Chapter 155 Volume 4, Chapter 45, Marching to Italy

May 26th we depart for North Africa General Marshall and communiqué to Russia Long flight to Gibraltar The plane is electrocuted and arrives at the Abbey Marshall inspects Gibraltar's defense works Landing in Algiers at dusk Our attack on Sicily and Italy Determination of British Power in the Mediterranean Meeting with General Eisenhower on May 29 A matter of great concern to Operation Imp: the cross-channel attack General Brooke and the attack on the twenty-seven divisions of the Italian Allies in the Mediterranean My background Memorandum Turkey and a Balkan Front An impressive report by General Alexander My trip to Carthage Our last meeting June 3rd Montgomery's confidence in the attack on Sicily We parted in harmony in a poor tragic situation changed.

Early the next morning, May 26, General Marshall, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Ismay, and the rest of my entourage took off from the Potomac River by seaplane.President Roosevelt saw us off there. As soon as we were in the air, I devoted myself to work for the Russian Gazette.Since I found it difficult to follow the draft volume, which was strewn with the President's and my scribbled and corrected handwriting, I sent it to General Marshall.He gave me a neatly typed manuscript two hours later.I am very satisfied with this document, which expresses exactly what the President and I intended to express, clearly and implicitly, not only on military issues but also on related political issues.This incident aroused my admiration.

I used to think of Marshall as a stern soldier and a great organizer and builder of the Army. Carnot of the United States [1].But now I see that he is a statesman with a keen eye for the bigger picture and a remarkable vision.I liked his draft very much, and the task was accomplished.I wrote to the President to tell the president that it was impossible to write better. If he wanted to make any revisions, he could send them out without further discussion with me. We landed at Butterwood, Newfoundland, to refuel, and from there Marshall's draft and my letter were flown back to Washington.The president didn't change a word.

[1] Carnot (1753 | 1823), French strategist and army organizer in the Napoleonic era.translator After an early dinner, our three-thousand-mile flight across the ocean to Gibraltar began again.The flight looked like a long distance, but Lieutenant Colonel Thompson (Tommy), who kept me informed of the travel arrangements, explained that we were sailing more or less along the Great Circle, and the actual voyage was obviously not as long as it seemed .It was dark when we took off and we were all going to bed.The double queen bed in the new room in the Boeing was so comfortable that I slept soundly for hours.Suddenly there was an unexpected jolt and a sudden drop.I woke up.problem occurs.But it doesn't have any impact. The most important thing in air travel is that there are no accidents.When I was fully awake, I put on my zip suit and walked down the central corridor of our spacious aircraft and up the ladder to the cockpit.I'm sitting in the co-pilot's seat.

It's a lovely moonlit night.After staying for a while, I asked the driver why the sudden descent.We were struck by lightning, he said, but nothing happened. This is good news.We didn't catch fire or get smashed in the air; we didn't have to land a thousand miles from anywhere.I always wonder why airplanes don't care about electric shocks.Electric shock seems to be a very dangerous thing for ground crews.I learned later that everyone on the plane was also very anxious. I looked down at the calm ocean seven thousand feet down; from that height the ocean always seemed calm.Below us, it looked like a small tramp cargo ship.Its appearance gave me a special feeling of comfort.Under this euphoric hallucination I went to sleep again, and slept until dawn.

I love watching the dawn come, so I went to the front again.When you're flying east at 160 miles an hour, you meet the sun early and it rises extremely fast.On such a long-distance flight, I stick to my routine. The time for eating should be set according to the time required by appetite. When a person gets up after dawn, he must have breakfast; after five hours, he will have lunch.Eat dinner six hours after lunch.In this way he is not at the mercy of the Sun, which would otherwise have too much to do with his affairs and mess up work routines.General Marshall and I had a very pleasant conversation.He asked me at length about the difference between impeachment, which the U.S. Constitution allows, and disenfranchisement, which the British House still retains.I had no trouble convincing him of the necessity of preserving this most dignified legal procedure.The two of us used our spare time to clear some backlogs.As we approached Gibraltar, we looked around for escort aircraft.Not a single escort plane.Everyone's attention was drawn to an unidentified aircraft, and at first, we thought it was interested in us.Since it was no longer flying close, we concluded it was a Spanish aircraft.But until the plane disappeared, they seemed concerned.It was about five o'clock in the afternoon when we landed, and the Governor was there to welcome us.It was too late to continue flying to Algiers that night, and he drove us to the convent where he lived, where the nuns had moved away two centuries ago.

