Chapter 5: A Group of Old Men

After the meeting adjourned, the Fuhrer was naturally the first to walk out of the door with his hands behind his back. Keitel followed closely behind, surrounded by a group of staff from the High Command, leaving the conference room almost half empty!

The three Supreme Commanders did not leave immediately. Keitel and Riedel were whispering something beside the sand table, while Blaukisch and his top generals - von Rundstedt, von Leeb, von Kluge, von Witzleben, von Manstein, von Bock, Wilhelm List, and others were gathered in another group. Upon closer inspection, they were also engaged in separate discussions in small groups.

Although this was not a pre-arranged queue, it partially reflected the upper echelons of the German military machine. In the most traditional Army, nobility, especially those from military families, were more likely to be promoted, and it was unlikely for someone under 50 to reach the rank of General. On the other hand, the Navy and Air Force, having suffered the most sanctions after World War I, appeared younger and more dynamic after their rebirth!

Although he was unfamiliar with the environment, the opportunity to interact closely with high-ranking generals was rare. It was unwise for Logan to leave at this moment. Since he was wearing an Air Force uniform, he slowly approached the Air Force Chief of Staff, Hans Jeschonnek. In this illustrious conference room, the 41-year-old "young" officer was perhaps the closest in age to Logan, and without any family background, Jeschonnek's promotion speed in the later stages was even more dazzling than Logan's—having only been a colonel before becoming Chief of Staff of the Air Force in February 1939, he rose rapidly in just a year and six months. He was promoted to Major General first, then skipped the rank of Lieutenant General to become an Air General!

Jeschonnek, who was originally talking to the commander of the 3rd Air Fleet, General Sperrle, probably caught sight of someone approaching him from the corner of his eye, and turned his head vigilantly. After realizing the identity of the visitor, he smiled and said, "Welcome to join us, Colonel Logan!"

At this moment, Logan was completely unaware of the true meaning behind "joining us". He awkwardly greeted the two senior Air Force officials and glanced at the scar on Jeschonnek's forehead, caused by the roadside bomb incident—a bomb that exploded behind Goering's car, causing slightly less impact, and Jeschonnek was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. Fortunately, his injuries were not serious, and he was discharged from the hospital within a week.

"Nowadays, talent is awe-inspiring!" Speer, who was quite bald, looked at Logan with a smile that Logan couldn't decipher. Was it praise or concern that the former wave might die on the beach?

Jeschonnek responded with a smile, "Colonel Logan has always been outstanding among his peers. If we had more talents like him, the Empire could easily defeat any opponent!"

The exchange between the two men made Logan feel very uncomfortable. Asking about each other's families might not be welcomed by the Germans; inquiring about career situations might mean asking about the recent status of aircraft production from the Air Force Chief of Staff.

After some thought, Logan brought up a seemingly harmless topic, "How is our Field Marshal doing?"

"Well, although he still can't speak, he can write with his hands now. According to Dr. Gerlach, in another week at most, the Field Marshal will be able to take a wheelchair stroll!" Jeschonnek casually mentioned, which surprised Logan. That despicable guy not only didn't die but also woke up?

"Ah, that guy Himmler has been investigating for so long and still hasn't found the real culprit. Maybe his secret police have something to do with this too!" Speer said disdainfully.

"Cough, cough!" The Air Force Chief of Staff coughed deliberately and looked around vigilantly. This "chicken farm owner," who controlled the SS and the vast secret police, was almost everywhere in Germany. Although he didn't dare to intervene in the affairs of the Wehrmacht, he wouldn't touch a highly respected Air Force Marshal without the Fuhrer's permission. However, his ruthless methods still sent chills down people's spines.

At this moment, while Logan was intentionally following Speer's pretense of indignation, he felt very uneasy: if Goering really recovered, wouldn't the first thing he did be to find out who was behind the roadside bomb incident? Although Logan's methods were covert, there were still two key witnesses—Quirrel and Tobias. He wasn't worried that either of these two would betray him voluntarily, but what if Goering's people or Himmler's secret police followed some clues that weren't completely severed to find one of them? Torture was not something an ordinary person could endure!

Silence them?

This thought flashed through his mind but was immediately rejected by Logan himself: not only was it cruel, but it might also expose his identity.

Attempt another assassination?

That wouldn't work either. After the roadside bomb incident, Goering's vigilance would definitely increase exponentially, and he might even set traps waiting for the assassin to reappear.

Was he just going to sit and wait for death?

"Colonel! Colonel?" Jeschonnek's voice brought Logan's wandering soul back to his body in an instant.

"Uh, sorry, what were you saying?"

"Oh, the Marshal just said, why were you able to come up with so many strange tactics? Is it because of your mentors in military school?"

