Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 835 Germany's Secret Airborne Operation, Titisee Lake Hides Deadly Trouble

As someone who has flown in and out of Swiss airspace many times, Fang Wen certainly knows about Lake Zug.

This lake is located in central Switzerland, more than 20 kilometers from Zurich.

Because it is far from the border between North and South Germany and Italy, this area has never been affected by the war.

Landing a plane here is even safer and more discreet than landing on Lake Zurich.

After determining the landing location, Fang Wen adjusted the flight path, and the aircraft shifted eastward.

A dozen minutes later, the plane arrived over Lake Zug.

It was already 5 a.m., and as the sun rose, the situation below could be seen.

Beside the lake was a town also called Chug.

Beyond the distant high mountains lie continuous snow-capped peaks.

Fang Wen searched for the guide's whereabouts.

White steamships and fishing boats were moored at the lakeside dock, but there were no warships or patrol boats.

The riverside walkway was clean, and the outdoor seating at the cafes was open as usual. There weren't many tourists, but the locals were still quite active.

A sailboat set sail from the lakeside dock north of town, thick smoke billowing from its oil drums. The smoke rising into the sky was the guide signal for the landing.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone and announced loudly to the passengers in the cabin, "We are about to land. Please be seated."

Under his piloting, the Boeing 314 descended and gradually approached the lake.

Two minutes later, the aircraft made contact with the water, creating two splashes, and then glided for a while before coming to rest on the lakeshore.

The sailboat approached the "American Clipper," and the people on board waved to it.

Fang Wen left the cockpit and looked outside through the hatch.

He was a formally dressed man.

"Who are they?" Fang Wen asked.

Among the passengers behind him, a tall man with a square face replied, "The military attaché from the British Consulate in Switzerland is specifically responsible for providing support for our operation."

Military attachés at consulates are usually just a cover job; in reality, they are British foreign intelligence officers.

Fang Wen then opened the hatch.

As the sailboat approached, a tall man with a square face stood by the cabin door, exchanged a few words in hushed tones with the leader of the sailboat, and then showed a small metal badge to verify his identity.

After confirming their identities, the military attaché boarded the plane and spoke with Fang Wen: "Mr. Fang Wen, thank you very much for bringing our people here safely. The operation to parachute into Germany was not directly led by us, but was coordinated by a secret intelligence agency in Switzerland. We need to go to Zug first to coordinate the details."

He paused, then turned to the side and made an inviting gesture: "We would like to invite you to come along, since you are the pilot for this flight."

Fang Wen frowned and replied, "I'm sorry, I can't go. We made it very clear that I'm only responsible for getting you to Switzerland to complete the airdrop mission. I won't participate in any additional operations, and I certainly won't go to a place I don't know anything about. Besides, the plane needs someone to watch over it, and I can't leave easily."

His superpowers swept across the lake and the distant city of Zug through the plane. The morning sun had already bathed the lakeside, and there were already a few diners on the outdoor seating of the café. Beneath the seemingly calm surface, he always felt that there was something mysterious hidden.

Besides the airdrop operation and personal safety, there was another reason: the data on the cyclotron particle accelerator he brought from the United States was also on the plane, and any negligence could render all his previous efforts futile.

The military officer did not press the matter further: "I understand your concerns, Mr. Fang Wen. Please wait a moment while I communicate with them and finalize the subsequent airdrop arrangements as soon as possible."

After saying that, he turned around and went back to the sailboat, where he discussed things in hushed tones with the people on board. Their voices were so low that only fragmented words such as "intelligence network" and "rendezvous point" could be faintly heard.

Not long after, the sailboat took off from the plane and headed towards the lakeside pier.

After disembarking, the people on the sailboat took a car to the city of Zug.

Fang Wen returned to the cockpit, checked the aircraft's fuel and equipment, and then used his supernatural abilities to look towards the lakeside dock, patiently waiting.

He could sense that what was about to happen would not be as simple as he had imagined. The mystery surrounding the British employees and the vigilance of the guides suggested that the motives behind this airborne operation were not ordinary.

About half an hour later, a black car drove up along the lakeside road.

The car stopped by the dock, the door opened, and a man in a gray trench coat got out.

He was of medium height, with a thin face and sharp eyes. He wore a dark top hat that hid most of his face in shadow, and he stepped lightly onto the sailboat docked at the pier.