There is a story about the name of the monastery.Until 1908, the Governor's residence was called the Abbey.However, in that year, Sir Henry Ponsonby, King Edward VII's Secretary to the Crown, wrote to the Governor-General that the King thought it appropriate to change the name to the official residence.The reason is that when the King visited Gibraltar under Sir George White's Governorship, there was a record in the British newspapers to the effect that the King had lunch at the Abbey.Ten days later, His Majesty received a resolution from the Protestant Federation expressing regret that the King not only considered it necessary to visit a Roman Catholic institution, but even to have lunch there.However, when King George VI visited North Africa in June 1943, he expressed his desire to rename the Governor's Residence as the Abbey, so the Governor's Residence is still called the Abbey.

We were not able to leave Gibraltar for Algiers until the next afternoon, so we had the opportunity to show General Marshall around Gibraltar.We made the rounds for a few hours, inspecting the new distillery which ensured a permanent supply of fresh water to the fort, various important artillery forts, several hospitals, and many troops.Finally, I went down to visit a particular favorite of the Governor General, a new Gibraltar Tunnel, hewn deep into the rock, its battery containing eight rapid-firing cannons, controlling the Isthmus and the neutral territory between England and Spain .The work here was enormous; and as we walked along it it did seem that, whatever dangers might be in Gibraltar, attack from the mainland was no longer a danger.The Governor General's pride in his achievement was also shared by his British visitors.Before we boarded the seaplane to say goodbye, General Marshall said with some hesitation, I admire your authenticity, but we have the same one in Corregidor.The Japanese bombarded the ground several hundred feet above with artillery, and within two or three days a huge pile of rubble blocked the tunnel.I thanked him for the warning, but the Governor seemed stunned, all smiles gone from his face.

We took off in the early afternoon, with a dozen Warriors patrolling high above us, and arrived at Algiers airfield at dusk, where we were greeted by Generals Eisenhower, General Biddle Smith , Admiral Andrew Cunningham, General Alexander, and many other friends.I drove straight to Cunningham's villa, next door to General Eisenhower's, which he prepared for me. I have no happier wartime memories than those eight days in Algiers and Tunisia.I have telegraphed Eden to come here and join me in order to attend personally the meeting we have arranged between Giraud and de Gaulle and to decide all our other affairs.I explained to the Cabinet why his presence was particularly necessary.

Prime Minister to Deputy Prime Minister and Dominions Affairs Secretary May 29, 1943 In my opinion, it is very important for Aiden to come here for a few days.At the Giraud-De Gaulle wedding he was a much better bridesmaid than I was.He should have an understanding of the atmosphere around him and connect with the actors in what could easily turn into a serious drama.I have just been visited by General Georges, who is in good spirits and is now working closely with Giroux. I intend to stay in this part of the country until the sixth of next month, because I need a rest in this sunny place after a busy day in Washington.Regarding the ongoing discussion on military issues, the opinion here is to let it develop naturally.We in Britain share the same view that a little patience can lead to the desired solution, as we did in Washington.

