Chapter 1173 The Castle Gauchi Project—Who Will Margaret Marry?

It was past three in the afternoon when Hersmann left Adolf Hitler's Chancellery, so he did not go back to the General Staff in Zossen to work, but went directly back to the manor in Zossen. When he walked into his living room, his wife Chloe, as usual, stood at the gate to greet him, gave him a hug and kiss, and gently took off his heavy military coat for him. Then the two of them went to the restaurant for dinner hand in hand as if they were a newlywed couple. After more than 20 years of marriage, Hersmann and Chloe have always been so close, which is a model even in the conservative Junker officer's family.

Dinner has been set on the table, which is relatively simple, with vegetables, bread, sausages, broth, pickles and some cut apples. Because Chloe cooked it herself, the taste was really not very good - the Hessman family had several servants, one of whom was a cook, but Chloe was still used to cooking for her husband herself. The Polish cook, whose cooking skills were far better than hers, only helped her most of the time and was responsible for the meals of the servants, adjutants and guards.

Fortunately, Hessman was not a foodie, and there was no delicious food in Germany. After living there for more than 20 years, he had long been accustomed to this monotonous diet.

After eating half full, Hessman put down his knife and fork and started talking to his wife Chloe.

"Oh, dear, you told me last time that Queen Elizabeth wanted to find a husband for her sister Princess Margaret?"

"Yes," Chloe said, "The little queen wants to find a Frenchman for her sister, from the Bourbon royal family and the Bonaparte royal family." She glanced at Hessman who was thoughtful, "Is it okay?"

Hessman nodded and laughed, "Yes, of course, we don't want Canada to return to the territory of the British Empire, that's not good for us. Now we have only two requirements for Canada, it cannot be divided and cannot be controlled by any foreign country. I think the Bourbon and Bonaparte dynasties should be the choices that all Canadians are willing to accept, which can maintain Canada's unity and solidarity."

Chloe frowned slightly, because she found that her husband said something he shouldn't have said - the European Community's requirements for Canada are confidential, and it is definitely not something that a noble woman like Chloe who has no public office can know. And Hessman has always been very strict in observing various confidentiality regulations. Even if he accidentally let it slip, the slightly old-fashioned Chloe will remind him.

"My dear, should I know about Germany's request to Canada?" Chloe asked.

"You should know." Hessman paused and said with a smile: "And you should let Elizabeth and Olga know... I think you should actively participate in the matchmaking activities for Princess Margaret."

Chloe's current identity is a duchess, a prominent figure in the most upper-class social circles in Europe. Matchmaking for the royal family is actually part of the social activities of women like her. However, because her husband is the Chief of the General Staff of the Wehrmacht, one of the most powerful people in Germany, she actively participated in this royal matchmaking activity, which also means that the General Staff of the German Wehrmacht supports Margaret's marriage with the French royal family.

"Okay, okay, I will do as you say." Chloe already understood what was going on in her heart-Hessman was ordering her, and this was of course a mission to serve the country.

As for why Hessman wanted Elizabeth and Olga to know Germany's request for Canada, that was not something Chloe should ask. But even without asking, Chloe could guess that this must be part of a deception plan formulated by the General Staff.

…

"Mr. President, we have received special intelligence."

At the White House Cabinet Military Meeting on January 30, 1945, Donovan, Director of the Strategic Intelligence Agency, reported to President Truman: "Elizabeth of Britain is matchmaking for 15-year-old Margaret, wanting to marry her to a French royal family member, and has also received the support of German Chief of the General Staff Hersmann and Russian Empress Olga."

"Margaret?" Truman had not heard of this name. "Who is she?"

"She is the heir to the British throne." Donovan paused and added, "To be precise, she is the heir to the Canadian throne."

"Canada may not become a kingdom," Secretary of War Wallace interrupted, "It depends on the choice of the Canadian people."

Truman glanced at his Secretary of War and felt helpless. To be honest, he did not like Wallace, a big white leftist, but Wallace was a hero of the Democratic Party and had his own small faction-the Democratic New Deal Alliance. There are about seven or eight congressmen and senators belonging to this small faction. The number is not large, but it is very important to the Democratic Party, which is already at a disadvantage in Congress! So Truman had no way to kick Wallace, the leader of the Democratic Party's white left, out of the cabinet.