The sailboat sailed back toward the "American Clipper". Once the sailboat was docked, he jumped onto the plane, took off his top hat to reveal a chiseled face, and looked at Fang Wen: "Hello. I am Hans Meyer, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hans Meier?" Fang Wen's heart skipped a beat when he heard the name.

Taishan Airlines' European branch had been secretly gathering intelligence on Europe for Fang Wen.

One of the intelligence organizations they contacted was called the Lucy Intelligence Network, and the person they were in contact with at the time was Hans Meyer.

According to Fang Wen's future memories, Lucy's intelligence network was established by Rudolf Rösler, a German-born anti-Nazi refugee, and was supported by the Soviet Union. It was connected to an anti-Nazi officer organization within the German army called "The Black Band".

Unexpectedly, this airborne operation involved the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union.

Fang Wen was surprised, but remained calm on the surface and shook hands with Hans Meier.

"I'm only responsible for the successful completion of this airdrop operation. When do you plan to operate? Where is the drop zone?"

Hans Meyer did not state it directly, but lowered his voice and said, "I bring you greetings from Moscow, Mr. Fang Wen."

"You?" Fang Wen feigned surprise.

"There are some things I need to discuss with you privately."

"Okay, come with me."

Fang Wen led Hans Meyer into the upper cockpit.

After closing the cockpit door, Fang Wen looked at Hans Meier and waited for him to explain the situation.

Hans Meyer pulled out a notebook: "Lieutenant Colonel Vasily Ivanovich Terekin, this is my party membership card, captain of the GRU Special Operations Team, and also the temporary station chief of the Zug branch of the Lucy Intelligence Network."

Fang Wen took the other person's Party membership card, glanced at it, and asked, "A joint operation between the Soviet Union and Britain?"

Hans Meyer explained: "In early May, our sources in Germany provided the complete text of Operation Barbarossa, and between June 1st and 20th, we received eight consecutive confirmations, supplementing the information on German troop deployments, armored group locations, and air base lists. On the morning of June 22nd, the Germans launched their attack as planned, and the intelligence was 100% accurate. Unfortunately, for various reasons, this intelligence did not have any effect. However, the importance of the intelligence we provided has been recognized by Moscow, and therefore, the higher-ups decided to increase their support for us."

"Wait a minute," Fang Wen interrupted, "Why are you telling me this? I'm not one of your people."

"But you are a staunch anti-fascist fighter, someone Moscow trusts. We learned of your involvement in this operation when you departed from the United States. We know your capabilities better than the British and Americans, and therefore hope you can provide more assistance in this operation."

Hearing Hans Meyer say this, Fang Wen nodded: "Tell me your plan."

Hans Meier took out a map and pointed to the German territory.

“The British have sent a seven-man team to make contact with their informants inside Germany. We have the same plan. We were originally going to enter Germany from the Swiss border, but parachuting in on your plane is a better option. Therefore, the parachute will be divided into two parts. You will first fly to Nuremberg to drop the British there, and then on your return flight, fly here to land. We need to receive a machine and important intelligence there.” Fang Wen looked at the point on the map as Hans Meyer pointed.

This place is located in the region bordering Switzerland and Germany, surrounded by mountains, and is called the Black Forest.

The place Hans Meier was pointing to was a lake in the Black Forest called Lake Titisee.

Fang Wen did not immediately agree to this.

Instead, he looked at Hans Meyer: "Landing on such a small lake at night would be dangerous, and I can't be sure if there are any obstacles on the water. I refuse."

Hans Meyer grew anxious and tried to persuade him.

Fang Wen then added, "Unless you tell me what you brought back from this mission?"

Hans Meyer said with difficulty, "I don't know either. This is an order from Moscow."

“I need to know if it’s worth taking this risk,” Fang Wen replied calmly.

"Okay, I'll report it to my superiors."

Hans Meyer took his leave, boarded a sailboat, and went ashore.

Two hours later, he hurriedly returned and boarded the plane again.

Fang Wen led him to the cockpit.

Hans Meyer produced a sheet of paper entirely in Morse code: “Mr. Fang, Moscow replied with a telegram, but I couldn’t decipher it. Later, a new telegram arrived indicating that you know the code.”

Fang Wen took the paper and tried to decipher it using the coded message the Soviets had given him.

It actually worked.