I am determined to decide upon the attack on Italy before leaving Africa, if it is deemed that Sicily should be taken.General Brooke and I shared our opinion with General Alexander, Admiral Andrew Cunningham, Vice Admiral Ted, and later with General Montgomery.All these generals have been inclined to large-scale operations in recent engagements, and considered the conquest of Italy to be the natural consequence of our series of victories since El Alamein.Yet we must have the consent of our great allies.General Eisenhower was very cautious.He listens to all our arguments and I'm sure he agrees with their intentions.However, Marshall remained silent until the last moment, making it difficult to see what he meant. The circumstances in which we met were favorable to Britain.Compared with the Americans, we have three times the number of troops, four times the number of warships and almost the same number of combat aircraft.Needless to mention earlier years, only from the Battle of El Alamein, our losses in the Mediterranean were eight times as many in men and three times as many ships as our allies.But in order to secure the fairest and most thoughtful consideration of these powerful facts by the leaders of the United States, we continued to accept Eisenhower's supreme command and to preserve the character of American warfare throughout the campaign, despite the vast superiority of our forces .American leaders do not like to be surpassed in acts of generosity.No one responds more spontaneously to what is fair and reasonable.If you treat Americans well, they will always want to treat you better.In any case, I think that the arguments we have persuaded Americans are irrefutable in principle. At five o'clock in the afternoon on May 29th we held our first meeting at General Eisenhower's villa in Algiers.General Eisenhower presided over this meeting as our host, and he was joined by two of his leading figures, Marshall and Biddle Smith.I sat across from him with Brooke, Alexander, Cunningham, Ted, Ismay, and a few others. The first topic of discussion was the imp battle plan.General Eisenhower explained that this was the code name for the attack on Banterella Island.Its capture date was proposed to be June 11th.Looking at the map, the military advantages of the campaign are clear.In order to attack southern Sicily, the capture of the island's airfield was almost essential.Since such military action was also a necessary step in clearing the Straits of Sicily, there is no reason to assume that such an attack would do little to hinder the raid on Sicily.Admiral Andrew Cunningham said that his present plan was to support the air attack with cruisers with six-inch guns, but he was prepared to send a battleship with fourteen-inch guns if necessary.I said that such an operation would provide a useful experiment as to the extent to which a surprise attack can destroy coastal defenses.There is a school of thought in the United Kingdom which holds that the air force is sufficient to breach the coastal defenses and thereby actually achieve an unopposed landing.The difficulty, Brook said, is that there is a period between the end of the airstrike and the arrival of the attacking force, which gives the enemy a chance to recover.Eight destroyers will follow the landing craft at all times and protect the landing at close range, the admiral said.I am also sure that the attacking force consisted of nineteen Sherman tanks.The strength of Italy is about 10,000 people.These include the coastal defense force, and about a hundred tanks. General Eisenhower, at my request, gave a brief description of the plans for the attack on Sicily, and all the manpower and material resources seemed to be available in time and in sufficient numbers.We will come to the most important issues later.Eisenhower told us that he had a long conversation with Sir Alan Brooke, who emphasized that the Russian Army was the only ground force capable of achieving decisive results (in 1943) and that our Army's efforts should therefore be directed at forcing The aim was to withdraw German forces from the Russian front so that the Russian forces could inflict a decisive defeat on the Germans.Speaking of 1944, General Eisenhower said that he believed that if we had command of the air, then, for example, fifty British and American divisions could contain seventy-five divisions on the mainland.If we are to crush Italy, we must, immediately