"George VI is our ally." Secretary of State Edward Stettinius was Truman's confidant. He understood the president's intention and immediately reminded Wallace. "The United States cannot sell out its allies, otherwise our international reputation will be affected."

"Allies?" Wallace laughed sarcastically, "Then why did he marry his daughter to a prince controlled by the Nazis?"

"Who else can you marry if you don't marry a European prince?" Stettinius shook his head. "The Queen of England's spouse must come from the royal family. This is tradition. And choosing the French royal family instead of the German royal family has already explained Canada. The future position of the Kingdom is not pro-German. Moreover... France is a republic, and the royal family is an opposition faction, not official, nor Nazis."

George VI's choice of a French prince as Princess Margaret's husband also took into account the feelings of the American people - the French royal family, whether it is the Bourbon family or the Bonaparte family, is kind to the United States. The former was foreign aid when the United States was founded. Without the support of Louis XVI, it is hard to say whether the United States would have survived or not! The latter sold a large area of ​​land in the Mississippi River Basin to the United States at a low price, allowing the United States to expand in North America. Moreover, the Bourbon and Bonaparte royal families are now in power and are not on the side of the Nazis or Fascists at all.

"But the Germans support this marriage!" Wallace put forward his own reasons, "This must be a conspiracy!"

"William, what do you think?" Truman pushed the question to Intelligence Director Donovan.

"This is not a conspiracy," Donovan said, "but a tacit understanding among many parties."

"tacit agreement?"

Donovan nodded and said: "The Germans obviously do not want Canada to return to the British Empire. This will make it possible for Britain to use Canada to revive and become a powerful country that can compete with Germany for European dominance. And Elizabeth and her husband Frederick also did not want Canada to return to the United Kingdom, because it would affect their rule in the United Kingdom. As for George VI, I am afraid that he wanted to stay in Canada as the king rather than return to Europe. Once he returns to England, he will lose power and become a prisoner of the Germans, and will also cause Canada to escape the control of the House of Windsor."

His analysis was clear and logical, and the heads of the US government and military present nodded their heads frequently. When he finished speaking, Truman added: "I think such a Canadian kingdom is what the United States would like to see." He glanced at Wallace, "What else can we do? Turn Canada into several states of the United States. ?"

Wallace shook his head. Of course it would not work to turn Canada into several states of the United States. If the world war is won, the United States and Canada may be fully integrated, but now the United States has a problem with self-preservation, so how can it have the energy to expand?

"But we must still prevent Canada from falling into German hands," Wallace thought for a moment and said, "There must be a large number of our troops stationed on Newfoundland."

"There are many American troops there now," Truman nodded and said, "as many as two hundred thousand troops! Are these many troops enough?"

"That's enough for now." Wallace replied, "Judging from all the intelligence we have, the Germans should not invade Canada. However, we must also remain vigilant, and the Army ground troops stationed on Newfoundland cannot be reduced under any circumstances. "

The fact that the Army's ground forces cannot be reduced means that the number of Army Air Force aircraft deployed on Newfoundland can be appropriately reduced. The U.S. Army Air Force, which was originally supposed to have loose military strength, was already somewhat stretched by early 1945. Especially after the U.S. Army Air Force began to take on the task of airlifting supplies to Trinidad and Tobago, a large number of P51s were used for day escorts.

Because Trinidad and Tobago are too close to German-controlled Guyana, German Fokker 636s can fly directly to Trinidad and Tobago to attack American transport aircraft. As a last resort, the U.S. Army Air Force had to invest a large number of day fighter aircraft for escort. The mid- and low-altitude performance of the P51 is not as good as that of the Fokker 636 (the practical ceiling of the C47 is only 8,050 meters, and before landing on Trinidad and Tobago, the altitude must be lowered first, so they are often below 5,000 meters Attacked by a Fokker 636), a large number of P51s had to be invested to ensure the safety of the C-47 transport aircraft flying to Trinidad and Tobago. However, the U.S. Army Air Force found that they did not have enough P51s, because they also needed a large number of P51s to intercept German missiles attacking the east coast of the United States. Therefore, as a last resort, the U.S. Army Air Forces had to work hard to expand the size of the P51 fleet (that is, let pilots flying P47 fly P51 instead), and on the other hand, deploy P51s from Newfoundland and northeastern Canada to reinforce the Caribbean.