在峭壁与岩洞里的守备部队，却迫使美方付出惨重代价。在完全占领该岛以前，伤亡人数已接近塔拉瓦之战的数字。 伤亡数字本来还会更大。日本海军已躲藏了一年，现在正准备升火出动，增援该地驻军。这些舰只本来早已启航。但是，6月中，海军上将小泽次三郎接到情报，说尼米兹在中太平洋发动的进攻，现正准备扑向马里亚纳群岛中的主要岛屿——塞班岛、提尼安岛、关岛。这个威胁更大，只好把舰只调向那边。接着在菲律宾海的那场战斗，又是一场双方远程战斗轰炸机的决斗。惯于舰只列队作战的老练水兵们，没有发挥到作用，未免失望。但是，美军的胜利却是了不起的。“鬼婆”式飞机把敌人以关岛为基地的空军摧毁。在八小时的连续空战中，日机四次向美国舰队进行密集攻击，都被击退。这是战争以来使用航空母舰至为壮观的一次战斗。小泽的第一线作战机群本来有430架，到了第二天日落西山时，就只剩下了35架。美国海军的飞机驾驶员称这次作战为“马里亚纳群岛活靶子大演习”。“演习”完毕，小泽只好掉头北撤，塞班岛的日军就被包围了。 日本鬼曾发誓一定要美军在塞班岛付出最大的代价。岛上守军，比美军情报部门的预料要多出一倍。美军伤亡惨重，华盛顿亦为之愕然。3000名日军发动了一次高呼“万岁”的拼死冲锋，把美军赶到惊涛骇浪的岸边。剩下来的陆军和海军陆战队战士最后把敌人消灭，或者更为省事，干脆等日本人自杀了事。两星期后，另外一些海军陆战队又进攻关岛，在暗礁中散开登陆。这次损失不大，伤亡只及塞班岛的一半。部分原因是“万岁，冲呀”没有那么奏效。到了进攻提尼安岛时，日军没有想到美军会在北岸登陆，美军的伤亡就更少。尽管这样，马里亚纳群岛之战，还是使美军伤亡共2.5万人。然而这个群岛却是无价之宝。B-29从此有了第一个能直飞日本本土的空军基地。美国在塞班岛指挥作战的司令官霍兰·“大声佬”史密斯，说这是太平洋战争中的决定性战斗。东京也有同样看法。德国在东京的海军武官向柏林报告说，该岛“这里认为关系生死存亡”。东条内阁倒台了。美国在太平洋战役中，开始看到通向胜利的道路，现在是信心倍增了。 麦克阿瑟一开始就反对海军陆战队进攻瓜达尔卡纳尔。这时，在中太平洋这样往北直插，和他本人指挥的西南太平洋战区距离这么远，就更不合乎他的口味。他对这种战术很蔑视，称之为“跳岛战争”，认为这是白白浪费时间。其实，这和他自己那种“交互跃进”战术，很难说得出有什么区别。1944年夏天，他更大发雷霆。原来金海军上将建议，美军应该暂时绕过菲律宾。麦克阿瑟坚持说：美国必须对菲律宾人言而有信，这是荣誉攸关的问题。金上将反驳他说：这是他个人感情问题。两人相持不下，只得提到罗斯福那里解决。 那时，民主党全国代表大会就要在芝加哥举行，总统的党务顾问们要他亲自出席。可是，总统却去了夏威夷。他必须解决那个战略问题的争论。7月26日，关岛激战方酣，总统的座机飞抵希卡姆机场。尼米兹和麦克阿瑟都从澳大利亚来到，向总统陈述自己的看法。麦克阿瑟在一次和总统私人谈话中，竟然威胁总统说，如果他的战略计划被束之高阁，他就要对总统实行政治报复。要是他本人要重返菲律宾的诺言不能实现，他说：“我敢说美国人民定必群情激昂，到了今秋大选，就会在投票中对你表露出极其不满。”这种说法是无礼的，大概也不真实。但罗斯福已经预见到这个问题会出现，在离开白宫前早就已经做出决定。他答道：“我们不准备绕开菲律宾，按你原定计划执行罢，愿上帝保佑你。” 但是参谋长联席会议对此并不满意。他们在华盛顿争论了两个月，才同意麦克阿瑟反攻菲律宾。与此同时，哈尔西又提出一个惊人的建议。按照向菲律宾进军的原计划，是要先在佩勒留、雅浦岛和棉兰老岛登陆。但是哈尔西认为从空中出击的情况看来，敌人的空军已经是元气大伤。他建议干脆撇开外围，直捣莱特岛。这个建议被接纳了。但对佩勒留岛的进攻，已是万事俱备，来不及取消，则仍按原计划进行。战斗结果极其惨烈。东京已把比阿克岛战术看成是克敌制胜的妙药灵丹。他们把葛目的经验向佩勒留岛的指挥官传达，于是他也命令部队挖洞。他们藏身于天然石灰岩洞里，用隧道沟通，上面又有层层珊瑚砂和混凝土的掩护，竟把美国第一海军陆战师打得溃不成军。但这还只是美军初尝的苦头。 到了美军把佩勒留机场北面的形如锯齿的山岭的敌军都扫荡干净的时候，已有四个美军师涌上莱特湾的滩头。1944年10月20日，美军的主力登陆以后还不到一个小时，第38步兵团就升起了星条旗。又过了四天，沃尔特·克鲁格将军也在岸上设立了的第六集团军指挥部，而日军将领山下的第35军正朝他们进攻。此后，克鲁格将军似乎毫无进展，于是，就使得莱特湾成为进行前所未有的规模最大海战的战场。 山本虽然已经去世，但日本海军还是继承他的宿愿，要和美军在海上决一雌雄，而最好是趁着美国舰艇忙于掩护登陆的时候。这时，难得的机会真的到了。日本派出四支特遣舰队驶向哈尔西的正忙于掩护莱特湾登陆的主力舰队以及托马斯·金凯德将军率领的由旧式战列舰和小型航空母舰组成的较弱的舰队。日本海军将领知道，他们和美国新建成的海军力量是无法匹敌的。因为美国有战舰218艘，而日本则只有64艘。于是他们就想出一条妙计。原来通向莱特湾有两条海峡，北面是圣贝纳迪诺海峡，南面是苏里高海峡。由海军上将栗田健男率领的中路舰队准备开进圣贝纳迪诺，南面两支特遣舰队开进苏里高海峡，同时，小泽的第四支特遣舰队则把哈尔西的舰队诱到北面。这一来，金凯德的舰队就会成为瓮中之鳖。于是可以再来个“万岁，冲啊!” 南翼的两支特遣舰队运气不好。杰西·奥尔登多夫将军早把苏里高海峡堵着，并用鱼雷和炮火消灭了第一支日本特遣舰队。另一支舰队撤退中朝着荧光屏显示的图像炮轰了一阵，后来才发觉这些只是岛屿而不是敌舰。栗田最初运气似乎也不好。他在开往圣贝纳迪诺途中，就有两艘重型巡洋舰被美军潜艇击毁，最大的战列舰也给美国空军炸沉。但实际上，损失了这些舰只却给栗田带来了好运。哈尔西知道日本舰队的损失，以为栗田舰队已经完蛋，于是看见小泽舰队，就全力出动，向着这个诱饵猛追过去。这一来圣贝纳迪诺海峡就没有美国舰队防守，10月24日黑夜，栗田率舰只遂得以通过海峡潜入。翌日破晓，他就向着毫无掩护的金凯德的航空母舰猛扑过来。