after taking Sicily, use all means at our disposal to launch a campaign against Italy.The Sicilian form of resistance was probably the form of resistance to be encountered in Italy itself.If the occupation of Sicily goes well, we should go directly to mainland Italy.The loot this way will be much greater than attacking any island. Then I came to the main point, that it was really impossible for us to send to Europe an Anglo-American force comparable in numbers to the Russians.The Russians now hold 218 German divisions on their lines.However, by May 1, 1944, we were able to muster in the United Kingdom an expeditionary force of twenty-nine divisions, seven of which were brought in from North Africa.The United Kingdom must be the point of concentration from which we can amass the greatest strength.Plans must also be made for a massive cross-channel campaign at any time when the Germans collapse.As General Marshall repeatedly pointed out, northern France was the only theater where the large British home air force and the American air force in the United Kingdom could exert their full strength.I emphatically state that the British people and the British Army are anxious to fight across the Channel. General Marshall said that the Anglo-American Joint Chiefs of Staff had set firm dates for the cross-channel operation and had decided to use five divisions for the attack phase. General Eisenhower inquired when he should present his (Mediterranean) operational plan for the rout of Italy.The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff felt that no decision could be made until the results of the attack on Sicily and the situation in Russia were known.The reasonable way is to establish two forces, each in different places, each with its own staff.A force trained for operations against Sardinia and Corsica; Another force trained for operations against the Italian mainland.When the situation is sufficiently evident to allow a choice to be made, the necessary air forces, landing craft, etc., are transferred to the force responsible for carrying out the chosen plan.Eisenhower immediately said that if Sicily could be easily conquered, he would directly attack Italy.General Alexander agreed with him. The Chief of the Reich General Staff then presented his general report.A fierce battle between the Russians and the Germans is imminent, and we should do everything in our power to help Russia and distract Germany.The Germans have been threatened in many places.We have dispersed their forces by our presence in North Africa and the skilful application of our cover plan.The capture of Sicily was yet another step in this right direction.The Germans faced a campaign in Russia, possible disaster in the Balkans, and threats in Italy, France, and Norway.Their forces were so widely dispersed that they could not reduce them any further, whether in Russia or France.The easiest place for them to reduce their forces is Italy.If we find Italy's feet full of troops, we'll try elsewhere.If Italy were to be expelled from the war, Germany would have to replace the twenty-six Italian divisions in the Balkans.They were also to be reinforced on the Brenner Pass, along the Riviera, and on the Spanish and Italian frontiers.This dispersal of forces is exactly what we need for our cross-strait operations, and we should try our best to expand the dispersal of the enemy's forces.It was not difficult to attack the fortifications on the French coast, unless they were defended by resolute soldiers, and the Germans had mobile backup forces to counterattack. Eisenhower then declared that the discussion seemed to have cleared up his problem. If the Sicilian advance was successful, say within a week, he would immediately cross the Channel and establish a bridgehead.The coastal defenses of southern Italy may be easier to penetrate than those of Sicily. I express my personal opinion that the Sicilian campaign may end on August 15th.General Marshall believes that we should better envisage ending by the end of July. I said that if we became masters of Sicily in August, and the cost was not too great, we should immediately attack the toe of Italy, as long as no excessive German divisions were transferred there.The Balkans are a greater threat to Germany than the loss of Italy, because Turkey may react in our favour. Brook raised the possibility of a collapse within Italy while Sicily was fighting.In that