The contents of the document requested that Fang Wen land at Lake Titi and bring back a device called the Enigma Machine, along with relevant intelligence.

"So that's what it is," Fang Wen realized.

The Enigma machine was a military cipher machine used by Nazi Germany. Its core function was to encrypt military communications. Its encryption principle was based on the rotational combination of mechanical rotors in the cipher machine, generating complex cipher combinations through different arrangements of multiple rotors.

In the era before computers, this purely mechanical cipher machine was very difficult to crack, so it was widely used by the German army, air force and even submarine forces for communications. The navy's U-boats used the Enigma machine for secret communication between ships for a long time.

However, it's not entirely impossible. If you obtain a sample of a cipher machine and the parameters for setting the cipher, you can reverse-engineer the pattern of this cipher machine.

Now that the German army has invaded Soviet territory, the Soviet Union is indeed in dire need of finding a way to crack the contents of German military telegraph communications in order to gain an advantage on the battlefield.

Since that was the case, Fang Wen agreed.

The following night, the prepared Americans took off on the Clipper, carrying seven British agents, Hans Meyer, and one of his men.

At 9 p.m., the plane took off and flew in a northwest direction.

Under the cover of darkness, and with the plane flying at an altitude of 7000 meters, it did not attract the attention of the German air defense forces along the way.

Guided by Fang Wen's supernatural abilities, the plane accurately flew over Nuremberg, where Fang Wen activated his powers to search for the British's contact.

A roaring bonfire burned in a manor in the southwestern forest of Nuremberg, serving as a guiding light for the nighttime airdrop.

Fang Wen had the British confirm this by telegram.

The telegram was sent, and a reply was quickly sent to confirm.

Fang Wen then said in a deep voice, "The area below is a large forest. I will land the plane at an altitude of 2000 meters. You must complete your parachute jump within five minutes to avoid veering off course. Also, be careful to get caught on tree branches during landing. If that happens, do not blindly cut the straps and fall from a great height. Get close to a tree trunk for support before you jump."

After giving the instructions, Fang Wen had Hans Meyer open the hatch, and British agents jumped out one after another, their parachutes blooming in the sky.

Within five minutes, seven agents completed their parachute landing. Fang Wen ignored their landing results and piloted the plane back to base.

Midway through the flight, he steered the plane westward, flying over the Black Forest and finding Lake Titisee, deep within the Black Forest.

Outside a white three-story wooden building by the lake, people were also lighting a bonfire as a guide.

However, this non-water-based guidance is completely unsuitable for guiding aircraft landings.

Therefore, Fang Wen used his special ability to observe the situation below and confirmed that there were no obstructions on the surface of Didi Lake before landing on the lake.

After landing, the plane approached the lakeside buildings and stopped about 200 meters away.

Hans Meyer opened the hatch, threw out an inflatable raft, and then he and his men jumped onto the raft and rowed to the shore.

Fang Wen is the only person on the plane now.

Fang Wen sat in the cockpit, and his supernatural power instantly emanated from the aircraft and spread outwards.

Although it was night, the outside world appeared to him in shades of gray and white.

He could clearly sense the situation on the other side of the lakeside buildings.

A German officer led three soldiers toward the dock. One of the soldiers was carrying a case, while the other two soldiers were on guard with submachine guns. The officer was also carrying a small briefcase.

Besides the German officer and three soldiers who came out, there were two other people on the first floor of the building, and another person on the second floor, who was sitting still in a chair and appeared to be tied up.

Something's not right!

Fang Wen picked up the Taishan walkie-talkie and turned on the communication button.

"Hans, don't get off the ship."

The raft is about to approach the dock on the shore.

Hans Meyer stood up, preparing to jump ashore as the boat approached.

A voice came from beneath him: "Hans, don't get off the ship."

That was the Taishan walkie-talkie that Fang Wen gave him for emergency communication. After boarding the ship, it was turned on as Fang Wen had requested.

Upon hearing this sound, Hans froze and quickly raised his hand to signal his men to stop rowing.

He crouched down, picked up the walkie-talkie, and whispered, "What's wrong?"

"Something's not right. Did the telegram from Moscow tell you how many people were at the meeting?"

"How many people?" Hans Meier was taken aback. "We all have single-line contact."

He immediately realized that the operation might have gone wrong; the German informant wouldn't have brought anyone else with them to the rendezvous. (End of Chapter)