The Rise Of A Billionaire 1943-Chapter 137 - 147: Patton Arrives

What the American public cares about is Bastogne. For most people, their concerns are simply what everyone else is talking about.

But for Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in France, his concern was the entire war—not just Bastogne, not just the Ardennes, but the whole Western Front.

Near noon that day, after finishing an inspection of the front lines, Eisenhower had already returned to Verdun in his command car. Throughout the journey, he kept pondering the situation in the Ardennes. This battle was too strange, with too many astonishing elements.

One of the most surprising things was the sudden appearance of a mysterious group of German commandos wearing American uniforms behind U.S. lines. They gave false orders, attacked supply convoys and officers’ vehicles, and cast an unprecedented shadow of fear over the Allied rear.

This sense of fear had already spread as far as Paris. The morning before last, as he was about to leave, the colonel in charge of his security insisted he ride in an armored car.

"I have solid intelligence, General," the colonel said, somewhat agitated.

"Otto Skorzeny has already dispatched special commando teams in U.S. uniforms to assassinate you."

Since the outbreak of war, Skorzeny had been sending commandos in American uniforms behind U.S. lines to...

It created a great deal of chaos and resulted in the deaths of many officers. That’s precisely why everyone was so anxious—after all, nobody could tell whether the American soldiers in front of them were the real deal or imposters.

Amidst this confusion, some people swore they had seen several German paratroopers somewhere. Allegedly, these men were now heading toward Paris, with the aim of assassinating the Allied Supreme Commander.

However, Skorzeny’s commando unit could only have a limited effect and could not change the overall situation. While pondering the situation in the Ardennes, Eisenhower’s car drove into Verdun. A little after 11 a.m., he entered a conference room. He looked at the people gathered before him in a semicircle, each with a solemn expression.

"The current situation, although it may seem a bit overwhelming, is really nothing to worry about," Eisenhower said.

"We should treat this as an opportunity, not a disaster."

He glanced around at the attendees again.

"There’s no need for everyone to look so grim. Remember, our strength is three times that of the Germans."

General Patton immediately grinned, revealing his tobacco-stained yellow teeth.

"Goddamn it," Patton said, "we could just let those sons of bitches try to fight their way to Paris. We’ll cut off their retreat and then chew them up!"

Patton’s crude words broke the tense atmosphere, and everyone’s faces lit up with smiles.

Eisenhower shook his head.

"No, under no circumstances can we let the enemy cross the Meuse River. Hodges’s situation is very serious, and we have to face that fact. We must launch a diversionary attack immediately; otherwise, the First Army’s defensive line could completely collapse. George,"

He turned to Patton,

"I want you to take over Luxembourg. How soon can you get there?"

"I can go now," Patton replied crisply.

"You mean today?"

"I mean as soon as this meeting is over."

"How soon after that can you launch an attack, George?" asked Omar Bradley.

"Forty-eight hours."

Eisenhower frowned. Patton, who was currently attacking the Germans in the Saar region, would have to make his troops pivot ninety degrees. Forty-eight hours seemed unlikely.

"Is that enough time?"

"Don’t worry about the time," Patton said with a hearty wave of his hand. "Ike, trust me, I’ll be there on time."

As soon as he finished speaking, the attendees murmured among themselves. Some thought Patton was boasting; others, like Bradley, were pleased by his confidence.

Patton, at ease, lit a cigarette and pointed to the large "bulge" on the Ardennes map.

"Bradley, the Krauts have really stuck their heads into the meat grinder this time."

He raised his fist.

"This time I’ve got them by the throat, and I’ll be sure to cut off their retreat."

Even Eisenhower couldn’t help but smile.

"All right, George," he said, "don’t attack before the 10th, and not after the 11th." Then he raised a finger in warning:

"Remember, this attack has to be solid—absolutely solid."

Patton waved a hand dismissively.

"I’ll be in Bastogne before the 13th."

Eisenhower then warned him again about the ferocity of the German offensive, and turned to Devers, the commander of the army group south of Bradley.

"Jake," he said, "you need to spread your forces out to fill the big gap George will leave in the north. If you come under attack, pull back immediately—even if you have to fall all the way back to the Vosges Mountains, that’s fine."

As soon as the meeting ended, Patton had a staff officer call his chief of staff, General Gay. Before leaving Nancy that morning, he had already drawn up three plans to resolve the Ardennes crisis, assigned each a code word, and briefed Gay. Within minutes, based solely on a single code word over the phone, Patton’s troops in the Saar region began to pivot north toward the Ardennes.

After everyone left, Eisenhower stepped closer, pointing to the new fifth star on his uniform.

"You know, George," he said with a smile, "every time I get a promotion, someone attacks me. Now, a lot of people are blaming me for the Ardennes."

"To hell with them, Ike," Patton replied with a laugh. "Every time someone attacks you, I have to come bail you out. This time is no different. Don’t worry about the Ardennes—with me here, the Krauts are going to get chewed to pieces."

A few hours later, Pierre in Bastogne received Eisenhower’s telegram. After reading it, he chuckled.

"All right, reinforcements are on the way!"

"Who’s leading them?"

"Patton!"

Pierre smiled.

"When that guy fights, he always goes all out—never any hesitation or half-measures. With him here, we don’t have to worry about the Americans slacking off..."

The commander’s words made Sun Delin laugh.

"Sir, I told you—Pat..."

"If Bastogne is so important, the Americans will definitely do everything they can to rescue it."

Pierre shook his head at this assessment and said, "You don’t understand. Sometimes, some problems aren’t just purely military matters."

If he didn’t distrust the Americans, why would he have spent over a hundred thousand dollars in the U.S. waging a media campaign? Wasn’t it all to make sure Eisenhower wouldn’t abandon Bastogne?

That guy was never a pure soldier—he was a politician first, and a military man second. If he decided to sell them out, they’d be in real trouble.

Facts proved that this public opinion campaign was indeed effective.

"Chief Pierre, do you think the Allies can defeat the Germans this time?"

The operations officer’s question made Pierre pause for a moment before he replied, "Don’t worry. The Germans will attack until their last drop of fuel!"

Once the tanks run out of gas, can the German offensive really continue?