case we should have a plan of action; he thought General Eisenhower could think about the terms of the armistice and how far we should go into Italy.This aspect will go very quickly.I said, considering the forces at our disposal, in addition to the British Army, the United States has nine divisions in North Africa, including an airlift division.Seven divisions, including some British and American troops, were to begin their march around 1 November.There are also two and a half well-armed Polish divisions in Persia, willing to take part in any operation against Italy.The New Zealand Parliament has agreed that they can come with a division in September and an armored brigade will be ready in October.In this way, the Poles and New Zealanders could supply four divisions. The Chief of the Imperial General Staff then listed our entire strength in the Mediterranean, amounting to twenty-seven divisions of British and British-controlled forces, nine divisions of American forces, and four divisions of French forces.Excluding casualties, there were thirty-six divisions.Subtracting the seven divisions sent home for cross-channel operations and the two divisions Britain had committed to Turkey, the Allies had twenty-seven divisions available for use in the Mediterranean.I went on to say that our division is almost twice as strong as a German division, and that a German division is no better than a fully-fledged brigade.We have these troops on our hands, and it would be a disgrace if there was nothing from August or the 9th to May next year. Although many issues remain open, I am very satisfied with the discussion at the beginning.All generals obviously have the desire to dare to fight and to go forward.My own feeling is that the various reservations which have been formed by unknown factors will gradually be resolved as the events I hope will happen.I have now prepared what I have called a Memorandum of Background, giving the whole circumstances of the attack on Italy, and enclosing a list of the troops available for action.I will circulate this document before our scheduled meeting again on Monday, May 31st. I specify in detail the divisions or equivalents of divisions in the Mediterranean theater, of which the American Army totaled nine divisions, the French Army three and one-third divisions, and the British Army or British-controlled forces totaled twenty-seven and one-third two divisions.From this total, seven divisions were transferred back to the UK to participate in the Bolile plan, and three of them were British troops.Only eleven and one-third of the remaining twenty-four and two-thirds British divisions were under General Eisenhower's command or earmarked for Sicily.With Brooke's concurrence, I now propose to assign to General Eisenhower an additional eight and two-thirds divisions of British and British-controlled forces, for a total of Twenty divisions were recruited.On this basis I go on to say: His Majesty's Government feels very strongly that this enormous force, consisting of its best and most experienced divisions and forming the main body of its army, cannot under any circumstances be left idle.Such an attitude is neither tolerated by Britain nor permitted by our Russian allies.We consider it our duty to continue fighting the enemy as long as possible, to intensify it as much as possible, and to divert as many enemy divisions as possible from the front lines of our Russian allies.This, among other means, would create the most favorable conditions for launching the expedition across the Channel in 1944. 3. To force or induce Italy to withdraw from the war is the only object worthy of a conspicuous campaign in the Mediterranean, and the forces of the Allies available and assembled in the Mediterranean are sufficient to carry it out.To this end, the occupation of Sicily was a necessary preliminary measure, and the attack on the Italian mainland and the capture of Rome were the obvious steps.In this way the greatest contribution can be made to the cause of the Allies and to the general progress of the war in the Mediterranean and Channel theaters. 