Luke led a group of members of the Howling Commandos from the east coast, across the Atlantic, through the Strait of Gibraltar, and into Italian territorial waters.
Because Spain was a neutral country during World War II and there was a British naval base stationed nearby, their group did not encounter any obstruction.
After a long journey on the sea and undergoing several routine identity checks along the way, Luke and others successfully arrived in Sicily and were about to land in Palermo.
The members of the Howling Commandos couldn't believe that they had just arrived under the eyes of the Axis Powers!
Damtan Dugan couldn't help but sigh, saying: "This is the most thrilling thing I have ever done in my life!"
Others agreed, like lions walking into a pack of wolves.
No matter how powerful an individual is, as long as his identity is exposed, he will still be torn into pieces by a swarming pack of wolves!
Maybe then, their commander Luke can escape alone with his strong strength.
But people like myself are destined to fall under the guns of the Nazis.
"We have arrived at our destination and someone will be there to pick us up later and they will be able to provide shelter."
Luke spread out a map of Sicily in front of him and said: "I repeat, I am now Vito Corleone, a Sicilian who left his hometown in his early years as a smuggler, between the Allies and the Axis Powers. Speculators who resell supplies.”
"But this is just a cover to deal with the Axis navy. I personally captured a Hydra killer in Brooklyn, New York. His name is Greg Nissen. The Strategic Science Corps obtained a lot of information from him."
"So, when I arrived in Sicily, I met the informant, who turned out to be an emissary from Berlin. He wanted to give Mussolini the order of the head of state. The British had cracked the Enigma and used radio communications to transmit important information. It becomes an unreliable method, so pretending to be a Berlin emissary will not arouse others' suspicion."
"Our mission... is to go to Rome and assassinate Mussolini?"
Damtan Dugan's eyes widened, and he wondered if he heard it wrong.
This mission is too crazy.
If Luke hadn't shown composure and reliability along the way and had long been recognized by the team members, he would have thought the other party was joking!
"No, it's not that exaggerated. Mussolini's government was just a puppet. He himself had been removed from all power by the King of Italy and imprisoned on Ponca Island. Later, Hitler sent his men to rescue him."
Seeing Luke shaking his head in denial, the members of the Howling Commandos breathed a sigh of relief.
At this time, there were two German armored divisions in Sicily. If they wanted to cause trouble, they would definitely be shot to death.
As for the assassination of Mussolini, that is even more impossible!
God only knows how many protectors that dictator has around him!
"Our mission is to enter the city of Rome, capture Mussoniri alive, and assist the Allied forces in landing on Sicily! Become the first team to conquer Italy!"
Luke continued.
For the next few minutes, the entire cabin fell into dead silence.
Everyone opened their mouths wide, showing a dull expression of "I don't know if I heard it wrong, or if Luke said it wrong."
"Sir... are you serious?"
Damtan-Duggan asked hesitantly.
He found that this young captain could always surprise his team members.
"With just a few people kidnapping a government leader and successfully escaping - I know this sounds very unreliable and is no different from committing suicide."
Luke put his hands on the table and leaned forward, his tall figure giving off a sense of oppression.
The team members who originally wanted to express their opinions subconsciously lowered their voices and closed their mouths.
"But the actual situation is not that bad! First of all, our opponent is the Italians. I don't need to say more about the performance of this country's army. An American newspaper said, 'If Italy remained neutral, the German army would be equivalent to an increase of five The strength of one division. If Italy joins the Allies, it will be equivalent to ten more divisions. But if Italy joins the Axis, the Germans will need twenty divisions to protect them'!
Luke used a humorous tone to lighten the atmosphere a little.
"Compared to the French who raised the white flag in forty days, the Italians were not much better. You must not know that the British army led 25 people in World War I to fight against 10,000 Italian troops and captured prisoners The record of eight thousand people; you must not know that in terms of war, they can't even defeat Ethiopia... "
Luke's tone was impassioned and his eyes flickered slightly.
The deeds he mentioned were actually mostly joking jokes he had seen in his previous life, and their authenticity needs to be verified.
For example, Ethiopia during World War II was not the primitive indigenous people in the eyes of many people. In fact, their army was known as the "Lion of East Africa" and was quite brave and good at fighting.
If Italy had not used poison gas warfare unscrupulously during its second invasion, it might not have been able to occupy Ethiopia, and it would have been another Waterloo.
As for the Italian army, it is actually not that unbearable. Although it did make a lot of jokes, its military strength is not weak, and it also performed brilliantly in World War II.
For example, in the Second Battle of El Alamein, the 185th "Lightning" Paratrooper Division, with an absolute disadvantage of 1:13 in strength and 1:70 in armor, used incendiary bottles, anti-tank guns, landmines and explosives to block the British armor offensive.
All in all, what Luke said above was all intended to boost the morale of the Howling Commandos and ease the team members' fears.
Maybe he could raid the city of Rome and capture Mussolini alive by himself, but he would not be able to complete the subsequent task of assisting the Allied forces to land in Sicily.
"But we have to face not only the Italian army, but also the Germans!"
Dugan was a little shaken. He was a soldier and should obey orders. Besides, Luke's speech was also quite contagious.
At least, the members of the Howling Commandos now believe that the Italian army is vulnerable, and advancing into Rome does not seem to be as difficult as imagined.
"The Allies will take care of it for us!"
Luke answered decisively.
The reason why he agreed to join Colonel Phillips's plan was not because of hotheadedness, but because of careful consideration.
According to the original timeline of World War II, the Allied forces had ended the campaign in North Africa, and the next step was to counterattack in Italy and open up a new battlefield.
In July, Allied landing forces will set sail from ports on the east coast of North Africa and the Mediterranean, as well as Oran and Algiers.
Then, General Patton led the army and went directly to Sicily.
And now, the day is not far away when Mussolini's government collapses and Italy surrenders.
Perhaps others may think that raiding the city of Rome and capturing the leader alive is simply an impossible task.
But Luke is very confident because he stands on the rolling wheels of history.
"How much reputation can I gain by becoming the conqueror of Italy?"
Luke couldn't help but think.
Spreading your name around the world, this method of gaining reputation that is almost cheating, cannot be done in the game.
"I obey your orders in all matters, sir!"
After a while, Dugan gritted his teeth and made a decision.
Anyway, he arrived in Sicily, surrounded by enemies.
There are only two ways before him, either to complete the mission and return home with honor; or to bear the name of a traitor and be sent to a military court.
Seeing the leader Dugan say this, the rest of the team members nodded vigorously. (End of chapter)