Logan looked at Speer, who was quite bald but not as fat as Goering, and managed to force a smile, "No, I've always been this kind of eccentric since I was a child. My classmates and teachers used to laugh at me! As I grew older, the unreliable ideas became relatively fewer, but sometimes I couldn't help it... That's just how it is!"

"Oh?" Speer looked at Logan with a slightly curious expression again, "It is said that geniuses are often seen as strange when they are children!"

Jeschonnek smiled and patted Logan's arm, "Don't mind, the Marshal was just joking with you!"

"Oh, it's okay!" Logan smiled awkwardly.

"By the way, Colonel, are you still living in the apartment by the Havel Canal?" Jeschonnek asked again.

"Yes! Why?" Logan was puzzled.

"Nothing, hehe!" Jeschonnek smiled mysteriously.

Shortly after, Keitel and Riedel shook hands, indicating that the temporary meeting between the heads of the Navy and Air Force had ended. The Air Force Marshal turned and walked towards Logan, his expression calm as he said, "Well done, Colonel!"

Logan stood at attention and said, "Thank you for your concern and support. On behalf of all the fighting personnel, I salute you!"

"Yes! Keep up the good work!" Keitel, who was very bald, seemed somewhat satisfied with Logan's attitude. But his gaze didn't linger on this young Air Force Colonel but followed Marshal Speer, who was the same age as him, to the side and spoke in a low voice.

Vaguely, Logan seemed to hear keywords like "Henkel," "Junckers

," "torpedo bomber," and "squadron." When Goering was in power, he claimed that "everything that flies in Germany belongs to me." During Keitel's temporary tenure as Air Force Commander, he impartially provided some assistance to the Navy. Now, with the invincible Empire Marshal almost awake, wouldn't it be an opportunity for him to quickly allocate some production capacity to the Navy before Goering fully recovered?

Before Logan could hear more, Jeschonnek pulled him aside and said in one breath, "You can tell, Colonel, the Fuhrer was very interested in the proposal you just made, but my biggest question is, will the British Navy take the bait? If I were the British commander, I probably wouldn't rush into the English Channel without air superiority during the day. But at night, our dive bombers are unable to attack, torpedo bombers are less effective, are we going to rely on the few torpedo boats and submarines to attack the British fleet?"

"Well, in my plan, if the British fleet dares to enter the English Channel during the day, we will make sure they have no way out. But if they lack the courage, then we'll have to try setting a bait elsewhere!" Logan replied to Jeschonnek. Logan wasn't afraid of leaking secrets to Jeschonnek, but he also didn't want to reveal all his cards at once.

"The North Sea?" Jeschonnek guessed.

Before clarifying the other's position and attitude, Logan hedged, "Comparatively, the British fleet would definitely prefer to operate in the North Sea rather than the English Channel. However, determining the location to set the bait requires careful reasoning and argumentation, and ultimately, it will be decided by the Fuhrer himself. Am I right?"

Although Jeschonnek was not very old, he had been in the military for many years and had spent more than five years in the Air Force General Staff, assisting three Air Force Chiefs of Staff (Wever, Keitel, and von Richthofen), and had seen many people and things. He saw through Logan's little trick at a glance, smiled without saying a word, and looked around. At this point, some officers had already left the conference room in groups—usually, if the Fuhrer wanted to invite someone to dinner, the aides would inform them separately, and others could leave on their own if they had no business.

"Colonel, you can either return to your residence tonight or stay at the hotel arranged by the High Command, but in any case, be sure to be at the Prime Minister's Office by 8 a.m. tomorrow! Do you need a car sent to pick you up tomorrow morning?"

That was said very politely.

Logan thought for a moment and then took advantage of the situation, saying, "Thank you for the reminder. It's been a while since I returned to my residence. I'd like to go back tonight and sort some things out. If it's convenient for you, please arrange for a car to take me back, and come to pick me up at 7 a.m. tomorrow!"

"No problem! Hey, actually, you don't necessarily have to rush back!" Jeschonnek seemed to have another half of a sentence left unsaid, but Logan could do nothing about it. After all, he was the one who piqued the curiosity first.

The naval officers were the least in number and the first to leave collectively. As he watched Keitel also heading towards the exit, Logan followed Jeschonnek at an even pace, contemplating the complex dynamics of the Air Force high command: rumor had it that Goering was afraid of Milch taking his position, Keitel didn't seem to like Milch very much either, but he also had no fondness for Goering. Furthermore, there were significant conflicts between General Udet, who was in charge of air force equipment procurement, and Milch...

Most importantly, Goering had somehow made a miraculous recovery. Would the promising situation of the Battle of Britain turn sour again due to this man's reckless command?

Logan was very worried, genuinely worried.