4. We cannot yet say to what extent the enemy will resist our actions.Germany probably did its best to defend Sicily and Italy.We have heard that a division can be transported to Sicily or southern Italy every week.I hope that this possibility should be checked on the basis of the latest information and show precisely: the strength of the German divisions (gross and net), the number of guns, tanks and vehicles they are equipped with, their From which areas are most likely to be drawn midweek, and whether they may be transported by rail, marched on foot, or sent by sea. There is no sign of any deployment of this nature or this scale at this time.The enemy's decision must have been made, preparations must have been made, and their movements must now be evident, to garrison six divisions in Sicily before the campaign began.Besides, if these six divisions were transferred to Sicily, all parts of southern Italy must remain empty.It was demanded that the movement of German forces and the possibility of movement in the above-mentioned direction should be again studied most thoroughly by the staff. 5. If the Germans decide to send six to twelve divisions to Sicily and Italy, we must be part of the task of drawing enemy forces, directly or indirectly, from the side of our Russian allies completed.If they did not do that, and sent only a division or two to stimulate the Italian effort, the tasks mentioned in the third paragraph above would not be within our strength for the next three or four months less than.On the other hand, if the Germans were to fight a major battle in Sicily or the toe of Italy, or both, our armies would be engaged in an all-out engagement, and we would be engaged in heavy air combat, from our growing relative strength See, this kind of air combat is in our favor.If, after we have stabilized all over southern Italy, and Italy continues to fight, and the Germans send reinforcements in large numbers, although it is too late, we may have to retreat to the tiptoes, forcing them to attack at great cost. Prepared positions, we can obtain all kinds of conveniences to contain the enemy's forces and air combat as mentioned above.There is no reason to regard this situation as a disaster.As long as we fight hard against the Germans, or even the Italians, we play our part. Then I listed what is said to be the distribution of the Italian Army, a total of 58 divisions of field troops and 14 divisions of coastal defense troops. 6. We see that there are only eleven divisions of the Italian army in the Italian mainland, about four divisions in Sicily, five divisions stationed along the Riviera, and no less than 20 divisions in Yugoslavia, Albania and Greece. Eight divisions.In addition to these twenty-eight divisions, eight Romanian divisions and eleven German divisions were added. A total of forty-seven divisions were operated by the partisans sent by Mikhailovich of Serbia, the partisans of Croatia, the Greek The general confusion of the country, and the instability of these enslaved countries, pinned down the Balkan peninsula. 7. If Italy were to be forced out of the war, we would have the following practical advantages.The Germans had to prepare troops to occupy the Riviera, to maintain new fronts on the Po or the Brenner Pass, and above all to fill the defense void throughout the Balkans created by the demobilization and retreat of Italian divisions.So far, the guerrillas and others have been supplied with nothing more than small parcels dropped by parachutes from less than a dozen aircraft, but they have accomplished a great feat in immobilizing the enemy of the 47th Division.The occupation of all parts of southern Italy, or even the whole of the toe or the whole of the heel, will give us access to the Adriatic, and, moreover, the ability to ship munitions to the Adriatic ports, and to transport Spy, it is also possible to transport small commandos.We don't need to send troops there for any serious military activity.His Majesty's Government does not intend or wish to provide any organized armed forces for the Balkan theaters during this year or any period we now foresee.However, within the scope of the plan, aiding patriotic groups in Yugoslavia and inciting resistance in Greece and Albania are extremely important measures.All this, plus our major military action, will affect Turkey's attitude.In this way, the maximum assistance of our forces will be given to Russia and the Pollyer project.When, and only then, the prospects of the situation are really against us, we should consider some minor or small-scale alternatives for operations in the Mediterranean. 8. All attempts to estimate the actions of the Germans in the Mediterranean are, of course, largely speculative.The German High Command must have had a bitter impression of the total annihilation of more than 250,000 troops, which must be taken seriously in any case.In the light of this, it may be doubted whether they repeated a similar error, albeit on a smaller scale, in Sicily.Our situation has improved greatly: first, because the morale of the recent victory of the Allies has been boosted; second, because the enemy has fled from Tunis to Sicily only a few hundred people; In fact, in the entire theater, the psychological impact produced.The position of the Germans has deteriorated considerably.The impending series of large-scale wars on the Russian battlefield must hold back their main forces.If the Germans do not attack, the Russians must attack, even one step ahead of their enemies.We cannot predict the outcome of these battles, but there is no reason to suppose that conditions this year will be less favorable to the Russians than they were at this time last year.Therefore, it is by no means possible to think that (1) the Germans intend to fight a major war in Sicily, or (2) that they will send a large army into the leg-shaped region of Italy.It would be wiser for them to fight only procrastination, thus motivating the Italians in these areas, and telling them to retreat to the Po line, to preserve their strength, to hold the Riviera and the valuable supply base. Balkans.If the war in Russia goes against them, if our military operations against or in Italy are again successful, and the Germans are compelled by these events to retreat to the Alps and the Danube, they will have to retreat further on the Russian front, and possibly Withdraw from Norway.All of this can be achieved within this year if we use our military boldly and to the fullest.We have no other major battles to be fought in Europe this year. On the afternoon of May 31, we held another meeting at Eisenhower's villa. Mr. Aiden was present in good time.I tried to get to the heart of the matter, and after referring to the papers I had circulated, I said that my mind was entirely on the offensive in southern Italy, but that the fate of the war might prompt us to change our course.In any event, the choice between southern Italy and Sardinia was a choice between an honorable campaign and one of convenience.General Marshall had no objection to these views, but he was reluctant to make a definite decision at the time.He said it would be better to decide what to do after our attack on Sicily had begun.He felt that it was necessary to know how the Germans would react in order to determine whether there was real resistance in southern Italy; whether the Germans were about to retreat to the Po; whether they could organize and hold the Italians by what means; What preparations have been made in Kadao or the Balkans; what adjustments will they make in the Russian battlefield, and so on.All of these will be factors in determining our Husky's future battle plan.Italy's collapse could go two or three different ways; many events will take place between now and July.He, General Eisenhower, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff fully understood my mood regarding the attack on Italy, but their only desire was to select another post-Husky plan of operations that would yield the best results. I said that the conclusions of the minutes of the last meeting did not express my full feelings.I would very much like to see Italy withdraw from the war, we occupy Rome, and I offer to draw eight more British divisions from other parts of the Middle East if need be.There has been much discussion about these reinforcements and the ships used to transport them.I said it was hard for me to ask the British people to cut their living rations any further, but I was more than happy to do so than to give up a campaign which had a great chance of success.I can't bear to see a huge army sitting there with nothing to do when they can fight to keep Italy out of the war. The Parliament and the people will not allow the Army not to fight actively, and I will do everything in my power to prevent such an unfortunate incident. General Marshall replied that his debate was not against the particular mission already decided in Washington for the capture of Italy.He only wanted to stress that, after the conquest of Sicily, we must be very careful in choosing what we should do. There has now occurred an incident which, as it relates to something which after the war became a matter of misunderstanding and controversy, must be explained here.Commenting on the situation in Turkey at my request, Mr. Eden said that keeping Italy out of the war would do a lot to drag Turkey into the war.The Turks will be friendlier when our troops reach the Balkans.Eden and I were in complete agreement on war policy, but I was afraid that his American friends might be misunderstood by the tone of his words.It is recorded that the Prime Minister interjected emphatically that he was not advocating sending an army to the Balkans now or in the immediate future.Mr. Eden agrees that there is no need to send an army into the Balkans, because the Turks will offer me favors as soon as we can pose a direct threat to the Balkans. Before we adjourned, I asked General Alexander for his opinion.He gave a very moving speech.He said he was optimistic.Although very intense fighting may last for two weeks, the combat capabilities of our troops and equipment are excellent, and our chances of success are great.Once we join the battle, the violent attack usually lasts from ten days to two weeks, or even three weeks.Then you will get the result very quickly.The most important stronghold in Sicily is the airfield and port on the southeastern corner of the island.Once we have secured these strongholds, we can ignore the rest of the island for a while.It should be possible to cross the Strait of Messina and gain a foothold on the opposite bank.The Strait of Messina is the throat of Sicily.He repeated his report at the meeting of May 29, saying that the establishment of a bridgehead on the Italian mainland should be considered part of the plan.We cannot win big victories unless we ride on our victories and go even deep into Italy.But all this can be figured out as the military operation in Sicily progresses. Italy's toe defenses may be strong enough to require a complete redeployment of our military operations, which certainly does not appear to be the case.Once the attack on Sicily begins, we should be prepared to go on without a pause.有無線電控制長距離的軍隊，而且，有空軍提供在廣大地區內的保護和供應，現代的戰爭容許我們非常迅速地前進。當我們進入意大利本土時，前進可能變得更困難，但是這不能成為反對我們在西西里作戰的勢頭上盡量乘勝前進的論據。他說，他所談到的可能性沒有一種能作準確的預料。戰爭中常發生不可思議的事。對隆美爾和他的非洲軍團實際發生的事，在幾個月以前他是不可能相信的。幾個星期以來，他也很難相信三十萬德軍在一個星期內會崩潰。敵人的空軍被掃蕩得這樣淨盡，以致我們可以在突尼斯的一片原野上檢閱我們在北非的全部軍隊，如果我們要這樣做的話，也不會遭到敵人飛機的任何威脅。 他馬上得到坎寧安海軍上將的支援。坎寧安說，如果西西里的作戰一切進行順利，我們應該直接渡過海峽。艾森豪威爾在會議結束時，對於邱吉爾先生和馬歇爾將軍這次旅行使他弄明白了聯合參謀長委員會作了些什麼，表示感謝。他知道，他的責任是搜集關於進攻西西里初期各方面的情報，並把那些情報及時地送交聯合參謀長委員會，以便他們決定下一步的計劃時，不致發生中斷或停頓的現象。他不僅要提供情報，並且要根據隨時的情況作出有力的建議。雖然他已完全同意他的三位高級指揮官（亞歷山大，坎寧安和特德）過去所說的一切，他希望他們對於這些事情能夠有機會發表更正式的意見。 在以後的兩天中，我們乘飛機或坐汽車遊覽一些由於一個月以前的戰鬥而留名史冊的勝地。馬歇爾將軍獨自短暫地巡視美國部隊之後，又和亞歷山大將軍和我一同旅行，會見了所有的指揮官，並且視察部隊，看到了令人興奮的情景。到處充滿了勝利的氣氛。整個北非已經掃清了敵人。二十五萬俘虜禁閉在監牢裡。任何人都是自豪而愉快的。毫無疑問，人們對於勝利是非常高興的。我在迦太基的一個巨大競技場的廢墟上對數千兵士講話。當然，時間和環境都適宜於演說。我已不知道我說的是什麼了，但是全體聽眾無疑地同他們兩千年以前的祖先在看競技者的搏鬥時一樣地鼓掌和喝采。 六月三日的最後一次會議，大部分談的是關於轟炸羅馬的火車貨運結集場的問題。大家都同意，那些結集場是一個重要的和必然的軍事目標，除了襲擊要在白天並適當地注意不要損害旁的地方外，沒有不轟炸這一目標的正當理由。馬歇爾將軍和我知道，我們必須設法使各自的政府授權批准這一行動。 我現在請求才來參加這次會議的蒙哥馬利將軍談談他對進攻西西里的計劃的想法。他已被委派來負責執行該計劃。蒙哥馬利說，他部下的所有指揮官對於目前的計劃都有十足的信心，他的部隊在一登陸時就會充滿熱情。在後勤方面是有一些危險的，但是這些危險已經非常仔細地研究過，他覺得都有了解決的辦法。他指出，雖說他有兩個空降師，可是他只有足敷運輸一個師的飛機。在初期各階段中，他所能使用的空運實力大約只佔三分之一；其餘的要在進攻開始日的第二天或第三天才能加入。飛機再多一百四十架，他就能在一開始時派遣另一空降旅。然而，他知道，現在沒有這些飛機，這種條件的限制也是大家所公認的。關於整個形勢，他的軍官們都是完全樂觀的。至於哈斯基以後的作戰計劃，他感覺最重要的是，我們應該決定我們要前進的方向，並運用我們的軍事實力使戰爭向那一方向開展。 我覺得，在我們的討論中已有很大的進展，大家都要進攻意大利。因此，在總結中，我以最溫和的姿態陳述了結論，並且對於艾森豪威爾將軍表示了我的敬意。我說道，我將把足以象徵這一戰場互相信賴和同志式的感情帶回國去。我從未有過像我這次訪問時這樣協力合作和互相抑制的強烈印象。在一項任務開始以前，不可能有比這更好的預兆了。我說，在我未重申我對艾森豪威爾將軍充分信任和未對他處理許多重大問題的態度表示我的敬佩以前，我不願離開這裡。 艾森豪威爾將軍回答道，如果有任何讚揚的話，應當屬於在座的軍官，並且說，他的總部裡可能有分歧的意見和不同的主張，但是這些分歧和不同意見絕不是從國家的觀念出發的。馬歇爾將軍和布魯克將軍熱烈地一致贊同；我們都在極友誼的氣氛中分別了。 艾登和我一同路經直布羅陀飛回本國。由於我到北非的消息在報上完全報導了，德國人對此特別留心，因此導致一出令我非常苦惱的悲劇。每日例行的商業飛機快要從里斯本飛機場起飛時，一個口銜雪茄的矮胖人走近飛機，他被認為是飛機上的一名旅客。德國間諜據以發出信號，說我在那架飛機上。雖然這些客機來往於葡萄牙和英國之間若干月以來未受到騷擾，但是一架德國戰鬥機立刻奉命出發，無情地把這一架無防禦的飛機擊落了。旅客喪亡十三人，其中有英國的電影名演員萊斯利‧霍華德。他的風度和才華仍然保存在他參加演出的許多令人愉快的影片中。德國人的殘忍只有同他們間諜的愚蠢相比。大不列顛的資源都在我的掌握中，而我竟要購一張沒有武裝和護衛的飛機票，在大白天裡從里斯本飛回本國。誰會這樣設想呢，也真是難以令人理解的。我們在夜間從直布羅陀起飛，當然在大洋上繞了一個大圈，平安到達本國。當我知道別人在命運之神的不可思議的擺佈中的遭遇時，我感到很震驚很痛苦。 這一卷敘述第二次世界大戰轉折點的書，我們就在這裡結束。美國在日本突襲珍珠港以後參加了戰爭，因而確切地使人知道，自由事業不會被拋棄了。但是從倖存走向勝利，還要經過若干階段。擺在我們大家面前的激烈和殘酷的戰爭，差不多還有兩年。但是今後的危險，不是毀滅，而是僵持。在偉大共和國的充分力量投入戰鬥以前，美國的陸軍建設尚待完成，而且他們的龐大造船計劃還未實現。不過，進一步的成功已擺在我們的面前，意大利的崩潰毋寧說是解放已為期不遠。希特勒還要對他試圖以進攻來征服俄國的致命錯誤，付出全數的罰金。他在許多與主要戰局無重大關係的戰場上，還必須浪費德國的大部分剩餘實力。德國在歐洲不久就要被孤立起來，處在全世界武裝人民的怒火包圍之中。日本的領導人已經意識到他們的攻勢已過了頂峰，在走下坡路了。與此同時，英國和美國馬上就要掌握制海權和制空權。形勢已經大變了。